Source: This article was taken from the April 2011 issue of Food & Home

Oven-baked peppers with cherry tomatoes

Text by Jules Mercer. Photographs by Toby Murphy

Serves 6 EASY 45 mins

• 3 red peppers, seeded and cut in half
• 3 yellow peppers, seeded and cut in half
• 200g (2 punnets) baby vine tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• olive/avocado oil, for drizzling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tub bocconcini (mozzarella balls), torn

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Place the peppers on a baking tray and fill with the tomatoes and garlic. Drizzle with the oil, season and roast for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese has melted, about a further 10 minutes.
4. Serve immediately with crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Cranberry-glazed duck breast with green apple salad

Text by Illanique van Aswegen. Photographs by Adel Ferreira from Foto Factory

Serves 4 EASY 40 minutes

TO DRINK: A crisp, dry cider or a ripe merlot with soft tannins.

DUCK

• 4 duck breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 60ml (1/4 cup) cranberry jelly

SALAD

• 4 Granny Smith apples, finely sliced
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 500g fresh watercress
• juice of 1 small lemon
• olive/avocado oil

1. For the duck, heat a heavy-based, non-stick pan. Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts and fry skin-side-down for about 3 minutes. Turn the breasts over and fry for another 3-4 minutes for medium-rare or according to your preference. Remove from the pan, season and leave to rest for a few minutes.
2. Heat the cranberry jelly with a splash of water in a saucepan until melted. Brush the jelly all over the duck breasts.
3. Combine the salad greens and dress with a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of oil.
4. Serve the duck warm with the salad.

Mango meringue cream cake

Text by Karen Short. Photographs by Graeme Wyllie

Makes 1 cake 1 hour 45 mins

• 700 g castor sugar
• 500g butter, softened
• 8 large eggs
• 10ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
• 630g cake flour
• 20ml (4 tsp) baking powder
• 180g cornflour
• 10ml (2 tsp) salt
• 500ml (2 cups) buttermilk
• 4 mangoes, peeled and sliced

FILLING

• 1 litre water
• 350g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, sliced lengthways 500ml (2 cups) cream
• 8 small white meringues, broken into pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line 2 x 18cm-diameter cake tins.
2. For the cake, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, cornflour and salt into a large bowl.
4. Alternately mix small amounts of the buttermilk and the flour mixture into the butter mixture until you have a smooth batter. Stir in three quarters of the mango slices, then spoon the batter into the cake tins.
5. Bake until a skewer comes out clean, about 40 – 50 minutes. Place on a rack to cool.
6. For the filling, boil the water, sugar and vanilla pod together in a pot until you have a thick syrup. Set aside to cool a little before removing the pod.
7. Beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the broken meringues and remaining mango slices. 8 Spread the meringue cream between the two cake layers to sandwich them together. Pour the syrup over the cake and serve immediately.