WHEN I suggested to my family that, for this year's Christmas dinner, we might cook the lovely recipe for parsnip crepes, as given below, in place of roast spuds, I received a horrified response: "No roast spuds at Christmas? You must be joking!"
It is for this sort of heresy that my wife announced: "You're not qualified to write about the Christmas dinner!"
The recipes we have chosen, then, following our, eh, discussions, are designed to make everyone happy. The turkey and goose recipes are classics, but we have given other ideas to satisfy those who, like me, want to jazz it up a bit.
The one thing we can all agree on concerning the big meal is that you must use fine ingredients: organic vegetables are best, of course, and a good bird which has been properly reared and hung will delight with its rich flavours. Get a good mature cheese, made from raw milk. Buy a good cake if you haven't made your own.
Above all, spoil yourself rotten. It has been a long year, and you deserve it. So, let's kick off with something a little funky. This starter is the sort of typically cool cooking you expect of Armel Whyte, who runs Allo's Bistro in Listowel. This will start the big meal with a bang, and it's simplicity itself.
Allo's Warm Salad of Smoked Salmon with Sour Cream
175 g (6 oz) smoked salmon, sliced
For the sauce:
125 ml (4 fl oz) cream
Juice of half a lemon
Ground black pepper,
Pinch chopped parsley (NB no salt as salmon is salty)
For the dressing:
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 red onion
125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
50 ml (2 fl oz) white wine vinegar
Also:
Mixed salad leaves
1 potato, peeled, grated, separated into strands, then deep fried until crisp
Place all the sauce ingredients in a pot and heat gently. The sauce will thicken. Taste for seasoning, but do not salt too much because the salmon will be salty. Blend the dressing ingredients in a food processor and use it to toss the salad leaves.
Flash the salmon under a grill to cook for one minute. Place the salmon on a plate, pour the sauce around, place the dressed leaves on top and crown with the potato strands.
Parsnip Crepes
Now here is something different for a Christmas vegetable to accompany the bird. William O'Callaghan of Longueville House, in Mallow, has adapted the idea from a recipe by Georges Blanc. This quantity of ingredients will make plenty of crepes, and if you want less, simply divide by five and multiply up as necessary: i.e. 120 g of parsnip with 60 g of flour and 2 egg whites and 2 eggs will give you just the right mix for a small family.
Do make sure your pan is very hot: the crisping is important. When made, the crepes can be kept warm in the oven. William also suggests the crepes go perfectly with venison, with or without spuds.
300 g (11 oz) cooked parsnip puree 150 g (5 oz) maize flour (you can also use plain flour) 5 egg white (unbeaten) 5 whole eggs pepper and salt
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend to mix. If the mixture is too thick add some milk.
Put your pan on the heat and when blazing add enough oil to cover the surface.
Place a dessert spoon of the mix on it and turn when coloured sufficiently. The pancakes should be about a centimetre thick and five centimetres in diameter and should be slightly crisped.
Roast Goose
Roast Thornhill Goose with Apple and Raisin stuffing;
Braised Red Cabbage, Parsnip Puree, Honey and Clove Gravy
We meet a conventional parsnip puree here, with a classic recipe for roast goose from Neven Maguire, of the MacNean Bistro, in Blacklion, Co Cavan. The Thornhill goose is reared near to the MacNean by Ken Moffat, who we featured a few weeks ago.
Braised Red Cabbage:
1/2 head of red cabbage
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 110 g (4 oz) brown sugar
2 large cooking apples (peeled and diced)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
6 juniper berries
1 glass red wine
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1. Place the red cabbage in a food blender, blend until chopped, but not too fine.
2. Place in a baking tray with the red wine, sugar, apple and spices. Place in the oven, 200C, 400F, gas mark 6. If it becomes too dry add some water. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Taste to make sure it's seasoned well. Keep warm. (This cabbage keeps very well and can be made two to three days in advance).
Parsnip Puree:
4 large parsnips
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) cream
55g (2 oz) butter
Good pinch of whole nutmeg, grated
Salt and pepper
1. Peel and chop parsnips and place in a saucepan. Cook until soft. Drain water off.
2. Place the cream butter and grated nutmeg in a saucepan, cook to reduce a little, then blend by either using a hand blender or by placing in a food processor. Season to taste.
Apple and Raisin Stuffing:
225 g (8 oz) breadcrumbs
2 large cooking apples, peeled and diced
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons raisins, chopped
Mixed herbs
55g (2 oz) butter
Place butter and onion in a saucepan. Fry until golden. Add raisins and apples. Add breadcrumbs and herbs. Wrap up in a parcel in some tin foil and place in the oven for the last half hour of the goose's cooking.
Honey and Clove Gravy:
1/2 pint good beef or game stock
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Good pinch of ground cloves
125 ml (4 fl oz) balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons pure honey
Lemon thyme
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1. Place the saucepan on the heat. When hot, pour in balsamic vinegar and reduce until syrupy. Pour in stock, cloves, lemon thyme, tomato puree and honey.
Reduce well. Season to taste. Pass sauce through fine sieve to remove whole cloves. Keep warm.
To Cook The Goose:
1 large oven ready goose
Sliced orange and lemon
Lemon thyme
1. Wash goose well under cold running water. Dry off with kitchen paper.
2. Place goose on a trivet in a roasting tray. Brush lightly with cooking oil. Place orange and lemon slices and lemon thyme in the cavity of the goose.
3. Place in a hot oven, covered with thin foil for 2 1/2 hours, then remove tin foil and let the skin crisp up. Leave to cook for another half hour. Check to see if the bird is cooked by piercing under the breast with a skewer. The juices should run clear. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. (Make sure to keep the wonderful goose fat in the fridge for roasting potatoes and vegetables.)
4. To serve, remove the legs and bone out. Cut in two. Remove breasts and cut in three. Keep warm.
The final presentation:
Place a piece of leg and breast in the centre of each plate. Spoon the red cabbage beside the goose. Pour the gravy over the goose.
Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve with the stuffing, roast potatoes, and parsnip puree.
The Big Bird
Americans still understand better than anyone how to deal with a turkey, so here is an old fashioned American treatment of the big bird, from the late James Beard's book American Cookery.
My Own Favourite Roast Turkey
1 turkey (18-20 lb)
1 onion stack with 2 cloves
Additional salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 quart water
1/2 lemon
100 g (4 oz) or more softened butter
Strips of fresh or salt pork, or bacon rind
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup Cognac or Madeira (optional)
Stuffing:
100 g (4 oz) butter
1 cup finely chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons dried tarragon or 3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely cut
Salt to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts
Additional melted butter, if needed
10-12 cups fine fresh breadcrumbs
Make the stuffing first. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet - a 12 inch one if possible. Add the shallots and the tarragon and allow to cook until the shallots are just wilted. Add the salt, pepper, pine nuts, and then additional butter as needed I should say another half to one cup butter, depending on the amount the onion has absorbed.
Finally, add the crumbs and toss well. Taste the mixture and add more of any of five ingredients if required. A clove or two of garlic may also be added to the mixture.
Put the neck in a saucepan with the liver, gizzard, heart and the onion, parsley, two teaspoons salt, and the thyme. Add the water, bring to a boil and boil for five minutes, after which reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for one hour. Drain and reserve for the sauce.
Rub the inside of the turkey with the lemon, and dry with paper towels. Fill the body cavity and neck cavity with stuffing, but not too tightly - the crumbs-should remain somewhat loose. Truss the turkey with a trussing needle, by hand-tying the piece of neck skin to the back of the turkey, or by sewing with a needle and twine. Close the vent of the bird, and either secure with skewhers and twine or sew it up. Tie the legs together firmly, and then tie them to the tail of the bird.
Masaage the turkey well with softened butter, and then salt and pepper it. Line a rack with strips of fresh or salt pork or with the rind of bacon, which you can buy from a butcher when he cuts down a whole slab. Set the rack in a fairly shallow roasting pan, and place the turkey breast-side-down on the rack. Roast for an hour at 350. Remove the pan from the oven, turn the turkey on one side, and rub with softened butter. Return the turkey to the oven and roast for another hour. Remove the pan, turn the turkey on its other side, and rub with butter. Roast for another hour, turn the turkey on its back, and rub the breast with butter. Return to the oven and continue roasting till the turkey tests done. Remove from the oven and place on a hot platter.
Allow it, to rest 15 minutes if, being served hot. If being served tepid, let it cool gently at room temperature. Remove all the twine and skewers.
For the sauce, remove all the fat from the roasting pan, save four tablespoons.
Over medium heat add the flour to the pan and blend thoroughly, scraping to loosen bits of caramelized dripping. If there are any juices, add those (skimmed of fat) as well. Gradually stir in two cups or more of the turkey broth and cook, stirring constantly, till the mixture thickens. Correct the seasonings. Add the Cognac or Madeira, and simmer about four to five minutes. Serve with the turkey and stuffing.
Roast Turkey with Thai Curry Gravy
And if we want to be funky, then how about this groovy gravy, a novel idea from Anya von Bremzen's Terrific Pacific Cook-book. All of you who cooked that fab recipe for Cajun Turkey, - which we ran on these pages a couple of years back, might like to get your kicks by heading off to South East Asia with these flavours.
1 young turkey (10-12 lbs), giblets removed
Salt and freshly ground black pep per, to taste
1 tablespoon paprika
100 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups chicken stock
1 can unsweetened coconut milk, well stirred
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
2 1/2 tablespoons nam pla
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Quarter cup julienned red bell pepper
Quarter cup fresh basil leaves
1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
2. Rinse the turkey well, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and paprika and rub the turkey, inside and out, with the mixture.
4. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and brush generously with the melted butter. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325F and pour the stock into the pan. Roast the turkey for two to 2 1/2 hours longer, brushing with the melted butter and basting with pan juices every 20 minutes. The turkey is ready when the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh.
5. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 15 minutes.
6. While the turkey is standing prepare the gravy. Skim the fat off the pan juices and measure two cups. If there isn't enough liquid, add water. Set aside.
Heat the coconut milk in a heavy saucepan over high heat, covered with a lid or splatter screen. Add the curry paste and cook, gently breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for five minutes more. Add the pineapple, fish sauce, sugar, bell pepper, and basil and cook for two minutes more.
7. Carve the turkey and arrange on a serving platter. Pour some of the gravy on and around the turkey and serve the rest in a deep bowl.
Christmas Cake Ice-cream
The hottest fashion this year is for the coolest part of the meal. Ice-creams made with Christmas cake and plum pudding are all the rage, so here is a rather nifty, and not too complicated, dish from Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir's book Ices.
We made this without the marzipan they mention. Essentially it's a simple custard with pieces of Christmas cake suspended in it, and rather wonderful it is too. Make sure to use a good brandy for its flavour in the ice-cream is delightfully pervasive. The following recipe makes about a litre of ice-cream.
(NB we use standard Christmas cake, including the marzipan, but, not the sugar icing.)
375 ml (12 fl oz) milk
100 g (3 1/2 oz) soft light brown sugar
3 egg yolks
185 ml (6 fl oz) whipping cream
1 tablespoon brandy
175 g (6 1/4 oz) Christmas cake, diced
Combine the milk with half the sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to just below boiling point. In a medium-sized, heat proof bowl, combine the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and beat, preferably with an electric hand-mixer, until the mixture is pale and thick enough to hold the shape when a ribbon of mix is trailed across the surface. boiling point, pour the liquid in a thin stream onto the egg yolks and sugar, whisking steadily as the milk is added. The bowl can now be placed over a pan of simmering water, or the custard can be returned to the saucepan, which is then put on top of a beat-diffuser mat so that it is not in direct contact with the heat. Only if you have an accurate thermometer and/or are confident that you will not overheat the sauce, should you put the saucepan over a gentle direct heat. Use a small wooden spoon or spatula to stir the custard.
As it heats over water, the custard will not suffer as long as it is stirred frequently, and it will take from five to 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bowl or the pan) to thicken sufficiently, or reach 85C/185F.
Over direct heat the custard needs constant attention and will take about eight to 10 minutes. Without a thermometer to judge if the custard has thickened sufficiently, remove the spoon and tilt the back of it towards you. Look first at the way the sauce coats the spoon. If it forms only a thin film, try drawing a horizontal line across the back of the spoon. This should hold a clear shape. If not, continue cooking the custard until it coats the back or the spoon more thickly and holds a clear line. As soon as the custard has reached the right temperature and thickened sufficiently, remove the pan from the heat and plunge the base in a few inches of cold water.
On no account should the custard be allowed to boil as the mixture will curdle. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture feels as though it has never been heated. The mixture can be prepared in advance and left in the fridge overnight.
Add the chilled cream to the mixture and stir in the brandy. Place in an ice-cream machine and freeze until the mixture is the consistency of softly whipped cream. (If you do not have an ice-cream machine then freeze in the freezer for an hour then take out and beat with a sturdy electric hand beater or food processor until the mixture forms a uniform slush. Quickly refreeze and repeat this process on the hour until the mixture is frozen to the whipped cream consistency.
Now sprinkle in the diced cake, and stir it or leave to churn for about five more seconds, then switch off. Quickly scrape the cream into plastic freezer boxes, giving the ice-cream a final stir once or twice to make sure the cake is evenly distributed. Level the surface, and cover with waxed or greaseproof paper and a lid. Freeze for a minimum of one hour, and serve. If frozen solid, allow about 20 minutes in the fridge to soften sufficiently to serve.