christmas comes but once a year

My dear friends and culinary interested

To me this is the time of year I love. Memories of childhood , reflections of past christmases, Carols, church morning service followed by a huge turkey diner, an afternoon walk then tea with salad, celery sticks and delicious trifle.  

This year I return Home the bet place for Christmas , this time with 16 adults and 9 children. Not my family but wonderful friends who invited me very opther year since my Mother died.

Two years ago the turkey hardly fitted in the Aga !!

My present to you, who have put up with my reminiscing in this year of change is my last Christmas menu in La Cuisine 

Enjoy it.

Next year we will continue, my first trip is with Annie to the wilds of ireland to an animal Sanctuary. There we will raise money ??? givin cooking lessons of course! My Irish blood strats to throb , who knows I may seel the place where my ancestors where wrecked o the coast of irelanf in 18???

First Oxfordshire and London here we come 

Pattys wagon may join us , weather and roads permitting

Carpaccio van ossenhaas met kreeft mayonnaise

300g Ossenhaas

zout

Vers gemalen peper

Kruid de filet en bak het in een paar minuten in olie en boter. Gooi er wat meer peper over en rol het in folie. Laat het koelen in de koelkast.

Kreeft mayonaisse:

1 x 450g kreeft, gekookt voor 7 minuten                                    

45ml olijfolie

30g boter

1 ui

1 stick selderij

1 wortel, fijngesneden

1 teentje knoflook

Stukgeslagen kreeftenscharen

60ml cognac

3dl kreeft of vis bouillon

Zout & peper

Method:

1.   Kook de kreeft 7 minuten en laat het even afkoelen. Verwijder het vlees en plet de scharen voor de saus.

2.   Verwarm de olie in een pan en voeg de boter toe. Roer de ui, wortel, selderij en knoflook er door heen. Laat dit koken op een laag voor voor ongeveer 10 minuten.

3.   Voeg de stukgeslagen kreeftenscharen toe. Roer het goed door tijdens het koken voor nog ongeveer 5 minuten. Flambeer het met cognac.

4.   Voeg de bouillon toe en laat het inkoken. Gooi het door een zeef en kruid het op smaak.

5.   Voeg het toe aan de mayonaisse

Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

2 eigeel

Zout & peper

1-2 theelepel mosterd de Dijon

1 theelepel balsamico olie

1-2 theelepel citroensap

Zout en vers gemalen zwarte peper

2dl olijfolie

Method:

1.   Mix het eigeel, zout, peper, mosted en de balsamico olie in de foodprocessor.

2.   Voeg geleidelijk aan de olijfolie toe (begin heel langzaam)totdat de mix dicker wordt. Voeg wat drupjes citroensap toe en ga door met het toevoegen van olijfolie. Ga hier mee door totdat de mayonnaise de juiste stevigheid heft. Voeg nog wat citroensap toe als dat nodig is.

3.   Voeg wat salade of shiso toe voor de garnering.

To serve 

Maak een ruit van mayonnaise op het bord. Snij het vlees in dunne plakjes en leg het op de plaat. Maak wat kleine garnering van salade of shiso en plaats dit op het kreeftenvlees.

Double breast of free range turkey with lemon and pine nut stuffing, roast potatoes and braised Cimi di Rape with red onions

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing

20 rashers pancetta (2 x 70g/2oz packs) or thinly sliced streaky bacon

kg 1crown roast of turkey or boned out breast of turkey

For the stuffing

25g butte

50 g 0live oil

2 bunches of spring onions sliced

1 onions chopped

140g pack pancetta cubes or bacon lardoons or pastrami

50g pine nuts

4 cloves of garlic

25g sage, leaves only, roughly chopped

zest 2 lemons or preserved lemons

40g  flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

100g coarse white breadcrumbs or panko

1 egg , beaten

For the gravy

Sauce :

6 tomatoes very ripe skinned deseeded and chopped (One can use tomato pulp for this)

2 tbso olive oil or walnut oil

2-3 tbsp  dl  white balsamic vinegar

1 glass white

3 dl chicken stock  or turkey stock

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

50g butter

salt and pepper

Method

1.     First prepare the stuffing. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion without colouring for 5 mins, add the spring onions and fry for anther 5 minutes .

2.     Tip into a bowl. Add the pancetta or bacon to the pan, (if using pastrami this is not necessary) fry for 5 mins until golden, then add the pine nuts, garlic, sage and lemon zest.

3.     Fry for 1 min more until fragrant and the pine nuts are starting to brown. Stir in the chopped parsley. Tip into the bowl with the onions, then bind with the crumbs, egg and seasoning.

4.     Butter and season a sheet of turkey foil or use 2 sheets of foil crimped together to make a sheet about 50 x 60cm.

5.     Lay five long pieces of string over the foil like rungs of a ladder, ready to tie the breast together.

6.     Arrange the pancetta or bacon in a lattice over the middle of the foil, on top of the string.

7.     Open out the butterflied breast, skin-side down, and slash each side several times. Cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin until the meat is about 5cm thick all over.

8.     Trim the sides so that you have a roughly rectangular shape (but be careful not to cut the skin).

9.     Lift onto the pancetta, then fill any gaps with the trimmings. Season, then press the stuffing along the middle of the joint. Pull up the sides at one end, tucking in the short end, then tie the string tightly so that the stuffing is encased.

10.  Repeat with all the strings.

11.  Wrap up tightly in the foil, then turn the roll over so that the pancetta is on the top. Can be left in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Or

1.     Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the crown of turkey, butter the breast and season well.

2.     Then lay the pancetta over the breast and secure well.

3.     Heat oven to 190C.

4.     Sit the joint in a roasting tin pour around a little water or wine and roast for 30 mins per kg and 30 minutes per kilo extra or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out very hot and the juices run clear.

5.     Unwrap for the last 20 mins of cooking.

6.     Lift the joint onto a board and leave to rest, covered, for at least 20 mins.

Sauce

1.     Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan,  add the tomatoes to the pan and fry until becoming thick and sticky.

2.     Stirring well ,pour on the vinegar and allow any pieces of tomatoes that have cooked on to loosen.

3.     Add the l dl dry white wine, reduce by half.

4.     Then add the stock and repeat.

5.     Pour in the cream and bubble to a slightly reduced sauce.

6.     Season to taste, then stir in the parsley and add any juices from the turkey

If the Cimi di Rapi is not available then use spinach roasted root vegetables

Sticky rosemary & garlic roots

1.     Cut 1 medium swede or root celery, 500g parsnips and 500g carrots into chunks.

2.     Peel and cut 2 red onions into 6 wedges each, leaving the root ends intact.

3.     Peel 5 garlic cloves; leave whole.

4.     Heat 1 dl olive oil and 1 25g butter in a large, lidded frying pan, then add the veg, 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 2tsp fennel seeds and a little vegetable stock.

5.     Season well, then put the lid on and cook gently for about 15 mins.

6.     Remove the lid and allow to roast in the ove,n turning from time to time until cooked and golden brown .

Roast potatoes

Ingredients

1 kg starchy potatoes

olive oil or dripping or duck fat

salt

Method

1.     Peel the potatoes, blanch them for 10 minutes in salted boiling water

2.     Roughen them up with a fork

3.     Place  them in a baking tray with olive oil and sprinkle them with Piment d ‘Esplette  for more coloured if desired

4.     Roast the potatoes in the oven until they are caramelised , place on a piece of kitchen paper to drain then sprinkle with salt .

If keeping warm prop the door of the oven open slightly so they do not get soft

Baked apple stack with Pantone “French toast “, caramel sauce and

vanilla and rum ice cream

Ingredients:

10 cooking apples

2 tbsp sugar

50 g butter

Make small cuts in the apple to stop it bursting during cooking .

Place in a buttered oven dish sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter .

Bake in the oven at 180 ° C until tender but not collapsed . Baste from time to time .

Remove from the oven and form into squares with the help of a spatula or form into rounds in a round form

Pain perdu

1 cup sugar

12 dl milk

4 eggs

pinch of salt

10 slices of Panatonne

50 g butter

Beat half of the sugar with milk. Beat the eggs with the salt. Dip the bread in the milk then in the eggs. Heat the butter with the remaining sugar in the pan. Allow to caramelize, add the bread and fry until golden brown. Place an apple on each plate. Top with the pain perdu and place a scoop of the vanilla rum ice cream on top .

Serve with a caramel sauce.

200 g sugar

1½ dl water

Slowly dissolve the sugar in the water, when dissolcved bring to a slow boil until caramalised . Poiur on 11/2 dl warm water and allow the caramel to dissolve again. Set aside to cool.