These festive season holiday buffet menu ideas roundup features a few of the appetiser recipes, main course, easy cake recipes and delicious cookie recipes beloved by my family and friends over the festive season holidays.
These buffet menu recipes are suitable for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Eid, Easter or year end parties and many can be made ahead and completed on the day.
Holiday Buffet Menu ideas for the Festive Season
This video below is from the year end party I held for my staff a few years ago, and included appetisers, cakes and desserts.
Best holiday appetizers
Mince samoosa
Italian cured Meat and Cheese Platter (Antipasto board)
An Italian cured Meat and Cheese platter or Antipasto board is a quick first course or meal and includes cured meats, cheese, nuts, vegetables and bread.
These Circassian chicken choux puffs have a filling of chicken and a sauce flavored with paprika, cumin, chili, garlic and thickened with ground walnuts.
This Cape Malay Mince Samoosa recipe for crispy pastry pockets filled with fragrant minced beef or lamb meat, onion, coriander and heady spices, is perfection in every bite.
Crayfish salad with avocado, red cabbage and cucumber
This Crayfish salad balances the delicate flavor of crayfish, with the sweet and sour notes of the rice vinegar and stevia dressing and the crunch of red cabbage and cucumber, mellowed by the creaminess of ripe avocado.
This Carrot and Pumpkin soup without cream is gluten free, dairy free and grain free and proves that you don't need canned pumpkin when fresh seasonal produce is so much more flavorful.
This velvety Prawn Coconut Curry soup has oodles of flavor in it's curry based broth and is fragrant with ginger and garlic and with a bit of heat from chilli.
Dairy free creamy chicken soup with coconut milk has a lightly spiced broth infused with garlic, ginger and turmeric and flavored with lemongrass for a lighter version of cream of chicken soup.
Slow cooked authentic Cape Malay Lamb Curry is fragrant with whole and powdered spices and herbs in a delicious gravy that smothers tender bites of meat and potato.
This old fashioned alcohol free spiced boiled fruit cake is a moist, dark rich fruit cake recipe that is delicious for afternoon tea or served with custard for dessert.
The best ever moist chocolate slab cake has a chocolatey rich flavor with a deliciously fudgy buttercream icing that isn't too sweet to go for seconds.Â
These sinfully moist cake style Lindt Brownies with Nutella sauce are rich and chocolatey and hits all the spots when you are in need of a bit of indulgence.
These fluffy perfect buttermilk scones are everything a scone should be; buttery and light with a tender crumb and ideal with whipped or clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Decadent Rose cupcakes with white chocolate ganache
This beautifully buttery pound cake batter is scented with rose water and can be used for cupcakes or loaf cakes then topped with a decadent white chocolate ganache.
This classic baked Traditional South African milk tart recipe with sweetened condensed milk is scented with vanilla and cinnamon and will have you coming back for more.
Coconut and Oat Crunchy biscuits recipe (Crunchies)
This home made South African Coconut and Oat crunchy biscuits recipe makes golden bars of buttery, sweet, crispy deliciousness perfect for a pick me up.
Macerated Strawberries, Mascarpone Cream and Balsamic vinegar
The simple macerated strawberries and mascarpone cream with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar results in a stunning dessert evoking feelings of utter bliss.
Whipped Yogurt Mousse with jelly and evaporated milk
This refreshing and light but luxurious whipped yogurt mousse is studded with fresh fruits and elevated by the addition of whipped evaporated milk and fresh cream.
Deliciously decadent Espresso Cookies and Cream Mousse
This deliciously decadent Espresso cookies and cream mousse dessert is a coffee infused lush pudding that will have you licking your lips after every taste.Â
Potatoes get a new lease on life in this Cape Malay Potato Pudding recipe with hints of almond extract, cardamom and cinnamon and is delicious with stewed dried peaches or without.
Delicious Stewed Apricot and Peach compote made with dried fruits instead of fresh, is delicious served with yogurt for breakfast, with custard for dessert or as a garnish on baked puddings.
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Oh my gosh you provided a lot of food options I could die of food comma! Im very interested to make the pepper steak pie and the desserts all look divine!
The holidays are all about what I’m eating! These recipes all look like they’ll be delightful additions to our celebrations. Dessert is my favorite, so I’m so glad there are lots of options.
Thanks for sharing so many options. This festive season I am going to try few new dishes and trust me I never tried Caramelised onion, fig and brie tart appetizer I am going to try this for sure. Recipe looks easy and doable
Thank you! Your blog post feels like a gift. All of these wonderful recipes are going to be put to good use for sure and everything looks so super yummy indeed 🙂
10 Comments
jk
December 5, 2019 at 4:31 pmEverything here looks so good. I always need lots of inspiration to prepare my holiday menus. Looks like I’ve found the right place.
Nicole Escat
December 4, 2019 at 2:46 pmCaramelized onion sounds really great, thanks! Your blog is so nice, I find so many food ideas here.
Miljana
December 4, 2019 at 2:42 pmAmazing recipes! Looking delicious, but also good for the eyes! 🙂 So helpful!
Erik the Hungry Traveller
December 4, 2019 at 2:00 pmOh my gosh you provided a lot of food options I could die of food comma! Im very interested to make the pepper steak pie and the desserts all look divine!
Melanie Walsh
December 3, 2019 at 10:50 pmThe holidays are all about what I’m eating! These recipes all look like they’ll be delightful additions to our celebrations. Dessert is my favorite, so I’m so glad there are lots of options.
Laura
December 3, 2019 at 7:20 pmThese recipes look amazing and just what I need. Thank you x
Laura
Kiwi
December 3, 2019 at 1:53 pmFeasting for the holidays. I love a good buffet and looks like a lot of options.
Sundeep
December 3, 2019 at 11:16 amThanks for sharing so many options. This festive season I am going to try few new dishes and trust me I never tried Caramelised onion, fig and brie tart appetizer I am going to try this for sure. Recipe looks easy and doable
Rosey
December 3, 2019 at 7:44 amThat steak pie recipe would make my grown kids happy. There are good choices here.
Cityrocka Perry
December 2, 2019 at 10:25 pmThank you! Your blog post feels like a gift. All of these wonderful recipes are going to be put to good use for sure and everything looks so super yummy indeed 🙂