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Recipes for Christmas Day dining
Here are some suggestions for you to consider - when thinking what to cook for Christmas..?
Turkey fillets wrapped in bacon with cranberry jus with bacon and orange stuffing
Fresh Fava (broad beans) with lemon oil
Du Puy lentils and pomegranate salad
Choux puffs with Strawberry-cherry cream
Berry Couli
Smoked fish mousse on crostini
Ingredient
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 150g smoked fish
- good squeeze of lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon horseradish cream
- pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 200ml cream, lightly whipped
Method
- In a small container soften the powdered gelatine in the cold water for five minutes.
- Skin the fish and remove any bones, place in a food processor with the lemon juice, horseradish, pepper and paprika. Blend until just smooth. Check the seasoning.
- Dissolve the gelatine, either in a microwave or over a low flame until melted; add quickly to the fish mixture.
- Fold in the cream and shape onto a serving plate or single serving dishes.
For the crostini
- 1 loaf French bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of flaky sea salt
Method
- Slice the bread (1cm slices).
- With a round cutter, cut the crostini out of the bread slices.
- Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Cool.
- Place a little Smoked fish mousse on the top of the crostini. Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve.
Pork Terrine with apple and mushroom
- Ingredients
- 300g streaky bacon
- 400g pork loin or any other lean meat
- 600g pork mince
- ½ diced apple
- 150g sliced mushrooms
- 2 diced shallots
- 3 pinches mixed spice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 50ml white wine
- 30ml brandy
- 30g salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon green peppercorns
Method
- Line a terrine dish with the bacon to cover the entire surface and overlap by about 4cm on
- each side.
- Dice any leftover bacon and reserve.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Dice the pork loin into 1cm cubes and put into a stainless steel bowl.
- Add the mince to the diced loin then add the diced bacon, apple, mushrooms, shallots, herbs, wine and brandy. Mix very well by hand.
- Add salt, pepper and peppercorns and mix again.
- Place the pork mix in the lined terrine dish and wrap the top of the mix with the overlapping bacon to keep it moist and tidy.
- Cover with the lid and place on a deep tray with about 2cm of cold water.
- Bake in the oven for about 80-90 minutes or until juice around meat is clear.
- Cool down in the dish. When cold, remove from the dish and keep refrigerated and covered with plastic film.
- Slice the terrine about 1cm thick when ready to be served – it is best after 2 to 3 days.
- Serve with Dijon mustard, pickles or chutney and crusty bread.
- The terrine will keep for up to 20 days well-wrapped in the fridge.
Ingredients- Allow 180 – 200g turkey fillet per person (one fillet may weigh up to 500g)
- 1 – 2 rashers thinly sliced bacon or 1 piece prosciutto per person
- Oil
- Lemon juice
Method- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Portion the turkey. Pat dry.
- Wrap bacon around the fillet.
- Heat an oven-proof fry pan with a little oil.
- When hot, add the fillet, presentation side down first. Season. Sear for 2 – 3 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the fillets.
- Place the fry pan in the oven. Cook for 8- 10 minutes. Rest.
- Serve with the stuffing and cranberry Jus.
Bacon and orange stuffing- 200g bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 orange
- 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 – 3 eggs
- extra butter
Method- Preheat an oven to 180°C.
- Cut the bacon into small cubes.
- Heat a heavy pan and cook the bacon. Remove and place in a large bowl.
- In the same pan melt the butter, onions and garlic. Cook until translucent.
- Zest one orange onto this mixture. Cut the orange in half and then add the juice. Season. Place in bowl with bacon.
- Add the breadcrumbs and combine. Season.
- Add the eggs and mix together until moist. Add more eggs if necessary.
- Place in an ovenproof bowl. Garnish with a knob of butter.
- Bake until golden (20 - 30 minutes).
Cranberry Jus- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 50 g dried cranberries
- ½ cup chicken glaze
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Method- Dice the shallots and garlic.
- Place the butter in a small pot.
- Cook gently until the shallots and garlic are translucent.
- Add the cranberries. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the chicken glaze.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the balsamic.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Fresh Fava (broad beans) with lemon oil
Ingredients
- 500g Fava beans fresh or frozen
- Lemon juice
- 2 – 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Pod the beans if fresh.
- Peel the fresh and frozen beans to remove the skin. Leave to one side.
- In a pot, bring some water to the boil. Salt. Add the beans and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain.
- Add a squeeze of lemon, olive oil salt and pepper. Taste.
- Season and serve straight away.
Du Puy lentils and pommegranite salad
Ingredients
- 250g Du Puy lentils
- 1 pomegranate
- 100g walnut pieces
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup of white wine
For the dressing
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30ml cava or raspberry vinegar
- A splash of good quality balsamic vinegar
- Sprigs of Italian parsley
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Method
- In a deep saucepan, place the lentils, the white wine, the thyme and the bay leaf. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Add a teaspoon of salt.
- Cook for 20-30 min until the lentils are starting to get tender, but still “al dente”.
- Drain well and place in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- While the lentils cool down, prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients creating an emulsion.
- When the lentils are lukewarm, toss in the dressing.
- Carefully open the pomegranate and add the red pearls to the lentils (without any pith). Check seasoning.
- Finish with the walnuts and sprigs of parsley. Serve at room temperature.
Choux puffs with strawberry-cherry cream
Ingredients
- 125ml cold water
- 50g diced butter
- 65g flour
- pinch of salt
- 2 medium-sized eggs
Method
- Put the butter and water into a heavy saucepan. Heat slowly to melt the butter then turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil.
- Sieve the flour and salt. Tip all the flour into the boiling mixture and remove the pan from the heat.
- Working as fast as you can, beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon: it will soon become thick and smooth and leave the sides of the pan. This mixture is called a panade.
- Allow the paste to cool to room temperature. This can be done by spreading the paste ontoa stainless steel bowl.
- When the mixture is no longer hot, beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until it is soft, shiny and smooth. If the eggs are large, it may not be necessary to add all of them. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency – not too runny.
- Use as required for a recipe.
NOTE: ‘Dropping consistency’ means that the mixture will fall off the spoon rather reluctantly and all in a blob; if it runs off, it is too wet, and if it will not fall off when the spoon is jerked slightly, it is too thick.
Profiteroles
Method
- Make up a quantity of choux pastry, pipe or spoon it onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200°C. When golden brown and hollow take out of the oven.
- Make a small hole in the side of each profiterole and put them back into the oven to dry out. Do not leave them for too long at this stage or the pastry will become too dry.
- When cold, fill them up with sweetened, whipped cream or pastry cream.
Strawberry (cherry) cream
Ingredients
- 2-4 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons brandy
- 250 ml fresh cream or crème fraiche or mascarpone
Method
- Hull the strawberries and cut into 1/4s or pit the cherries
- Sprinkle with 1- 2 tablespoons icing sugar and brandy.
- Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of icing sugar to the cream. Whip until soft.
- Fold through the strawberries
To serve
- Cut a small triangle out of each choux puff
- Spoon in the strawberry cream
- Place on a plate
- Drizzel with coulis
Ingredients
- 60g caster sugar
- 150g frozen berries
- 100ml water
Method
- In a pan heat the sugar, fruit and water until soft.
- Allow to cool. Purée and sieve.
- The coulis should be the consistency of a thin sauce.
