Prickly pears were very much a part of my childhood, as most farm houses had a cactus in the garden somewhere, like a pile of green dinner plates balanced on top of each other with the pears around the edges.

Serves 8

Wine pairing: Gabriel Boudier crème de Cassis

4 extra-large or jumbo free-range egg whites

A pinch of fine salt

1 ml cream of tartar

250 g castor sugar, plus extra for sweetening the cream

15 ml corn flour

15 ml white wine vinegar

750 ml fresh cream

5 ml vanilla extract

6 ripe prickly pears (these come in white, yellow or red)

Pomegranate syrup

2 large open roses (use yellow roses for white prickly pears, orange roses for yellow prickly pears and pink roses for red prickly pears)

Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Prepare two baking trays by lining them with non-stick baking paper. Mark out a rectangle on each with a pencil, about 22 cm x 8 cm.

You will need an electric mixer for this recipe. Also, weigh the mixer’s bowl – you will need this for later.

Tip the egg whites into the bowl of your mixer. Add the salt and cream of tartar. Start whisking and continue until you have soft peaks. Now add the castor sugar in 50 g increments and continue to whisk well after each addition. When you have added all the sugar, beat well for a while to ensure that all the sugar has dissolved. Add the corn flour and the vinegar and give it a good whisk again. The meringue will now stand up in stiff peaks when you lift out the beater.

Now, having weighed your mixing bowl, you can weigh again so that you have the weight of your mixture which you then divide in two, each portion going on one of the prepared baking trays. Using a spatula, spread the mixture to the edges of your marked-out rectangle, ensuring even thickness throughout.

Place the trays in the oven and turn down the temperature to 140 °C. Bake for 40 minutes, plus another 5 minutes if you feel it necessary. The interior of the meringue will still be soft. Switch off the oven, and wedge open the door using a wooden spoon.

When cold, the two meringues can be kept, wrapped in aluminium foil, until required.

Whip the cream for the filling, sweeten it slightly with castor sugar and add the vanilla extract. Keep half in a separate bowl for the top of the dessert.

Place the one meringue layer on your serving dish of choice. Chop half the prickly pears into chunks and add them to one half of the cream and spread onto the meringue layer. Place the other meringue layer on top and decorate with the remaining cream (to the edges) and the remainder of the prickly pears cut into slices. Dribble over pomegranate syrup and sprinkle over the rose petals, then serve.

Christine Capendale is a truly busy cook and food writer. Her latest book, Meals, was published in 2019. An internet friend, I often use her recipes as recommendations to partner my wine reviews.

Christine says, “This dish looks sumptuous served on a large platter for everybody to help themselves. Serve it accompanied with crispy potato wedges. If you cannot find burrata, use any other fresh, soft mozzarella cheese, such as fior di latte, bocconcini or nodini.’

Serves 4

Wine pairing: A brilliant Stellenbosch cabernet sauvignon

40 ml extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

1 kg beef fillet

1 large onion, sliced

30 ml capers, drained and rinsed, lightly chopped

50 ml lemon juice

5 ml honey

300 g mixed exotic baby tomatoes (yellow, red and green varieties)

15 ml chopped chives

250 g burrata

80 ml crispy onions

Fresh basil and rocket for garnishing

Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

Mix 15 ml of the olive oil with sea salt and milled black pepper and rub into the beef fillet.

Heat a griddle pan over medium heat and grill the fillet, turning, for about 6 minutes until browned on all sides. Transfer the fillet to a roasting pan and roast for 10–15 minutes in the preheated oven until cooked to your liking. Rest the meat for 10 minutes before cutting it into thick slices. Drizzle with the pan juices.

While the fillet is roasting, heat another 20 ml olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the onion and capers. Cook until the onion is soft and the capers become crispy. Add the lemon juice and honey and reduce the sauce. Season with sea salt and milled black pepper.

Halve and quarter the baby tomatoes and mix them with the remaining 5 ml olive oil and the chives. Season with sea salt and milled black pepper.

To serve, place the meat on a large serving platter and drizzle with the caper sauce. Add the tomatoes to the platter and top with the burrata and crispy onions. Garnish with fresh basil and rocket.

Petrina and Rob Visser make some sublime cheeses at Dalewood Fromage, where their Jersey herd feeds on grass pastures. Their renowned cheeses regularly win awards in local and international competitions.

Serves two as a main course or four as a post-dinner cheese

Wine pairing: A delicate red, grenache noir or pinot noir

Extra virgin olive oil

60 ml panko (Japanese rusk crumbs) or plain breadcrumbs

Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

1 small handful enoki or shimeji mushrooms

250 g triangle Dalewood Fromage Wineland Wild Mushroom Brie (a plain brie is also fine to use), at room temperature

Grated rind of 1 lemon

A few sprigs fresh thyme, picked

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Make sure the shelf is in the middle of the oven. Pour a little slick of olive oil into a cheese baker or suitable small baking dish, and use a pastry brush to coat the inside.

Brown the crumbs in a small non-stick frying pan, season with salt and pepper and spread out to cool.

Fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil in a separate non-stick frying pan, then season with salt and pepper.

Place the cheese into the prepared dish and brush with a little olive oil. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. The cheese should be bubbling when it comes out of the oven.

Mix together the crumbs, mushrooms, lemon rind and thyme leaves. Sprinkle generously over the baked cheese and serve with chunks of baguette.