So the time has come to decide on the biggest feast of the year. Are you going to stick to the traditional turkey and ham, or make something of a show stopper like the 4 bird inside a bird combo? Or will you really go off track with something different, like my choice this year a beef wellington. For me the important thing is the time spent with your family breaking bread and creating the moments you will look back on in the years to come. With some great meals at the centre, that can be as important in the future to help provoke the great memories of your childhood than the days themselves.
So this year I have my whole days eating planed out from a simple bacon and sausage sandwich for breakfast, the main event itself to the extra bowl of dessert sitting watching elf, hook, or polar express with the kids in the evening .
So this week I have decided to give you two choices for each course. I think you could use in any combo, sure may just use one main and two deserts sounds like the best way to do it J
Starters:
First up has to be a simple salad. Don’t want to fill you too much before the main event. So I have thought about what’s fresh, and easy, well fresh has to be mandarins at Christmas it’s the one thing I look forward to most. Easy has to be left over bacon from the morning breakfast.
MANDARIN BACON AND SPINACH SALAD
1 lb. fresh spinach
3-4 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
1 bunch green onions, sliced
5-6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (left over from the morning J)
1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted
Basic French dressing
Method:
Wash, stem, and tear spinach leaves.
Before serving, add orange sections, onions, bacon and almonds.
Pour Basic French Dressing over salad
Sever with some nice fresh crusty bread.
For the simple dressing
BASIC FRENCH DRESSING:
3/4 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 oz. cider vinegar
6 oz. salad oil
Mix dry ingredients. Add vinegar and oil; shake well.
For my second choice of starter I reckon it has to be a soup to warm you on this chilli day. Now I want to stick to my fresh seasonal veg here, so I think it going to have to be parsnips. They should be very tasty now after a few late nights of frost to sweeten them up.
Gibney's Garden Spiced Parsnip Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds, plus extra to garnish
½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. mustard seeds
1 large onion, cut into 8 chunks
2 garlic cloves
675g parsnips, diced
2 plum tomatoes, quartered
1.2l vegetable stock
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Method:
1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
2. In a bowl, mix together the oil and spices. Add the vegetables and mix well.
3. Spread over a heavy baking sheet, and then roast for 30 mins until tender.
4. Spoon into a food processor or liquidiser with half the stock and process until smooth.
5. Pour into a pan with the remaining stock, season,
6. Then heat until barely simmering.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Garnish with cumin seeds.
Sever piping hot again with some nice fresh crusty bread.
So with the starter sorted. It’s time to move on to the main event hopefully these two cracking dishes with help inspire you create something fantastic for your main course.
Main Courses:
Ber’s Beef Wellington
Ingredients
A good beef fillet around 1kg
3 tbsp. olive oil
250g chestnut mushrooms, include some wild ones if you like
50g butter
1 large sprig fresh thyme
100ml dry white wine
12 slices prosciutto
500g pack puff pastry, thawed if frozen
a little flour , for dusting
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp. water
Method:
1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Sit the beef on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp. olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.
2. While the beef is cooling, chop the mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't become a slurry.
3. Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil and all the butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with the thyme sprig, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over the wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom duxelles from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
4. Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay the prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over. Use the cling film's edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, and then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.
5. Roll out a third of the pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Roll out the remaining pastry to about 28 x 36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet, with beaten egg yolk. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs.
6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.
Sealing the pastry
Use the rounded end of a fork or spoon handle to seal the edges rather than the prongs of a fork - using the prongs will only pierce the pastry rather than joining it.
Trim carefully
Lower the chances of the edges separating by giving yourself lots of room - and don't trim the pastry too close to the meat.
Keep it air-free
Drape over the top layer of pastry very carefully, smoothing it down with your hands as you go. You don't want any air trapped between the pastry and the meat.
Use up leftover pastry
Any leftover pastry is fine to use for something else, even if covered in egg. Simply roll it into a ball and refrigerate until needed.
TURDUCKEN: It’s a real name haha
Ingredients:
•16-20 lbs whole turkey
•4-5 lbs whole ducklings
•3-4 lbs whole chickens (or use a larger chicken and place the duckling inside it)
•6-8 cups prepared stuffing (I like to use a sausage meat and chestnut stuffing)
•2 tablespoons salt
•2 tablespoons paprika
•1 tablespoon black pepper
•1-2 teaspoon dried thyme
Method:
1. Debone the birds (or if you have a good butcher he will do it)
2. If it is your first time deboning a fowl, you might want to practice first on the chicken rather than the turkey since mistakes will be hidden inside the bigger birds.3 .Rinse the turkey and remove the neck and any giblets.
4. Place the turkey, breast side down, on a clean flat surface.
5. Cut through the skin along the length of the spine.
6. Using the tip of a knife and starting from the neck end, gently separate meat from rib cage on one side.7. Toward neck end, cut through the meat to expose the shoulder blade; cut meat away from and around the bone, severing bone at the joint to remove shoulder blade.
8. Disjoint wing between second and third joints. Leave the wing bones and keep the wing attached to the meat.
9. Continue separating meat from frame, working toward the thighbone and being careful to keep the “oyster” (pocket of meat on back) attached to skin, rather than leaving it with the bone.10. Cut through ball-and-socket joint to release the thighbone from the carcass (bird will be open on one side). Keep the leg attached to the meat.
11. Repeat boning procedure on the other side of the bird.
12. Carefully remove the carcass and use it to make stock for your gravy and stuffing. To make stock, put the turkey carcass in a large pot with some rosemary and sage and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer on low heat. 13. You should end up with a flat boneless (except for wings and legs) turkey with the skin intact in one large piece. Put the boned turkey in a large dish or bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place it in the refrigerator.
14. Repeat the deboning process on the duckling and the chicken, but debone both stumps of wings and leg drumsticks. Cut through flesh at the thinnest point and trim around these bones with a knife until they can be removed. (Since they have little meat, you can cut off the entire wings and add them to the stock pot.) Both the chicken and duck will be stuffed inside the turkey and need not be kept “perfectly” intact.15. Trim excess skin and fat from the birds. Ducks, in particular, have a lot of excess fatty skin that should be saved to render fat to be used later for making gravy. You can completely remove the skin from the chicken, but keep some duck skin which adds flavour.
16. At least 10 to 11 hours before dinner, assemble the Turducken.17. Mix together the seasonings in a small dish.
18. Spread the turkey, skin down, on flat surface, exposing as much meat as possible.19. Rub 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix evenly on meat.
20. Spread some of stuffing over the turkey in an even layer approximately 3/4 inch thick.21. Place duck, skin down, on top of stuffing.
22. Season exposed duck meat with about 1 tablespoons of seasoning mix.23. Spread more stuffing in an even layer (about 1/2 inch thick) over the duck.
24. Arrange the chicken, skin down, evenly on top of the stuffing.25. Season chicken meat with seasoning mix.
26. Spread remainder of your stuffing on top of chicken.27. With another person’s help, carefully lift the sides of the layered birds, folding the sides of the turkey together.
28. Have a helper hold the bird while sewing the opening down the back of the turkey together using cotton thread. The bird may not close perfectly,.
29. Since the Turducken has no skeleton, it must be trussed up or it may fall apart in cooking.
30. Tie 4-5 pieces of cotton string around the bird, width wise to act as support.
31. Turn the bird over and place in a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan so it is breast side up and looks like a “normal” turkey.
32. Tie the legs together just above the tip bones.33. Cooking:.
34. Heat oven to 150 Celsius
35. Place the bird in the centre of the oven and bake until a meat thermometer inserted through to centre reads 74 degrees, approximately 6-7 hours, though cooking times will vary depending on the size of the birds and amount of stuffing used. Rely on temperature and not time cooked for it to be cooked through. 36. There will be no need to baste, but accumulated drippings may need to be removed from the pan every few hours so that the lower portion does not deep fry in the hot oil. Save pan drippings for gravy.
37. Remove the Turducken from the oven and let it rest in the pan for about 1-2 hour before serving. Make gravy according to your favourite recipe.
38. To serve cut bird in half. Carve crosswise so each slice reveals all 3 meats and stuffing.Note: Don’t worry if the bird cools too much use piping hot gravy to heat it up.
Ok so with the belt off and the top button of the jeans open it’s time to move on the real main event the deserts the first it my personal favourite of an old classic
Quick and Easy trifle:
5 trifle sponges
50g raspberry jam
A few good splashes of sherry
150g frozen raspberries
1 heaped tbsp. caster sugar
2 large bananas
500g ready-made Ambrosia Devon custard
1 tsp. vanilla extract
355ml double cream
30g toasted flaked almonds
1. First of all split the trifle sponges in half lengthways, spread one half of each sponge with the raspberry jam and re-form them back into sandwiches. Cut each one across into three and arrange the pieces cut side uppermost in the base of a glass bowl.2. Next carefully pour the Sherry all over the sponges, then set aside for about 20 minutes for the sponges to soak it all up (tilting the bowl a couple of times to encourage this).Then put the frozen raspberries and the sugar in a small on top of the sponges and mix well trying to break themush the raspberries a little to release the juices.
3. Now peel and slice the bananas into chunks (about 5mm thick) and scatter these all over the raspberries.4. Next take two medium-size bowls and place the custard and vanilla in one bowl and mix well
5. Add the cream to the other. Whip the cream – be careful not to make it too thick –
6. Then spread custard evenly over the fruit followed by the whipped cream 7. Now last but not least grate some chocolate of the top (try something like snickers mmmm)
Mandarin tart:
6-8oz/175-225g ready-made sweet short crust pastry
Flour, for dusting Butter, for greasing
1pint/600ml fresh mandarin juice (squeezed from approximately 15–18 mandarins) Grated zest of 2 mandarins
6 eggs
100g caster sugar 150ml double cream
Icing sugar, for glazing (optional) Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/gas mark 6. Grease an 8 x 1½ in-deep/20 x 3.5cm loose-bottomed flan case.
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface that is large enough to line the flan case and place it on a baking tray.
3. Line the flan case with the pastry, leaving any excess overhanging. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Bake blind for 15 to 20 minutes and then remove the baking beans and the greaseproof paper and cook for a further 5 minutes. Trim away any overhanging pastry and leave to cool. Lower the temperature to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2.
5. Boil the mandarin juice and zest together rapidly until there is just 6floz/175ml left. Leave to cool.
6. Beat together the eggs and sugar and stir in the cooled mandarin juice and the cream. Pour the filling into the pastry case and carefully place in the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until just set with a slight wobble in the centre.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing from the flan case.
8. The whole tart, or separate slices, can be dusted liberally with icing sugar, if you’re using it. Glaze with a blowtorch or under the grill for a rich caramel top.
So I hope this has given you some good ideas. Or even inspired you to try something different for Christmas day and even if you are planning to enjoy I fantastic traditional turkey and ham. The only thing I ask is that you enjoy it and the time with your family and come back and join me in an amazing food adventure next year. Where I hope to start to really share with you my new found enthusiasm for my ideas from seed to plate!!!!
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