Roast Turkey
1 Turkey, about 6.3 kg oven-ready
175g butter, softened
225g rashers of streaky bacon, very fatty
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
For the pork, sage and onion stuffing
900g pork sausage meat, good-quality or finely minced pure pork
2 tsp dried sage
1 large onion, grated or very finely chopped
4 tbsp white breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
For the gravy
2 tbsp plain flour
900ml turkey giblet stock, giblet stock
Before you start, please bear in mind that it is important to take the turkey out of the fridge last thing on Christmas Eve to allow it to come to room temperature so that it heats up immediately you put it in the oven. The same applies to the stuffing (you can make this on Christmas Eve, ahead of time), and you also need to remove the 6 oz (175 g) of butter to soften ready for the morning. To make the stuffing, combine the breadcrumbs with the onion and sage in a large mixing bowl, then stir in a little boiling water and mix thoroughly. Next work the sausagemeat or minced pork and egg, if using, into this mixture and season with salt and pepper. Leave the stuffing covered in a cool place – but not in the fridge, as it shouldn't be too cold when you come to stuff the turkey. Preheat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C). Begin, on the morning of cooking, by stuffing the turkey. Loosen the skin with your hands and pack the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it up between the flesh and the skin towards the breast (though not too tightly because it will expand during the cooking). Press it in gently to make a nice rounded end, then tuck the neck flap under the bird's back and secure with a small skewer. Don't expect to get all the stuffing in this end – put the rest into the body cavity. Now arrange two large sheets of foil across your baking tin – one of them widthways, the other lengthways (no need to butter them). Lay the turkey on its back in the centre, then rub it generously all over with the butter, making sure the thighbones are particularly well covered. Next season the bird all over with salt and pepper, and lay the bacon over the breast with the rashers overlapping each other. The idea now is to wrap the turkey in the foil. The parcel must be firmly sealed but roomy enough inside to provide an air space around most of the upper part of the turkey. So bring one piece of foil up and fold both ends over to make a pleat along the length of the breastbone – but well above the breast. Then bring the other piece up at both ends, and crimp and fold to make a neat parcel. Place the roasting tin on a low shelf in the oven and cook at the initial high temperature for 40 minutes. After that, lower the heat to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C) and cook for a further 3 hours for a 12 lb bird (around 5.5 kg), or 3.5 hours for a 14 lb bird (around 6.3 kg). Then tear the foil away from the top and sides of the bird and remove the bacon slices to allow the skin to brown and crisp. The bacon rashers can be placed on a heat-proof plate and put back in the oven to finish cooking till all the fat has melted and there are just very crisp bits left. (I like to serve these crunchy bits with the turkey as well as bacon rolls.) Turn the heat up to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) and cook the turkey for a further 30 minutes. The turkey will need frequent basting during this time, so the whole operation will probably take nearer 40-45 minutes.
To test if the bird is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the leg with a thin skewer: the juices running out of it should be golden and clear. And the same applies to any part of the bird tested – there should be no trace of pinkness in the juices. You can also give the leg a little tug, to make sure there is some give in it. Then remove it from the roasting tin (using a carving fork and fish slice) and transfer it to a warm carving dish. If you can engage someone's help while lifting it, it's a good idea to tip the turkey to let the excess juice run out. Leave the turkey in a warmish place for 30-60 minutes to 'relax' before carving: provided it's not in a draught it will stay hot for that length of time, and it will give you a chance to turn the heat up in the oven to crisp the roast potatoes. Meanwhile, to make the gravy, tip all the fat and juices out of the foil into the roasting tin. Spoon off all the fat from the juice in a corner of the tin, then work the flour into the remaining juices over a low heat. Now, using a balloon whisk, whisk in the Turkey Giblet Stock bit by bit, until you have a smooth gravy. Let it bubble and reduce a bit to concentrate the flavour, and taste and season with salt and pepper. (And when you have carved the turkey, pour any escaped juices into the gravy.)
Green Beans with Garlic Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Beans
2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
To prepare beans, cook beans in a large pot of boiling water 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well. Place beans in a large bowl. Add lemon mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with almonds and thyme.
Herbed Potato Salad
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool slightly and peel. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; cut halves crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place potatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with vinegar.
Combine yogurt and sour cream in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add oil; stir with a whisk. Add onion and remaining ingredients; stir with a whisk. Add yogurt mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.
carrot cake
250ml sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
225g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
225g self-raising flour
250g carrots, peeled
25g olive oil spread
300g half-fat cream cheese
25g unrefined golden icing sugar
1 orange
Preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Using a pastry brush, grease a rectangular cake tin, measuring about 18 x 28cm and 2.5cm deep, or a clean shallow roasting tin with a little oil. Line the cake tin with baking paper.Measure out the oil and pour into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar and mix with a large whisk (called a balloon whisk) for a few minutes.Crack 1 egg into a small bowl. Check no shell gets into the bowl, then add to the sugar. Whisk until the egg disappears, then repeat with the other 2 eggs.Rest a sieve over the bowl and tip in the flour. Push the flour through the sieve with a large spoon.
Take a large metal spoon and fold the flour into the egg mix. Don't stir it round and round – turn the spoon on its side and sink it into the middle of the mix, drag it along the bottom of the bowl, then lift it up and over. Do this until you can't see any flour. Cut the ends off the carrots, then rub each one up and down a grater to coarsely grate (take care of your fingers and knuckles). Fold the carrots into the mixture, then pour it all into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until well risen and golden. Ask an adult to take it out, then push a cocktail stick into the centre – it's ready if it comes out clean. Set aside to cool in the tin.Meanwhile, put the olive oil spread and cream cheese into a bowl. Mix until soft and smooth. Put a sieve over the bowl and add the icing sugar, pushing it through with a spoon. Rub the orange against the fine side of a grater, stopping when you get to the white pith. Add half the zest to the bowl, mix, then spread over the cake. Sprinkle the rest of the zest over the cake and cut it into 12 squares.
Or
meringue
4 large egg whites
225g caster sugar
75g mixed dried berries (we like Wild Ones from Waitrose)
20g shelled pistachios, chopped
142ml carton double cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan120°C/gas 1. In a large, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Using a large metal spoon, briefly fold in the mixed dried berries to evenly distribute through the meringue.
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper, fixing the paper in place with a tiny blob of meringue in each corner. Using 2 large metal spoons, take a spoonful of the meringue and scoop it from 1 spoon to the other to shape it into an oval ‘quenelle’ shape. Drop onto the baking paper, then repeat to make 8 large meringues, spacing them apart as they will expand as they cook. Alternatively, just dollop large, craggy spoonfuls of the meringue onto the baking sheets. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.
Bake the meringues in the oven for 11/4 hours for mallowy centres, or 11/2 hours for crisper meringues – swap the trays halfway to ensure even cooking. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to dry out for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
To serve, transfer the meringues to serving plates. Whip the cream to soft peaks and serve a dollop with each berry meringue.
Or
Ambrosia
12 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup freshly grated coconut
Garnish: orange rind curls
Preparation
Toss together fruit and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
Place one-third fruit mixture in a serving bowl. Top with one-third coconut. Repeat layers twice. Cover and chill 2 hours. Garnish, if desired.
Note: Three red grapefruit, peeled and sectioned, may be added to fruit mixture, if desired.