ArchiveDecember 2024

Well, that’s Christmas over for another year, hope you all enjoyed a happy and delicious family feast and a chilled and carefree few days.

If you’ve done a lot of cooking coming up to Christmas, it’s possible that you won’t want to go anywhere near your cooker for at least a week, but I love the excitement of poking around in the fridge and pantry and dreaming up delicious ways to use up bits and bobs.

There are bound to be some delicious leftovers lurking around in there and I love the improvisation and creative challenge of incorporating dollops of this and that into something entirely different. Think Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, Moroccan…as well as traditional flavours.

So, let’s mull over what you might have leftover apart from morsels of turkey and ham maybe, plum pudding, trifle, stale bread, Brussels sprouts, cranberries. The latter are definitely not a problem, they can be popped into the freezer, they’ll keep for months but better still, throw a fistful into a batch of scones, a muffin mix or a white soda bread. Leftover cranberry sauce will keep for weeks, maybe even months, add oomph to a salad, an apple tart or roast chicken as well as the end of a jar of minced meat.

A good turkey carcass makes the best stock of all but first strip away the last little morsels of both meat and stuffing from the carcass, there’s a million ways to use those precious leftover bits after the family have hoovered up what they fancied for the epic turkey and stuffing sandwiches that we all love. 

Turkey stock is super easy to make, it just takes time but not your time. Chop or break up the carcass as best you can. Toss into a deep saucepan with the giblets if you have them (not the liver, use that for a buttery pâté). Add a couple of quartered onions, 3 or 4 stalks of celery, a couple of chopped leeks and carrots. Add a few sprigs of thyme, lots of parsley stalks – no bay leaves. If you have some ginger peelings, add them too. Toss in ten or twelve black peppercorns, no salt. Add the ham bone if available, cover with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer for three to four hours or longer. I put the saucepan into the cool oven of my ancient Aga. Strain, cool and refrigerate or freeze.

It’s crucial to make a batch or two of mayonnaise as a condiment. Divide it into aioli, watercress mayo and coriander and chilli mayonnaise. There’s also a myriad of ways to use up the remains of the ham, add it to pasta dishes, mac and cheese, a frittata, cauliflower cheese or a leek and potato gratin or toss a little dice into a Brussels sprout soup. I love all those ‘homesey’ one-pot dishes, so comforting to tuck into on chilly January days.

Slices of plum pudding can be fried quickly in a little foaming butter and served piping hot with whiskey cream, a blob of brandy butter or the end of Mrs. Hanrahan’s Sauce. By the way, there’s no rush to use up plum pudding, it will keep perfectly well wrapped for several weeks or can even be frozen until the urge for a little fruity boozy sweetness comes again.

Little ends of cheese can be grated and added to gratins, scones and biscuits. Whizz scraps of blue cheese with butter, maybe add a little chopped parsley and melt over steaks or burgers.

Leftover bread, croissants or panettone make a delicious bread and butter pudding or just throw it into the freezer to make breadcrumbs for stuffing on another day or French toast and on it goes…

Can’t bear to waste a scrap, perhaps it was my 50’s and 60’s upbringing that left me with a deep understanding that food waste was unthinkable, it doesn’t make sense at any time particularly with my recent trip to East Africa so fresh in my mind.

And most people don’t even have a few hens to eat up the scraps and convert them into eggs a few days later.

Why not ask some pals around for a celebration Leftovers Feast (a marathon fridge clear out).

New Year’s resolution – invest in three or four hens!

Vietnamese Turkey Noodle Soup

A delicious way to enjoy both your turkey broth and morsels from the carcass.

It is vitally important to use really good-flavoured stock for this noodle soup – super quick to make once you’ve assembled the ingredients and it’s an entire meal in a bowl.

Serves 4

1.2 litres well-flavoured turkey stock

1 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce

60g galangal, finely chopped

2 star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon sugar

225g shredded, cooked turkey meat

225g rice noodles

Accompaniments

4 spring onions, diagonally sliced

225g fresh bean sprouts (if available) – use finely shredded Chinese cabbage otherwise

2-4 small red chillies, finely chopped

2 limes, quartered

crispy fried shallots

coarsely crushed roasted peanuts

handful of fresh coriander leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper

Pour the stock into a large saucepan and add the fish sauce, galangal, star anise, cinnamon, sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, add the shredded turkey and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes. Taste, add more fish sauce and lime juice if necessary.

Cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions and divide them between 4 large wide bowls. Divide the soup and turkey shreds between the bowls.

Put all the remaining ingredients into small bowls so that everyone can help themselves to the soup accompaniments.

Brussels Sprout and Kimchi Salad with Asian Dressing

We’ve got lots of Brussels sprout salads, some of my favourites are just tossed in a French dressing with some nuts (pecans, hazelnuts or pumpkin seeds), a sprinkling of raisins and maybe a few slices of ripe avocado and a couple of red chicory leaves.

Serves 6

300- 400g fresh Brussels sprouts or sprout tops, topped, thinly shredded

4 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced at an angle

100 – 150g kimchi 

Dressing

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp white miso paste

1 tbsp tahini

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 tbsp of water

To Serve

1 heaped tbsp of sesame seeds

2 tbsp of shredded coriander

First make the dressing. Whisk the rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, miso, tahini, grated ginger and water in a bowl until smooth.

Put the shredded Brussels sprouts or sprout tops into a bowl with the scallions and kimchi. Mix well, drizzle the dressing over the top, toss well, taste and tweak the seasoning if necessary.

Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and shredded coriander.

Serve immediately.

Mincemeat and Bramley Apple Meringue Tart

Serves 10-12

A wonderful Christmassy Tart and also a particularly good way to use up leftover mincemeat.

Pastry

175g white flour

75g butter

pinch of salt

1 beaten egg to bind

Filling

450g mincemeat

125g Bramley apples

Meringue

3 egg whites

175g caster sugar

egg wash

icing sugar to dust

edible sparkly glitter (optional)

1 x 23cm tart tin (2.5cm deep)

First make the pastry. 

Sift the flour and the salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour, rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg with 2 teaspoons of cold water and add enough to bind the mixture. But do not make the pastry too wet – it should come away cleanly from the bowl. Flatten into a round and wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. Roll out thinly on a lightly floured worktop and use it to line the flan tin. Line with kitchen or greaseproof paper and fill to the top with dried beans. Rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Bake the tart base blind for about 25 minutes in a moderate oven or until pale and golden, remove the beans and paper.  Brush the pre-baked tart shell with a little beaten egg and pop back into the oven for 3-4 minutes or until almost cooked. Cool.

Be careful not to overcook because if this pastry gets too brown, it will be bitter, hard and unappetizing.

Reduce the temperature to 150°C/Gas mark 1/2.

Peel and core the cooking apples. Cut into 1/2cm dice.

Whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar until it reaches stiff peaks. Mix the diced apple with the mincemeat and spread over the cooked pastry base. Slather the meringue on top or using a plain round nozzle (no 9), pipe the meringue in your favourite pattern.

Return to the oven and cook for 50 minutes, until the meringue is crisp.

Cool on a wire rack then dust heavily with icing sugar and if you fancy, add some edible sparkly glitter for end of season festive cheer…

Serve with a bowl of softly whipped cream.

Food for thought before Christmas…

I’ve recently returned from a week visiting smallholder farmers in East Africa.

It may well have been the most interesting, inspiring and educational trip of my entire life. It certainly rearranges one’s priorities.

The program was organised by the Ripple Effect NGO, formerly Send A Cow. We spent nine days between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda visiting farming families.

I had never even heard of Ripple Effect until a couple of months ago when Guy Watson from Riverford Farm in Devon who has been working with this NGO for over 20 years asked me to join a small group to see first-hand the impact of their training schemes and projects in changing lives of individuals and communities in rural Africa. People in these areas have multiple challenges, they are fighting hunger and poor or no harvests due to the soil quality and the climate crisis. They fluctuate between drought and floods. In some countries, particularly Kenya and Uganda, it is the culture for men to make all the decisions while women do the lion’s share of the manual work and child rearing. In Kenya and Uganda, polygamy is legal and, in both countries, the government encourages people to have large families. The population overall is deeply religious. However, things are slowly changing and one of the farms that we visited, the farmer introduced himself and his family saying, ‘and I’ve just got one wife’. Rwanda however bans polygamy both in the constitution and in the Civil Code and actively encourages smaller families with two or three children as opposed to six or seven in Kenya and Uganda, particularly in rural areas.

The average size farm is ¼ hectare – 1 acre.

We visited a variety of farms that had been working with Ripple Effect in some cases for only six months, others for up to three years. Every square inch of the land was cultivated. Virtually all had one or two treasured cows, all were making compost – organic compost which not only improves yield but helps restore tired land.  When the cow has a calf, they gift it to a neighbour, hence the name Ripple Effect. They were convinced of the value of working with nature to implement tangible change through Ripple Effect training schemes. There were a variety of growing systems to max yields on small holdings with dramatic results. Over and over again, we saw how families whose major preoccupation had been just to manage to feed the family, are now producing some surplus to sell and are at last able to send children to school.

Fruit trees provide food, shade and income, rainwater harvesting techniques help farmers to weather climate induced droughts. Ripple Effect enables people to have access to microfinance through savings and loan associations.

Every project begins with workshops for families that help to empower women to take part in family decision making and reduce their unpaid workload. This policy has had transformative outcomes. When men and women work together, they can achieve so much more.

The big agri-chemical companies are targeting these African countries and in some cases, governments are supporting farmers to buy chemicals to boost their yields – a short term fix which will ultimately damage rather than increase soil fertility with predictable results.

Rwanda, the fastest growing economy in Africa was perhaps the most remarkable of all, the countries we visited are an example of what can be achieved with strong visionary leadership.

This country, torn apart by what now appears to have been a carefully orchestrated genocide is now in the midst of a reconciliation programme that is enabling its citizens to heal and forgive, utterly extraordinary.

On several of the farms we visited in this area, we met numerous genocide orphans and a genocide widow with three children starting a new life with help from Ripple Effect. Her husband and other four children were taken and then murdered during a raid on their village.

Despite all this, everywhere we went, people of all ages were super cheerful. They sang and danced and chanted in their tribal gear to welcome us, insisted on sharing their food and in several cases sent us home with hand crafted presents.

I could write a book about what I learned and observed in those eight or nine days in East Africa but how about the food…. 

Well, needless to say, the food overall was tasty and nutritious, not quite what one might term a gastronomic experience although I did have Nsenene, a Luganda word for long horned grasshoppers – a wet season speciality which I would definitely describe as a Ugandan delicacy. They were sold by street vendors, sometimes at gas stations or outside supermarkets.

I also loved the BBQ chicken on a stick sold along the roadside on the road to Kigali. These vendors are particularly famous for this specialty. 

My friends needed a bit of persuasion to taste the smoked tilapia that I spotted and bought from a young vendor along the Kampala Masaka roadside in Nkozi-Mugge district. One bite and they were hooked, as ever many of the best foods were street foods, cooked or smoked on the spot.

Meals in our hotel were for the most part substantial and tasty. In Uganda, the staple is Ugali, a thick white maize porridge and of course rice and beans usually eaten in conjunction with a goat or beef stew and greens. The greens, sometimes kale or spinach but often a type of highly nutritious annual nightshade (Solanum scabrum) which I grew to love.  There was often roast or more correctly charred chicken, a cabbage slaw and chunks of arrowroot.

In Rwanda we ate the staple matoke (plantain) cooked in banana leaves and cassava. Chapati was the all-purpose flat bread and sometimes a peanut sauce.

The meat was always tasty but because hanging is not possible in that climate, it was ‘pretty chewy’ by our standards but no criticism from me, it was all part of the experience.

I also loved the smoky honey from the tiny wild African bees collected from handmade hives, made from folds of tree bark, hidden high up in the trees – quite the challenge to harvest!

Dessert was mostly fresh fruit, pineapple, watermelon, mangoes, passion fruit, tamarillos and lots and lots of bananas, I particularly loved the small, slightly tart bananas, wish we could get them over here.

Milky African tea is the drink beloved by all but not necessarily a favourite among non-Africans, sometimes it has a few added spices, and can be reminiscent of chai which I love.

In the midst of all the festivities if you feel like looking up Ripple Effect, here is their website www.rippleeffect.org

You can’t imagine how little can change people’s lives and to change even one person’s life is a huge contribution to mankind.

A merry and blessed Christmas to all.

Ugali

Ugali is a beloved staple in many African countries including Kenya and Uganda. It’s like a thick, solid porridge, hearty, satisfying and deeply nutritious and an accompaniment to virtually every meal, often served with a meat or vegetable stew.

Some recipes contain no salt, and others add some milk to the water and a blob of butter to the ugali – experiment and enjoy.

Serves 6-8 

225g coarse white maize

950ml (4 cups) water

1-2 tsp salt (optional)

Put the water into a deep heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil, add salt (optional), then sprinkle the polenta flour in very slowly letting it slip gradually through your fingers, whisking or stirring all the time, (this should take 3-4 minutes).  Bring to the boil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly* (I use a whisk at the beginning but as soon as the ugali comes to the boil I change to a flat bottomed wooden spoon.) The ugali is cooked when it is very thick and comes away from the sides of the pot as you stir and furrs the bottom of the saucepan. It should be thick and smooth.

Flatten into a flat cake (about 7.5 – 9cm in height), then cut into wedges or alternatively, fill into individual moulds.

Goat Curry

Ballymaloe Cookery School alumni, Nompumelo Mqwebu from South Africa kindly shared these recipes with me.

Recipe from ‘Through the Eyes of an African Chef’.

Serves 4

goat curry marinade

1kg goat meat

500ml water with juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp onion, very finely chopped

1 tbsp crushed garlic

1 ½ tsp salt

for the curry

15g curry powder (mix of turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek and masala)

water

salt and pepper to taste

20ml coconut oil

1 large onion, diced

10g fresh ginger

8 pimentos, seeded

3 spring onions

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded

garnish

slivers of fresh coconut

To make the goat curry.

Overnight: first rinse the meat in lemon water. Season the goat with finely chopped onion, garlic and salt, then place in a container. Cover and set aside overnight.

The next day.

Toss the meat into a large saucepan over medium heat and let it brown in its own fat for about 10-15 minutes; then pour in enough water to cover the meat and let it cook until tender (add more water, if necessary). Season with salt and pepper. Goat can take 2 ½ – 3 hours to cook until tender.

In a separate large saucepan, warm the spices (curry powder) on a low heat. Remove the spices, pour the coconut oil in the saucepan, then add the onion and ginger. Stir, then add the curry powder. Add pimento, spring onion, thyme, potato and the scotch bonnet chilli, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the cooked goat to the onion mixture and simmer on a low heat for another 30-60 minutes until the sauce thickens and the goat has absorbed the curry flavours. Adjust the seasoning according to preferred taste.

For the garnish.

Place a few fresh coconut slivers on a baking tray and pop into the oven for 5-10 minutes at 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Keep a close eye on them to prevent them from burning.

To Serve

Sprinkle the roasted coconut slivers on top of the goat curry and serve with boiled rice.

Venison Mushroom Burger

Recipe from ‘Through the Eyes of an African Chef’.

Serves 4-5

for the venison patties

600g venison, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

3g parsley, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely diced

3g chives, finely chopped

1 egg

for the burger

8-10 large black mushrooms

sliced tomatoes (2 slices per serving)

sliced mature Cheddar cheese (1-2 slices per person)

1 small red onion, sliced

1 washed lettuce

In a bowl, season the minced venison, then combine with the garlic, parsley, shallots and chives. Add the egg, ensuring it is mixed thoroughly.

Separate the mixture into portions and mould into patties using your hands. Indent the centre with your thumb or a teaspoon and place in the fridge to firm up.

Place the burgers on a hot grill and seal each side, turning them over to cook to desired preference. Grill the mushrooms for 1 minute on each side next to the burgers.

To Serve

Place a slice of tomato on a mushroom, then top with a cooked venison patty, 1-2 slices of cheese and a few onion rings; close off with a second slice of tomato, some lettuce and a cooked mushroom.

Mango Ice

Recipe from ‘Through the Eyes of an African Chef’.

If the mangoes are not super sweet, add caster sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.

Serves 4-6

3-4 sweet, ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed

ice cubes

Garnish

fresh mint leaves

Blend the mango and a handful of ice cubes in a food processor until smooth. Scoop into a container and freeze for 4-5 hours or until solid.  Serve in bowls garnished with mint leaves with softly whipped cream if you like.

Last week, my column was packed with suggestions for edible presents. This week. I’m going to suggest some recently published cookbooks – some for beginners, others for culinary creatives, cake makers, nature lovers and still others to delight the food historians, and one outstanding bread book for the baking nerds in your life.
Richard Hart’s Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking Book arrived on my desk just yesterday. This much anticipated book written by legendary and I don’t use that term lightly, bread baker Richard Hart considered by many to be one of the world’s great bakers. He founded Tartine in San Francisco with Chad Robertson, then went on to work with René Redzepi at Noma before establishing the still hugely successful Hart Bageri in Copenhagen and more recently he has launched Green Rhino bakery in Mexico City. There’s nothing in the world that Richard cares more about than bread except perhaps, his beautiful wife Henrietta, aka The Rare Tea Lady whose book INFUSED, about tea is also worth seeking out. It’s a deep dive into the story of exquisite teas, made by small farmers who are totally passionate about
Next up – Anna Haugh, one of our own
According to Gordon Ramsay “Anna Haugh is definitely one of the most talented chefs ever to come out of Ireland’.
Anna hails from Tallaght in Dublin. Many of you will know her from her TV series, NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Anna lives for cooking, she’s super driven and as long as she can remember has been determined to learn more to hone her craft. She worked in the kitchens of many of the greats, Derry Clarke of L’Ecrivain, then onto Gaultiero Marchesi in Paris, back to London to work with Philip Howard, Shane Osborne, Gordon Ramsay…
Anna was inspired by my mother-in-law’s Myrtle Allen’s philosophy at Ballymaloe House so she named her restaurant in London, Myrtle as a tribute.
You’ll love her first cookbook Cooking with Anna, modern home cooking with an Irish heart.
Next, a little book given to me by a friend as a present saying “I think you might just  love this”, Recipes for my London Kitchen by Cathy Gaynor (self-published). No bells and whistles but so many delicious recipes that you’ll be tempted to cook, including this little jam.

I have indeed become very fond of it. We all need to have a few quick and easy standbys in our repertoire. Not all the recipes are as quick as these, but they are all ‘keepers’.  The book is sold in aid of charities in Suffolk benefiting disadvantaged youth and elderly.
Afterwards I saw that Cathy’s book has drawn praise from both Rick Stein and Albert Roux – how about that?
For historians in your life, it would be difficult to beat the following two – An Irish Food Story, a hundred foods that made us, by the remarkable JP McMahon. A brilliantly researched and beautifully written book with notable end pages by Nataliia Dragunova. The chapters are short, hope JP will forgive me for saying that it’s a perfect book to pick up in the loo…
Book of the Year for my money is Irish Food History – a companion by Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire and Ballymaloe Cookery School alumni, Dorothy Cashman with contributions from multiple scholars. A meticulously researched tome that has garnered praise and awards from many quarters including Bookselling Ireland Food and Drink Book of the Year at the recent An Post Book Awards.
Finally for the times that are in it, Staying Alive in Toxic Times written by inspirational speaker,  Dr. Jenny Goodman, a medical doctor and member of the British society for  psychological medicine whom I came across at the Groundswell Festival in the UK last summer.
I can’t finish without mentioning Nature Boy, written by ecologist and ornithologist Seán Ronayne, an extraordinary young man from Cobh who has made such a huge contribution to mankind and nature by recording the bird song of all our species in Ireland and beyond. Gift it, to the nature lover in your life, it’s an enchanting book, beautifully written and recipient of the An Post Biography of the Year Award.
There are two others to seek out, Wild Honey Inn by Aidan McGrath, recipes from the much loved Inn of the same name just outside Lisdoonvarna in County Clare. And The Irish Bakery by Cherie Denham and Kitty Corrigan – two other gems for special friends….

All Recipes are taken from A London Kitchen by Cathy Gayner

Creamed Eggs

This is my standby recipe when I am in a hurry or when a guest turns up unexpectedly; you will probably have all the ingredients already but if you don’t have any cream, just substitute milk.

Serves 6

45g Cheddar, grated

45g Parmesan, grated

125ml milk

125ml cream

3 eggs

6 rashers, smoked streaky bacon, cooked until crisp

pepper

Divide the bacon between 6 ramekin dishes. Stir the cheese into the mixture of milk and cream, whisk in the eggs and season with plenty of black pepper.

Pour into the ramekin dishes and cook at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 (180°C fan) for 10-15 minutes or until the tops are puffed up and golden.

Smashed Potatoes

Potatoes cooked in this way can be done hours ahead and even frozen – just reheat them for 10 minutes at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 (180°C fan).

Serves 4

500g small potatoes, boiled until just tender

25g Parmesan, grated

1 heaped tsp smoked paprika

1 heaped tsp oregano or thyme

1 plump garlic clove, crushed

100g butter

salt and pepper

Melt the butter and cook the garlic for no more than a minute. Season well and stir in all the other ingredients. Coat the potatoes in this mixture and arrange them on baking parchment in a roasting tin. Gently squash each one with a potato masher and cook at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 (180°C fan) for 25 minutes.

Pistachio Pesto

In the early 1970’s my father decided to simplify the kitchen garden and only grow his three favourite things: potatoes, asparagus and basil. Saturday lunch was invariably pesto which at that time in Suffolk was considered eccentric rather than innovative. It has made me very superior about shop bought pesto, but it has also made me inquisitive about other combinations of this delicious invention and I often use leftover herbs, nuts and whatever cheese I happen to have to make an instant supper.

This is one of my favourite combinations.

Serves 3

100g basil leaves

75g pistachios

1 garlic clove

70g Pecorino

120ml olive oil

salt and pepper

In an ideal world, this should be done in a pestle and mortar, but I am no purist, so I whizz everything up in a food processor and it takes no more than a moment to produce something irresistible.

Christmas Fudge

I am rather ashamed to admit that I buy our Christmas mincemeat and worse, I always seem to buy too much. However, because I am incapable of throwing food away, the surplus gave rise to this extraordinary but excellent recipe for fudge. It’s really a complete cheat, it takes a moment to make, and it absolves my guilt at having taken a shortcut in the first place.

500g best white chocolate

400g jar of mincemeat

Over barely boiling water, melt the white chocolate you can find, while still on the heat, stir in the mincemeat. Pour into a lined loaf tin and refrigerate for a couple of hours before slicing. Wrapped prettily, it makes a good present.

I know everyone’s supposed to be super enthusiastic about Christmas, not sure if it reflects my age but I’m finding the relentless excess hype pretty unbearable. So much pressure to buy everyone a gift and then the desperation to find something, anything to fit the bill.

Occasionally, one does find the perfect present, but it takes time and lots of thought, something many of us don’t have much of these days.

If truth be known, many presents are useless and may well be allocated to the regifting drawer, yet one really does want it to be a true token of friendship and love. So, this year, how about we have fun, and it can be fun making some edible presents that folks will really be thrilled to get. Something that will save them time, something they might not get around to making themselves, something they will really enjoy and that will remind them of you when they eat or drink it.

So, this week, a few suggestions for the many edible treats one could choose. When I say treats, they don’t necessarily need to be sweet. Last Christmas, some busy young friends were absolutely thrilled to get a little selection of frozen homemade soups, a loaf of brown yeast bread and a stick of cultured Jersey butter.

Wouldn’t you too be delighted to get a pot of delicious fish and shellfish chowder or a fish pie with a mashed potato topping or a chunky chicken and ham pie with a puff pastry crust?

It could be a few sweet sauces to drizzle over an ice cream or pancakes for an instant pudding.

Kumquats will be in season, so how about some kumquat marmalade, the most delicious of all things to slather on your breakfast toast (see Examiner 14^th November 2020).

As some foods become progressively less tasty, condiments of all kinds, spicy, fiery or just plain tasty become ‘must have’s’ in your pantry so a little hamper of Christmas relishes and sweet and savoury jams become even more essential.

Every bite will remind your friend of the meaningful present that you really put your heart into. Could be just a little cellophane pack of their favourite ‘cookies’ and now I’m back to my favourite theme…

Gather the family around for ‘Bake Up Sunday’, if they don’t seem enthusiastic about cooking, maybe they can wrap, make pretty labels, tie bows, maybe make packs of mulled wine spices. I’m on the lookout for all kinds of recycled jars, pots and baskets during the year in charity shops. I pick up all manner of glass, pottery, and clay containers and save them for Christmas. They can be made super cool even with newspaper or parchment lids and fancy twine, ribbon or tinsel and a sprig of rosemary or holly.

Here are some suggestions, the Chocolate Florentines come from Jane Lovett’s ‘The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook’, a new book to look out for published by Headline Publishing Group and there are lots and lots of ideas in my ‘A Simply Delicious Christmas’ published by Gill Books which some of you may already have.

Christmas Granola

Deliciously toasted grains, dried fruit and crunchy nuts, perfect for breakfasts over the holiday season. Enjoy with natural yoghurt and lots of grated Irish apple…

Serves 20 people approximately

125g butter or coconut oil

175ml honey

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

500g oatmeal

110g sunflower seeds

150g slivered almonds

110g pumpkin seeds

50g barley flakes

50g rye flakes

50g coconut flakes

50g dried apricots or a mixture of dates and apricots, chopped

50g dried cranberries or dried cherries 

50g juicy sultanas 

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3.

Melt the butter or oil in a saucepan over a low heat, stir in the honey and vanilla extract.  Mix all the remaining ingredients, except the dried fruit and coconut flakes, in a large mixing bowl, add the liquid and stir well until everything is evenly coated.   Spread over 3 large baking trays and toast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the grains are crisp and very lightly browned. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the trays. Add the coconut flakes and continue to cook for a further 5-8 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and when cool transfer to a large bowl.  Add the dried fruit and mix.   

Fill into Kilner jars and zhuzh up with ribbons and labels and a sprig of holly or rosemary – keeps for up to 1 month.  

Chilli Salt

A perfect pressie for a foodie friend who likes to add a little extra oomph to everything – carry it in your handbag to perk up bland dishes…

110g flaky sea salt

2 tbsp crushed dried chilli pepper (Jalapeno or Habanero)

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Mix the salt and chilli together and whizz for a couple of seconds in a food processor or a molcajete with a pestle and mortar. 

Fill into little airtight glass containers. 

Salted Caramel Sauce

Once again, salted caramel sauce is irresistible drizzled over crêpes, ice cream or bananas and keeps for weeks in a jar in the fridge.

Makes 600ml (3x 200g jars)

450g caster sugar

125g unsalted whole butter (diced)

250ml double cream

10g Achill or Dingle sea salt (literally flower of the salt, the very mineral and not too salty top layer) or Maldon Sea salt.

Put the caster sugar into a large pan over a medium heat and stir continuously until it turns into a rich caramel. You need to do this by eye but aim for a dark mahogany colour. If it is too light, the butter and cream will dilute any caramel flavour, and it will lack that slightly burnt sugar taste that makes this sauce so good.

When you are happy with the caramel, very carefully whisk in the cream to stop the cooking. Be really careful not to do it too quickly as the caramel has a tendency to spit. When you have whisked in the cream, add the butter bit by bit until it’s all incorporated and you have a smooth rich caramel.

Allow to cool to 37°C and then stir in the sea salt and mix so you get an even distribution. It is very important to allow the caramel to cool before doing this so that the salt crystals do not dissolve, and you then get that lovely crunch.

Homemade Cheese Crackers

Make lots of these, store in an airtight box or freeze. Some can be gifted alongside a beautiful ripe cheese, or maybe part of an artisan cheese and charcuterie board over Christmas.

Makes 20-25 biscuits

225g plain white flour or a mixture of brown wholemeal and white flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

25g butter

1 tbsp cream

water as needed, 5 tbsp approx.

Put the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.   Rub in the butter and moisten with the cream and enough water to make a firm dough.

Roll out very thinly to one sixteenth of an inch approx.  Prick with a fork.  Cut into 9cm squares with a pastry wheel.  Bake at 150˚C/Gas Mark 2 for 30 minutes approx. or until lightly browned and quite crisp.  Cool on a wire rack.  Store in a tight-fitting tin box or fill into jars as a gift. 

Chocolate Florentines

(From Jane Lovett’s The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook published by Headline Publishing Group)

No introduction needed really, other than to say these are far easier than you may think and make lovely (and impressive!) presents – who doesn’t love a florentine?

Makes about 26 (depending on size)

Ingredients

50g butter

60g demerara sugar

60g flaked almonds

30g unsalted, shelled pistachios, roughly chopped 50g dried (pitted) dates or figs, roughly chopped 50g dried cherries or cranberries (or a mixture of the two), roughly chopped

50g mixed candied peel

1 piece of stem ginger in syrup, drained and chopped (optional)

15g plain flour

1 tbsp double cream

150-200g dark chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces

icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Get Ahead

•Store florentines in an airtight container at room temp or in fridge for up to 1 month or more. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Hints and Tips

•Substitute any other nuts or dried fruit you may prefer or have to hand, except for the flaked almonds.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/Gas Mark 4.

Line two baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone paper.

Melt the butter and demerara sugar together in a pan on a gentle heat. Set aside.

Mix all the nuts, fruit, candied peel and stem ginger (if using) together in a mixing bowl, then add the flour and stir to coat.  Stir in the cream into the butter mixture, then pour this over the dry ingredient and mix well to combine.

Dot heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto the lined baking sheets, leaving a little space for spreading during cooking. Flatten each one with the back of a teaspoon, trying to avoid holes as best you can, then bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Leave on the baking sheets for 3-5 minutes or until firmed up, then transfer to a wire rack using a palette knife and leave to cool. Repeat to make the remainder, if necessary.

Melt the chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave on high in 30-second bursts. Put a sheet of baking parchment or silicone paper under the wire rack to catch any drips of chocolate. When cold, turn the florentines over with their flat underside now uppermost.

With a teaspoon, a small palette knife or brush, spread a layer of melted chocolate over each florentine and leave until the chocolate is cold and set hard, around an hour or so, or chill. If you like, just before the chocolate fully sets, mark a swirly, wavy pattern with a fork. (Scrape up the excess dripped chocolate and use for something else).

Arrange the florentines overlapping on a plate, alternating the chocolate and fruit and nut sides uppermost, or store in an airtight container until required. A light dusting of icing sugar just before serving looks pretty too.

Today, to coincide with National Mousse Day (who dreamed that up?), we’ll have a celebration of a few of my 1970s favourites – time-honoured classics that have stood the test of time and are still high on the list of special requests on the Ballymaloe House menu and famous Sweet Trolley.
How about a Leek Mousse? Leeks are at their best just now, I’ve been digging the smaller ones from the vegetable garden, I can’t bear to waste a scrap, I use the young leaves for soups or melt them in butter to add to a bowl of fluffy mashed potato. Avoid the big specimens, they may look tempting but believe me, they’ll be tough so go along to the Farmers’ Market and choose small new season leeks instead. They’ll be tender and sweeter.
These little leek mousse make a gorgeous starter but best of all they can be cooked earlier (dare I say, even the day before) and gently reheated in a bain-marie.
I’m also sharing the secret of this Bretonne sauce, a deliciously buttery sauce that transforms many simple foods into a feast – it’s a gem to have in your repertoire and not least because it is literally made in minutes.
Add a few morsels of lobster, plump mussels or shrimp and hey presto, the dish takes on a swanky cheffy appearance…a few wisps of chervil and wait for the Ooh’s and Aah’s when you serve it to your guests.
This leek mousse is rich as you can see from the ingredient list, so serve small portions for starters but increase the size for a lunchtime main course. Serve a salad of fresh crunchy leaves and a few fresh herbs tossed with a little dressing of extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice, lots of freshly cracked pepper and a few flakes of sea salt.
A really good chocolate mousse is yet another recipe that stands the test of time. We’ve got a few versions, but I think this is my favourite, irresistible with just some Jersey pouring cream and guess what I’ve discovered that it keeps for over a fortnight in your fridge, maybe longer. How brilliant is that?
Use really good chocolate, we like 54% cocoa solids and rich cream.
I also do lots of riffs on it, a little crunchy hazelnut praline sprinkled over the top is sublime, a few flakes of gold leaf give a super luxurious look while a spoonful of candied kumquat compote is a delicious foil to the richness of the mousse and last but certainly not least, I love a spoonful of plump Pedro Ximénez soaked raisins, spoon over a dollop of softly whip cream on top.
Make a batch before the festive season and you are sorted for any eventuality and who doesn’t love chocolate mousse?
This orange mousse is deliciously tender and light as a feather. It looks super impressive. We decorate it with diamond shaped slivers of chocolate and ruffs of orange flavoured cream for extra deliciousness. Unless the oranges are organic, give them a good wash and use a Microplane or very fine grater to grate the zest.  All of these recipes can be whipped up the day before for ease of entertaining.
Happy National Mousse Day.

Rory O’Connell’s Leek Mousse with Mussels and Sauce Bretonne

Thank you to Rory for sharing this recipe with me.

In Rory’s words ‘This mousse is rich and delicious and should be served in small portions. The mussels can be replaced with shrimp or lobster. I have also served the mousse as a vegetable accompaniment with roast chicken and guinea fowl and firm textured fish like sole, monkfish, turbot and brill. The mousse can be prepared early in the day and cooked later.

Bretonne sauce is an excellent sauce to serve with the fish mentioned above.’

Serves 6-8

Mousse

20g butter

450g leeks, sliced and washed

3 eggs

300ml cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

2 egg yolks

1 tsp Dijon mustard, preferably green mustard flavoured with tarragon

½ tsp white wine vinegar

110g butter

1 tbsp chopped herbs; chives, parsley, thyme, chervil, tarragon

36-48 fresh mussels

You will need 6-8 ceramic or metal moulds, approx. 100ml each

Preheat the oven to 170˚°C/Gas Mark 3.

Brush the moulds with melted butter and line the bottoms with a disc of non-stick baking paper.

Melt the butter in a small low-sided saucepan and allow to foam. Add the leeks, toss in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover with parchment paper and a tight-fitting lid. Cook on a very gentle heat until the leeks are just tender. Drain the leeks and press off all excess liquid. Reserve the excess liquid for later. Allow to cool for a few minutes and place in a blender and add the eggs and cream. Purée until smooth and taste to correct seasoning. Place the mousse mixture in the prepared moulds, filling the moulds to the top.

When ready to cook, place the mousses in a bain-marie. Half fill the bain-marie with boiling water and cover tightly with a sheet of parchment paper. Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the mousses are just set.

Remove from the oven and keep warm.

Place the mussels in a clean frying pan. Cover with a lid and place on a low heat. They will gradually start to pop open and release their own cooking juices. Remove the shells from the pan as soon as they open. Reserve the cooking liquid. When all the mussels are cooked, remove the beard and carefully remove from the shells and add to the mussel cooking liquid

Place the egg yolks in a Pyrex bowl with the mustard and vinegar. Melt the butter and bring to a boil. Slowly drizzle the boiling butter onto the eggs, whisking all the time. The sauce will gradually begin to thicken. Continue until all of the melted butter has been added. Add the chopped herbs. At this point I add a little of the reserved leek cooking juices to the sauce.

Add the cooked mussels and some of their cooking juice to the sauce. The sauce should be quite thin.

To serve, unmould the mousses on warm plates. Drizzle a little sauce and some mussels around and over each mousse. Garnish with a relevant herb, like fennel, dill or chervil.

Serve immediately.

JR Ryall’s Orange Mousse with Chocolate Wafers

JR Ryall, head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House and author of Ballymaloe Desserts kindly shared this delicious recipe.

In JR’s words ‘This mousse has retro appeal, and I love its theatrical appearance, particularly the contrast of the vivid orange segments and the dramatic pointy chocolate diamond wafers. The combination of orange and chocolate is nothing new. However, the combination of light and airy mousse with fresh orange, fragile chocolate wafers and orange scented cream is really rather good. This dessert brings a splash of colour to the dessert trolley during winter and spring when citrus fruit is at its best.’

Serves 8

For the orange mousse

finely grated zest and juice of 2 large oranges, plus extra if needed 

4 large eggs, 2 separated 

70g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

4 gelatine leaves 

225ml softly whipped cream

For the chocolate wafers

120g dark chocolate (62% cocoa solids)

for the orange-flavoured cream and assembly

3 large oranges

225ml whipped cream

pinch of caster sugar

Have a 1.2 litre serving bowl to hand.

To make the orange mousse.

Place the 2 egg yolks with the orange zest into the bowl of an electric mixer (keep the whites for later). Add the remaining 2 whole eggs and the caster sugar and whisk on high speed until the mixture quadruples in volume and becomes light and pale in colour, about 8 minutes. 

Meanwhile, measure the volume of the combined orange and lemon juices: you need 300ml. If necessary, bring up the volume with the juice of another orange.  Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Warm one quarter of the juice in a small saucepan, add the soaked gelatine leaves and stir to dissolve. Blend the gelatine mixture back into the remaining juice and transfer to a mixing bowl. Set the bowl in an ice bath and stir to chill. As the mixture cools it will begin to thicken slightly – this is the gelatine beginning to set; at this point remove the bowl from the ice bath. Fold one quarter of the egg mousse into the gelatine mixture to lighten it, followed by the remaining three quarters, mixing thoroughly and ensuring no liquid juice layer remains in the bottom of the bowl.

Now fold in the softly whipped cream. Finally, whisk the reserved 2 egg whites to stiff peaks stiffly, making sure they do not turn grainy, and then gently fold into the mousse. Pour the mousse into the serving bowl and place in the fridge to set, about 4 hours.  

To make the chocolate wafers.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water, then remove from the heat. Spread the melted chocolate on baking paper in the shape of a large square. Leave in a cool place until set, then cut into diamond shaped wafers. 

To make the orange-flavoured cream.

Grate the zest from half of one of the oranges, then mix with the whipped cream in a bowl and add a pinch of caster sugar to taste.

To assemble.

Peel and segment the three oranges. Arrange the orange segments in a circular pattern on top of the set mousse. Pipe a border of the orange-flavoured cream around the segments and position the chocolate wafers decoratively and dramatically around the edge of the bowl.

Bitter Chocolate Pots with Raisins in Pedro Ximénez and Crème Fraîche

Serves 6

Chocolate Mousse

110g good quality dark chocolate (we use 54% Callebaut)

110ml cream

1-2 tbsp Jamaica rum

2 eggs, separated

100g plump raisins or sultanas

60ml of Pedro Ximénez sweet sherry

crème fraîche

First, make the chocolate pots.

Chop the chocolate finely.  Bring the cream up to the boil, turn off the heat, add the chocolate to the cream and stir it around until the chocolate melts in the cream.  Add in the alcohol, if using, and whisk in the egg yolks.  Whisk the egg whites until just stiff, then stir in a quarter of the egg white, fold in the rest, gently, being careful not to knock all the air out.  Divide between 6 pots or espresso cups.
Cover and chill and allow to set for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Meanwhile, warm the Pedro Ximénez.  Pour over the raisins and allow to plump up and macerate.

To Serve
Put the little pot or espresso cup on a small plate or saucer.  Spoon a generous teaspoon of boozy raisins on one side.
Place a blob of crème fraîche on the other side, add a teaspoon and serve.

Note
These little pots are very rich so extra crème fraîche may be welcome. This mousse will taste different depending on the chocolate, for a richer mousse use 62% chocolate or 34% milk chocolate for a sweeter mousse.