All The Recipes, Tips & Leftovers Ideas You Need For Next Week
Gregory Marchand
owner of Frenchie
“Christmas cooking – like any cooking – is a dance between tradition and innovation. It’s important to honour the classics while also trying new things. My signature bacon scones are an excellent alternative to pigs in blankets. Sweet and savoury, light yet indulgent, they make a great canapé or nibble while the turkey rests. The secret is to use maple syrup and smoked bacon, which you fry until crispy before adding to the batter.”
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Will Bowlby
co-founder & head chef at Kricket
“My Christmas pudding kulfi is a great way to use up leftover Christmas pudding in those days between Christmas and New Year. It’s surprisingly simple to make – reduce milk, milk powder and cream in a pan until it reduces by half and starts to caramelise. Then, fold through crumbled Christmas pudding, take off the heat and freeze into moulds. To save time, use tinned condensed milk.”
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Ana Gonçalves & Zijun Meng
founders of Solis
“After many years of living in the UK, this will be our first Christmas in London. We’re looking forward to gathering together, slowing down, cooking and eating. While our Christmas day menu is still a work in progress, one dish we’ll definitely be serving is our devilled eggs – the ultimate festive canapé. This retro dish delivers pops of both colour and flavour, making it the perfect bite. We make ours with tuna and salsa golf, an Argentinian sauce made with mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and spices like oregano and cumin.”
“A traditional Christmas dinner is a heavy meal, but that doesn’t mean leftovers can’t be light. Add water and seasoning like black pepper, soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso and sesame oil to any leftover meat jus – chicken and beef work well – and serve with wheat noodles, thinly sliced beef and lots of coriander.”
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Ayo Adeyemi
executive chef at Akoko
“Adding a sprinkling of smoked sea salt to brandy sauce has the most transformative result. The salt brings it back from the edge of being too sickly, and the smokiness makes it feel grown-up and a bit special. Either make your own brandy sauce from scratch or add to a shop-bought sauce, then pour over everything from Christmas pudding to ice cream.”
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Gordon Ker
founder of Blacklock
“If you have any leftover roast potatoes and are feeling creative, try making your own sourdough from fermented potatoes. Start by blitzing your roast potatoes in a blender with 3.3% salt and leave to ferment in a container outside the fridge with a layer of greaseproof paper covering the top. After five days, combine the fermented potatoes with Wildfarmed flour – the most sustainable flour you can buy – and a touch of acorn flour, which adds a delicious, nutty flavour. Add your sourdough starter and a little fresh yeast, treating as you would a typical sourdough bread dough. Bake in the oven at 160ºC for 18 minutes and serve with lots of butter.”
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Will Murray
co-founder of Fallow
“If you have any leftover roast potatoes and are feeling creative, try making your own sourdough from fermented potatoes. Start by blitzing your roast potatoes in a blender with 3.3% salt and leave to ferment in a container outside the fridge with a layer of greaseproof paper covering the top. After five days, combine the fermented potatoes with Wildfarmed flour – the most sustainable flour you can buy – and a touch of acorn flour, which adds a delicious, nutty flavour. Add your sourdough starter and a little fresh yeast, treating as you would a typical sourdough bread dough. Bake in the oven at 160ºC for 18 minutes and serve with lots of butter.”
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Richard Corrigan
chef patron at Corrigan Restaurants
“Smoked salmon blinis are the perfect elegant starter for Christmas day. Fit for royalty, this is the same recipe I used for the late Queen’s 80th birthday. To make the blinis, place flour in a bowl with nutmeg; stir in eggs and egg yolks, whisking in milk until smooth. Then add in warmed mashed potato, taking extra time to mash it thoroughly so it’s free from lumps – mash for longer than you’d expect as this makes a significant difference to the end result. Stir through cream cheese, cover and leave to rest. Cook in a non-stick pan until golden on the bottom, flip and repeat. Serve with a generous portion of smoked salmon, a dollop of creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon. For a touch of luxury, finish with caviar – it is Christmas after all.”
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Tommy Banks
Michelin-starred chef of The Black Swan, Roots & The Abbey Inn
“Getting as much prep done in advance is the secret to a hassle-free Christmas dinner. You can even pre-boil your potatoes and dip them in duck fat, so all you need to do is roast them in the oven on the big day. My other top tip? Add a little Marmite and Lea & Perrins to your turkey gravy for added umami flavour. If you find turkey quite bland, this is the perfect way to pack a flavour punch. And if you have any leftover cheese, nothing beats a Welsh rarebit for Boxing Day brunch.”
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And here are four things you can do with any leftover turkey…
Turkey & Bacon Diavolo
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the olive oil and garlic until fragrant.
Add the tinned tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper, then add the sugar, smoked paprika and chilli flakes.
Cook until the sauce is thickened, which should take about 12-15 minutes on a medium heat.
Add the cream and allow to bubble for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until the cream has reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta while reserving some valuable pasta water and drizzle a little olive oil over the pasta to prevent it from sticking.
Heat a frying pan and add a good amount of sauce. Add the turkey, bacon and frozen peas until warmed through.
Add the pasta and toss, making sure all the pasta is coated. Add a little of the pasta water to loosen it up and stop your sauce from becoming claggy.
Finish with more chilli flakes, freshly ground black pepper, a sprinkling of chives and the grated cheese.
Leftover Turkey & Watercress Pie
Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a pie dish.
Cook the leeks in a little butter over a medium heat until soft, and season with the thyme, tarragon, salt and pepper. Stir through the creme fraiche and watercress, and take off the heat.
Add your turkey meat to the mix and stir until incorporated – pour the mixture into your pie dish.
Cover with the pastry sheet and trim the edges to fit your dish – you can always use the excess to make some decorations for the top.
Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling away.
Leftover Turkey Pho
Peel and quarter the onions, then carefully char on an open gas flame for approximately 5 minutes. Repeat this process with the ginger until it too is blackened.
Pour your stock into a large saucepan, and add the onions, ginger and winter spice. Stir and bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
Once the pho has infused, strain through a fine sieve or muslin, then return to the pan together with the shredded turkey and simmer for 5 minutes, until thoroughly heated through.
Meanwhile, prepare the vermicelli. Pour freshly boiled water over the noodles until covered, and allow to sit for 2 minutes, or according to the instructions on the pack.
To serve, ladle the pho into bowls and stir through sugar, soy and fish sauce to taste. Add the noodles, then top with generous handfuls of fresh greens and herbs. Finish with a squeeze of lime and garnish of red chilli, if desired.
Turkey Biryani
Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic cloves, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. As the spices crackle in heat, add in the sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Sauté until golden brown in colour.
Stir in the ginger, garlic and chilli; sauté for 2 minutes or until cooked.
Add the turmeric, coriander, black pepper and garam masala powders, and sauté for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes. While stirring, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
When ready to serve, stir the turkey into the sauce and heat for a few minutes before adding the rice and mixing lightly with a fork. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve with cucumber raita.
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