Jan Bilton: Meat treats for Christmas (+recipes)

Roast Turkey A L'Orange

Christmas simply isn't Christmas without special meat treats as the focus of festive dinners. Jan Bilton shares her top picks

BEEF WELLINGTON

This recipe has been inspired by Andrew Clarke, a recently appointed Beef + Lamb Ambassador for 2016.

INGREDIENTS

600g-700g whole beef fillet

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

75g mushrooms, diced

350g ready-rolled puff pastry (I used Maxwells)

2 tbsp hot English mustard

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

METHOD

Trim the fillet of silverskin, if required. Season.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sear the meat briefly on all sides, until browned. Remove from the pan and cool.

Add more oil to the frying pan. Saute the onions and mushrooms until tender and there is no liquid left in the pan. Season. Cool.

Roll out the pastry (35cm x 24cm) on a clean bench. Spread the mustard over the top of the fillet. Turn the fillet mustard-side down. Place lengthwise across the pastry in the centre. Top the beef with the mushroom mixture. Fold the pastry over to enclose the meat and filling. Fold the ends together and press neatly and firmly together. Ensure any overlapping edges are not too thick or it will not cook properly.

Any scraps can be made into shapes to decorate the top. Chill until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 220C. Place the beef package in an oiled roasting pan. Brush all over with egg yolk. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness. The pastry should be golden and crisp. Stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Excellent served with a beef glaze or red wine sauce. Suggested wine match: Syrah-Serves 6

Beef Wellington

ROAST TURKEY A L' ORANGE

Because Croziers' Free Range turkeys are lean, you need to protect them with foil or an oven bag to prevent them drying out during cooking.

INGREDIENTS

4.5kg Crozier Free-range Turkey

2 oranges

200g packet sage & onion stuffing

salt and pepper to taste

- cup orange juice

50g butter, melted

Glaze:

cup orange juice

1 tbsp each: powdered gelatine, sugar

METHOD

Ensure the turkey is thawed enough to remove the giblets. Run cold water through the inside of the turkey then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and pat in.

To make the stuffing, finely grate the rind of the oranges. Remove the pith and dice the flesh. Place the rind and flesh in a bowl with the stuffing mix, seasonings and enough orange juice to bind

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Loosely fill the neck and main cavity with the stuffing. Secure the legs and neck with skewers to hold the stuffing in, or place a large onion at the entrance to the main cavity to hold the stuffing.

Place the turkey in a large roasting dish, breast-side up. Brush with the butter. Place about 2 cups of water in the roasting pan. Cover the pan loosely with foil.

Roast for about 40 minutes per 500g of turkey plus 30 minutes extra, until the legs ease away from the body with gentle pulling. Baste at least twice during cooking. Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Combine the glaze ingredients and heat until the gelatine and sugar are dissolved. Prick the turkey skin with a needle then brush with the glaze. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Brush with the glaze again and continue cooking until the skin is golden and crisp. Stand for about 10 minutes before carving.

Suggested wine match: A well-rounded Chardonnay.- Serves about 10