For Christmas lunch without a hitch here are 7 Top Tips from our Executive Chef, Niall Hill.
Preparing Christmas lunch can be a daunting task for any cook, it doesn’t matter how many times you have cooked a perfect Sunday roast, Christmas Day is totally different and a new level of pressure.
The trick with having a successful Christmas is to alleviate the stress as Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends. By following a few simple guidelines, you can have a stress-free and delicious lunch.
Tip No. 1 – BE ORGANISED
Defrost your freezer at the start of December, clearing out any food which is past its best. This is great to do at least once a year and no better time than before Christmas when you will need the extra space. Not only that but your freezer will use less energy and work more efficiently when it’s not all iced up! A great green Christmas tip.
Tip No. 2 – WRITE A MENU
Look at what can be made in advance, Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies (made but not baked and kept in the freezer) and don’t be over ambitious. This is often where people fall down taking on too much to do in too short a time or leave until the last minute not allowing anything to go wrong!
Niall’s own Christmas Lunch Menu for all the family
Smoked salmon with fennel, cucumber & red onion salad, caper dressing
Roast turkey with thyme juices
Honey glazed gammon
Sage & thyme stuffing
Cranberry & balsamic sauce
Duck fat roast maris pipers
Honey roast parsnips
Creamed leeks with smoked bacon
Sweet & sour braised red cabbage
Christmas pudding with brandy butter
Mince pies
Apple cranberry Eve’s pudding
Tip No. 3 – NIALL’S TO-DO LIST FOR THE COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS DAY (don’t panic if you are behind Niall’s schedule, this will help you get back on track)
1st December: Menu done, ingredient list done and checked twice. Turkey ordered. Gammon ordered.
3rd December: Christmas pudding day.
10th December: The smell of Christmas cake will be filling the house. Remember to give your Christmas cake a good drink of your finest brandy while still warm. Sweet mincemeat made and jarred.
13th December: Mince pies made and in the freezer ready to be baked.
15th December: Roast chicken stock made, chilled and put in the freezer for the base of turkey gravy. Check the carving knife is sharp.
16th December: Christmas cake iced and decorated.
21st December: Clear out the fridge and make room!
22nd December: Pick up all the shopping and don’t leave it til the last minute. Having a list makes it so much easier and you tend not to impulse buy.
23rd December: Red cabbage can be braised and gammon can be cooked.
24th December: All vegetables and potatoes peeled and prepared, Eve’s pudding done, stuffing made, fennel salad marinating and cranberry sauce done. Table set and glasses polished.
Tip No. 4 – PLAN TO MAKE THE MOST OF CHRISTMAS EVE
The 24th of December should be your busiest day in the kitchen. At this stage all your shopping and running about should be done and it’s time to concentrate on the serious business in hand.
Write a to-do list for the 24th putting everything down that can be made because this will take so much pressure off on Christmas Day. Prepare all your vegetables, peel the potatoes, cook the ham, make the cranberry sauce and make the dessert. If you are serving soup, make it on the 24th and just reheat on Christmas Day.
With all these jobs done in advance Christmas Day will be relaxing and enjoyable for the cook but if something does go horribly wrong, don’t worry as there is still 24 hours to fix it!
Tip No. 5 – HAVE A TIMETABLE PLAN
Have a timetable plan for the big day so you don’t forget a crucial step and delegate, delegate, delegate – rally all the troops and give them jobs to do. First thing to decide is the time you would like to serve lunch at and work your way back.
The most common problem is most homes have only one oven and the turkey will fill it leaving no room for anything else. If lunch is being served at 2pm have your turkey coming out of the oven at 1pm and let it rest for an hour. That leaves plenty of time to roast your potatoes and parsnips.
I normally par-cook my potatoes in boiling salted water until just about cooked then roast them in duck fat until crispy. I treat the parsnips in the same way but toss them in honey and thyme before roasting them.
Tip No. 6 – COMMON PROBLEMS AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM
If you find yourself with the same problems each year, have a think of how you can fix them. Some of the most common downfalls are the turkey being dry and the vegetables over-cooked.
To keep the turkey breast nice and moist, lift the skin before cooking and rub with a herb butter (herbs, salt, cracked pepper) and place the bird on a bed of root vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, thyme and garlic) with a glass of wine thrown in for good measure. Rub with olive oil and season, cover with tin foil and place in a preheated oven at 180c (Gas mark 4). To calculate the cooking times, allow 20 minutes per 500g and remove the tin foil for the last 45 minutes to brown. Remove from the roasting tray, add 1 tablespoon of flour and some chicken stock and bring to a boil. Strain into a saucepan and keep warm.
The best way to avoid overcooking your vegetables is to pre-cook them and refresh in iced water. When serving them up, simply reheat them in boiling water with a drop of olive oil and salt.
If you are like me and not a huge fan of Brussels sprouts, try a braised red cabbage which can be made a couple of days in advance and will benefit from that time in the fridge to let the flavours develop.
Tip No. 7 – THE BIG DAY!
A good breakfast and a little bubbly set the mood for the rest of the day. Follow your time plan and get cracking on the job in hand. The challenge is to manage your oven, anything that can be served at room temperature goes in first (mince pies, Eve’s pudding and glazing your cooked ham). Then it’s in with the turkey and while your bird is in the oven, par-cook your vegetables and potatoes and have them ready to roast.
To check your turkey is cooked probe with a needle, the juices should be clear and the needle hot. If your starter is cold it can be plated a good half hour before serving and dressed at the last minute. A good tip to get nice crispy roasties is to heat your roasting tray and duck fat first then add your potatoes.
I always find it easier to serve lunch family style with the potatoes, vegetables and stuffing all served in large bowls or platters and passed around the table leaving you to concentrate on carving the meats. Remember to delegate jobs; drinks, clearing plates and washing up as you have done your part.
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