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New Christmas Recipes
Canapes
These are slightly more involved or show-offish ideas in case the festivities call for pushing the boat out. (Simpler ideas can be found in the general recipe section below)
Beef Tartare
500g of very fresh beef, all visible fat removed.
20g Parsley
4 Shallots
2Tbsp Capers
1 Egg Yolk
1tbsp Dijon Mustard
1tsp Salt
Chop the meat in a food processer or mincer (you could also ask the butcher to do this for you but be careful the meat doesn’t dry out).
Finely chop the parsley, shallots and capers and add to the minced beef, stirring thoroughly to combine. In a small bowl thoroughly mix the egg yolk with the Dijon mustard and salt and then add this wet mixture to the beef and stir through. To serve put 1tbsp of the mixture into ready made crustades cases or onto water biscuits and garnish with halved cherry tomatoes.
Pissaladiere
1 Packet Puff Pastry
10 Brown Onions, sliced very finely to give ribbons.
10 Anchovies, each sliced lengthways into three very thin pieces
30 Good Quality black olives, pitted and halved
4Tbsp Olive Oil
50g Unsalted Butter
Heat the oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat to low and add the onions. Cook gently until they are well cooked and starting to caramelize but don’t allow to brown too much. Add some salt and pepper and cool.
Roll out the puff pastry into a large rectangle and cover with the cooked onions. Scatter the anchovies and olives over the top and then bake for 20 mins at 200°C. Slice the rectangle into long fingers and then each finger into equal sized bite size squares. Serve whilst still warm.
Late Breakfasts
12 Quails Eggs
12 Cherry Tomatoes
6 Slices thin cooked Pancetta from a deli counter
Small Triangles of cooked buttered toast, crusts removed
Poach the Quails eggs by immersing into boiling water for 2 mins 40 seconds. Remove and cool slightly under running water until cool enough to handle. Peel and halve the eggs (the yolks will still be slightly runny). At the same time divide each Pancetta strip into four and grill slightly to warm through. Arrange one piece of the Pancetta on each piece of toast, add half a cherry tomato and top with a quails egg half.
New Christmas Starters
Spinach, Artichoke and Chorizo Salad with Lemon Vinagrette
This is a simple but delicious starter and can be put together very quickly.
2 Bags Washed Baby Spinach Leaves
2 Tins Artichoke Hearts, Drained
6 Eggs or 12 Quails eggs
100g Chorizo in small pieces
2tbsp Lemon Juice
4tbsp Olive Oil
1tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper
Place a pan of water on to boil for the eggs. Meanwhile sauté the chorizo in a dry frying pan until browned on all sides and the juices have started to run. Place the spinach leaves and artichoke hearts on 6 plates, scatter over the Chorizo and pour the pan juices over the greens to wilt them slightly. Poach the eggs until the whites are firm but the yolks slightly runny (approx 4 mins for hen’s eggs, 2 for Quails eggs). Quarter the eggs (or halve if using Quails eggs) and add to the salad. Whisk the Lemon Juice, Olive Oil and Dijon mustard together and pour over the salads. Season and serve immediately.
Pumpkin Soup with Creamed Coconut and Toasted Spiced Nut Garnish
1tbsp of Olive Oil
20g Unsalted Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
500g Pumpkin or Squash, cut into 2cm chunks
1tbsp Medium Curry Powder
2tbsp Cornflour
50g Creamed Coconut from a block (this is thicker than Coconut Milk)
1 Litre Vegetable Stock
100g Mixed Raw Nuts
2Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1tsp Cumin Powder
1tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
1tsp Salt
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large stock pot until the butter has melted. Add in the onion and Pumpkin and cook gently for 7 mins until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the curry Powder and cook for another minute. Stir in the flour well to coat all the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock and the coconut cream and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 mins and then blend until smooth.
To make the spiced Nut Garnish Combine all the spices with the Vegetable oil and heat in a small saucepan. Spread the nuts out on a non-stick baking sheet, pour over the hot oil mixture and bake for 10-15 mins until brown. Scatter a tablespoon of the mixed nuts in each bowl of soup before serving.
Celeriac Remoulade with Smoked Ham and Apple Sauce
1kg Smoked Ham Shank or 500g joint of Smoked Gammon
1 Carrot, I Onion and I Bay Leaf to Flavour the Cooking Meat
1 Large Celeriac, shredded into small strands using a mandolin or sharp knife
1 Small eating apple
2tbsp Capers
1 Lemon
4 Cornichons, finely chopped
2 Large Cooking Apples
1tbsp Caster Sugar
To cook the Smoked Ham:
Place the ham or gammon in a snug pan and cover with cold water. Add a quartered carrot and onion and 1 bay leaf. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum that rises to the surface, then cover with a pan lid, and simmer for two hours or until the meat is very tender. Slice and use immediately or allow to cool and store the ham in the liquid until required so that it doesn’t dry out.
To make the Apple Sauce:
Peel and finely chop the apples and place in a small saucepan with 2tbsp of water and 1tbsp Caster sugar and 1tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice. Simmer gently until the mixture has collapsed into a pulpy mess. Push through a fine sieve.
To Construct the Salad:
Shred the Celeriac finely using a mandolin or very sharp knife, placing the cut pieces into a bowl of water to which 1tbsp of lemon juice has been added. Grate the eating apple into the same water. Dry off and toss lightly in a mixture of mayonnaise and natural yogurt. Add the capers and sliced Cornichons to the mixture. Place generous slices of ham on each plate, and top with a dome of the Celeriac salad. Spoon a large dollop of the apple sauce separately on to the plate. (If time is short buy some good quality cooked Ham and an Apple Chutney and use to construct the salad without the initial cooking).
New Christmas Main Courses
Roast Rib of Beef with a Beetroot, Parsnip and Squash Terrine.
The different layers of colour in this terrine make it a visually stunning side dish for the Beef, and lift the meal from an ordinary Sunday roast to one worthy of a Christmas Celebration.
For the Rib of Beef:
3kg Beef Rib (this recipe will serve 6 people generously, use a bigger piece and scale up the other ingredients for more)
3 Chopped Carrots
3 Onions, Quartered
2 Garlic Bulbs, Unpeeled but cut in half Crosswise
50g Beef Dripping
1tbsp Olive Oil
Place a large heavy Saute pan on the hob and add the olive oil and Beef Dripping to heat up. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C. Brown the beef joint in the Oil and Dripping until all sides are Seared and Dark Brown. Place the carrots, onion and Garlic in a roasting pan, add the Beef joint and Season well. Place in the oven for approx 2 hours for medium or cook longer if you prefer.
To make gravy, allow the beef to rest and pour some boiling water into the roasting pan. Using a wooden spoon, flatten the vegetables and scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan to remove all the flavor to the gravy. Allow to boil away for a few mins to reduce and thicken, and then push through a sieve and serve.
For the Terrine:
350g Packet Cooked Beetroot well drained of liquid (or cook your own if you are feeling very virtuous!)
350g Cooked Parsnip
350g Roasted Butternut Squash
3 eggs
3tbsp Double Cream
Puree the Beetroot with 1 egg and 1tbsp of double cream. Season. Spread the mixture over the bottom of a loaf tin that you have lined with non-stick baking parchment and tap the tin lightly to get rid of any air bubble and smooth the surface. Place in the fridge whist you work on the next layer.Next puree the Parsnips. If they are very wet allow a little of the liquid to drain and then stir in an egg and 1tbsp of cream. Season. Very carefully spoon the mixture on top of the Beetroot so that you don’t mix the layers. Again tap gently and return to the fridge.Finally Puree the roasted squash with the final egg and cream. Season and then carefully spoon on top of the parsnip. The terrine can be stored in the fridge overnight if this point if desired. Place the terrine in a slightly larger tin and then pour boiling water from the kettle into the larger tin so that the terrine is surrounded by the water (this will ensure that it cooks evenly). Roast in a 180°C oven for 50-60 mins until firm. Turn out the terrine and slice into vertical sections so that each portion has all three of the layers.
Red Mullet with Saffron Potatoes
This is a colorful and slightly showy recipe, and it tastes as good as it looks. It is not best suited to large dinner parties, however, as the fish has to be cooked fresh at the last minute and plated individually.
6 Red Mullet Fillets (1 per person)
1.5kg White Floury Potatoes
1tsp Saffron Strands, lightly crushed
30ml Double cream
50g Butter
Sea Salt
Peel the potatoes and boil in salted water. Meanwhile place the double cream in a small cup in the microwave and heat until nearly boiling. Add the saffron strands and leave to infuse for ten minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, drain, mash and add the butter, saffron infused cream and seasoning.
Cut each Fish Fillet into half and brush with a little olive oil. Cook the fillets for 3-4 mins in an ovenproof frying pan on a medium high heat. Without turning the fish over, place the frying pan in the oven and cook the fish for another 4-6 mins in a 180°C oven until cooked through.
Place a circle of saffron mash in the centre of each plate using a ring mould (if you don’t have one a well washed tuna tin with both ends removed will work well) and then lay two pieces of Mullet on top of each pile of mash. Serve some blanched vegetables separately so as not to spoil the look of the dish.
Roast Chicken with Boulangere Potatoes and Creamy Onion Gravy
This meal is designed to be made with virtually no time spent in the kitchen whilst it is cooking- Good for a day when you have the extended family round or friends you want to catch up with. The gravy is delicious and the easiest you will ever make.
For the Boulangere Potatoes
1.5kg Potatoes, peeled and sliced into discs the thickness of a one pound coin
600ml Good Chicken or vegetable Stock, heated until boiling.
4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and very thinly chopped
3 Large Brown Onions, peeled and sliced into thin discs.
40g Unsalted Butter
Salt and Black Pepper
Place a single layer of Potato Slices in the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Place a layer of onion on top, and then scatter some of the garlic and black pepper on the top. Repeat with more layers of potato and onion until finishing at the top with a layer of potato. Press the mixture down to firm up the layers, and then pour over the stock. Dot over the butter. Cover with foil and bake for 50 mins, then remove the foil and bake for 20 mins more until the top is golden and the potatoes are cooked through.
For the Roast Chicken and Onion Gravy.
1 Large Chicken (the recipe can easily be doubled or trebled- quantities here serve 4 generously)
50g Unsalted Butter
1 Lemon, halved
Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper
4 Red Onions, peeled and quartered
1 Small Pot (142ml) Double Cream
20g Parsley, finely chopped
Place the chicken in a roasting tin, rub the butter all over the skin, season with salt and pepper and squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken and then place inside the chicken cavity. Roast at 190°C for 70-90 mins depending on the weight of the chicken (and remember if cooking more than one chicken at once to increase the cooking time by 15-20 mins). After 45 mins, remove the chicken from the oven, lift the bird out and scatter the red onions onto the roasting tin and stir to combine with the chicken juices. Place the chicken back on top and return to the oven for the remaining cooking time.
When the chicken is cooked, remove to rest for ten mins whilst you make the gravy- pour the chicken juices and red onion quarters (which by now should be soft and falling apart) into a non-stick pan and add the carton of cream. Heat until gently bubbling, stir in the chopped parsley and serve with the chicken. Serve with a plain boiled green vegetable if desired as the gravy and potatoes are both quite rich.
New Christmas Deserts
Pecan Pie with Ginger Cream
This is a really easy all-in-one method. The ginger cream adds a more grown-up note to the recipe.
1 Precooked Shortcrust Pastry Case (approx 250g)
60g Whole Pecans
3 Eggs
225ml Golden Syrup
75g Soft Brown Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Essence
Pinch Salt
200ml Double Cream
2tbsp Stem Ginger, chopped finely
2tbsp Syrup from the jar
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the Pecans in circles flat onto the base of the pastry case.
Beat the eggs together, then add in the syrup and the sugar, vanilla essence and salt. Beat the mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture carefully onto the flan case so that the pecans rise to the top but still keep their arrangement. Bake for 40 mins in total but check it after 20 mins- If the Pie is getting too brown, cover with foil to stop the nuts burning during the remaining cooking time. Don’t worry if it still seems slightly liquid, the mixture will set more as it cools.
For the ginger cream, beat the double cream in a bowl until thickened and then stir in the ginger and the syrup until roughly combined. Serve small portions of the pie (it is very rich) with some ginger cream on the side.
Raspberry, Rosewater and Pomegranate Fools with Pistachio
This is an easy, pretty desert that is also fairly light so it works well after a rich main course or when everyone has already had one festive meal too many!
300g Raspberries, (Defrosted frozen ones would be fine here)
2tbsp Rosewater
100g Caster Sugar
500g Tub Greek Yogurt
I Pack Pomegranate Seeds
50g Pistachio Nuts
Make a raspberry Coulis by crushing the Raspberries and combining with 60g of the sugar and the Rosewater. Allow to infuse for ten mins and then sieve. Meanwhile mix the Greek yogurt with the remaining 40g of sugar. Place a little of the Coulis in the bottom of 6 pretty glasses, and then alternate layers of the Yogurt and Coulis, mixing the layers slightly to provide a swirled effect. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds in with the final layer and then top with crushed Pistachio Seeds.
Mincemeat Swirls
This is a very useful recipe to have to hand at Christmas. The Swirls are very easy to make and use just 3 ingredients but they are festive and everyone seems to love them. Ideal when people arrive unexpectedly and you need to produce a pudding! Serve hot with vanilla ice cream as a desert or warm drizzled with a little icing sugar slackened with water for afternoon tea treats.
1 400g Packet Puff Pastry
1 Jar Good Quality Mincemeat
Grated Zest of 1 lemon
Roll out the puff pastry and spread the mincemeat all over evenly, leaving a small border all the way around. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the top. Roll up the mixture like a Swiss Roll. Secure the end by adding a brushing a little cold water onto the pastry’s edge and pressing it down gently. Place in the fridge for 20 mins (or if you are really in a rush in the freezer for 10). Cut into ten generous slices and space out well on a greased baking tray. Cook for 12 mins at 180°C.
Christmas Extras
Buckwheat Pancakes with Smoked Ham and Cream Cheese
A cheap, easy and tasty snack to give to guests that is not much more work than a sandwich but much more impressive! Bear in mind that the batter must be made at least a couple of hours before it is needed.
1 cup Plain Flour
¾ Cup Buckwheat Flour
2 ½ Cups Whole Milk
3 Eggs
2tbsp Cider Vinegar
4tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/2tsp salt
Vegetable Oil
100g Cream Cheese
100g Thinly sliced Smoked Ham
Sift the two flours and the salt into a bowl. In a separate jug, mix the eggs, milk, vinegar and melted butter together and then mix into the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Sieve the mixture into a jug and keep in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24.
Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and add just enough batter to cover the pan (you will have to slant the pan to encourage the mixture to flow to any neglected bits) Cook until the base is set and light brown (about a minute) and then use a fish slice to flip over and cook the other side for a few seconds. Spread cooked pancakes with cream cheese and thin slices of ham and fold up into quarters. Serve each person two pancakes.
Homemade Chocolate Truffles and Chocolate Brazils
These are easy to make and delicious. They are great served with coffee, or as little gifts for guests. The nuts look a little more rustic than the truffles, where any irregular shapes are camouflaged by the cocoa! If you do make both varieties, start with the chocolate Brazils as you will be left with approx 50g of melted chocolate at the bottom of the bowl that you can then use in the Truffle Recipe
For the Chocolate Brazils:
150g Good Quality Cooking Chocolate
100g Shelled Brazil Nuts
Melt the chocolate in a microwave and then dip each Brazil nut into the chocolate, stir round and pick up with a fork so that the excess chocolate can drip off. Place on a chopping board covered with a piece of baking paper to set.
For the Truffles:
125g Good Quality Cooking Chocolate (a combination of milk and dark chocolate works well)
50ml Double Cream
2Tbsp Orange Flower Water
40g Cocoa
Melt the chocolate gently in a microwave. Bring the cream up to boiling point in a small milk pan (be careful of Vesuvius worthy eruptions!) and then allow to cool until lukewarm. Stir the melted chocolate, cream and Orange Flower Water together and beat until the mixture is light and creamy. Leave to firm up. When the mixture can hold its shape when scooped out on a spoon, Sieve the cocoa onto a sheet of baking paper. Use a teaspoon to take a portion of the mixture and roll in the cocoa until it is a smooth ball and completely covered. Continue until all the mixture has been used up. Put in the Fridge to set.
Gingerbread
This recipe can be used to make table favours, edible ornaments for the Christmas Tree, a wet afternoon gingerbread house-making activity for children or just very delicious biscuits.
Gingerbread Dough Recipe:
200g Plain Flour plus extra for rolling out the gingerbread
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
50g Brown Sugar
100g Unsalted Butter
150g Golden Syrup
1tbsp Ground Ginger
Sieve the flour bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter and Golden Syrup. When well combined pour into the flour mixture and mix well. Halve the mixture and roll out each half separately onto a floured work surface. Cut into the required shapes. Bake until golden brown athough still slightly soft in the centre (For average biscuits ten minutes at 180°C will be enough, larger section may take a little longer)
To make table favours cut out your guests initials from the raw dough, bake and then add icing sugar swirls, or make a collection of heart shapes and pipe each guests initial onto the cooked dough. To transform into tree ornaments, simply poke a hole through the raw gingerbread shapes using a pencil and when cooked and decorated, thread a loop of ribbon through the hole to hang on the tree.
To make a gingerbread house, cut out the gingerbread dough into rectangles and triangles to form the room and walls and bake as usual. Once cook glue the pieces together with icing sugar and decorate using coloured icing pens, chocolate buttons, icing sugar for powdered snow and brightly coloured sweets!
Easy Canapes
The simplest ideas are often the most effective for canapes. Don't be tempted to impress your guests with elaborate confections....the work involved will make them uncomfortable. Instead use simple ideas and rely on an artful combination of a couple of flavours to make them standout.
Try using rounds of cucumber 1/4" thick as a base, top with 1tbsp of cream cheese heaped in the centre and a small slice of smoked salmon draped over the top. Or place small chunks of Gorgonzola on the cucumber base and top with a walnut half.
Toast halves of pitta until brown and dry, slice into small triangles, top with houmous and some sprinkled paprika or chilli. Garnish with a very thin strip matchstick of raw pepper or cut chives.
For days when you want to impress, cook an artichoke in boiling salted water for 40 mins and then cool. Remove the largest leaves and place on a platter. On the edible end of each leaf, place 1/2 tsp of mayonnaise flavoured with lemon or curry powder, and place a prawn on top. (This also works with raw Baby Gem lettuce leaves if time is short).
Good quality cocktails sausages are an old standby that always please a crowd. Simply baste in grain mustard and honey and roast until brown and cooked through and serve skewered with cocktail sticks for ease of eating.
Alternatively buy a sheet of puff pastry and use it to make impromptu sausage rolls using the cocktail sausages and a jar of tomato chutney or sun dried tomato pesto. An easy and effective way to roll up the sausages is to cut triangles from the pastry, spoon 1tsp of chutney over the top and then, with the sausage at the largest edge of the pastry, roll up so that the pastry point wraps around the layers. Baste with a little egg wash and bake for 15 mins in a medium oven until brown and the sausage is cooked through.
Starters
Roast Tomatoes with Saffron and Harissa.
Allow one beef tomato or two salad tomatoes per person. Halve and place cut side up in a roasting tray.
Mix together 3tbsp of olive oil, 2tbsp of Harissa paste and a good pinch of saffron threads. Pour this over the tomatoes and roast for 20-30 mins until brown.
Serve the tomatoes with a spoonful of cream cheese, a wedge of lemon and some rustic bread.
Butternut Squash with Feta and Mint
1. Roast a Butternut Squash until thoroughly cooked.
2. Remove flesh and mash thoroughly to form a thick paste.
3. Add in 2tbsp of Tahini, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 packet of chopped fresh mint.
4. Serve on wafer biscuits or crispbreads with some seeds scattered over the top.
Tabbouleh with Feta
Tabbouleh is a classic Lebanese salad dish whose colour and freshness are perfect for a summer evening. It is one of those combinations of flavours whose success belies the simplicity of the ingredients. It is the ratio of herbs and seasonings used that makes it special. Many recipes out there don’t quite deliver because they are not precise enough and so the flavours go awry. Amazing Recipes are designed to be as laid back as possible, but here we specify precise quantities. You may think it a faff to have to weigh herbs, but if you do so the first couple of times, you will develop an understanding of how the flavours work together, and be able to improvise later. So, get out the scales and be true to the recipe... You’ll thank us later…
• ¼ cup Burgul
• 45g Parley leaves and fine stalks (throw away large woody stems)
• 10g Mint leaves
• 10cm piece cucumber
• 1 fat or 2 medium spring onions, white part only
• 1 large ripe tomato
• 1tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2tsp Light Olive Oil
• Salt and Black Pepper
• 1 Packet Feta
Place the Burgul in a bowl and pour over ½ cup boiling water. Cover and leave the Burgul to expand for 30 mins. Then drain in a sieve. (The Burgul is a lot wetter than it looks, so give it 5 mins to drain through, stirring every so often, you don’t want soggy salad).
Meanwhile finely chop the Parley, Mint, Cucumber, Spring Onions and Tomato. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning. Combine the dressing, Burgul and salad ingredients in a bowl and check the seasoning before serving. Place the salad on one side of four diiner plates, scatter cubes of Feta on top and place a mini Pitta alongside.
Main Courses
Cottage Pie with Indian Flavours
This is an excellent winter recipe. There is something homely and welcoming about placing a large pie in the centre of a dinner table and having guests help themselves, and this is emphasised here by the warming Indian spices in this recipe
1. For six people first saute a large chopped onion in 1tbsp of vegetable oil until softened. Remove from the pan and add 1kg of lean beef mince and brown. Drain off surplus fat from the meat and add the cooked onion and some seasoning.
2. Tip into the pan 1tbsp of Garam Masala and 2x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes with chilli. Turn down the heat and simmer the mixture for 20-25 mins.
3. Meanwhile boil 1kg of white potatoes in boiling salted water until cooked and then drain. Mash with a little milk and butter, plus 1tbsp of Turmeric for colour and 1tbsp of Black mustard seeds.
4. Place the cooked mince in a large pie dish and top with the mash. Bake for 30 mins until the topping is golden.
Mediterranean Fish Parcels
Variations on this recipe are popular at dinner parties because of their ease of preparation. The parcels can be prepared ahead of time leaving a minimum of fuss whilst guests are in the house. Beware, however, that the recipe you choose is not bland, as this is a common fault. The following recipe is packed with robust flavours.
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Boil a handful of scrubbed new potatoes per person in salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Take one sheet of foil per person, about 30cm square, and mist with olive oil. Place a fillet of cod or other white fish in the centre of each piece of foil. Top each fillet with 2tsp of sundried tomato pesto and use the back of the teaspoon to spread across the fish.
4. Scatter on top a tsp of lemon juice and zest, a few capers, a couple of chopped black olives, a couple of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, a drained roasted red pepper from a jar and a sprig of rosemary. Finally scatter some of the cooked potatoes around the fish and seal the parcels. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Serve with fresh vegetables.
Roasted Vegetables with Feta and Chickpeas.
This is a good vegetarian recipe that is 'meaty' enough to serve to everyone. The combination of Feta, Basil and Mint makes an intensely flavoured dish.
1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Halve Aubergines lengthways, allowing one half per person. Place cut side up in a roasting tray and spritz with oil. Chop a couple of red onions into six wedges each, place in the roasting tray and spray with oil. Cut Courgettes and peeled Carrots into thick diagonal slices (about 4 slices of each per person), place in a separate roasting tray and spray with oil. Roast all the vegetables until brown and cooked through (30-40) mins.
3. Meanwhile heat a jar of tomato Passata in a milk pan. Place a generous ladle of Passata onto each warmed plate, top with the baked Aubergine half and lay the other cooked vegetables on top. On top of each plate scatter a handful of chopped feta and chickpeas. Then scatter over chopped mint leaves and some basil olive oil. Serve with mash or boiled new potatoes.
Rainbow Salad of Sweet Potato, Chorizo, Beetroot and Rocket
The few ingredients in this salad all work hard for their place- delivering on taste and colour. The dressing brings the disperate flavours together so that the dish works as a whole.
• 1 Large Packet of Rocket, washed and dried
• 1 Bunch Spring Onions, finely chopped
• 4 Sweet Potatoes, roasted in the oven and skins removed, sliced thickly
• 4 Beetroot, roasted in the oven and skins removed (or ready cooked if preferred), quatered
• 200g Finely Sliced Chorizo
• 2tbsp Lemon Juice
• 6tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 3tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint
1. Divide the Rocket and Spring Onions between four plates
2. Place the Sweet potato and Chorizo slices on a heated ridged pan to brown for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile whisk the lemon juice, Olive Oil and some Salt and Black Pepper together in a teacup and then pour over the rocket.
4. Top each plate with alternating slices of Chorizo, Sweet Potato and Beetroot. Scatter over the chopped mint and serve.
Desserts
Apple Pudding
A winter classic. Serve at the table so that the cinnamon apple aroma will wow your guests when you cut into the sponge to serve.
1. Take four large cooking apples and peel and core them. Slice into thick rounds and arrange the slices on the bottom of a pie dish. Sprinkle over the top 1tbsp water followed by 1tsp Cinnamon and 1tbsp granulated sugar.
2. Next cream 120g of butter with 120g of caster sugar until you get a smooth paste. Add in 1 egg, beaten and 60g of self-raising flour. When they are fully combined add another egg and another 60g flour and mix well. Spoon the mixture over the apples being careful to 'seal' the apples under the mixture. Bake for 20-30 mins at 180C. Serve with cream or custard.
Tarte Vaudoise
This is an easy dessert for a dinner party- it is best served chilled, therefore made in advance and simply plated up after the main course. It has a simple elegance about it as all the best food does- a rich, smooth custard interior under the golden cinnamon topping. Resist the urge to add fresh fruit, sauces or other garnishes and let the Tarte quietly wow them.
• 500g of Ready Made Puff Pastry, preferably made with 100% butter
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 50g Plain Flour
• 500ml Double Cream (Supermarkets seem to sell it in 600ml cartons- buy one and have a little left over to serve with the Tart)
• 1tsp plus 1tbsp Cinnamon
• 30g Unsalted butter
1. Roll out the Puff pastry and use it to line a metal or ceraminc tart tin. Bake blind * for 20-25 mins at fan 180C.
2. Mix the flour and caster sugar into the cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 mins until thickened, stirring to avoid burning the bottom of the mixture. Add the tsp of Cinnamon and mix through
3. Carefully pour the mixture into the pastry case and then sprinkle the remaining tbsp of cinnamon quite thickly over the surface (if will get a more even spread if you sieve it from a height). Place tiny dots of butter all over the surface of the tart and then cook for 15 mins or until golden. Serve cold with a little cream if desired.
i.e. weigh down the pastry using baking parchment and heavy items such as dry rice or, preferably, the metal weights from your weighing scales. This cooks the pastry without letting it rise
Mini Raspberry Sponges
Cream together 60g of Butter and Caster Sugar. Add 60g of Self Raising Flour and 2 lightly beaten eggs to make a basic sponge mixture. Place a generous teaspoon of each in petit four cases and then press a whole Raspberry into the centre of each so that the Raspberry is almost submerged. Cook in the oven at 180 until brown, 10-15 mins. Serve piled high on a plate alongside a plate of fruit and a plate of cheese.
Roasted Plums
A deceptively simple but moorish dessert.
1. Halve and stone 750g of Plums.
2. Place them cut side down in an ovenproof dish so that they fit fairly snuggly.
3. Pour over enough Orange juice to come half way up the plums in the dish.
4. Sprinkle over 8 cloves, 2tsp of Cinnamon and a generous grating of fresh Nutmeg.
5. Bake at 180 for 20 minutes until the Plums are tender and serve with some syrupy cooking juices spooned over the top.
In winter serve hot with fresh cream, in the summer serve cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream |
