The Review - FOOD & DRINK- Cooking with CLARE Published: 13 Decemeber 2007
Get the trimmings out of the way before the big day
If you start now, you might get to watch the Queen’s speech!
Clare Latimer gets cracking on Christmas dinner with some festive stuffing and sauces
OH dear... we are nearing that time of year again when the panic of Christmas hits home hard. All the presents to buy and wrap, friends coming to stay or getting packed up to stay with friends, food to sort out and everything that goes with all this festive palaver.
Well, the things that can be cooked in advance are the sauces to go with the main Christmas meal.
Whether you choose turkey or goose this year, a good, rich and spicy cranberry sauce can be served with either bird and this can be made well ahead and just kept in the fridge in an airtight container.
For the chestnut stuffing or the brandy butter, you will find these at www.thecnj.co.uk under A-Z recipes from last year.
Non-meat stuffing Use this stuffing to put into the neck end of the bird but do not stuff the cavity (chest and rib area) as this may prevent the flesh being cooked properly.
Ingredients (Will stuff one large turkey or goose)
1 large onion, peeled and chopped finely
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
85g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
225g ready to eat dried apricots, cut into small pieces
225g fresh white breadcrumbs
Rind and juice of 1 orange
225g tinned chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground nutmeg.
Method Put the onion and garlic into a large frying pan with the butter and oil and fry gently without browning for about five minutes or until the onion is soft.
Remove from the heat and add the apricots, breadcrumbs, juice and rind of the orange and the chestnuts and stir well.
Then add the parsley and season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
Stir well again and put into a bowl or plastic container and either keep in the fridge for up to five days otherwise freeze and then thaw the day before using to stuff your bird.
Bread Sauce Ingredients
1 not-so-fresh loaf white bread, medium size
1 litre full-fat milk
1 onion, peeled and halved
6 cloves
2 fresh bay leaves ¼ tsp ground mace
Salt and freshly ground pepper
25g butter
2 tbsp double cream, optional
Method
Remove the crust from the bread if very crusty and tear into rough chunks.
Whiz the chunks in blender until smallish crumbs.
Pour the milk into a saucepan. Press the cloves into the onion halves and then add to the milk with the bay leaves, mace and salt and pepper.
Put the saucepan over a medium heat and slowly bring the mixture up to simmering point.
Remove from the heat, cover the pan with a lid and let the ingredients infuse for about half an hour.
Remove the studded onions and bay leaves and then add the breadcrumbs to the saucepan.
Put over a low heat and let simmer for about five minutes, stirring now and then to make a thick sauce. At this point the sauce can be cooled down and frozen or kept in a fridge for two days.
To serve, put the bread sauce into a saucepan, add the butter and cream and stir over a low heat until piping hot, adding a little more milk if too firm.
Put into a dish and keep warm until ready to serve.
Cranberry Sauce
I first made this recipe about 30 years ago and still can’t better the flavour and richness which comes from the spices, dark brown sugar and the freshness of the oranges. It is perfect with turkey or goose and any left over can be served with cold ham or cheeses or even added to a turkey pie using up all other left-overs from the big day.
Ingredients 500g packet fresh cranberries
¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ teasp mixed spice
Pinch ginger
225g dark brown sugar
Rind and juice of two oranges.
Method Place all the ingredients in a pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until it turns into a thick sauce. All the berries will break down and it will turn a deep red colour. Pour into a jar with a lid if keeping in the fridge or put into a serving dish and chill until ready to serve.
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Get the trimmings out of the way before the big day
