Taste Britain Magazine - November 2009

Date: 01/11/2009

Starter

Christmas Day can be like a food marathon. What with a heavy lunch, dessert and a load of nibbles dotted around the house to tempt you, it can be a struggle getting to mid-afternoon before you start dozing. Something light and fresh to start your meal should be the order of the day. Smoked salmon has long been associated with celebrations and a combination of this fine fish with spicy watercress, crisp apples and walnuts will give you and your guests just the start before the main course without bursting the seams.

Smoked Salmon with Watercress, Apple and Walnuts
Serves 4

12 slices of quality natural smoked salmon
4 large handfuls of watercress
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced in half
50g walnut kernels
1 tbsp walnut oil
Juice of half lemon
Salt and pepper

For the dressing
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
Juice of half lemon
2 tbsp walnut oil
Salt and pepper

1 - Slice the prepared apple lengthways into thin slices. Combine the apple, watercress and walnuts in a large bowl with the walnut oil, lemon juice and a little seasoning.
2 - Make the horseradish dressing by whisking the ingredients together. Taste for seasoning.
3 - Place a mound of salad onto individual plates. Place the smoked salmon slices in and around the leaves then finally drizzle on a little of the horseradish dressing.

 

 

Main

The turkey does have a reputation for being dry. There are so many different tips and techniques for supposedly keeping the bird moist but my foolproof technique is simple and non-fussy. The majority of the fat is on its back so roasting the bird at the same temperature on breast down should guarantee succulent meat. A traditional stuffing containing a little sausage meat, wild mushrooms and the turkey liver will add moistness to the bird.

Traditional Roast Turkey with Chestnut and Wild Mushroom and Oat Stuffing
Serves 8

1 quality oven ready turkey weighing approximately 6kg
1 onion, peeled
Salt and pepper

For the stuffing
1 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
150g wild mushrooms, finely chopped
A handful of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stalks and finely chopped
The liver of the turkey, finely chopped
300g prepared chestnuts, finely chopped
150g pork sausage meat
1 egg
100g oats
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper

1 - Ensure your turkey has sat at room temperature for 2 hours before cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/GM4.
2 - To make the stuffing, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the shallot, mushrooms and thyme and sweat for 5-10 minutes until the water has evaporated from the mushrooms.
3 - Tip into a mixing bowl then combine with the remaining ingredients, seasoning with a little grating of nutmeg and salt and pepper. If the mixture looks too wet, stir in a little more oats a handful at a time until it stiffens.
4 - Stuff the neck of the turkey with the stuffing by loosening the skin around the neck and pushing the stuffing up towards the breast. Secure the skin with a couple of cocktail sticks or a skewer.
5 - Season the turkey all over with salt and pepper and place the onion into the cavity. Place breast side down in a roasting tin.
6 - Cook the turkey for the allotted cooking time (2 hours for a 4kg bird, adding 15 minutes per kg) turning the turkey breast side up for the final 30 minutes to crisp up the skin. To be on the safe side, buy a good meat thermometer and check the thighs of the bird for the correct temperature as per the thermometer.
7 - Remove from the oven and rest for 30-45 minutes. To make a simple gravy, skim off the excess fat from the roasting juices and add a glass of white wine. Bring to the boil and taste for seasoning.
Sides

These small, sweet and delicate vegetables are a true treat that with the right attention can be transformed into a complete dish on their own. My turnips are given royal treatment with the addition of roasted hazelnuts, thyme and lemon and just a hint of garlic to allow the vegetable's natural pepper heat to shine through. If you get some with their luscious green tops complete, wilt them in the pan as you are finishing them off to give you the complete dish.

White Turnips with Hazelnuts, Thyme and Lemon
Serves 4

6 baby white turnips
2 handfuls of whole hazelnuts
25g butter
1 small clove of garlic, thinly sliced
A handful of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stalks and roughly chopped
The juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

1 - Cut off any leaves from the turnips and roughly chop and set aside. You can leave the skins on small white turnips but if you prefer, peel and cut into medium chunks. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the turnips. Boil for 5 minutes - you want a bit of bite to them - then drain and set aside.
2 - Bash your hazelnuts up into pieces, not too small. Heat up a frying pan and add the hazelnuts. Gently toss them until toasted but be careful as they will burn easily.
3 - Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the garlic and thyme along with the cooked turnips and gently toss until coated. Squeeze in the lemon juice, grate in some black pepper and taste for seasoning. If you have the leaves left, toss them in and cook for a few seconds until wilted.

Where brief cooking should be the rule for the green varieties of cabbage the opposite can be said of the red cabbage. It benefits from a long, slow braise with a little sweet vinegar, dark sugars and spices. The addition of fruit along with these flavourings gives you a sweet and sour effect that is just the accompaniment for rich meats such as turkey.

Braised Spiced Red Cabbage with Pears and Sultanas

1 large red cabbage
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
A large handful of sultanas
5 tbsp soft brown sugar
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
A little grating of nutmeg
4 tbsp cider vinegar
25g butter
Salt and pepper

1 - Peel the outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut into quarters, slice out the inner core then slice the cabbage as finely as possible.
2 - In a large casserole dish, combine the cabbage with all of the remaining ingredients. Place on the lid and cook for 2-3 hours, checking and stirring every 30 minutes to ensure that it isn't going dry. If it is, stir in a little water.

As a child I used to call sprouts the ‘Devil's sweeties'. That was probably down to the fact that my experiences of them for many years were of the over-boiled, soggy and bitter variety. Cooked briefly they are sweet and crisp and the addition of salty bacon, sweet chestnuts and a fruity wine have transformed this vegetable to one that I now love. Don't cut crosses in the base; this will only encourage more water to enter the vegetable making it bitter and lifeless.

Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Bacon and Chestnuts
Serves 4

400g Brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
6 slices of smoked streaky bacon, chopped roughly
100g cooked chestnuts sliced in half
150ml white wine
25g butter
Salt and pepper

1 - To prepare the sprouts, remove any damaged outer leaves and a little of the base ensuring they are intact. Steam or boil the sprouts for 5 minutes, then drain and keep aside.
2 - Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the bacon and cook for 5-10 minutes until beginning to colour. Add the chestnuts and cook for a further 2 minutes to get a little colour.
3 - Add the sprouts and cook for 1 minute, stirring all of the time. Add the white wine. Bring to the boil then cook for 2 minutes or until the wine has reduced. Stir in the butter and a little seasoning.

Dessert

The addition of pumpkin to a dessert may seem strange to some but the Americans have been using this sweet, nutty vegetable for a long time in their pies and cakes. The vegetable puree combines perfectly in traditional custard not only giving it a unique flavour but also a beautiful orange tinge. This pudding can be made in individual ramekins or in one large tray, just like a traditional bread and butter pudding. After a long day and a lot of food, the last thing you want is to be slaving over a hot stove so make these the night before then simply pop them in the oven for a surprisingly light yet traditionally spiced end to your meal.

Spiced Pumpkin and Whisky Bread Pudding
Serves 4-6

100g raisins
3 tbsp whisky
3 tbsp hot water

For the sauce
100g muscovado sugar
25g butter
1 tbsp golden treacle

For the pudding
1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
100g pumpkin, cubed, steamed until soft then puréed
250ml double cream
50ml milk
Half tsp ground cinnamon
A few grates of fresh nutmeg
Half tsp ground ginger
1 vanilla pod, split and seeded
Approximately half of a stale white baguette cut into cubes

1 - Pre-heat the oven to GM2/150C.
2 - Soak the raisins in the whisky and hot water until plump. You may want to do this overnight, entirely up to you. Drain.
3 - To make the sauce, heat the muscovado sugar, treacle and butter in a pan until melted then pour equal measures into 6 buttered ramekins.
4 - In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until pale. Pour in the cream, milk, purée, spices and vanilla pod and whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in the bread cubes and leave for 10 minutes to soak.
5 - Place the ramekins into a deep baking tray and pour in boiling water until it comes half way up the sides. Fill the ramekins with a few cubes of bread and the custard mixture.
6 - Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for approximately 1 hour or until the custard is firm. If the top starts to colour too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
7 - Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes. Then run a knife around and turn out onto a plate. Serve with a little whipped cream with brandy or whisky stirred in.

 

Sorry, there are no attachments in this article.