Most of us can admit that dessert is our favourite part of the meal (or day)!

When it comes to festive meals, most South African families have their own secret recipes for family desserts that have passed from generation to generation. All of us at Granny Mouse Country House and Spa still have dessert recipes from our great-great grandmothers, so we thought we’d share them and help create good family memories.

Trifle, possibly from England, is a dessert made with fruit, a thin layer of sponge fingers soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, and custard. It can be topped with whipped cream. Many South African households have their own variations on the dish, adding or subtracting anything they may desire – such as jelly, chocolate pieces, biscuit and sponge cake. On social media, the debate has raged on for many years, and continues to do so.

Malva pudding is a sweet baked pudding of Dutch origin. It’s usually served with custard and/or ice cream. It’s made with apricot jam and vinegar and has a soft, spongy, velvety texture. It’s a very popular South African dessert.

We know fruit cake is one of those treats that you either love or hate. We, personally, are on the love side and think that a great fruit cake is synonymous with Christmas spirit, and has definitely been passed down from ouma to ouma over the years. Traditional recipes tend to include sliced almonds, cherries, citrus peel, sultanas, raisins, currants etc. Some are iced – but, if you don’t like marzipan, then just serve your cake with a little brandy splashed over the top.

Milk tart – better known as Melk Tert – is a dinkum South African dessert pie. A sweet pastry crust is filled with a custard filling and topped with a generous dusting of cinnamon. Some milk tart recipes call for the custard to be baked, but you can also make an unbaked gently flavoured version. Modern day variations sometimes have baked apple or other fruits in the pastry case with the melk tert filling poured over this.

Because we at Granny Mouse love desserts, our head culinary artist Theo Mannie has created a dish that you just have to try when you book your Christmas lunch here at Granny Mouse.

All Spice Churros, Chocolate & Cointreau Sauce with Vanilla Ice cream

INGREDIENTS:

Churros

1 cup water
½ cup butter
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ Tbsp salt
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 tsp all spice

Cinnamon Sugar

1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Chocolate Sauce

200g dark chocolate
25ml Cointreau (orange liquor)
30g butter

Method:

In a large saucepan on medium heat, add the water, butter, essence, sugar, salt and all spice. With a wooden spoon, mix until the butter and sugar have dissolved. Add the flour and continue to mix until the flour has completely absorbed all the liquid and the mixture forms a solid ball. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, put this into a food processor, add the eggs and whisk until it has completely combined and is smooth in texture. Place the mixture into a piping bag then pipe into a fryer pre heated to 170°C. Fry until they are golden brown, turning regularly to ensure they are cooked through and even in colour.

For the cinnamon sugar, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

For the chocolate sauce, place a saucepan half filled with water onto medium heat. Combine the butter, Cointreau and chocolate into a bowl. Put this over the sauce pan and fold gently until the butter and chocolate has melted and resembles a smooth sauce.

Once all is completed, dust the Churros with the cinnamon sugar. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the Churros and serve with ice cream