The Twelve Dishes of Christmas – from easy to expert Festive recipes

We ask 12 leading restaurateurs, chefs and mixologists to suggest a recipe dish each for the ultimate Christmas menu. Our team of experts present a collection of traditional British favourites, from superbly simple to expertly detailed recipes, to inspire a very tasty Christmas at home, or enjoy at their restaurants.

We have collaborated with the celebrated panel of:

Appetizers:  Bex McGurran (Winteringham Fields); Luke Matthews (Chewton Glen); Aggi Sverrisson (Texture)

Mains: Michael Caines MBE (Lympstone Manor); Phil Fanning (Paris House); Gordon Ramsay; Andre Garrett (Cliveden)

Desserts: Nicolas Grosse (The Grill at The Dorchester); Guy Owen (The Idle Rocks); Chris Wheeler (Stoke Park); John Campbell (The Woodspeen) & Dav Eames (Gilbert Scott)

APPETIZERS

Christmas Prawn & Dill Dip

Recipe by Bex McGurran at Winteringham Fields – 1 Silver St, Winteringham, Scunthorpe DN15 9ND  Bookings: 01724 733096.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Winteringham Fields.

A quick and easy recipe to make, Bex McGurran’s family recipe for prawn and dill dip is ideal as a light, fresh and flavourful start to Christmas dinner. Or as a moreish, healthy(ish) all-day snack.

Ingredients: 200g cooked prawns; Good handful of dill; 2 tablespoons of capers; 200g of crème fraîche; 200g of cream cheese; Salt & pepper to taste; Toasted bread or crackers

Method:

1. Finely chop the cooked prawns, capers and dill, and add to a large mixing bowl

2. Add the crème fraîche and cream cheese to the bowl, and mix until everything is combined

3. Add salt and pepper to taste

4. Serve in small individual dipping bowls with toasted bread or crackers

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Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto, Young Pecorino, Salsa Verde

Recipe by Luke Matthews, Executive Head Chef of Chewton Glen – Christchurch Rd, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 6QS  Bookings: 01425 275341.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Chewton Glen.

This delightful starter or alternative main course serves 4.

Risotto Base

• 250gm                                                    Carnoloni rice
• 1/4x                                                        Onion finely chopped
• 1/4x                                                        Garlic clove crushed
• 75gm                                                      Butter
• 75ml                                                       White wine
• Pinch dried thyme
• 650ml                                                     Vegetable stock

Sweat onion & garlic, add the white wine & thyme then the rice and fry for a minute, then start to add the stock in stages stirring all the time, cook until rice just has a bite to it, season then lay out on a tray cover with cling film & chill

Jerusalem Artichoke Puree

• 250gm                                                    Peeled and roughly chopped artichokes
• 1x                                                            Lemon Juiced
• 50gms                                                    Butter
• Salt & pepper

Artichoke Crisps

Peel one artichoke and then thinly slice on a mandolin, deep fry @160 till crisp turn out onto kitchen paper to drain season with salt

Roast Violette Artichoke

• 6x                                                            Violette artichokes
• 1x                                                            Lemon
• Salt

Trim the artichokes removing all the outer leaves and the heart put them into a pot and cover with water and the lemon halved and squeezed plus the salt

Bring to the boil and cook till you can get a pointed knife into it smoothly remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Cut in half lengthwise, warm a frying pan with a little vegetable oil and then colour the artichokes, season with salt & pepper then remove and keep warm.

Salsa Verde

3tbsp                                                      Flat Leaf Parsley
1tbsp                                                      Mint Leaves
3tbsp                                                      Capers
6x                                                            Anchovy Fillets in oil
1x                                                            Garlic Clove
1tbsp                                                      Dijon Mustard
½                                                             Lemon, juice only
120ml                                                     Olive Oil

Chop the parsley, mint, capers, anchovy fillets and garlic together, stir in the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and ½ tsp of salt

To finish:

Peeled pecorino cheese

Micro red watercress

Reheat the risotto rice by adding another 150ml of vegetable stock and 50ml double cream then add 100gms of the artichoke puree depending on how strong you like the flavour. Add a pinch of chopped parsley and correct the seasoning

Turn out into a bowl, top with the artichokes, some salsa Verdi, the pecorino cheese and the watercress

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Salmon Gravlax Recipe 

Recipe by Aggi Sverrisson at Texture – 34 Portman St, Marylebone, London W1H 7BY  Bookings: 0207 224 0028.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Texture.

Enjoy at the Michelin-star restaurant or try making it at home. This recipe is for 18 people.

Ingredients: 1 Side of Salmon (pin boned and skinned) – (Make sure there is no blood line on the salmon); 50g Salt; 50g Sugar; 50g Lemon zest (peeled and chopped); 2 Litres Olive oil

Method:

1. Remove skin from salmon making sure all blood lines are removed. Check for any pin bones in the fillet, remove if any with a pair of tweezers
2. Sprinkle half of the sugar, salt and lemon zest onto a flat tray facing skin side up
3. Sprinkle the remaining salt, sugar and lemon zest over the salmon fillet evenly and let marinade for 1 hour
4. After 1 hour wash the marinade off the salmon and cut into your required size.
5. Place the oil in a pan and warm up to 45-50°. Once the oil is warm, place your salmon in the oil for 10-12 minutes till cooked
6. Once cooked, remove from pan and place onto a tray to cool and drain.
7. Once cooked, flake your salmon down to nice flakes and set aside

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MAINS

Slow Cooked Partridge, Quince Purée, Raisins, Gewürztraminer Sauce

Recipe by Michael Caines Chef Proprietor of Lympstone Manor – Courtlands Lane, Exmouth EX8 3NZ  Bookings: 01395 200920.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Lympstone Manor.

Recipe serves 4 people

Ingredients: 4 partridge, oven ready and trussed; 200gr wild mushrooms, washed; Butter

Braised chicory: 4 large chicory, any discoloured leaves removed; 1 litre water; 1 large onion, chopped; 50gr butter; 20gr sugar; 15gr salt; Pinch of chicken bouillon; Bouquet garni (Celery stalk, parsley stalks, thyme and bay leaf, bound with leek and string); 100gr finely sliced lardons (smoked); 50gr garlic puree; 20gr butter; Salt and pepper

Gewürztraminer sauce: 250gr partridge carcasses; 25gr shallots, sliced; 125gr button mushrooms, sliced; 500ml chicken stock; 550ml veal glace; 50ml cream; 50ml non scented oil; 25gr butter; 375gr Gewürztraminer wine; 2 sprigs of thyme; 1 bay leaf; 10 white peppercorns; Pinch of salt

Quince puree: 100gr sugar; 500gr water; 40gr butter; Juice of ½ a lemon; 500gr quince, peeled, core removed and chopped; Salt and pepper

Toasted walnuts: Handful of walnuts; 200ml milk; 200ml water; Butter

Method:

1. First prepare the braised chicory. Preheat the oven to 180°c / gas 4. Place the onion and salt in a pan with the 50gr of butter and cook until soft and transparent. Add the water, chicken bouillon, sugar and bouquet garni then the chicory and bring to the boil. Cover with aluminium paper and place into the oven for about 30 minutes, until tender and soft. Once cooked remove from the oven and leave too cool. After this, drain the braised chicory from the cooking juices and slice into thin strips and drain off any excess water. In a saucepan cook off the lardons in the 20gr of butter, add the sliced chicory and cook until dried out. Once the chicory is dry add the garlic puree and season with salt & pepper.
2. At the same time, toast the walnuts. Simply take a handful of walnuts and place them into a saucepan with the milk and water. Bring to the boil and then leave to rest for 10 minutes. Peel them using a small knife and toast them in the oven (180ºc) with a knob of butter, for approximately 3 minutes.
3. Next, cook the partridge. Turn up the oven to 200°/gas 6 then season the birds and roast in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a further 16 minutes. Then remove the legs and breast, keeping the carcass for your sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.
4. To make the Gewurztraminer sauce, heat the oil in a roasting tray, add the carcasses and then the butter and cook until lightly coloured. Add the shallots and cook until soft and transparent. Then add the sliced mushrooms a cook until they look ‘slippery’, add the Gewurztraminer wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. To this add the chicken stock, veal glace, cream, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil, lightly skimming off any scum, and simmer for 45 minutes. After this time, pass it through a colander then through a fine sieve. Reduce the mixture to the correct consistency if required, and then finally pass it through a muslin cloth. Correct the seasoning if necessary.
5. To make the quince puree, place the sugar, water, butter and lemon juice into a saucepan, add the prepared quince and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until soft. When cooked, strain off the liquid and blend the mixture to a smooth puree in a blender, then pass it through a fine sieve and adjust the texture if required by using the cooking liquid. Season and place into a piping bag.
6. Finally, place the partridge legs and breast, skin side down, in a frying pan with some butter and cook until golden brown, then seal the flesh side briefly before removing. Meanwhile, pan-fry the wild mushrooms in a little butter with salt and pepper, reheat the braised chicory and warm through the quince puree in a microwave for a few seconds. Place some chicory into the middle of the plate, pipe some puree onto the plate, or around the edge, and then sprinkle the mushrooms around with the toasted walnuts. Place the partridge breast on top of the chicory and then the legs to the sides and lastly spoon over the sauce.

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Pigs in Blankets

A recipe by Phil Fanning Chef Proprietor of Paris House – Woburn Park, Woburn, Bedford MK17 9QP  Bookings: 01525 290692.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Paris House.

Ingredients: 500g sausage meat; 200g of your favourite cheddar cut into 5cm matchsticks; streaky bacon; 75g cooked chestnuts (chopped); 30g dried cranberries (chopped); ½ tsp chopped sage; ½ tsp chopped thyme; black pepper to taste; cranberry sauce to serve

Method:

1. Mix the sausage meat, cranberry, chestnuts, herbs and seasonings together in a bowl,
then transfer into a piping bag with a nozzle.
2. Pipe portion size sticks onto a tray and mould the sausage meat around each cheese
stick, making sure the cheese is properly sealed at both ends.
3. Roll the frozen sausages individually in bacon and ballotine in cling film
4. Poach the sausages at 80c for 10-15 minutes and allow to cool
5. Fry the sage leaves in 50:50 butter and oil until bright green and crisp, remove onto
paper to drain
6. Remove the cling film from the sausages, dry well and fry with plenty of oil until golden
and the bacon is crispy
7. Garnish with the crispy sage and serve whilst hot, with cranberry sauce.

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Turkey Gravy with Cider & Walnuts

By Gordon Ramsay owner of Maze Grill – 79 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HN  Bookings: 0207 352 4448.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.

Ingredients: Serves 8-10 guests – Bacon, onions, lemon and trimmings from the roast turkey; 3 Rosemary sprigs; 3 Tomatoes, chopped; 1 Litre of good-quality Cider; 600ml good-quality Chicken stock; 2 tbsp Walnut pieces, toasted; Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Once you’ve transferred the cooked turkey to a platter to rest, drain off most of the fat from the roasting tray and place on the hob.
2. Roughly chop the bacon, add to the tray and fry for a few minutes. Chop the onions and lemon and add to the tray with 2 rosemary sprigs and the tomatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the turkey wings, parson’s nose and drumstick tips and fry for a few more minutes.
3. Pour in the cider and boil for a few minutes. Add the juices from the resting turkey and simmer to reduce the liquid by half. Pour in the stock, return to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly. Using a potato masher, crush the vegetables in the tray. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced again by a third. Take off the heat.
4. Strain the gravy through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing down on the solids in the sieve with a ladle to extract as much of the flavourful juice as possible. Add a fresh sprig of rosemary to the pan, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for a few minutes.
5. Before serving, remove the rosemary and reheat the gravy. Coarsely crush the walnut pieces using a pestle and mortar and then tip into a warmed gravy jug. Pour the piping hot gravy on top and serve at once.

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Roasted Wood Pigeon, peas, wild garlic, black pudding puree and liver toast

Recipe by Andre Garrett of Andre Garrett Restaurant – Cliveden, Cliveden Road, Taplow SL6 0JF  Bookings: 01628 352 4448.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Cliveden.

Serves 4 persons

4 whole wood pigeons, feathered and intact

Rapeseed oil

Blow torch

Butchers string

100g duck fat

Seasoning

100g salted butter

1 clove garlic

2 sprigs thyme

Ask your butcher to pluck and clean your pigeons if you like but we would purchase them whole and intact for quality and flavor. When plucked singe the birds lightly with the blow torch to take away any unwanted feathers etc., debone the legs, wings, wishbone and remove the innards, keep the hearts and livers for the toast, tie the bird for roasting, heat a large frying pan with a little oil, season the birds inside and out, sear the birds slowly all over being careful to not over do the breast meat, pay particular attention to the back and sides, add the salted butter, crushed garlic and thyme and baste the birds gently as the cook in the butter, move to a pre-heated oven on 160 and turn every 2 minutes, basting also, they will take about 10 minutes to cook to a nice pink, test the firmness of the flesh with you fingers, the meat should be firm but bounce back easily, take out of the pan and rest on a tray in a warm place., Take off the breasts and chop the bones for sauce.

With the legs, singe with the torch also, heat the duck fat to melt and add the legs, allow to confit slowly on a very low heat, being aware not to boil, these will take about an hour to confit, let the legs rest and cool in the pan, remove and to reheat crisp the legs in a small non stick pan in the oven at 160 for about 10 mins, season and serve.

Black pudding puree: 1 boudin noir (French black pudding from specialty shops); 20ml apple vinegar; 30ml double cream

Salt and pepper

Heat the vinegar and cream

Skin and chop the black pudding, add to the blender, pour in the vinegar and cream and blend to a smooth paste, season to taste and take out, keep warm for service.

Liver toast 

Cleaned livers and hearts from birds

50g foie gras

1 small baguette

1 sprig thyme

Splash of Armagnac

20g salted butter

Chop all the hearts, livers and foie gras together, heat a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter and let it foam, add the liver mix and sauté fast, season and add the chopped thyme, finally add the Armagnac, taste and correct if necessary, slice the baguette lengthways and toast, spread the liver mix when ready to serve.

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DESSERTS

Chestnut and Cherry Yule Log

By Pastry Chef Nicolas Grosse at The Grill at The Dorchester – 53 Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1QA  Bookings: 0207 317 6531. Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at The Dorchester.

The yule log is composed of a soft chestnut biscuit rolled with a filing of cherry jam, confit cherries and a light chestnut cream. This recipe make for 12 people.

Chestnut Biscuit (1 baking tray)

255g   chestnut paste 95g      chestnut purée 160g    whole eggs 85g      rapeseed oil 20g      cornstarch 95g      egg whites 30g      sugar

Preheat the oven at 180°C. Blend the chestnut purée, chestnut paste and the whole eggs with a mixer until a homogeneous consistency is reached. Add the rapeseed oil and cornstarch to the mix. Whip the egg whites with the sugar to medium peaks.  Carefully add the whipped egg whites. Pour the mix on the baking tray, and bake for 10 minutes at 180°C. Remove from the oven and put the biscuit on a cooling rack.

Cherry Jam

250g     cherry purée 2,5g       pectin nh 25g        sugar

Mix the sugar and pectin. Warm up the cherry purée to 40°C. Add the sugar and pectin mix and bring to a boil for 20 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour the mix into a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside.

Confit Cherries

5,5g     butter 135g    frozen Morello cherries 75g      Amarena cherries 0,5g     Fleur de sel 6,5g     lime juice 0,5g     vanilla seeds 5g         brown sugar 0,75g   pectin nh 1/2       lime zest

Warm up the butter in a pan with half of the brown sugar. Add the frozen Morello cherries and cook for 8 minutes. Add the Amarena cherries and cook for 5 further minutes. Add the salt, the lime zest, the lime juice and the vanilla seeds. Cook the mix very slowly for 10 minutes. Mix the remaining brown sugar with the pectin. Add the brown sugar and pectin mix to the pan. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mix into a bowl. Cover with cling film and set aside.

Pastry Cream

500g       milk 120g       egg yolks 100g       sugar 25g          custard powder 25g          flour

In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, custard powder and flour. Bring the milk to a boil.  Remove from the heat. Pour half of it in the mixing bowl. Put the mix back in the pan and bring the mix back to a boil. Gently boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the mix in a bowl. Cover with cling film and set aside.

Chestnut Cream

360g     chestnut cream 450g     chestnut paste (unsweetened) 450g     pastry cream (see method above) 270g     butter (softened) 90g       Grand Marnier 270g     whipping cream

Whip the cream until medium peaks. Set aside in the fridge. Mix the chestnut cream and the chestnut paste. Incorporate slowly the chestnut mix to the pastry cream (see above), then add the Grand Marnier. Add the softened butter and mix. Add the whipped cream, and mix until you reach a mousse consistency.   Set half of the mix aside to spread the yule log after it being rolled.

To roll the yule log

Place the biscuit on a large sheet of baking parchment. Spread some cherry jam over the biscuit. Dot the jam with some confit cherries. The pieces will add some texture to the log. Finish with a layer of chestnut cream. Start rolling from the long side, up to the other side. Cut the ends to have a clean finish and place the roll on a dish.

Decoration

Spread the yule log with the remaining chestnut cream. To create some texture, mark along the log using a fork or a skewer. Dust the log with icing sugar for a snow effect.

To finish, decorate the log to your liking with edible items such as meringues, candied chestnuts, Amerana cherries.

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Cox Apple Tart, Calvados Raisin, Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipe by Head Chef Guy Owen of The Idle Rocks – Tredenham Rd, St Mawes TR2 5AN  Bookings: 01326 270270.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at The Idle Rocks.

The dish is compiled of several elements, so this is a straight forward version of the dish for you to cook at home. Serving size: 2 tarts

Calvados raisins ingredients: 150 g raisin; 150g calvados; 200 grams sugar stock (equal amounts of water and sugar, boiled together for 1 minute, then cooled down)

Mix the raisins, calvados and sugar stock together and allow to soak for at least 24 hours.

Now the tarte: 8 English (preferably Cornish) cox apples; Very good, all butter puff pastry (shop bought is fine); Vanilla (fresh pod or essence); Sugar stock (equal amounts of water and sugar, boiled together for 1 minute then left to cool)

Lay out your puff pastry on a lightly floured surface (remembering it must be kept fridge cold at all times, otherwise the pastry will not puff properly). Now take a small plate or suitable sized round stencil (usually a small saucer does the trick here) and lay it on the pastry and using a sharp ended knife, carefully cut around the plate so you are left with a disk of pastry, and place it back in the fridge on a piece of greaseproof paper, to keep it fridge cold. Continue this until the desired amount of tarte bases are cut.

Now move onto the apples.

Peel 4 of the apples, cut them into quarters, remove the pips and cores. Now chop them down into fairly small pieces, place into a none stick pan, with the vanilla pod scrapped in, or a teaspoon of vanilla essence. And cook gently until the apple has broken down and looks a little like apple sauce. Strain off any excess liquid, and either blend the pulp down in a blender, or if you are without a blender, place on a chopping board and chop it right down until smooth. Cool this mix down in the fridge and reserve it to one side.

Take the other four apples, and keep the skin on. Then cut off the apple cheeks and slice them thinly across the apple. Reserve 1 of the apples and cut off the cheeks. Take the cheeks and cut a thin slice off it, then using a small ring cutter, cut a small disc of apple out roughly ½ -1 inch in width.

Now you are ready to assemble. Take out your apple puree and your pastry. Bring your apple slices over and your apple disc. Firstly take some apple puree and spread it all over the pastry giving it a good 1-2 cm in depth layer. Then take your apple slices and spiral them around the tart in an even and clockwise fashion, then place the disc of apple in the very centre of the tart. Once all the tarts are made. Bake in the over at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes.

Pull out of the oven and leave to cool for just a couple of minutes, you don’t want to serve these straight away as somebody could seriously burn their mouths as a lot of natural sugar would have begun to caramelise. Once cooled, using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the tartes with your  pre-made sugar stock solution. This will give them a really nice glazed look.

To serve, place the cox apple tarte in the middle of a plate, scatter some of the calvados raisins over the top of the tarte and around the plate, also adding some of the raisin liquor to the plate and tarte (obviously if you are cooking for children then this wouldn’t be appropriate, but if it’s just for 18’s and over, keep adding until you feel you are having a good time!!!)  Then simply take a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream and serve it onto or to the side, and enjoy!!

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Christmas Pudding Soufflé

Recipe by Executive Chef Chris Wheeler of Stoke Park Country Club, Spa & Hotel, Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, SL2 4PG  Bookings: 01753 717171.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Stoke Park.

Ingredients: Serves 2 – 450ml Milk; 5 Egg Yolks; 140g Sugar; 45g Plain Flour; 150g Crumbled Home-made Christmas Pudding; 160g Egg Whites; 150ml Caramel Sauce; Cinnamon Ice Cream; Butter For Greasing

Method:

1. Whisk the egg yolks, 80g of sugar and flour together.
2. Boil the milk in a saucepan then pour onto the egg yolk mixture. (Tip: Never pour cold into hot, it’ll split! Always hot to cold.)
3. Pour it back into the saucepan and whisk until thick on a low heat.
4. Remove from heat and mix in the crumbled Christmas pudding.
5. Leave to cool.
6. Weigh out 200g of the above mix into a bowl.
7. Whisk 160g of egg whites with 60g of sugar until it forms stiff peaks.
8. Carefully fold this into the Christmas pudding mixture.
9. Butter your ramekins, coffee cups or soufflé moulds and sprinkle with sugar.
10. Pour the mixture into your ramekins, making sure that no mixture goes over the sides.
11. Bake at 180°C for 10-12 minutes.
12. Whilst baking, warm your caramel sauce in a pan.
13. Remove the soufflés from the oven and serve immediately with the warm caramel sauce and cinnamon ice cream.

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Festive Jalousie

Recipe by John Campbell Chef Proprietor of The Woodspeen –  Lambourn Rd, Woodspeen, Newbury RG20 8BN  Bookings: 01635 265070.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at The Woodspeen.

Love mince pies?  Then this dessert is for you.  The mincemeat and pastry can be prepared in advance, making it quick and easy on the day.

Recipe: Rough Puff pastry: 250g flour; Pinch of salt; 250g butter; 125ml ice cold water

Method of work

Sift the flour on to your table top, sprinkle in the salt, roughly tear the butter over the flour, make a well and pour in the iced water.

Bring the mix together ensuring not too much energy is applied to form a dough, (otherwise heat from your body will start to melt the butter). The butter should still be lumpy in the dough.

Once the dough is formed roll out to approx. to 40cm x 20cm in a rectangle and apply one fold, bringing the bottom of the pastry to the middle and the then the top over that to form a square.  Allow to rest in the fridge wrapped in clingfilm on a plate.

Once rested for 20 minutes you can repeat the last process, ensuring the open ends are always facing away from you.

Allow another 20 minutes resting in the fridge and repeat the process one more time.  Once this is done rest for 30 minutes and the pastry is ready to use or can be frozen for up to 1 month or in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Recipe: Frangipane: 100g butter; 100g sugar; 100g ground almond or hazelnut; 10g plain flour; 2 eggs

Method of work

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

Add the ground almonds or hazelnuts, flour and egg and mix together until this forms a paste.

 Recipe: Mincemeat mix: 70g raisins; 70g currants; 70g sultanas; 60g soft brown sugar; 55g vegetable suet; 50ml brandy; 25g flaked almond; 40g mixed peel; 20g dried cherry; 350g bramley apple (Grated); 1 orange zest; 1 lemon zest; 1g salt; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 1 tsp mixed spice

Method of work

Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir well. This will be better done the night before to allow time to macerate which will make the mix more tasty and easier to work with when rolling the jalousie.

Now you are ready to: Make the Jalousie:

2 eggs whisked to make an egg wash

Roll the pastry out into a rectangle, place the mincemeat in a line along the bottom leaving a 2cm gap at the sides and bottom and then place the frangipane on top of the mincemeat.

Egg wash the remaining pastry above the mincemeat/frangipane.

Roll the pastry up and over the frangipane.

Egg wash the top and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes, until golden.

Serve with:

Recipe: Cinnamon Crème Chantilly: ½ vanilla pod; 20g Sugar; 200ml double cream; 2 pinches of cinnamon powder

Method of work

Scrape the seed from the pod and add to the cream, sugar and cinnamon

Whip until semi stiff and just after ribbon stage, store in the fridge until ready for use

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Mulled Wine Bellini

Cocktail recipe by Dav Eames,Bar Manager at Marcus Wareing’s The Gilbert Scott, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, London, NW1 2AR  Bookings: 0207 278 3888.  Join the Luxury Restaurant Club here for exclusive privileges at Marcus Wareing Restaurants.

The Mulled Wine Bellini is a festive, sophisticated cocktail that preserves the essence of the ultimate Christmas drink.

Ingredients: The reduction will keep for up to a month and will make 40-50 of these cocktails, so create a batch just before Christmas so you can use until the new year:

3 Cinnamon sticks; 10-12 Cloves; 20 Star Anise; 10 Green Cardamom; 1 Pinch of Mace; 1 Nutmeg; 1 Orange, cut in half; Splash of Brandy; 2 Litres of Red wine; 500g Caster Sugar; 100ml of Sparkling wine

Method:

1. To prepare the mulled wine reduction, add all of the ingredients to a saucepan, apart from the sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Add the sugar, stir to combine and continue to simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. Strain and allow the mixture to cool before transferring to a clean bottle. This reduction will keep up to a month.
4. To create the cocktail, add the sparkling wine to a champagne flute. Pour in 25ml of the mulled wine reduction.

Tip: Add a few drops of lemon juice before serving if you find the drink too sweet.

Happy Christmas fellow foodies

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