Christmas Menu

Starter:            20 minutes

Entrée:            20 minutes

Main Course:  20 minutes

Dessert:          15minutes

Starter:          1 hour

Entrée:            1-2 hrs. depending on size. Please refer method

Main Course:    1-2 hrs depending on size and preference. Please refer method.

Glazing:            20 minutes

Dessert:              Refrigerate over night

Starter:           6 people

Entrée:            6 people

Main Course:  6 people

Dessert:          6 people

Ingredients for your Prawn Cocktail

• 400g cooked peeled headless prawns (in this recipe each serving should have 4 prawns).
• 400g cooked hake,
• 1 small bay leaf.
• 1 onion in half complete with skin.
• 5 whole black pepper corns..
• Salt and Black ground Pepper.
  
  For the cocktail mixture
  

• 3 heaped Tbsps. Mayonnaise.
• 1 level tsp tomato sauce.
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• Splash of Tabasco Sauce.
• 1 medium lettuce chopped.
  
• Lemon sliced into rings.
• Salt and Black ground Pepper
  

Method for your Prawn Cocktail

• Place prawns in med pot bring to boil,  boil for 4 minutes.
• Remove pot from hob, drain the prawns and set aside for later.

              Next, we do the fish.  

•  Place same pot on hob with water and add your Hake (no need to thaw if frozen).
• Add the bay leaf, a small onion cut in half, Pepper corns, salt and pepper to taste and bring to the boil,
• Reduce heat and simmer until fish is flaky ± 10 minutes
  

Now for the Cocktail Sauce

• In a bowl add the mayonnaise, tomato sauce,
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cream,
•  Worcester sauce,
• Splash of Tabasco, 
• A sprinkle of paprika,
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste,
• Mix Well.
  I always double my ingredients for the cocktail mixture  as it is so delicious that my family always comes back for more.
  

 When the fish has cooled down, pour half of the dressing over and combine well.

• Place fish mixture in fridge to chill.
  
• Serve in wine glasses by using the chopped lettuces as the base then the fish mixture and hang the prawns over the side .
• Drizzle the remaining mayo mixture over
  

Ingredients for the Gammon 

• 2-2½ kg/2lb Gammon with bone
• 1 med onion
• 2 Bay leave
• 2 carrots slit down the middle
• 2 celery stalks
• 12 black peppercorns
• Sea salt to taste
• 6-10 whole cloves
• small tin pineapple rings

Before Glazing

After Glazing

Method for the Gammon

• Most Gammon come vacuum packed, remove the packaging and rinse under cold water.
• Place the Gammon joint into a large deep pot.
• Pour in cold water till it covers the Gammon.
• Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from hob, drain the water.
•  Rinse Gammon  and place into pot.
• Refill with fresh boiling water covering the Gammon.
  
• Add the onion, carrots, bay leaves, black pepper corns, celery stalks and cloves.
• Bring to boil once more.
• Once its boiling set your alarm. 
• Place the lid on and turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes per 450g/ 1lb plus 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
  
  
• Tip: Should the water start spilling over, remove lid and place a wooden spoon across the middle of the pot. 

Whilst the Gammon is cooking, we can prepare the other food for our menu.

Driiiiiiiiiig Driiiiiiiiiig Hear that ! time to remove the Gammon and set aside to rest.

Sieve the liquid from the pot and  use it to add to your dogs chunks food, make soups, stews  etc.

Ingredients for  Glazing

• 4Tbsp Honey.
• 4 tsp. English Mustard.
• ½ Pine apple juice
• 3 heap Tbsp brown sugar.
• small tin of pineapple rings
• 10 - 12 glazed cherries

Method for Glazing

• Remove the Gammon and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
• Using a small kitchen knife remove the rind and fat from the Gammon leaving a thin layer of fat 1-2mm.
• Score the outside layer of fat in a diamond pattern and push the stem of cloves into the center of the crosses.
• Place Gammon into foil lined roasting tray and turn the edges up to contain all the juices.
• In a small pot add honey, sugar mustard, pineapple juice.
• Bring to boil stirring reduce heat and simmer two minutes stirring all the time.
• Brush the glazing  mix all over the gammon.
• Using toothpicks place your glazed cherries randomly on your gammon
• Place your pineapple rings on the foil around your gammon with a glazed cherry in the middle.
• Turn oven setting to 200 Celsius  
• Bake for 10-15 minutes ,
• Remove from oven turn over the Gammon, brush with glazing, return to oven for further 10 -15  minutes
• The gammon is ready when the fat is glossy and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if the top gets too brown.
• Remove from oven.
•  Pour juice over and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving,
•  If you are only going to carve it on Christmas day, cover with foil together with pineapple rings and place in fridge.
  

Ingredients for Mayonnaise

• 2 large egg yokes
• 1½ cups veggie oil
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic
• 3 tsp. white vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black peppercorns

Method for Mayonnaise

• Place your 2-3 egg yolks into  a mixing bowl.
• Add crushed garlic, salt, ground pepper and Dijon mustard.
• Mix mixture with electric blender on med speed or whisk by hand.
• Okay, the next step is very important.
• Slowly drizzle the veg oil into the mixture while mixing. 
• The mixture will gradually start to thicken, when the mixture appears to thicken too much, add a little vinegar to thin.
• Keeping mixing until all of the oil is used up and mayonnaise lines the back of a spoon (to get a comparison it must be just a little thicker than honey).
• Finger taste and add pepper and salt if required.
  
• Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate.
  

Ingredients for 3 Bean Salad

• 1x 400gr Tin of Green Beans drained.
• 1x 400gr Tin of Baked Beans drained and rinsed..
• 1x 400gr Tin of Butter Beans drained.
• 1 cup chopped onions
• ½ cup chopped green peppers.
• ½ cup chopped red peppers.
• ½ cup chopped yellow peppers.
• ¾ cup of oil.
• ½ cups red  vinegar.
• 3 Tbsp. Brown sugar.
• 3 tsp basil.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Method for 3 Bean Salad

Place med size pot on your hob

• Turn heat to medium.
• Using a colander drain the brine from Green beans and Butter beans.
• Rinse  the tomato juice from the baked beans 
• In a salad bowl combine your three beans, chopped onions and peppers.
• In a mixing dish mix vinegar, sugar, oil, sweet basil salt and pepper .
• Mix well and pour into pot. 
• Stir whilst heating.
• Remove from hob at boiling point.
• Pour over your three bean salad and combine.
• Allow to cool.
• Cover with shrink wrap and refrigerate.
  

Ingredients for Roasted leg of Lamb

• 1 ½ Kg lamb leg roast bone in
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• 3 cloves garlic  (very good for you) sliced lengthwise
• ½ tsp. thyme
• 3 stems fresh rosemary (1½ tsps. dried Rosemary )
• 3  garlic cloves crushed
  

Method for Roasting Lamb

• Place the leg of lamb on a cutting board and using a sharp pointed knife randomly insert small deepest cuts and insert a slice of the garlic per insertion.
• Mix the thyme crushed garlic and lamb spice. 
• Using your hands, rub the mix herbs over your Lamb.
• Drizzle the Lamb all-over with olive oil.
• Sprinkle salt and black pepper and place on a baking tray lined with foil.
• Move grid in the oven so that the lamb is a few inches from the elements turn oven to grill roast the lamb   ± 3 minutes then turn lamb over and repeat.
• Remove lamb from oven
• Reduce heat to 180°/320F and lower grid to the middle. 
• Drizzle with olive oil, place Rosemary stems on top cover the lamb with foil and return to oven .
• Cook for 1 hour.
• Remove foil after an hour and check with a meat thermometer.
•  A temp of 57°C or 35°F  will be med rare .
• If you wish it to be done a little more, leave in oven for further 20/25 minutes
• Remove from oven, set aside to rest.

Trifle Ingredients

• 200g Boudoir Finger Biscuits
• 375g Condensed Milk
• 2 x 250ml Fresh Cream, one for the mix and one for the topping
• 250ml custard for topping
• ½ cup of milk
• 250ml can of fruit cocktail with juice
• 40ml Lemon Juice
• Old Brown sherry or Cointreau liqueur
• Handful crushed cashew nuts
• 100 slab of milk chocolate grated
• 10 strawberries sliced in half
• 3tsp Milo granules.

Trifle Method

• In a large bowel break you’re Boudoir Finger Biscuits into four pieces.
• Sprinkle the biscuits with Old brown sherry or Cointreau. Do not have a heavy hand, it will spoil the pudding. The idea is that your guests must taste something nice but few will identify the ingredient
• In another large mixing bowl, combine the condensed  milk and lemon, and beat till mixed.
• Add ½ the nuts and ½ the grated chocolate and cocktail fruit with juice.
• Once mixed pour the mixture over the biscuits. 
• Cover with shrink wrap and place into your fridge to set.
• Remove from fridge before serving and cover  top first  with the creamy custard and then with the rest of the whipped cream.
• Decorate the top with the remaining nuts, grated chocolate and sliced strawberries
• Sprinkle with Milo granules.