Spiced Squash soup, baked Camembert with Cranberry sauce, Apple & Fennel Salad and Spekulaas cookies

A comforting menu for the Holidays that looks as festive as it tastes!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
A warming, velvety soup with roasted butternut squash, spiced with cinnamon, and topped with hazelnuts, double cream, and fried sage. It’s comforting, simple to make, and has that lovely balance of earthy and festive flavours.

Baked Camembert with Garlic, Rosemary, and White Wine, plus Homemade Cranberry Sauce
A gooey, decadent baked Camembert (I actually Mont d’Or on the day of the podcast recording, but Camembert works just fine if you can’t get your hands on Mont D’Or) with garlic, rosemary, and white wine. Served alongside a vibrant homemade cranberry sauce with honey, sugar, and lemon juice – it’s truly a heavenly combination!

Radicchio di Treviso, Apple, Fennel, and Dill Salad
A fresh, vibrant salad that brings together slightly bitter radicchio with sweet apple, crisp fennel, and the distinctive touch of dill. A much-needed zingy side to cut through the richness of the cheese!

Speculaasbrokken
There is a bit of a backstory to these cookies. The recipe comes from my dear friend Geertje, who is Dutch and would always bake me a batch of these delicious traditional cookies around this time of the year. I first tried to make her recipe years ago, and it worked out beautifully. Flash forward three years, and I was trying to make these cookies for my podcast guest Amira, but the baking gods seemed to be uncooperative that day. The first batch looked nothing like my friend’s cookies (rather like a weird scone), and the second batch, although better, puffed up like a muffin. I seemed to remember the cookies to have a firmer, crunchier bite to them, but upon speaking to Geertje again and comparing notes, I have come to realise it was perhaps my memory that misled me, and she assured me that they should be a little on the soft side. Anyhow, everyone I shared them with (Amira included) seems to have really enjoyed them, and so I thought I’d share her recipe and you can try it for yourself!

The Tea Pairing

This menu has been designed to compliment the spicy notes of Avantcha’s Rooibois Masala Chai

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Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon, Hazelnuts, and Crispy Sage

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cubed

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• 750ml vegetable stock

• Double cream, for drizzling

• 2 tbsp hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

• 6–8 fresh sage leaves

• 2 tbsp butter

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Spread the squash cubes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with cinnamon, and season with salt. Toss to coat and roast for 25–30 minutes, or until tender and caramelised.

2. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and nutmeg, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.

3. Add the roasted squash to the pot and pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes to let the flavours meld. Remove from the heat and blend until smooth using a stick blender (or transfer to a countertop blender). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Fry the sage leaves until crisp, about 30 seconds per side. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with double cream, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts, and garnish with fried sage leaves. Serve warm.

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Baked Camembert with Garlic, Rosemary, White Wine, and Cranberry Sauce

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes