Here’s a menu for a summery Christmas day (fingers crossed). If you’re at the beach, the bach or even in your backyard, go for a casual coastal theme with mismatched crockery and glasses, letting comfort and nostalgia ride over pomp and extravagance. And divvy up the work. Outsource the Chocolate Figgy Torte to your sister or aunt and the Baked Persian Stuffing with Apricots & Pine Nuts to your nephew or grandad. And give a willing cook free rein with the Christmas Wreath Salad with Prawns. That leaves just the main course.
Happy festive feasting.
Christmas Wreath Salad with Prawns
This dish of succulent, sweet prawns and tangy, fresh salad, makes a fantastic centrepiece for a festive table. Use whatever greens you have available, but cos or other lettuce leaves, witloof and rocket should be the mainstay.
Serves 8
PRAWNS
- 800g (about 32) frozen Australian banana prawns in the shell
- ½ a preserved lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1-2 hot red chillies, halved, seeds removed and sliced
- sea salt
- 3 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
DRESSING
- 1clove garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp creamy Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
- 75ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar (or tarragon or raspberry vinegar or a mix of all)
SALAD
- 700g piece watermelon, optional
- 2 small cos lettuces or other lettuces (or picked salad leaves), trimmed and broken apart into leaves
- 200g rocket leaves, trimmed
- ½ cup roughly torn parsley leaves
- ½ cup coriander leaves
- 2 small witloof, trimmed and broken apart into leaves
- 2 tbsp snipped chives
- Flaky sea salt
- 1 small Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
Thaw prawns slowly overnight in the refrigerator or quickly in a sealable plastic bag in a sink of hot water. Twist off the prawn heads and remove most of the shell, leaving the tail end piece intact. Slit down the back of the prawns with a small sharp knife and extract the blackish-red vein. Rinse prawns and pat dry with paper towels. The prawns can be prepared the day ahead.
Next, make the dressing. On a board, use a round-bladed knife to crush the garlic with the salt. Transfer to a bowl with mustard and shallot. Whisk in oil and vinegar. The dressing can be made several hours ahead; give it a good whisk before serving.
If using watermelon, scoop into balls with a melon baller (or cut into cubes) and chill. Prepare all the salad leaves and herbs (apart from the witloof and chives) by picking over, washing and spinning dry. Transfer to plastic bags lined with paper towels, half seal the bags and refrigerate until needed. These jobs can be done a day ahead.
Rinse the preserved lemon (for the prawns), discard pulp and pat rind dry with paper towels. Slice finely and set aside (again, get it done a day ahead, cover and chill).
Heat most of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add half the prawns (drain off liquid first and cover with a splatter screen if you have one) and fry until lightly golden on both sides. Transfer prawns to a plate. Reheat the pan, adding a little more oil, and fry the rest of the prawns. Lower the heat and return the first batch of prawns to the pan, along with the tomatoes, garlic, chillies and preserved lemon. Gently toss the prawns to coat them in the tomatoes and seasonings and let everything soften down for a few minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt and add parsley. Toss once more, then transfer to a bowl and cool for 5 minutes.
When ready to assemble the salad, tear salad leaves into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the witloof by discarding outer leaves (there’s no need to wash the witloof), trimming the core and breaking off the leaves. Snip the chives. Arrange salad leaves in a circle on a large platter with the witloof and cucumber (or arrange on two plates; you need plenty of greens). Scatter with herbs and add watermelon balls if using.
Re-whisk the dressing and spoon enough over the salad to give it a good glisten; serve the rest in a small jug. Pile the prawns into the centre of the salad (or serve them separately). Serve immediately.
French-Roasted Chicken with Ricotta, Lime & Tarragon
Roasting a chicken with butter and stock keeps it moist and succulent. Adding a layer of seasoned ricotta under the breast skin takes it up a notch. This is fancy-pants chicken – perfect for Christmas Day.
Serves 8
- 1 medium-large free range chicken (1.6kg size 16), at room temperature
- 200g ricotta
- 3 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tbsp chopped tarragon or rosemary (or use dried tarragon)
- flaky sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- butter
- 1 lime
- 1 cup verjuice (or use dry white wine or liquid from soaked dried fruit or chicken stock)
Preheat oven to 180°C. Remove any lumps of fat from inside the chicken cavity. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity.
In a bowl, mix ricotta, breadcrumbs, garlic, tarragon or rosemary, half a teaspoon of salt and a little black pepper. Slip a finger and thumb between the skin and breast meat of each breast to make pockets. Slip in the ricotta mixture, smoothing it out to reach right along each breast. Pull the skin down.
Start with a long piece of string and tie it around the parson’s nose. Tie the legs together, then take the string around the back of the chicken, pinning the wings in place, and bring it back to the parson’s nose and tie it in a tight bow.Put the chicken in a roasting tin and pour in one cup of chicken stock.
Melt 1½ tablespoons of butter and brush it over the chicken. Squeeze the lime over the top and sprinkle with salt. Add the lime halves to the tin. Roast chicken for 1½ hours, or longer, basting after 30 minutes, then every 15-20 minutes. The chicken should be kept moist during cooking; add more stock so that there is always some in the tin. Stir in any sticky goo that forms in the tin to ensure it doesn’t catch and burn. Once the top of the chicken is suffIciently golden, baste again. If chicken skin is getting dark, loosely drape with non-stick tin foil.
The chicken is ready when the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer – check the thickest part of the thigh. Remove chicken from the oven. Leave it in the tin covered with a ventilated cover (a food umbrella) and rest it for at least 15 minutes.
Tilt the chicken and let the juices run out of the cavity into the roasting tin. Transfer chicken to a board. Pour juices into a fat-separating jug, or into a bowl and skim off fat. Heat roasting tin over medium heat and when it is hot, pour in the verjuice. Scrape up any sticky sediment and reduce the verjuice by one-third. Pour in de-fatted chicken juices and any juices that have come out of the chicken on the board and bubble up. Season with a pinch of salt. Carve chicken into joints and cut the breasts into thick slices. Arrange on a serving plate and spoon over the juices. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
The chicken can be prepared for the oven several hours before cooking. Keep it covered and refrigerated but bring to room temperature before cooking. This is a great dish for entertaining because the chicken can rest at room temperature for up to one hour after cooking while you finish off other dishes (don’t fret, it is perfectly safe cooling down naturally).
Ensure there is always stock in the dish or juices will catch and burn (the juices are the basis for the jus, which is an essential part of the dish).
The size of the roasting tin is important. If it is too big, the juices will evaporate too quickly as they are spread over a wider surface, and the gorgeous “goo” that forms can scorch and burn. If the fit is too snug, it makes basting the chicken difficult and the juices (stock and chicken juices) will not evaporate quickly enough for goo to form and flavour to develop.
Baked Persian Stuffing with Apricots & Pine Nuts
If you are making the chicken, squeeze the juice from the orange and add to the pan juices after bubbling.
Serves 6
- 150g dried apricots
- 75g soft pitted prunes
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 tbsp butter, plus extra for crumb topping
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- grating of fresh nutmeg
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- salt
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 large tart apple (something like Granny Smith), peeled and diced
- 1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp chopped rosemary
Soak the apricots and prunes in 1½ cups hot water for 1-2 hours, until soft.
Put the onion in a medium-sized frying pan with two tablespoons of butter. Cook gently for 7-10 minutes, until soft and pale gold in colour. Add pine nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and a quarter of a teaspoon of salt and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, strain the apricots and prunes, reserving the juices. Chop finely. Add to the pan along with the orange zest and diced apple. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple has started to soften. Remove from the heat and cool.
Transfer mixture to a shallowish ovenproof dish. It should be moist. If it is dry or claggy, add a little reserved soaking liquid. Mix crumbs and rosemary and sprinkle over the top of the fruit. Dot generously with butter and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 20 minutes, until the crumb topping is golden.
Smashed New Potatoes with Buttered Shallots
Serves 8
- 50g butter
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- 1.2 kg small, new potatoes, scrubbed if required
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add shallots and cook gently until they are tender. Increase heat and let the shallots colour to a light golden. Turn off the heat until the potatoes are ready (you can do this 1-2 hours before finishing off).
Steam or boil the potatoes.
Drain potatoes, leave in the steamer or colander and drape with paper towel to dry off for 4-5 minutes. Reheat shallots in the pan then add potatoes. Crush with a fork and season with salt and black pepper. Heat until piping hot, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.
Asparagus Tangle
Serves 8
- 1 kg (about 4 bunches) asparagus
- 200g snow peas
- salt
- 1-2 tbsp lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
Trim asparagus. Leave half of the spears whole and slice the rest on the diagonal. Remove ends and strings from snow peas. Slice into strips. Blanch vegetables separately in boiling, salted water: whole spears of asparagus for 3-5 minutes; sliced asparagus for 3 minutes; snow peas for 2 minutes.
Cool vegetables quickly under cold water, then plunge them into a bowl of icy water. Drain and dry off on paper towels. The vegetables can be blanched 1-2 hours before finishing off. Transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels and keep them cool but not refrigerated, lightly draped with more paper towels.
Just before serving the main course, heat lemon oil in a large frying pan. Add whole asparagus and roll the spears around in the oil until hot.
Add the sliced asparagus and snow peas and heat through. Season with salt and pepper then tip the vegetables onto a heated platter. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Figgy Forte
Serves 16 or more
This is three steps up from rocky road. Moreish, addictive, and, well, if you ignore the sugar, it’s packed with goodness.
- 250g unblanched whole almonds
- 250g dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped
- 6 medium (size 6) free-range egg whites
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 250g dried figs, stalks removed and finely chopped
Line a 23cm cake tin with non-stick tin foil. Preheat oven to 170°C (do not use fanbake). Put almonds and chocolate in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. This makes a huge racket, so be prepared (wear earplugs if you have them). Alternatively, chop with a large knife.
Whip egg whites until they hold stiff peaks, then gradually add caster sugar, beating for 3-5 minutes. Fold in almonds and chocolate, then the figs. Turn mixture into prepared tin. Smooth the top. Cook for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave torte to cool in the oven.
Turn torte on to a plate and peel off foil. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours to set. Cut into small squares with a serrated knife. Store in a covered container until serving time (it will keep at least a week, that’s if you can leave it alone!)
Brown Sugar Cream with Lady Fingers
This takes no more than 5 minutes to make, but it makes an impressive festive dish served with fresh berries. The brown sugar seeps into the yoghurt cream as the dessert chills overnight and the crunchy demerara sugar forms a crust on top. Irresistible.
Serves 8
- 100g ladyfinger (boudoir) biscuits
- 300ml cream
- 2 cups thick Greek-style yoghurt
- soft brown sugar
- demerara sugar
- strawberries (or a mix of berries)
- icing sugar
- Limoncello or Cointreau (optional)
Break ladyfinger biscuits into a glass serving bowl and semi-crush them with the end of a rolling pin. Whip cream until stiff. Spoon yoghurt into a bowl, whisk until smooth, then fold it through the cream. Pile on top of the biscuits in the bowl. Sprinkle thickly with brown sugar, then with demerara sugar, ensuring the cream is completely covered.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours but up to 24 hours. Just before serving, slice the strawberries and toss with one teaspoon of icing sugar and a splash or two of Limoncello or Cointreau if using. Serve with Chocolate Figgy Torte.
More recipes, food blogs and ‘how-to’ videos by Julie can be found on here and sharedkitchen.co.nz
Recipes, styling and photography by Julie Buiso.
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