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As this is the month when we all indulge ourselves and hugely over eat, I thought you might like this snack meal sent in by Owain Dobson. It would be ideal for a luxury breakfast for your loved one!
I am also including a Creole meal for “Le Reveillon” or New Year’s Eve.
Mushroom Brioche
4 thick slices of brioche
300 g of mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ medium onion, finely chopped and diced
1 dessertspoon chopped thyme
2 dessertspoons crème fraîche
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons of brandy
Thick slice of butter (about 25g)
Method
Gently fry the onion and garlic until soft, in half the olive oil.
Add the mushrooms, remaining oil, butter and thyme and cook until soft.
Add the brandy and flambé it!
Stir in the crème fraîche, and set aside.
Toast the brioche, spoon the mushroom mixture over it and serve on a warmed plate.
When Christmas is over....
The following recipe appeared in “Green Feasts” and is suitable for vegetarians. If you add 200g of diced cooked pork the carnivores can eat itl. Anyway, either way it is really tasty served hot or cold with Cumberland sauce.
Chestnut, Apple and Onion Pie
550 g short crust pastry (2 ready made packs made with butter)
Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
350 g chopped onion
450 g eating apples (Cox’s or Jonagold if possible) peeled and cored.
300 g of cooked peeled chestnuts – these can be bought in jars/tins ready to eat.
1tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp if dried
1tsp fresh sage or ½ tsp if dried
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
Milk for glazing
NB Carnivore version
If adding 150g diced cooked pork,
Use 350 g apples and 250 g chestnuts and 300g chopped onions
Method
Pre heat oven to Gas 6/ 400°F/ 200°C/ fan assisted 180°C
1. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook onions until they are golden brown.
2. Chop apples into small dice by hand. Put into large bowl with the onions.
3. Cut chestnuts into quarters; add to bowl with the sage and thyme.
4. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Beat 2 of the eggs and stir into the chestnut and apple mixture.
6. Lay one of the pastry rounds into loose-
7. Fill with the mixture and fold the edges of the pastry back over the mixture.
8. Moisten the lower layer of pastry, lay the second piece over it and seal it well.
9. Beat the third egg with 2tbls of milk and glaze the top.
10. Use any remaining strips to make pretty shapes to decorate the top.
11. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown.
12. If feeling brave remove the pie after the first 30 minutes, take it out of the tin and glaze the sides, then return to oven to brown the sides for the rest of the cooking time.(I am a coward!)
Serve hot with Cumberland sauce
Cumberland sauce
For 300ml (1/2 pint)
1 unwaxed lemon
1 unwaxed orange
¼ tsp Eng mustard powder or ½ made Eng mustard
6 drops Tabasco sauce or a pinch of Cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
100ml port
115m Redcurrant jelly (“Groseille” Fr supermarkets)
1.Thinly peel half the rind of the lemon and orange, (I grate them with a coarse grater)
And cut it into thin needles. Blanch them in small pan of boiling water. Drain, plunge into pan of cold water and drain again. Set aside.
2. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and orange into a small saucepan. Mix in the mustard, Tabasco sauce or Cayenne and salt. Stir until dissolved.
3. Add the port and redcurrant jelly and simmer for 5 minutes.* Add the lemon and orange peel and stir in.
You may decide to thicken this a bit with 1 or 2 teaspoons of corn flour mixed with a bit of port. If, you do this, stir it thoroughly for an extra 3 to 5 minutes, to cook the corn flour. Arrowroot may also be used, as this keeps the sauce clear.
*Purists may wish to strain the sauce through muslin at this stage!
If you do not have an orange or lemon readily to hand, you can substitute orange juice and lemon juice.
COOK’S TIP
Don’t keep lemons in the fridge as they dry out and become hard. Store them in a bowl of cold water. Change the water every few days.
New Year’s Eve Menu
Jambalaya for 6 people
500 g peeled prawns
250 g chorizo sausage – mild or medium, skinned and cut into 2 cm chunks
250 g slab of cooked smoked ham or bacon cut into 2/3 cm chunks
400 g tin of pulped tomatoes
1 green pepper de-
1 large onion peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
½ tsp to 1tsp of cayenne pepper, depending on your taste
2tbls olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and Pepper
300 g long grain rice
750 ml chicken stock or even turkey stock!
3 tblsp fresh chopped parsley to garnish
Method
1.Use a large flame-
2. Add the rice and coat with the oil in the pan.
3. Add the tomatoes, green pepper, stock, herbs cayenne pepper and seasoning. Bring to boil and then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. (Less if the rice is a fast cooking brand). Stir occasionally. Test the rice. It should not be mushy.
4. Add ham and sausage, cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the prawns and heat them through.
Serve on a large, heated platter garnished with lemon wedges and chopped parsley or in individual servings in large shallow soup bowls.
NB Optional extras or substitutes: mussels, oysters, crabmeat and chopped celery.
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whisky Sauce
This is wicked! It can be made in advance and re heated in the microwave. I turn it out into a large quiche dish with the sauce poured into the middle. I use a 1litre ring mould. A small loaf tin could also be used.
NB A cup is just over 8 ½ fluid oz or 250 ml
200 g stale French bread with the crust
2 cups milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
½ cup of raisins
2 tsp vanilla essence
115 g melted butter or margarine
30 g softened marge or butter to grease the ring mould
Method
Pre heat the oven to Gas 4/ 350°F/ 180°C/ fan assisted 160°C
1. Using a large bowl, break the bread into large pieces and add the milk. Wait for the milk to be absorbed.
2. Add the beaten eggs, sugar, melted margarine/butter, vanilla and raisins. Stir well.
3.Coat the inside of the ring mould with the 2nd lot of marge.
4.Pour the mixture into the mould and bake for about 35 minutes until it is firm to the touch and light gold in colour. Leave it to cool.
5. When ready to serve, run a knife round the inside edges and unmould onto a large plate with a rim or quiche dish. Cover with cling film and re heat in the microwave, for about 5 minutes on 650watts.
Whisky Sauce
110g melted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
180ml whisky
Method
Cream sugar and egg together. Add the melted butter and stir until dissolved; you may need to add a bit of water to help dissolve the sugar. Add the whisky and stir well.
To serve: Heat the sauce over a low heat in a heavy based saucepan. Pour it over the bread pudding or hand it round in a jug.
Café Brulôt
8 cloves, 4cm stick cinnamon,
2tbls Demerara sugar,
finely grated lemon peel,
5 tblsp brandy.
750 mls freshly made black coffee
Method
Gently heat the cloves, cinnamon, sugar, lemon peel and brandy in a heavy based pan for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved and it is hot. Pour into the coffee and divide between 6 small coffee cups.
Ian Blackshaw’s Wine Suggestion
A hearty spicy red, such as a Chateauneuf du Pape of decent recent vintage, as it is New Year's Eve! A 2005 would admirably fit the bill!