If you think weddings are a grand affair at Kurland, just wait until we share what the Kurland family has planned for the Christmas season as four generations gather together from all corners of the world for the holidays – it’s a happy kind of chaos at the Homestead.
The circle of life is beautiful, and even more so for a family that honours festive traditions with joy. For every season, a tradition, and for every celebration, a recipe!
As Glenda, of Glenda’s restaurant in Johannesburg, says, nothing brings people together quite like food. Glenda, Di, Alex and Nicky pay homage to their mother, Annie Reynolds, at this time of year in so many ways. Annie was a great Christmas planner – always stocking the freezer with homemade ice cream, buying the much needed ingredients for Christmas meals and making puddings and cakes way in advance.
For the sisters, Christmas is a time to embrace the joy of togetherness and celebrate the finer things in life. Together, they spend days preparing a feast that reflects their shared passion for creating memorable moments around the table.
On Christmas Eve, after carols at the local church, they will enjoy fresh salmon with its festive Christmas marinade, turkey stuffed with homemade breadcrumbs, rosemary, and bay leaves—ingredients plentiful in the Kurland garden. There will be an abundance of homemade mince pies made from a cherished family recipe, brandy butter with just a bit too much brandy, a flaming Christmas pudding topped with mistletoe, and bowls of Quality Street sweets adorning the Christmas table. Young and old alike will pull crackers with delight—some traditions never change.
Christmas morning brings the twinkling lights of a pine-scented Christmas tree and hand-embroidered stockings, bountifully filled, hanging on the mantlepiece. The aroma of Welsh rarebit wafts from the kitchen, and Christmas cake is joyfully devoured.
Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a showstopping dessert, and a traditional Christmas Bombe will take centre stage this year. Here’s how you can make it yourself and bring a touch of Kurland magic to your table.
Christmas Bombe
Ingredients:
- 1 L homemade vanilla ice cream
- 100 g chopped dark chocolate
- 50 g chopped orange peel
- 50 g chopped crystallised ginger
- 20 red cherries, quartered
- 200 g unsalted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp brandy
Method:
- Take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave it for 20 minutes to soften.
- In a saucepan, combine all the fruits with the brandy and cinnamon. Heat gently, then set aside to cool.
- Mix the softened ice cream with all the ingredients.
- Line a medium-sized pudding basin with two layers of parchment paper and one layer of cling wrap, ensuring it’s as smooth as possible to avoid imprinting the bombe.
- Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared basin. Cover with cling wrap and freeze until solid.
- Ten minutes before serving, remove the bombe from the freezer and invert it onto a serving plate.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper and cling wrap.
- Top with mixed berry compote and garnish with holly or a bay leaf.
This recipe is as festive as it is delicious—a perfect companion to a Christmas pudding.
At Kurland, traditions are lovingly upheld, with fresh touches from younger generations, all inspired by the lessons of the past. Special memories continue to be made in this magical place!