Festive Season Show Stoppers by Alex Crisp, MasterChef and dedicated Endometriosis Australia Ambassador!
Alex Crisp is a talented chef and a 2024 contestant on MasterChef, known for her passion for creating bold and innovative dishes. With a flair for combining classic techniques with fresh, seasonal ingredients, Alex’s cooking style reflects her love for flavours that are both comforting and exciting. Her creativity and dedication to learning have already made her a standout in the competition.
Fun, stress-free, and delicious recipes designed for ‘endo-tainers’ during this festive season. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party, cocktail party, gathering with loved ones, or simply celebrating the end of the year, these delightful dishes are made to impress without the overwhelm.
Perfectly tailored for busy ‘endo-tainers’—those who love to entertain but want to keep it simple and easy—these recipes deliver all the flavour and none of the fuss.
Focus on what really matters this holiday season: making memories and enjoying every moment. Let’s make this holiday your most delicious yet!
Refreshing summer salad | Serves 4-6
A delicious and fresh crowd-pleasing salad. High in vitamin C and fibre
Ingredients
1 cucumber
1 bunch mint
1 fennel bulb
¼ watermelon
100g Greek Feta
Dressing
Juice of two freshly squeezed oranges
3tbsp EVOO
2tsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp honey
1tsp salt
Method
1. Slice cucumber in rounds and slice fennel into thin strips
2. Cut watermelon into thin triangles and pat dry using paper towel
3. On a salad platter, lay watermelon and add cucumber and fennel, tear mint using your hands and sprinkle over the top with crumbled feta
4. To make dressing, add the orange juice, EVOO, vinegar, salt and honey to a glass ramekin and whisk until fully incorporated
5. Dress salad once ready to serve
Enjoy!
Prawn salad cups with mango mayonnaise | Makes 20 cups
The perfect Christmas canapé. Sweet prawns, in a creamy and tangy dressing wrapped in a crisp lettuce cup. This can be made ahead of time and should be kept covered and refrigerated before serving. Easy, pretty, healthy and super delicious!
Ingredients
20 x Cooked Large Tiger Prawns (approx. 1kg)
20 lettuce leaves from the heads of two lettuce (oak, butter or cos preferred)
200g whole egg, unsweetened mayonnaise
100g fresh mango, blended
1 pinch salt
2 limes
2 avocados
Method
1. Peel prawns and devein the prawns
2. Make sure lettuce leaves are separated and rinsed thoroughly
3. Cut avocado into thick slices
4. To make the sauce, combine the juice of one lime with mango, salt and mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly with a spoon until fully incorporated
5. Spoon a dollop of sauce on each lettuce cup, top with one slice of avocado and one prawn
6. Lay out on a platter and serve with lime wedges and extra sauce for dipping.
Enjoy!
Kiwi Sparkler | Makes 4 cocktails
The Kiwi Sparkler is a recipe I designed that is healthy, delicious and filled with vitamin C & E*. This is a non-alcoholic drink, but for those wanting to make this naughty, you can do so by adding a shot of your favourite white spirit.
Ingredients
5 x kiwi fruit, peeled
150g raw sugar
2Tbsp honey
Sparkling mineral water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Juice of one large lemon
Mint leaves for garnish
Method
1. Create a simple syrup by adding raw sugar and honey to 200ml of water, bringing to the boil and leave simmering until reduced by half. Cool down
2. Using a mortar and pestle, muddle 4 kiwi fruits add ACV, lemon juice and 100ml of simple syrup
3. Spoon the kiwi mix into the bottom of four glasses, add ice and sliced kiwi before topping with sparkling water
4. Garnish with fresh mint
Enjoy!
* In recent studies, increased vitamin C and E intake have been shown to contribute to the reduction of dysmenorrhea. Through further research, I discovered that the humble kiwi-fruit boasts levels of Vitamin C that almost double that of an orange! They also contain good levels of vitamin E.
Photography and food styling: Harriet Harcourt (@harrietharcourt)
Harriet Harcourt is a New Zealander living in sunny Perth, Western Australia, who boasts over 30 years of experience working with food in various ways. She’s even designed and created prop food for iconic films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Avatar.
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, she spent years in catering, recipe and product development (including her own line of marinades and dressings), food writing, cooking demonstrations, and making occasional appearances on radio and television, where she shares her expertise and passion for food.
After moving to WA, she discovered a newfound love for photography, which shifted the direction of her career. With her extensive background in food styling, it felt like a natural transition to specialize in food photography.
In 2021, she won the Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture category at the prestigious Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year competition for her photo of “Mulled Pears.” Known as the Oscars of food photography, the competition attracted over 10,000 entries from 80 countries.
Since then, she has shot for The New York Times and worked with renowned West Australian brands, including Mrs Mac’s, Fogarty Wine Group, Clancy’s Fish Pubs, WA Potatoes, Bravo Apples, and Mt Barker Chicken.
Though she often works independently, she thrives in collaborative environments and regularly teams up with some of Perth’s most talented photographers and stylists.
Her passion for food and photography is more than just a career—it’s something she lives and breathes. And after years of accepting the notion that “that’s just how it is for a woman,” her journey took a significant turn when her sister-in-law, also a sufferer, suggested she might have endometriosis. This prompted her to consult her GP, who referred her to a specialist. Despite surgery and various treatment attempts, her struggle ultimately led to a hysterectomy at the age of 43.
If you’re looking for someone with her expertise for your next creative project, she would love to hear from you!
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