I love getting creative with festive flavours and ingredients this time of year and these delicious rice filled apples complete with cranberries, cinnamon and wildflower honey are a tasty festive mix of old holiday flavours paired with a fun, healthy twist. But the part that got me really excited for the holidays was the mouthwatering aromas that filled the house while I was cooking. This is home cooking at its easy, fun and wholesome best, made even more festive flanked by an impressive, biltong-crusted rack of lamb. What a showstopper!
BILTONG CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB WITH RICE FILLED APPLES
TIME: 1½ hours | SERVES: 4
for the biltong crusted rack of lamb
80 g biltong powder
15 g fresh coriander, finely chopped
45 ml melted butter
1 x 850 g rack of lamb
salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 ml Dijon mustard
olive oil
for the brown rice stuffed apples
125 ml Spekko Saman Brown Long Grain Parboiled Rice
50 g dried cranberries, chopped
50 g walnuts, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
5 g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
5 ml ground cinnamon
30 ml melted butter
15 ml wild flower honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 red apples
lemon juice
20 ml butter
for the biltong crusted rack of lamb
Heat the oven 180 °C. Place the biltong powder and chopped coriander in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix well. Season the rack of lamb with salt and pepper. Smear the mustard on the fatty and the bone sides of the lamb. Press the biltong crust on both sides. Drizzle a little olive oil in a roasting tray. Place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing into portions.
for the brown rice stuffed apples
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the back of the packet. Place the rice in a mixing bowl. Add the cranberries, walnuts, spring onions, parsley and cinnamon. Add the butter and honey. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Cut the top of the apples and keep to one side – these will be like lids. Cut a circle into the apple and use a sharp spoon to spoon out the fruit. Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning. Spoon the rice stuffing into the apples. Close the apples with their lids and place them in an oven dish. Top each apple with a piece of butter and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm with the lamb.