FROM Christmas Eve drinks to Twixmas gatherings and New Year sparkle, we’ve got the nibbles sorted – and there’s not a Twiglet in sight!
When a chef like Rick Stein brings out a Christmas recipes book, you know it’s going to become a seasonal staple and your one-stop shop for festive food.
Rick Stein’s Christmas – Recipes, Memories & Stories for the Festive Season (£28, BBC Books) is filled to the brim with roast dinner wonders, feasting for the whole family and extra-special picky bits.
Plus, Rick shares some of his favourite memories of Christmases past – it’s guaranteed to get you in a festive mood!
If you’re wanting to impress, go for quality over quantity at your next get-together and give these three recipes a go.
We promise, they are easier than they look!
Mini Brioche Toasts With Whipped Feta, Fresh Figs & Pickled Walnut
Makes about 36
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 8 mins
Ingredients:
*4 slices brioche
*35g butter, melted
*4-5 fresh figs, each cut into 6-8 slices depending on size
*2-3 pickled walnuts, chopped into small pieces
*4-5tsp clear honey
*Fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
For the whipped feta
*100g feta
*90g Greek yoghurt
*2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 170°C fan/gas mark 5.
2. Brush both sides of each slice of brioche with melted butter. Cut each slice into 9 squares. Place them in a single layer on a couple of baking sheets and toast in the oven for 4-5 minutes. Turn them over and cook for another 3 minutes until crisp and golden.
3. Whip the feta ingredients together with a stick blender until smooth. Top each square of brioche with some feta, a slice of fig and a piece of pickled walnut. Finish with a tiny drizzle of honey and couple of thyme leaves.
Oysters Kilpatrick
Makes 12
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 15 mins
Ingredients:
*Rock salt
*12 freshly shucked oysters on the half-shell
*12 unsmoked, streaky bacon rashers, cut into thin slivers
*4tsp Worcestershire sauce
*15g butter
*Black pepper
Method:
1. Place a thick layer of rock salt over the base of a shallow, ovenproof dish. Rest the oysters on this salt bed, then sprinkle the bacon over.
2. Preheat an overhead grill. In a pan, heat the Worcestershire sauce and butter to simmering point, then spoon this over each oyster. Grind a little black pepper over each one.
3. Cook under the preheated grill until the bacon is crisp.
Filo Tartlets With Salmon, Wasabi Cream & Capers
Makes 24
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 5 mins
Ingredients:
*2 large sheets filo pastry (45 x 25cm)
*30g butter, melted
*150ml double cream
*11/2tsp white miso paste
*1-2tbsp wasabi
*80-90g raw salmon fillet, skinned and pin-boned
*24 capers
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4. You’ll need a 24-hole mini muffin tin.
2. Lay a sheet of filo on a board, brush it with butter, then cut the pastry into 5cm squares. Push a square into each of the 24 holes in the tin. Repeat with the second sheet of filo, this time placing the squares in the tin at right angles to the first squares to create attractive star shapes.
3. Bake for 5-6 minutes until crisp and golden brown, then leave to cool.
4. For the wasabi cream, whip the cream very lightly until it is only just beginning to hold its shape – it will thicken when you stir in the seasoning. Fold in the miso paste, add 1tbsp wasabi, and taste, then add more wasabi according to your heat preference.
5. About 30 minutes before serving, cut the salmon into small pieces. Spoon or pipe 1tsp cream into each filo cup, then top with a piece of salmon and a caper.
