Taking up the challenge in 2011

Earlier this evening Domesticated Mum asked if I was going to make any New Year’s Resolutions, and I immediately said yes!

And quickly I listed these three as my 2011 goals:

1. Quit smoking (again).
2. Start running (again).
3. Make myself a better cook! I love puttering around in the kitchen, trying new recipes and creating culinary delights, so I thought that this would be the year I dust off the cook books and get down to some real life cooking.

The Post A Week Challenge

After Domesticated Mum went to bed, I decided to come here and check my blog, and share my Resolutions with the world. Strangely, I saw the latest WordPress.com News post about a blogging challenge to post an entry a day (which is too much cooking for my liking) or a post a week (more my speed) and I have now set a new goal for 2011.

I am going to try a new recipe each week, and then come here and blog about it, that way I will not only improve my writing, but also my cooking which is a win-win situation! I become a better cook, and hopefully a better writing, one week at a time… And you my readers get 52 recipes to try in 2011!

Everybody’s a winner!!!

Talking Turkey part two; How to carve your bird

So the vegetables are roasted and the potatoes are perfect. Your brussels are plated-up and your turkey is cooked to perfection and presented to the family in all it’s glory, so now what? Ask your mother in-law to carve it up and face the humiliation of being unable to carve a Christmas turkey? Or just start hacking at it and hope for the best?

No, no, no…

You prepare in advance using a YouTube video and amaze your friends and family with your carving skills!

Christmas Menu- part 4; Cranberry Sauce

If you haven’t already done so, today is a good day to make your cranberry sauce. It is really easy, and it tastes better than the gelatinous goo you get from a jar.

Really Simple Cranberry Sauce

• Skill level: beginner

• Preparation time: 5 mins

• Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 100g light muscovado sugar
• 100ml orange juice , fresh or from a carton
• 250g pack fresh or frozen cranberries

Preparation Method

Tip the sugar and orange juice into a pan, then bring to the boil. Stir in the cranberries, then simmer until tender but still holding their shape – this will take about 5 mins if using fresh cranberries or 8-10 mins if using frozen. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Will keep in the fridge for 1 week. On the day, bring to room temperature before serving.

Tip: dissolve the sugar in the orange juice before boiling, this will prevent the sugar from crystallizing in the orange juice.

Christmas Menu- Part 3; Brussel Sprout Gratin

The English have a bizarre tradition of eating Brussel Sprouts with every Christmas meal. Normally they are served over-boiled and soggy which is why I hate these green balls. This year however, thanks to a challenge laid down by a close friend of mine, and this recipe I am going to try to learn to love the sprout.

Brussel Sprout Gratin with bacon, cream and almonds

• Experience level: beginner

• Preparation time: 60 mins

• Cooking time: 18-20 mins

Ingredients

• 900g/2lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 20g/¾oz butter
• 4 tsp sunflower oil
• 150g/5oz bacon lardons (or rindless back bacon, cut into short fat strips)
• 20g/¾oz flaked almonds
• 400ml/14fl oz double cream
• 2½ tsp lemon juice
• 5½ tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Place the sprouts into a saucepan of simmering salted water and cook for 4-5 minutes, until almost, but not quite, cooked. Drain thoroughly, allow to cool slightly, then cut in half.
3. Place the butter and oil into a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and almonds and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned.
4. Add the sprouts and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add the cream and bring the mixture to the boil. Boil for 2-4 minutes, until the cream has reduced to a rich sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and spoon into an ovenproof gratin dish.

7. Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese together in a bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the top of the sprout mixture.

8. Place into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and the cream visibly boiling.

Recipe by Sophie Grigson

Christmas Menu – part two; Perfect Roast Potatoes

Since I have moved from Canada to the UK there is one thing I have discovered; the English make the best roast potatoes on the planet, and I am going to reveal their secret to the world!

Perfect Roast Potatoes

• Skill Level: Beginner

• Preparation Time: 10 mins

• Cooking Time: 20-45 mins

The secret to creating the best roast potatoes in the world is Goose Fat. Don’t ask me about the science behind it; something to do with the flash point of the fat, but by roasting your potatoes in goose fat, I can almost guarantee you produce the best tasting roast potatoes in the world.

The only problem with this is that goose fat may be hard to get outside of the UK without first roasting a goose. Don’t fret though, if you can’t get your hands on a goose or its fat, you can still roast your potatoes using beef dripping, or even vegetable or olive oil, and they will still turn out pretty good, but without the goosey goodness!

Note: if possible it is better to roast your potatoes in a separate oven to allow an extra blast of heat for the first twenty minutes, however if you have only one oven you can still cook them on a shelf above your bird for 45 minutes.

1. Use floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward. Peel, cut into rather smaller pieces than you might normally (roughly egg size), and steam or boil until almost completely cooked (about 10 minutes) – you can do this well ahead for convenience.
2. Drain well and bump them about in a pan so the edges become slightly rough.
3. If using a separate oven pre-heat it to 240C/gas mark 9.
4. Melt 200g of goose fat in a large roasting-pan – it should be about 2.5cm deep. When the fat is smoking add the boiled potatoes and spoon all over with the fat.
5. Put them at the top of the oven for 20-30 minutes until they are beginning to brown and crisp.
6. Turn the potatoes around, lower the heat to 160C/gas mark 3, put the pan on the centre shelf and continue roasting until they are a rich brown and very crisp, turning once or twice more – the time this takes varies, as with cakes and pastry, from oven to oven.

If the potatoes are done before your bird, the best thing to do is to move the pan to the bottom of the oven and lower the heat further. Drain the potatoes on absorbent paper before transferring to a warmed serving dish.