Left everything until the last minute? Don’t stress! These quick and easy recipes will have you whipping up a delicious Christmas feast in no time.
Duck liver parfait
ingredients
1kg duck liver
500ml milk
10x eggs
120g red onion diced
800g butter melted
200g butter melted
250ml port
250ml brandy
20g fresh thyme
1x star anise
5g salt
5g coarse ground black pepper
Method
Soak duck livers in milk overnight.
Drain and trim off excess sinew and fat.
Sautéed onions until soft.
Add garlic and thyme and sauté for another 30 seconds.
Add port, brandy, and star anise.
Reduce by two-thirds.
Remove the star anise.
Place mixture into a blender with livers and blend.
Add one egg at a time.
Slowly add the 800g of melted butter until incorporated.
Pass the mixture through a drum sieve and season with salt and pepper.
Pour mixture equally between 4x1 litre chafing dishes.
Place dishes into a standard gastronome and add water until it comes halfway up the dish.
Cover with foil and bake in a bain-marie at 120 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and check that it's cooked.
Allow cooling for 30 minutes.
Then pour the 200g melted butter over them.
Lavender and cashew nut crust lamb
Serves: 5
Ingredients
1kg lamb saddle excess fat removed
30ml oil
3 whole garlic cloves unpeeled
10ml hot English mustard
100g lavender dried and chopped
100g of cashew nuts roasted and chopped very finely
10g onion powder
10g garlic powder
10g salt
800g bread crumbs
Method
Mix all dry ingredients together evenly and set aside to be used later. Roll lamb saddle and tie with butcher's string until it resembles a sausage.
Rub with English mustard.
Season with salt and pepper and allow to stand at room temp for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan until oil starts to smoke.
Seal the lamb in the pan until golden brown all the way around.
Smash the garlic once to release oils.
Add to the pan and reduce heat to a simmer.
Fry garlic for 2 minutes, be careful not to burn it.
Place garlic and lamb into an oven dish.
Spoon the rendered fat over the lamb.
Roast at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes (this should take you to medium).
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes
Remove the butcher's string.
Roll the lamb in the lavender crust until fully coated.
Slice and serve with sides of your choice.
White chocolate and lavender crème brulee
Serves: 12
Ingredients
12x egg yolks
1lt cream
120g white chocolate
50g castor sugar
10ml vanilla essence
Method
Heat cream, vanilla essence, sugar, and castor sugar in a saucepan continuously stirring until chocolate is melted do not allow to boil.
Allow cooling.
Whisk in the egg yolks.
Pour mixture through a cloth to remove chalaza cords.
Pour into 12 ramekins.
Bake at bain-marie at 160 degrees Celsius covered in foil.
When the custard is a jelly-like consistency, remove it from the oven and bain-marie.
Do not get water into the crème Brule at any point.
Allow cooling at room temperature.
Wrap individually and refrigerate overnight.
Recipes from Granny Mouse Country House.