A Munch-style Christmas lunch

Chevin, brie and oak-smoked Stanford with grapes, salted roasted almonds,
roasted nectarines and port and onion jam

Roasted baby vegetables with red pepper pesto and
beetroot hummus

Black Forest ham, Parma ham, coppa, and various salamis with
herbed olive oil crackers, roasted onion,
cinnamon and black pepper pickled red grapes and pickled baby vegetables

Mixed greens with Christmas-spiced roasted nuts

Julienne carrots with harissa, feta and fresh coriander

Seared sweet potato gnocchi with crispy bacon and baby spinach
in a sweet, tangy dressing

Ginger-and-marmalade-glazed gammon with fresh cherry salsa

Seared rare beef fillet wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with mushroom duxelle

Seared rare Chinese-five-spice-crusted yellowfin tuna
with a soy, lime and honey reduction

A Christmas retrospective

Dark chocolate tart

Miniature caramelized onion tartlets

Blue cheese and walnut shortbread with caramelized pear
and crisped Parma ham

Pulled pork tostadas with pineapple and avocado
with sour cream and fresh coriander

Banana and blueberry wholewheat muffins
with yoghurt-maple topping

Homemade mince pies

Assorted frosted Christmas cookies

Dark chocolate Christmas-spiced tart with gingersnnap crust

Lemon-mascarpone asparagus tartlets

Chevin and ed grape salsa bruschetta

Mini pavlovas with sweetened creme fraiche and berries

Munch Christmas specials starting soon

For Christmas this year, Munch will be making the classic French Christmas dessert, buche de Noel, to order. Otherwise known as a Yule log, a buche de Noel is a classic French Christmas dessert, shaped and decorated to resemble the logs traditionally thrown on the Yule fire. Yule logs come in as many varieties as there are bakers. The Munch version starts with a vanilla Genoese sponge cake that is spread with rich hazelnut mousse before being rolled up. The rolled cake is then frosted with dark chocolate buttercream, with the classic meringue “mushrooms” added to complete the presentation.

As well as the buche de Noel Christmas special, Munch will also be making classic cut-out Christmas cookies, cut into star shapes and decorated with piped white royal icing and edible glitter in gold. Two flavours are available – lemon and almond sugar cookies, and spicy gingerbread cookies – and can be ordered in mixed boxes, or just one of the flavours if preferred.

Both specials will be available from the first of November. To find out more about ordering, delivery and prices, e-mail me at emma@munchfoodcakes.co.za.