Sorrel with a twist

This year, Couples San Souci is seeing red for Christmas. Their chef, Gregory Nelson, has devised a number of recipes with the main ingredient of Christmas - sorrel. Try them and see that sorrel can be used for more than a drink.

Shortbread cookies

12oz butter

4oz icing sugar

1 egg

1lb flour

6oz sorrel puree

Method

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add egg.

Add flour then mix for 10 seconds then mix in sorrel puree by hand.

Then pipe into any shape you like and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sorrel puree

1 litre red stripe beer

2lb sorrel

1 vanilla bean

1oz ginger

4oz sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

Boil all ingredients together for about 20 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean from syrup and puree the mixture. Cool.

Sorrel filling

300 grams sorrel puree

1oz cornstarch

1oz sugar

Boil puree and sugar. Mix cornstarch with a little water and add to boil mixture stirring constantly remove from heat and cool.

Cheese cake

1kg cream cheese

¹/² lb sugar

5 egg

2oz cornstarch

250 grams sorrel puree

Cream cheese and sugar and cornstarch for approximately 10 minutes, every now and again scraping down the side. Add egg slowly. Then add sorrel puree. Bake slowly at 200F.

Sorrel cupcakes

1lb butter

1lb sugar

1lb egg

1lb flour

1oz baking powder

3oz sorrel puree

1oz milk

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs slowly. Combine flour and baking powder and add to egg mixture. Then add sorrel puree and milk. Pipe into prepared muffin pans and bake for 20 minutes and at a temperature of 30 Fahrenheit.