A Quick & Easy Christmas
Christmas dinners looking more sumputous than ever, however the cant be bothereds are fighting back and rather than spending hours slaving over a seven course menu for just a handful of guests with lashings of left overs, (Lets face it our standards have gained new heights in recent years thanks to the rise of programmes such as The Great British Bake Off) we’ve picked our favourite quick & easy Christmas recipes from Food Network that will still bring the festive cheer without the fuss.
1. Cherry Tomato Tarts with Parmigiano Reggiano
Ingredients
1 x 375g ready-rolled puff pastry sheet, defrosted if frozen
75g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
9 cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Beaten egg or milk, to glaze
2 tbsp pine nuts
Shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, to garnish
Method
These tarts are so easy to make as they use ready-rolled puff pastry. They’re best eaten whilst warm - a few minutes after they come out of the oven.
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / fan oven 180°C / gas mark 6. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. Unroll the puff pastry sheet and cut into six equal rectangles. Using a sharp knife, score a border within each pastry rectangle about two cm (¾ inch) from the edge, being careful to avoid cutting right through the pastry. Place on the baking sheet.
3. Spread the inner rectangle of each piece of pastry with a little pesto sauce, and then sprinkle the cheese on top. Share the tomatoes between the tarts, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg or milk, then bake for about 15 minutes. At this point you can transfer to a freezer-safe container to fully cook from frozen later. Please note, cooking times will increase when cooking from frozen and you may need to lower your oven temperature slightly. Once baked, sprinkle the pine nuts over the tarts, and then bake for a further four or five minutes, until the pastry is risen and crisp. Cool for a few minutes, then serve, garnished with shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Cook’s tip: Add a little Parma Ham or pepperoni for a tasty variation.
Recipe Courtesy of Parmigiano Reggiano
2. Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Bundles
Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed (about 20 spears)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon (1 slice per asparagus spear)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lay the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast until cooked and starting to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to another baking sheet to cool. Once the asparagus have cooled, wrap each spear in a slice of smoked salmon. Arrange on a serving platter and serve at room temperature.
3. Icebox Cake with Slice and Bake Peanut Butter Sandies
Ingredients
For the Icebox Cake
1 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
12 peanuts, halved
3 cups double cream
1/3 cup icing sugar
For the Peanut Butter Glaze
5 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
Method
For the Icebox Cake:
Whisk together plain flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve.
Combine the butter, peanut butter and light brown sugar in another medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and blend until just combined. Shape the dough into a log: Place it onto a piece of plastic wrap about 18 inches long. Use your hands to pat the dough into a log about 7 inches long and 2 inches around. Roll the plastic wrap around the dough. Twist both ends of the wrap, like a candy, and tighten both sides until the dough log is compact and tightly wrapped (this might cause the dough to shrink down to a 6-inch log instead of a 7-inch log, but that is okay). Tuck the twisted ends under the dough and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange 2 racks in the middle of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and use a serrated knife to slice the dough into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Place the rounds about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets, about 12 cookies per baking sheet. Press a halved peanut in to the centre of each cookie. If the dough is still very cold, it might crack slightly around the peanut. Simply use your finger to lightly push the dough back together.
Bake the cookies until the edges are very lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Halfway through cooking, rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom.
Cool the cookies slightly on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place the heavy cream and confectioner's sugar in to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to whip until stiff peaks.
Line a 1.5 quart loaf pan with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should come up the sides of the loaf pan and have at least a 2-inch over-hang. On the bottom of the loaf pan, lay 5 cookies face-side-down in a single layer. The cookies should touch but not over-lap. Spread 1 cup of whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Continue this layering process 3 more times. Place the last 4 cookies on the whipped cream and top the cookies with any of the remaining whipped cream. Fold the plastic wrap over the top of the loaf pan so that the entire top layer is covered. Refrigerate overnight.
For the Peanut Butter Glaze:
Right before serving, whisk together the milk, confectioner's sugar, and peanut butter until smooth in a mixing bowl.
To serve, flip the icebox cake out on to a platter and remove the plastic wrap. Drizzle the glaze all over the top of the icebox cake. Reserve extra peanut butter to drizzle over individual slices. Serve immediately.
4. Prawn Cocktail
Ingredients
1 lemon
Salt
900g large prawns in the shell (about 30)
120ml mild chilli sauce
120ml good quality tomato ketchup
3 tbsp prepared horseradish
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Tabasco
Method
1) Cut the lemon in half and add it to a large pan of boiling water. Add the salt and then add the prawns. Cook, uncovered, for only 3 minutes, until the prawn are just cooked through.
2) Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cool water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and devein them. Chill until ready to serve.
3) For the cocktail sauce, combine the chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Divide the prawns between 6 serving dishes and dress with the cocktail sauce.
5.Parmigiano Reggiano and Truffle Tagliolini
Ingredients
For the Tagliolini:
400g flour
4 eggs
Water
1 spoon of extra virgin olive oil
For the Sauce:
8 spoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4 spoons of grated black truffle
150g unsalted butter
Cooking water
Method
1. For the fresh pasta, mix all the ingredients, cover the dough with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge, about 30 minutes.
2. After 1 hour minimum unwrap the dough and roll out a thin piece of pasta dough, spread flour over the dough, roll the dough lengthways on a floured surface. Then, slice the rolled dough evenly into 1cm pieces, so as to make small spirals, the dough should then fall out into evenly cut strips of taglionini pasta.
3. Bring to the boil a large pot full of water and add some salt and a splash of oil. Add the tagliolini and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Melt butter with cooking water from the pasta in a large pan and then add Parmigiano Reggiano and black truffle.
5. Drain the tagliolini in a colander and then pour into the pan, mixing them with the sauce.
Recipe courtesy of Chef Micaela Pellegrini, from Osteria Ca' d'Angel
Image courtesy of John Holdship
6. Roast Turkey Breast with Gravy
Ingredients
One 6-pound fresh turkey breast, on the bone, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 small onions, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups turkey or chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
Method
Preheat the oven to 162°c.
Rub the turkey all over with the butter, including the cavity of the breast. Season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter the vegetables on the bottom of a roasting pan just large enough to hold the turkey. Set the meat breast-side up in the pan. Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 70°c. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil for 30 minutes. (The breast temperature will continue to rise to 75°c as it rests.)
Pour any pan drippings into a degreasing cup or small bowl. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat discarding the rest and add the juices to the stock. Add the reserved fat to the roasting pan and place on a burner over medium high heat. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the stock and continue to stir. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain the gravy, discarding the vegetables, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Carve the breast and serve with the gravy.
Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved
7. Crab Louis
Ingredients
450g cooked crabmeat
235g prepared mayonnaise
4 tsp chilli sauce
10g finely chopped green pepper
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 spring onions, finely chopped
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1 hard-boiled egg
4 to 8 Butterhead lettuce leaves, washed and dried
4 thick slices beefsteak tomatoes
1 ripe avocado, seeded, peeled, and quartered lengthwise
Method
Serves: 6 starter servings
1) Using your fingers, carefully pick through the crab and discard any bits of shell or hard cartilage. Try to leave the lumps as intact as possible. Put the meat in a large bowl.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chilli sauce, green pepper, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, spring onion, a couple dashes Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Season the dressing with pepper to taste.
3) Gently fold about 60ml of the dressing into the crab with a rubber spatula. Take care not to break the crab into smaller pieces. Put the crab salad and the dressing in the refrigerator until cold.
4) Meanwhile, put the hard-boiled egg in a fine sieve set over a bowl. Using the back of a spoon, rub the egg through mesh to make a fine textured garnish. Set aside.
5) Divide the lettuce leaves among 4 plates. Top each with a tomato slice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place an avocado quarter across each tomato slice and top with 1/4 of the crab mixture. Spoon some of the dressing over the crab and sprinkle each salad with some of the egg. Serve and pass the remaining dressing at the table.
8. Welsh Beef Carpaccio with Gorgonzola
Ingredients
250g Welsh Beef fillet, trimmed
3 tbsp truffle oil
2 small handfuls rocket leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
150g Gorgonzola piccante
Salt and cracked black pepper
Method
Season the beef fillet with salt and pepper and rub with 1 tbsp truffle oil.
Sear the beef fillet in a hot frying pan for 1 minute a side until browned. Cool and then wrap tightly in cling film. Place in the freezer for one hour.
Whilst the beef is still wrapped in the cling film, use a sharp knife to slice and discard the end piece. Slice thin rounds off the fillet and place them, one at a time, between two sandwich bags. Use a rolling pin to gently bash the meat out so that it flattens to approximately 2mm thick.
To serve, arrange the carpaccio slices on a plate, along with some rocket leaves, and then drizzle over a little lemon juice and truffle oil.
Sprinkle over some black pepper and crumbled Gorgonzola.
Cook’s Tip: If you can’t find truffle oil, olive or walnut oil is a good alternative.
Recipe courtesy of Gorgonzola
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