Looking for a change from the usual turkey and trimmings this Christmas? Michelin-star chef Nick Nairn creates two mouth-watering alternatives
Are you a sprout hater? I know a lot of people dislike sprouts but the way I cook them will change their minds. Instead of boiling them, shred with a knife and set aside.
Meanwhile chop up and fry wee bits of bacon – sometimes referred to as lardons or pancetta – until the bacon is crisp, then add in the sprouts and stir-fry for about three minutes. You might need to add about a tablespoon of water which will quickly turn to steam.
Sprouts cooked this way are delicious and my favourite way of eating them. To make the sprouts even more Christmassy, add a few chopped chestnuts or a small amount of cranberry sauce.
Many folk, particularly those who live alone or with small families, don’t want to cook a whole turkey on Christmas Day. I know when I was a singleton – a long time ago – I certainly didn’t, so opted for duck breast instead.
I still enjoy eating duck at Christmas, especially Barbary Duck from France which is consistently good.
The way you cook duck breast is different to cooking a steak because you slash the skin and put it into a cold, NOT hot, pan on a low heat. That ensures the fat and skin starts to melt and you get a really nice crisp skin full of flavour because duck fat is absolutely delicious.
Today’s duck recipe is a sophisticated alternative to turkey which could serve up to four people on Christmas Day.
Traditional Christmas pudding has to be made months in advance. The spiced sponge recipe below has a Christmas pudding feel to it but it can be made the day before. The best way to do it is steam it, then let it cool before cutting into wedges and storing. Then all you need do is warm it through in the microwave.
A lighter alternative to a traditional pud, this dish is full of festive zesty orange and warming winter spices.
HONEY GLAZED DUCK BREAST WITH CRANBERRIES, STIR-FIRED SPROUTS AND PANCETTA
SERVES 2
FOR THE DUCK:
2 female duck breasts
1 tbsp veg oil
Salt and pepper
160ml water
4 tbsp honey
2 pieces orange peel
2 star anise
8 pink peppercorns
40g fresh cranberries
40ml cranberry vinegar
FOR THE ACCOMPANIMENTS:
1 tbsp olive oil
300g sprouts, quartered
150g bacon lardons
Mashed potato, to serve
For the glaze, warm the honey, orange peel, star anise, pink peppercorns and cranberry vinegar in a pan and set aside.
To cook the duck, place the breasts, skin-side down in a cold pan and season the flesh side. Gently increase to a medium heat until the skin becomes golden and crisp. Then turn the duck over and colour the other side of the breast.
This golden caramelisation gives the meat extra flavour. At this point, brush over some of the glaze on the skin side. Once cooked (50C internal temperature), remove the duck and leave to rest in a warm place.
Add the water to the duck pan to de-glaze any caramelised bits left behind from cooking the duck. Turn up the heat and reduce the liquid by half, then add the leftover glaze and reduce to a smooth syrup. Set aside. In a frying pan, fry the bacon lardons until golden in the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the quartered sprouts and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Finally add the jus or dark chicken stock to the remaining syrup in the pan you cooked the duck, plus any juices from the resting duck breasts. Reduce until the sauce has thickened. Throw in the cranberries and reduce the heat.
Serve the duck breast sliced on top of some mash (or your favourite potatoes), with the veg, cranberries and sauce spooned around.
CHRISTMAS SPICED STEAMED SPONGE WITH COOK SCHOOL CUSTARD
SERVES 8
FOR THE PUD:
125g butter
125g light brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
25g self-raising flour
150g white breadcrumbs
2 oranges
1 tsp ground ginger + 1 tsp cinnamon
FOR THE CUSTARD:
150ml full fat milk
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
3 egg yolks
30g caster sugar
Wash then boil the two unpeeled oranges in a large pan of water, covered, for one and a half hours or until they are very soft. Let them cool, cut them open, remove the pips and turn the whole lot into a puree in a food processor.
Cream the butter and sugar together, and add the eggs gradually. Fold in the flour, breadcrumbs, spices and orange pulp. Pour the whole lot into a pudding basin, cover with greaseproof paper and seal tightly in foil or cling film. Place in a steamer and steam for at least 2 hours.
For the custard, place the milk, cream, vanilla pod and seeds (split the pod and gently scrape out the seeds) into a saucepan and place over a high heat until boiling. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick, fluffy and pale.
Slowly pour half the hot milk and cream on to the egg and sugar mixture, stirring continually. Take the pan off the heat then use a heatproof spatula to scrape all the egg mixture from the bowl into the pan with the remaining milk and cream.
Place the pan back on a medium heat and stir thoroughly with a heatproof spatula until it starts to thicken.
It should begin to thicken within two minutes. Undercook and the custard will be thin. Too hot then the egg will curdle. You’re looking for a temperature of 82C; the easiest way to gauge this is with a Thermapen digital thermometer (see www.nicknairn.com).
If you don’t have a probe, watch for puffs of steam escaping from the side of the pan. These tell you the custard is getting too hot, so take the pan off the heat and continue stirring. When the mix has thickened enough to coat the back of the spatula, strain immediately through a fine sieve.
Serve immediately or store in a Thermos flask that’s been preheated with boiling water, for up to 3 hours. Or pour into a clean bowl, cover with cling film that’s touching the surface to prevent a skin forming and keep in the fridge and use within 3 days.
To serve, remove the pud from the steamer, turn out on to a board and cut into wedges. Serve with warm Cook School custard.