Celeb chefs spill the festive beans

22 December 2010 - 00:17

By TimesLIVE

JODI-ANN PEARTON, CHEF OF THE YEAR 2010

Where will you be for Christmas?

I will be with close family and friends on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

What's on the menu?

I am going to prepare a slow-roasted turducken (a deboned turkey, stuffed with a deboned duck and then stuffed with a deboned chicken), but gammon is a family favourite.

I'll be serving this with crispy, golden roast potatoes, classic roasted vegetables and a few decadent salads including my favourite - green asparagus, Parma ham and pine-nut salad.

What is your favourite holiday treat?

Lindor balls! It is the only time of year that I eat them and I wait all year long for the treat.

Who are your fantasy dinner guests?

Merry and Father Christmas, Robin Hood , Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling.

CHEF ALLISTAIRE LAWRENCE OF ROOTS RESTAURANT, CRADLE OF HUMANKIND

Where will you be for Christmas?

I'll be spending my Christmas doing what I love the most: serving gorgeous meals to my customers. Christmas Eve will be spent with the family at home.

What's on the menu?

Smoked lamb rump, duck, turkey, foie gras, and decadent pecan nut pie to top it all off.

What is your favourite holiday treat?

I'm a confirmed gingerbread biscuit and eggnog devotee around the holidays.

Who are your fantasy dinner guests?

That's an easy question: I'd cook for my parents any day.

What do you hope for someone else to prepare for you?

They say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach . in my case if the food is foie gras and it has been prepared by a 3-star-rated Michelin Chef I'd be a happy man.

CHEF DANIELE FABRIS OF BICE, HYDE PARK

Where will you be for Christmas?

Principally, in my town, Gorgonzola (20km from Milan) and around Italy a bit to visit friends.

What's on the menu?

Italian classics and special, creative dishes to establish a relationship between Italian style and beautiful South African products.

What is your favourite holiday treat?

Visiting new places or chilling at home with the people I love.

Who are your fantasy dinner guests?

I would like to have at the table 10 of the biggest contemporary philosophers, improvise some food for them and then discuss the night away.

What do you hope for someone else to prepare for you?

Anything that comes from the heart and the history of the person who is cooking.