- 19 hours ago
Jamie's Cook-Ahead Christmas - Season 1 Episode 1
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00:00A year can feel a little bit daunting, but not this year.
00:03We're going to cook ahead of time so it takes all of the kitchen chaos out of the big day.
00:11From what we can do well in advance to how to prep in the days and night before,
00:17we're talking delicious starters, epic desserts, incredible veggies and a genius way to cook the turkey.
00:27You'll be so far ahead, there won't be much left to do on the day and I'm going to be with you every step of the way.
00:35So grab your apron, roll up your sleeves and join me on this journey
00:40and make sure this Christmas is all about great food, great company and no last minute stress.
00:56In early December, we can get stuff done way in advance using the freezer as our best friend.
01:03A perfect cook ahead veggie centrepiece, gravy that's good for everyone, sensational stuffing, festive veg
01:11and a winning Christmas dessert already ahead of time so we can all relax on the big day.
01:18I'm going to kick things off by sharing with you the most delicious gratin.
01:27It's a great recipe because you can do it weeks in advance and I'm going to give you not one,
01:32but two ways of serving it so you've got all bases covered.
01:35This special cook ahead vegetable dish adds the perfect oozy cheesiness to your festive feast.
01:43A stunning combo of sliced potatoes and seasonal veg smothered in a herb infused cheesy garlic sauce.
01:52Frozen ahead of time, it's ready to be a potato and fennel gratin or transformed into a superstar centrepiece pie.
01:59I think learning how to do a delicious gratin is a really good principle recipe.
02:05It's going to start off with some milk and some cream and I'm just going to get a pan on to like a medium heat
02:14and put 300 ml of milk into the pan and 200 ml of lovely double cream.
02:22As that temperature comes up, we can get some herbs in there, a couple of bay leaves, get some rosemary in there,
02:29also a classic Christmas spice, nutmeg.
02:35Grate about half of it into this cream and milk with a pinch of salt and pepper.
02:44And then I'm going to take a couple of garlic cloves and just finely slice it.
02:49So this is going to infuse the milk in the most beautiful, garlicky, herbal, spiced way.
02:57It's going to be fantastic.
03:00So look, beautiful potatoes, 800 grams.
03:03I'm going to peel these and all those layers of sliced up potatoes and veggies with creamy, cheesy, herby gorgeousness.
03:12That for me is absolute heaven.
03:16So now that's come to the boil, let's turn it off.
03:19And that smells absolutely incredible.
03:21So I'll leave that for the moment.
03:23To go with these sliced potatoes, we're going to get some onion and finely slice them again.
03:29Now I'm going to use fennel.
03:31It's really fresh.
03:32It cooks super sweet.
03:34And these stalks you can just finely slice as well.
03:37They'll be utterly delicious.
03:39The best thing about this recipe is you can do it before Christmas.
03:44And once we've made it and cooked it, we can pop it in the freezer, no compromise, right?
03:50So we have this beautiful milk and cream, which is fantastically scented.
03:55Remove the herbs and the bay.
03:58They have done their job.
04:00I want to add some cheese.
04:01I'm going a little bit Italian with some parmesan, but then some great British farmhouse cheeses.
04:08So I've got some fantastic cheddar here, but you can pick the cheeses that you love.
04:13And I want about 100 grams.
04:17I'm just mixing the cheese and the residual heat from the milk and cream will just slowly melt that into a kind of rustic cheese sauce.
04:26That is the basis of our flavour.
04:29So, take a little dish, about kind of like 10 inches wide.
04:34I'm going to get some greaseproof paper, scrumple it up, and I'll give it a little season now with salt and pepper.
04:42So just fan that around like that.
04:45Any old hell, frankly.
04:48And another bit, shuffle in, pat it down.
04:52Then we can take our amazing cheese-scented sauce and just pour that over.
04:59Oh, yes.
05:02I love it.
05:04And as it cooks, all the veggies will soften up.
05:07And then the sauce will bubble up in and around everything.
05:11We're going to cook it now, cool it, and put it in the freezer.
05:14When I want it, I can take it out the day before, and then I can turn it into a fantastic side dish.
05:20Or you can turn it into the most amazing showstopper of a pie.
05:24This is about getting things done in advance, but giving you options.
05:28So, one great dish, two ways, giving you loads of choices.
05:32Happy days.
05:32Beautiful.
05:34That goes in the oven for one and a half hours at 180 degrees Celsius, which is 350 Fahrenheit.
05:46While that gratin is cooking, I want to show you how to make homemade pastry.
05:50Now, you can buy short-cross pastry, phyllo pastry, and puff pastry, but the texture is much more optimal when you make it yourself.
05:58It's a very simple recipe.
06:00Half fat to flour.
06:02Okay.
06:02So, we've got 500 grams of plain flour.
06:05And then half the amount in weight of butter.
06:09So, 250 grams.
06:11Get a nice pinch of salt.
06:13Then rub the flour into the butter.
06:16Almost into like little cornflake pieces.
06:20What I love about these get-ahead recipes is this idea that we can build up an arsenal of deliciousness in our fridge and freezers
06:30to make Christmas Day the easiest one ever.
06:34Now, the exciting thing about making your own pastry is you can flavour it.
06:39And I want to use walnuts.
06:41I've just got 50 grams here.
06:43If you grate them, you create a walnut flour.
06:47And then I'm going to take one lovely egg.
06:52Give it a little whisk up.
06:56I'm not over-mixing it or kneading it because I want it to remain short.
07:01Short means crumbly, like that.
07:03And you might need just a little splash of water.
07:09Just kind of almost hug it together.
07:13And cut this in half.
07:16And press it out into two, sort of, two centimetre discs.
07:20They'll defrost much, much quicker.
07:22Grab some greaseproof paper.
07:28So wrap it up for Christmas.
07:30Literally for Christmas.
07:31So there you go, homemade pastry, ready and raring to go.
07:36And this can simply go in the freezer until you need it.
07:42So this has been cooking for an hour and a half.
07:52Just carefully take the lid off.
07:55It'll be steamy, so watch out.
07:58Oh, goodness gracious.
08:02Let this cool down.
08:03I'll put the tinfoil back on top.
08:05We can put it in the freezer.
08:06One week, two weeks, even months.
08:08Okay?
08:09No compromise.
08:10Then, when you want it, the day before, we take it out of the freezer.
08:14Okay?
08:14And we can turn it out.
08:16Now, if you want it as a gratin, you simply take that frozen gratin back into this dish.
08:21Bit of cheese on top.
08:22And then the next day, into the oven.
08:24180, 40 minutes.
08:26Golden, blipping, perfection.
08:28Fantastic.
08:28Or, we can use it for the most amazingly insane vegetarian pie.
08:35So if we've made this and frozen it a few weeks before Christmas,
08:39I'm going to show you what to do on Christmas Eve
08:42to turn this delicious side dish into a show-stopping centerpiece.
08:48Whenever you want to use it, just get it out the day before and put it in the fridge.
08:52So, I want to get our pastry.
08:54I did it into two pieces, remember?
08:56Once that's defrosted, take the greaseproof paper, like that.
09:01We put the pastry on top.
09:02Some more greaseproof paper.
09:04So the double greaseproof paper method guarantees you have no cracking or breaking.
09:11That is what we like at Christmas.
09:15So this is looking really good.
09:19Cut it into a little circle like that.
09:22Put a little bit of flour on there.
09:23Now, go over with our gratin.
09:29Take this greaseproof off.
09:31I want about an inch around the outside.
09:35This is the base.
09:37Very flipping, exciting.
09:40Then we'll go back to our pastry.
09:41And I'll do exactly the same.
09:45But this time, of course, we've got to go over the top and down the sides.
09:49So we need it to be slightly bigger.
09:51So a little flour here.
09:54Rolling pin.
09:56And then I'm going to get that pastry and roll it up over the rolling pin.
10:01Super simple, right?
10:02Put the pastry to one side.
10:04I'm going to get myself two eggs, two bowls, egg whites into one.
10:11What we can do is use the yolks for the outside to create the most incredible golden egg wash
10:19that will make it look so, so special.
10:22Then here with the whites, I can use to really stick the pastry to the pastry.
10:30So we don't waste anything.
10:33Then we simply take the pastry and we just casually roll it over like that.
10:40Then we press it on the top.
10:42Gently.
10:44And down onto the pastry.
10:46It's really easy.
10:49Then we'll trim it off.
10:50It's roughly an inch away from the pie.
10:56And then let me show you how we can do the edges here.
11:00I'm going to take my thumb and forefinger and use my finger to push it in between.
11:05And then we go to the next one.
11:06So we're sealing it and we're giving it a nice Christmassy flourish.
11:13Use the egg yolks on the top like that.
11:19And give it a nice little coat.
11:21What you can do is take a little knife, get down on your knees.
11:26Just go from the centre and using just the weight of the knife, don't push it down at all.
11:32Just score it down in a little curve.
11:35Because as that cooks, that little score is going to just open up and part slightly.
11:43Just get your knife in now in a little crisscross.
11:46That lets the steam out.
11:48And look at that.
11:49That is a beautiful pie.
11:50That is a centrepiece.
11:51And what I do now is just get it carefully onto a tray.
11:56So in theory, if you're doing the whole get ahead thing, we would put that in the fridge nice and safe.
12:01You could do it Christmas Eve or even the day before that.
12:03But I want to cook it for you now so you know what you're going to get.
12:06Simply put it at the bottom of the oven so you get a nice crispy bum.
12:09And we cook it for one hour at 180 degrees Celsius, which is 350 Fahrenheit.
12:13And we cook it for one hour at night.
12:13And we cook it for one hour at night.
12:21Come on.
12:23Look at that.
12:26I love the scores.
12:27I love the cracks where the juices are just spilling out.
12:30Let's get a nice little slice.
12:36That is like opening up a beautiful little edible Christmas present.
12:42Perfectly cooked pastry.
12:43Look at the layers.
12:45Right, let's have a try.
12:46We're waiting too far.
12:56Mmm.
12:57Oh, that is delicious.
12:59I mean, double carb.
13:02We're a flouncing of fennel.
13:04And beautiful, oozy, creamy, cheesy gorgeousness.
13:09The nutmeg here is just phenomenal.
13:12That is so, so delicious.
13:14That in the middle of the table with all the Christmas trimmings, it's going to be amazing.
13:18Two recipes in one.
13:20Give yourself options.
13:22Happy blooming Christmas.
13:23Behind every great roast dinner is an incredible gravy.
13:49And I want to show you a fantastic get-ahead gravy
13:52that is not only going to please the meat-eaters,
13:54but the veggies and the vegans and the gluten-free.
13:57Yes, I've got you covered.
14:00This Christmas gravy is an absolute game-changer.
14:04With a dried mushroom and herb stock,
14:06blackberry jam and festive port,
14:09it's rich, comforting and really is good for everyone.
14:13Perfect to get all wrapped up well ahead of Christmas.
14:17Now, for meat-eaters,
14:18like having gravy made out of stock and bones
14:21and all the kind of meat drippings and stuff like that,
14:23that is easy big flavour achieved.
14:26But if we wind back to veggie and vegan world,
14:28you need a few bits of technique and ingredients
14:31to make it utterly, undeniably delicious.
14:34And I've written this recipe so we can actually look after everyone.
14:37We're starting with two onions.
14:39Let's just roughly chop those.
14:42Nice big pan on a medium heat.
14:45In here we go with some olive oil.
14:47We're going to go in with our onions
14:48and we'll start to fry these off.
14:52Then I've got some lovely carrots here.
14:54So the carrots have had a nice little wash.
14:56Don't peel them.
14:57There's a lot of flavour in the skin.
14:59And we'll simply just split these in half
15:01and then roughly chop these as well.
15:06So, onions in, carrots in.
15:10Now, instead of just kind of putting liquid on there
15:12and boiling straight away,
15:13what I want to do is invest time
15:15into concentrating and caramelising
15:18all the natural sugars in the onion and the carrots.
15:21Right, that's going to give us colour.
15:22We want gravy to be dark, right,
15:24and it's going to give us massive flavour.
15:27Season a little bit with salt and pepper.
15:30Now, celery is fantastic.
15:33It's fragrant.
15:34And we're just going to roughly chop that up.
15:36And as that fries away,
15:38I want to start thinking about a nice, beautiful stock.
15:43I'm going to use dried mushrooms.
15:44Now, look at these.
15:45Dried mushrooms are amazing.
15:47You can get them from the supermarkets
15:49and when you dry mushrooms,
15:51it's really hearty flavours
15:54that you're going to get from this.
15:55And just a small amount
15:56will make all the difference.
15:58Put in here like a litre,
16:00litre and a half of boiling water.
16:02We're going to rehydrate the mushrooms
16:05and they'll start giving off incredible colour.
16:09So, what else can we do?
16:11Things like rosemary,
16:12you can put that also
16:13into this lovely homemade stock.
16:17We're going to go in with some bay leaves
16:19and some lovely thyme as well.
16:22It's all flavour.
16:24I'll add now your typical veggie stock cube into here.
16:27Now, there's all kinds of different yeast extracts
16:30that you can get.
16:30This is a fantastic way
16:31to give your veggie vegan gravy
16:33more colour,
16:34more depth of flavour
16:35and a nice base of seasoning.
16:38So, let that infuse.
16:40Now, let's have a little look at the pan.
16:41It's getting dark now.
16:43Don't be afraid of that.
16:44Add fresh herbs to this as well.
16:47So, some rosemary goes in,
16:49bay leaf.
16:51We take a little bit of thyme.
16:53Now, I'm going to use a couple of nice teaspoons
16:56of blackcurrant or blackberry jam.
16:59This sweetness balances your beautiful gravy.
17:02So, I'm going to stir that in with a nice lug of port.
17:07The jam and the port makes this an amazing Christmas gravy.
17:12And then, a little tomato puree.
17:15So, a couple of tablespoons.
17:17And then, two tablespoons of gluten-free flour.
17:22And, of course, if no one coming to your party is gluten-free,
17:26just use regular plain flour.
17:28And then, just a couple of tablespoons of vinegar
17:31will transform this.
17:32Like, you have to trust me.
17:34We want your taste buds to be firing on all cylinders,
17:38like bass, mid and treble, right?
17:41Surround sound flavours.
17:44Now, this goes in.
17:45Let it sizzle up.
17:46It's all good.
17:47So, bring that to the boil
17:48and let that simmer for about 10 minutes.
17:51It smells incredible.
18:02Pull out the herbs, like the rosemary.
18:06They have done their job.
18:07So, we can get rid of those.
18:09And, ladle this into this liquidiser.
18:13The colour looks phenomenal.
18:17We're going to put this on top, like that.
18:18We don't want any mishaps.
18:19And, we'll start on the lowest setting.
18:22Super, super low.
18:23Slowly, slowly.
18:27Then, we can increase that speed.
18:35So, that's it.
18:37I'll push this through the core sieve.
18:40Just look at that blipping away.
18:42Beautiful.
18:43Right, let's have a little try.
18:45This is your opportunity to check the seasoning.
18:49Big, bold, delicious, elegant.
18:55That is an epic gravy.
18:57That is probably, in my opinion,
18:59one of the best veggie, vegan gravies I've ever had.
19:01Right?
19:01And, I like that consistency.
19:03The colour's amazing.
19:05We have now got epic gravy done.
19:07Right?
19:08Weeks before Christmas, the stress has gone.
19:10We're never going to run out.
19:11But, also, on Christmas Day, when you're resting the turkey, right,
19:14we just take that fat off the tray,
19:16with all the sticky bits in the bottom,
19:17and we put that in there,
19:19simmer it away,
19:19and you're going to get the best turkey gravy as well.
19:21This is a win-win scenario.
19:23So, you can put it in Tupperware.
19:25You can put it in these little bags.
19:27But, it's just a brilliant thing that gives you choices.
19:29And, that's going to free up time,
19:30and hopefully, make this the best Christmas ever.
19:33If you can make a really good stuffing at Christmas,
19:45people seem to go wild for it.
19:47And, I've got an amazing recipe that you can do well ahead of the game,
19:50which means you can devote more time to flavours and textures.
19:53We can make it up, get it in the freezer,
19:55and then, before Christmas Day, we can defrost it.
19:58This is going to be good.
20:00My festive get-ahead stuffing is brilliantly veggie.
20:03Packed with scrumptious squash, herbs, spices, fruit and nuts.
20:08Prep and freeze in advance
20:09as the perfect little present to yourself this Christmas.
20:13So, there's many, many ways you can do a stuffing.
20:15And, obviously, the history of stuffing
20:17was all about stretching the meat further.
20:20But, we're going to make this vegetarian.
20:22I want to introduce a few new flavours
20:24that I think are really Christmassy and really delicious.
20:26So, at the base of this is a button-up squash.
20:30So, get the tip of the knife, put it in nice and safely here,
20:32and then, just bring it down, like that.
20:34Then, pick it up, move it around.
20:37The tip is still in. We're going to go down.
20:40It's nice and easy, okay?
20:42Remove the seeds.
20:44You don't have to remove the peel,
20:46because it's really delicate, really thin and sweet and nutty.
20:49Go down the length of the squash again, nice and carefully.
20:53Some nice red onions, and then cut them into quarters.
20:59Add a little bit of sea salt.
21:02We want some pepper.
21:04And, also, best friends with squash, by the way,
21:07is ground coriander.
21:09So, a teaspoon,
21:11and a nice little pinch of cinnamon in there, as well.
21:14And, then, a classic spice that's often under-loved, nutmeg.
21:24Half a nutmeg goes in,
21:27and then, just a little olive oil.
21:29So, get your hands in there, toss it all up.
21:32So, this goes in the oven for about 40 minutes,
21:35at 190 degrees Celsius, which is 350 Fahrenheit.
21:38And, this will be the base of the best stuffing ever.
21:48So, the squash is nearly done,
21:50and I've got some lovely sage here.
21:51And, I want to show you a little tip
21:53that will transform this herb into something very special.
21:56Just a little olive oil, and just massage it.
21:59And, then, if I sprinkle this over the squash,
22:01just for five, ten minutes in the oven,
22:03they will go crispy crisp.
22:05So, if you have a little look at this,
22:07you can see, it's already shrunk.
22:11And, that shrinking is concentration of flavour.
22:13Let's sprinkle this over the top, right?
22:15And, putting that back in the oven, now,
22:17for five, ten minutes,
22:18these will go really crisp.
22:24So, a typical stuffing would often have,
22:27nearly always, bread.
22:28Right, breadcrumbs.
22:30500 grams I've got there.
22:32Remove the crust first.
22:34And, traditionally, you would always make stuffing with stale bread.
22:38So, what I'm going to do is rehydrate it with milk.
22:43And, we're just going to pour some milk in.
22:46Let's say, a couple of hundred mils.
22:48And, it will just soften it up.
22:51Squeeze it out.
22:52So, this excess milk here, we can just lose that.
22:57So, look, you can see, now, this is light and spongy.
23:02Let me just touch my hands.
23:05Now, currently, this stuffing is vegetarian.
23:07If I swap the milk for water,
23:09which is still very traditional,
23:11it will be vegan.
23:12And, if you wanted to,
23:14you could take a little batch of this beautiful stuffing
23:17and mix it with some sausage meat
23:19and have a meat version as well.
23:21They're all incredible.
23:22So, look.
23:24Oh, the colours and the smells.
23:27And, you can see how crisp this has gone.
23:33Unbelievable.
23:35Amazing flavour.
23:36So, now, what we can do
23:38is bejewel this beautiful stuffing.
23:43I've got some cranberries.
23:44A nice little handful.
23:46Sweet and sour.
23:47Secondly, like a little handful of pistachios.
23:51And, just cut through some of these.
23:55I'm going to use some of these vat-packed chestnuts.
24:00That is the flavour of Christmas.
24:02Come on.
24:03So, we can leave some whole.
24:05Some halved, like that.
24:06And, then some,
24:07we can literally break up
24:08like a little powder.
24:11And, sprinkle that on top.
24:13Now, in with the bread.
24:16I use the back of the spoon
24:17to kind of squash it.
24:20So, this is done now.
24:22Right?
24:22You can put it in the fridge
24:23for like two or three days.
24:24Easy peasy.
24:25Or, get it in the freezer
24:26like weeks before
24:27if you want to be super in advance.
24:28It's a great job done and dusted.
24:31So, what I would do if it was frozen
24:32is just take it out on Christmas Eve,
24:34let it defrost.
24:35And then, once that's defrosted,
24:36I like to do two things
24:38with the stuffing.
24:39The first thing is,
24:39I take a third
24:40and I'll stuff that into the turkey.
24:42And, that way,
24:43it'll absorb all the cooking juices.
24:45It'll be soft and gorgeous.
24:46But then, I take the other two thirds
24:48and I love to put it into a bowl
24:50or a tin.
24:52And then, that way,
24:53we can roast it in here
24:54and get crispy edges.
24:55A completely different experience.
24:57And, I promise you,
24:58people will be screaming
24:58about your stuffing.
25:00So, this is non-stick.
25:03So, I just like to double
25:04make sure it's non-stick
25:05by rubbing it with some olive oil.
25:07Then, I'm going to take
25:08two thirds of this lovely mix
25:10and pop it in here.
25:12Think of it almost like
25:13the most delicious,
25:15Christmassy, edible sandcastle.
25:19This goes into the oven
25:21at 180 degrees Celsius,
25:22which is 350 Fahrenheit,
25:23for about an hour
25:24until golden, crisp,
25:26and delicious.
25:26Look at that.
25:37Come on.
25:39So, simply get your mould
25:41and then hope
25:42for a turnout that works.
25:46I'm feeling good about it.
25:50Look at the sage as well.
25:51That is exactly
25:54what I wanted.
25:56Get in there.
26:00Look at that.
26:01Crispy on the outside.
26:03Soft in the middle.
26:05And, obviously,
26:06I've just cooked this
26:07to show you.
26:08But, I have to taste as well
26:09to give you
26:10my professional opinion.
26:14Mmm.
26:16It's really soft
26:17and light on the inside.
26:19On the outside,
26:21it's crunchy.
26:24And, those little kind
26:24of bejeweling
26:25of lovely cranberries
26:26and the lovely pistachios
26:28and the chestnuts.
26:29It's absolutely
26:29blooming delicious.
26:30That's another
26:31really important job
26:32done and dusted,
26:34so it's going to make
26:34your Christmas
26:35a little bit easier
26:36this year.
26:37Love it.
26:37Flavoured butters, I think,
26:46are an amazing principle
27:00that will serve you
27:01and your family
27:02really, really well.
27:03And, especially at Christmas,
27:05this is like a little bank,
27:06a little library
27:07of flavours
27:08in the form of butter
27:09that can go into
27:10so many dishes,
27:12leftovers,
27:12Christmas Day,
27:13Boxing Day,
27:14and beyond.
27:16My flavoured butters
27:17are the easiest way
27:18to get ahead
27:19with big flavour
27:20this Christmas.
27:22I'm making one
27:23with fresh parsley,
27:24watercress,
27:24and hot horse reddish
27:25to go with
27:26a gorgeous platter
27:27of greens
27:28and a mouth-tingling
27:30Prosecco orange
27:31and cumin butter
27:32that's perfect
27:32with carrots.
27:34Super simple
27:35and done in advance
27:36to add big flavour
27:37to veggies
27:38on Christmas Day.
27:40So, in here,
27:42pestle and mortar,
27:43get some lovely
27:44parsley,
27:45stalks and all.
27:46I've also got
27:47some watercress.
27:48It's nice and mustardy
27:49and beautiful.
27:50So, just pound it up.
27:52A little seasoning
27:53of salt
27:54helps create
27:56a little bit
27:56of abrasion.
27:57Just give it a bash
27:58for 20 seconds hardcore.
28:01And look at it.
28:02It's green,
28:03rustic.
28:04Now,
28:05this is a fresh
28:06horseradish.
28:07You just give it
28:07a little peel
28:08and then you can grate it
28:10and, of course,
28:11it's hot and spicy.
28:12You can buy
28:13the jarred stuff,
28:14creamed or not,
28:15it doesn't matter.
28:16So, we've got parsley,
28:18watercress,
28:19and horseradish.
28:20Nice.
28:21And then something
28:21that works really,
28:22really well
28:23with this
28:24is lemon.
28:25We'll use the zest
28:26because it's our best friend
28:27and the juice.
28:29So, make up
28:30your own combos.
28:31Look, there's no real
28:32right or wrong.
28:33And a little bit
28:34of lemon juice
28:34goes in here.
28:37Salt and pepper
28:38to season it.
28:39And then we'll go in
28:40with a pack of butter.
28:44Now, if you think
28:44about having
28:45three or four
28:46of these in your freezer
28:47at Christmastime,
28:48then you can dedicate
28:49one combo
28:50to Brussels sprouts
28:51and then one combo
28:53to some lovely carrots.
28:55And for me,
28:56when you look
28:56at the Christmas table,
28:57when each thing
28:58has got its own
28:59single-mindedness
29:00and unique flavour profile,
29:02that is when you've got
29:03a feast of all feasts.
29:05Now, I want to show you
29:07how to store
29:07this flavoured butter.
29:09Let me just wash my hands.
29:10Cut two sheets
29:13of greaseproof
29:13into quarters
29:15like this.
29:17Get this butter
29:19divided into four.
29:22Put this on top
29:22like that
29:23and press it down.
29:26Because it's nice
29:27and thin,
29:27when it's frozen,
29:28it's going to be
29:29a nice little envelope
29:30and I can just put it
29:31over a plate of something
29:32and it just goes
29:33and melts
29:34straight away.
29:35And each one
29:36of these little envelopes
29:37is like a little
29:38love letter
29:39to a piece of fish
29:40or a little bit of greens.
29:42And that's the way
29:43I look at it.
29:43So, in the freezer we go.
29:45Let me show you
29:46because I've got
29:47one I made earlier.
29:48If I just peel this off,
29:50what we have
29:51is a lovely little disc
29:52and they melt
29:53really, really quickly.
29:55Right.
29:56Classic combo.
29:57We're going to go
29:58orange
29:58and cumin.
30:00And that,
30:01with veggies,
30:02particularly carrots,
30:03is absolutely amazing.
30:05So, in a pestle and mortar again,
30:06I'll go in
30:07with some salt,
30:08some pepper,
30:09some thyme.
30:10You could use
30:11any woody herb
30:11but I think thyme
30:12and carrots
30:13is really, really nice.
30:14So, I'm just going to
30:15pick off the leaves
30:17like that.
30:18We'll get into a pan here,
30:19just like a couple
30:20of teaspoons
30:21of cumin seeds
30:22and just toast it up.
30:24By toasting it,
30:26you'll just reawaken
30:27those natural oils
30:28and the flavours
30:29and it'll just make
30:30a massive difference.
30:30a couple of little
30:35little bashes
30:35and we're done.
30:38Back to our little
30:39zester.
30:41Orange,
30:42cumin,
30:42thyme
30:43and garlic.
30:44An amazing combination.
30:45So, again,
30:46using that pestle and mortar
30:48or it could be
30:49a food processor
30:50or a lot of chopping
30:52and scrunching.
30:53So, I'm going to go in now
30:54with two cloves of garlic
30:55and we've got the toasted
30:59cumin there.
31:02Just kind of crack them.
31:04Oh, the smells.
31:06And then in with the butter.
31:13Let me show you
31:14a different format
31:15to store this flavoured butter.
31:19I just get a bit of greaseproof
31:20like that
31:21and get the butter
31:23in there like that
31:24and then roll it up.
31:26Twist up the ends
31:27like a Christmas cracker.
31:28Get it nice and tight
31:29and then if you put that
31:30in the freezer
31:30for like five minutes
31:31it will firm up a bit.
31:33Then you can slice it
31:34into little pre-portioned discs
31:35and then later on,
31:37weeks, months later,
31:38take a little disc
31:38and put that
31:39on something delicious
31:40to make it extra,
31:41extra special.
31:42Right.
31:43Let's get this in the freezer.
31:45So, if you've got ahead
31:46and frozen your butters
31:47a few weeks before Christmas,
31:49I'm going to show you
31:50exactly what to do
31:51on Christmas Day
31:52to give your veggies
31:54a big hit of festive flavour.
31:57I'm going to give you
31:57two recipes
31:58to celebrate these gorgeous
32:00butters this Christmas.
32:01The first recipe
32:02I just love
32:04because it's a little bit
32:05bonkers,
32:05it's a little bit eccentric,
32:07it's very Christmas.
32:09So, it's carrots in the bag.
32:11Simply get a wide piece
32:12of tinfoil.
32:14On the bottom,
32:15I'll have two pieces
32:16like that
32:18and then grab
32:18a little plate,
32:21press the tinfoil down
32:22into the shape of the plate.
32:24Then I've got
32:25some lovely carrots here.
32:27Look at these.
32:28These have been washed,
32:29cut them
32:30into little angled pieces
32:32like this.
32:34Cooking in the bag
32:35is primarily
32:36about steaming.
32:38Right.
32:38The moisture goes
32:39to the top of the bag
32:40and then evaporates down again
32:41and goes to the bottom
32:42and boils up again.
32:43You're just kind of
32:43basting whatever
32:44you're cooking in that bag
32:45with that flavour.
32:47So, it's clever.
32:48Let's get
32:49our beautiful butter
32:50out of the freezer
32:52and a little bottle
32:53of something nice
32:54because it's Christmas time.
32:57So, in this recipe
32:58you've got that
32:59incredible marriage
33:00and combination
33:00of butter
33:02and then liquid
33:03which is in the form
33:04of some nice bubbles.
33:06Right.
33:06Because it's Christmas time.
33:07But it could be white wine,
33:09it could even be red wine,
33:10it could be cider,
33:11it could be orange juice,
33:12it could be water.
33:15Merry Christmas.
33:17So, look,
33:17just put a little splodge
33:18of the good stuff
33:20in there
33:20and I'll have
33:23a little splodge
33:24of stuff in there
33:26as well.
33:27If you want
33:28to put some herb
33:29in, time tips,
33:30I'll take a bit of that.
33:32So, two pieces
33:32of tinfoil
33:33in the bottom
33:33just to keep it
33:34nice and solid.
33:35One piece
33:36on the top.
33:37If you egg wash
33:38the side
33:39of this little envelope
33:40when you seal it,
33:42no steam
33:42will get out
33:43and all of that flavour
33:45and that liquid
33:46will stay
33:46in that little foil envelope
33:49and then it will puff up
33:50like something crazy
33:52out of a cartoon.
33:54So, just put that
33:55over the carrots
33:56like that,
33:57fold it up
33:57and pinch
33:58and you can see
33:59this is quite a robust thing now.
34:01This can go in the fridge,
34:02you can do it
34:02the day before Christmas,
34:03two days before Christmas
34:04and then on the big day
34:05you can do this
34:06on the hob
34:07which is really convenient
34:08and as this starts
34:10puffing up a little bit
34:11and you'll hear
34:11the tinfoil
34:12just going
34:12kink, kink, kink, kink, kink
34:13then turn it down
34:14to medium.
34:15Give it about 20 minutes
34:16and you'll have
34:17the most delicious
34:18carrots ever.
34:20Right, let me show you
34:21how to take simple
34:22humble greens
34:23and make them spectacular.
34:26At Christmas time
34:27oven space
34:27and hob space
34:28is at a premium
34:29so when you can't go out
34:30you go up.
34:32So, what we're going to do
34:33is have boiling
34:33and steaming.
34:35So, brussel sprouts
34:36go in
34:37and then when it comes
34:39to your layers
34:39what I love about this
34:41is you just get
34:41another little steamer
34:42insert
34:42and you can add
34:43another veg, right?
34:44Like a cabbage-y leaf
34:45just kind of have fun
34:46with it
34:47whatever your family loves.
34:49And then if you wanted
34:49to add some peas
34:50you absolutely can
34:52and then with five minutes
34:54to go
34:54before you want to eat
34:55your Christmas dinner
34:56kettle boiled
34:57brussels
34:58come up to the boil
34:59then we go on
35:01with our steamer
35:02all very chill
35:03all very nice
35:05they'll literally only need
35:06like four
35:07five minutes max
35:08and then
35:09it's butter time.
35:16So, we can take
35:18our fantastic
35:19frozen get-ahead butter
35:20and I'll lay that
35:22on the top here
35:23lid back on top
35:25and that butter's
35:28just going to
35:28over the peas
35:30broccoli
35:30charred
35:31through the holes
35:32onto the lovely cabbages
35:34and the last bits
35:35going through the holes
35:36will go onto the brussels
35:37down the bottom.
35:39Happy days.
35:44Let's get a nice
35:45little platter
35:46we can lay out
35:48the different veggies
35:49the lovely peas
35:50cavalloneer and kale
35:54and then with the last
35:56empty steamer
35:57we can use that
35:58as a colander
35:59and if you need
36:00any liquid
36:00for your gravy
36:01you can use that
36:02and look at that
36:06a lovely little platter
36:08of quickly cooked greens
36:10let's have a little try
36:10delicious
36:14horseradish
36:15watercress
36:15it's an amazing
36:17combination
36:17let's do the carrots
36:19come on
36:19look at that
36:21it is brilliant
36:22get a platter
36:23it's hot
36:25so use a pair
36:26of tongs
36:26just to pick it up
36:27imagine that
36:29going to the
36:29Christmas table
36:29the turkey platter
36:31the gravy
36:32seaming away
36:32you've got the veg
36:33but then at the table
36:34all confident
36:35and that
36:38is the coolest
36:39thing ever
36:39I think this
36:41is the quickest
36:41easiest way
36:42to big flavour
36:44on Christmas day
36:45I've got a delicious
37:04festive dessert
37:04that is the perfect
37:05get ahead recipe
37:07this is my
37:08Christmas arctic roll
37:09a fantastic
37:10principle recipe
37:11for any time
37:12of the year
37:13but I want to show you
37:14how you can make it
37:14incredibly Christmassy
37:16my get ahead
37:18chocolate arctic roll
37:19is the perfect
37:20combination of
37:21festive flavours
37:22and the best bit
37:24it can all be done
37:25well in advance
37:26with a clementine
37:28flavoured
37:28no churn ice cream
37:29and cranberries
37:30wrapped in a
37:31decadent chocolate sponge
37:33this is the
37:34ultimate treat
37:35to add a bit of
37:35sparkle to your
37:36Christmas table
37:37it is so
37:40so simple
37:41first up
37:42let's choose the flavour
37:43clementines
37:44the flavour
37:44of Christmas
37:45remove just the
37:47beautiful orange zest
37:49this is full of flavour
37:51so get a pan on the heat
37:52by squeezing this juice
37:54into the pan
37:55right we'll reduce it down
37:57and it will give
37:59this beautiful ice cream
38:00the most amazing flavour
38:01I'm going to use
38:02five nice juicy clementines
38:04now in the bowl here
38:07we're going to go in
38:08with 600 milliliters
38:09of double cream
38:10and start to whisk it up
38:13get the air into it
38:14you want it to be
38:16soft peaks
38:16which is thickened
38:18and definitely not thick
38:19don't over whisk it
38:21so that is how I want it
38:24nice and soft
38:25nice and delicate
38:26so into here
38:27I'm going to get a tin
38:29of condensed milk
38:30this is normally about
38:32sort of 400 grams
38:32so think of this
38:34almost like your basic
38:35vanilla ice cream
38:36we've got the syrup here
38:38you can see the juice
38:40has gone down by a quarter
38:42if you want to cool it down
38:44quickly
38:44literally just get the pan
38:46and I just hold it
38:47into a little bowl
38:48of cold water
38:49this is Christmas
38:52intensified
38:53then we back it up
38:56with the zest
38:57and then we just
38:58fold it through
38:59and put it into
39:02a little tray
39:03like this
39:03flatten it out
39:05a little bit
39:05that tiny little bit
39:07of zest
39:08left over
39:08beautiful
39:10and you can do this
39:12a week
39:12two weeks
39:13three weeks
39:13in advance
39:14but I want to show you
39:15how you can turn this
39:16into an epic
39:18classic Christmas dessert
39:19whack that in the freezer
39:21for three or four hours
39:22and then it will be ready
39:23and raring to go
39:24right let me show you
39:28how to make the simplest
39:29chocolate sponge
39:30get yourself
39:31three lovely large
39:32organic eggs
39:33into our mixer
39:35and in with a hundred
39:39grams of
39:40golden caster sugar
39:42I think that is looking
39:51pretty good
39:52so the way to tell
39:54if it's ready
39:54is you can see
39:56that it's like
39:57almost tripled
39:58in volume
39:59then I'm going to take
40:0175 grams
40:02of plain flour
40:04put it through a sieve
40:05and I'm going to flavor it
40:08with cocoa powder
40:0925 grams
40:10pretty much
40:12a heaped tablespoon
40:13and then we're just
40:15going to fold it through
40:16so what I've got here
40:22is a typical baking tray
40:23this is 38 centimetres
40:25by 25
40:26I've rubbed it with butter
40:28bit of greaseproof paper
40:29and then in we go
40:30with our lovely
40:32chocolate sponge
40:32get it to those corners
40:35so this goes in the oven
40:39for just 10 minutes
40:40at 180 degrees celsius
40:42which is 350 fahrenheit
40:44nice and gently
40:46the sponge has had
40:54just under 10 minutes
40:56I've got a damp
40:58clean cloth here
40:58which I'll lay out
40:59and then I'll get
41:01some greaseproof paper
41:02and then I want a little bit
41:06of golden caster sugar
41:07just to sprinkle on top
41:08this just gives the sponge
41:10a little finish
41:11super old school
41:12love it
41:13okay
41:13let's get our sponge
41:15and I'm just going to
41:17turn it out
41:18super confident
41:18one, two, three
41:20and then while it's warm
41:23just start getting that
41:25bit of greaseproof paper
41:27it's very satisfying
41:30what I'm going to do
41:33is fold over the greaseproof paper
41:34and start to loosely
41:36fold it up
41:37by rolling this up
41:40while the sponge
41:41is still warm
41:42it's flexible
41:43if I let that flat sponge
41:45cool down
41:46and then I went to roll it up
41:47it would most likely
41:48crack multiple times
41:50which isn't as cool
41:50so let that cool down
41:52let the ice cream freeze
41:54and when that's ready to go
41:55then I'll show you
41:56how to put this all together
41:57the ice cream
42:09has just
42:10frozen beautifully
42:12and then whenever
42:13I want to use it
42:14I just place it
42:15in the fridge
42:16for like
42:1615-20 minutes
42:18and it's scoopable
42:19pretty quick
42:20here is the sponge part
42:22which has cooled down
42:22and I'll just
42:23unfold this
42:24I'm going to take
42:27this beautiful
42:28cranberry sauce
42:29and I'll give it
42:31a nice thick layer
42:32then
42:35I've got some
42:36chocolate orange here
42:37take a little wodge
42:38and then break it up
42:40over the top
42:41like that
42:42but do whatever
42:44chocolate you like
42:44right
42:45push this to one side
42:46then we've got
42:48our beautiful
42:49no churn ice cream
42:50so this is a fun bit
42:51I'm going to take
42:52a bit of the greaseproof paper
42:54and I'm going to take
42:57this ice cream
42:59then
43:02I'm going to grab the greaseproof
43:04don't worry about it
43:06getting messy
43:06roll it up
43:08and use your hands
43:09just to push it
43:10into a kind of cigar shape
43:12squeeze the sides
43:13and we can just roll that
43:15like that
43:15don't worry about the mess
43:16get your sponge
43:17and then basically
43:19we can unravel it
43:21just put it on like that
43:22then we roll it up
43:25as tight as possible
43:27then get yourself some foil
43:30roll it up
43:32and really put pressure on it
43:34as you do it
43:35then you can go to the outside
43:37like a Christmas cracker
43:38and squeeze it
43:39and roll it up
43:40and then you get that
43:42fantastic shape
43:43right
43:43so that now goes in the freezer
43:45you can do this a week before
43:46two weeks before
43:47it is
43:48the most brilliant
43:49get ahead dessert
43:50whack it in there
43:51and then you're ready and rocking
43:53so if we've made this
43:55and frozen it a few weeks
43:56before Christmas
43:57I'm going to show you
43:59exactly what to do
44:00on Christmas day
44:01to serve up this
44:02deliciously decadent
44:03get ahead dessert
44:04so once it's frozen up
44:07it's really robust
44:08and when you're ready
44:10and raring to go
44:10unwrap it
44:11like a Christmas present
44:13actually this is a nice
44:14Christmas present
44:15now I quite like the idea
44:19of giving it a dusting
44:21of cocoa powder
44:22right just to give it
44:24that nice finish
44:25after like a couple of minutes
44:27out of the freezer
44:28and you can slice through
44:29hallelujah
44:34hallelujah
44:35it's just beautiful
44:37go for another one
44:38look at it
44:41guys
44:43retro
44:45arctic roll
44:47merry Christmas
44:52honestly
44:53Santa's going to be so proud
44:56of you
44:56to start kind of like
44:58taking holly
44:59and all that kind of
45:00melarchs
45:00come on let's make it look nice
45:02I want something for the top
45:04take a little bar of chocolate
45:06right and we're just going to
45:07slowly but surely
45:08drag this
45:09towards you
45:11and that's what you get
45:15put it on the top
45:17let me show you on the white chocolate
45:18let's get Rudolph
45:23in on the act
45:24you can take
45:26little sparklers
45:27come on
45:30merry Christmas
45:31and if I just try a little bit here
45:34oh come on
45:43the sourness
45:45of the cranberry
45:46with that beautiful
45:47clementine ice cream
45:49is a thing
45:50of joy
45:51and wrapped in that chocolate sponge
45:53is just so good
45:54that is what it's all about
45:56this really could be
45:58the best
45:58Christmas
45:59ever
46:00next time
46:02I'll show you how we can get ahead
46:04in the days before Christmas
46:05with a stunning starter
46:07the most incredible way to cook turkey
46:10and a batter for an epic Yorkshire pudding
46:13all done and dusted ahead of time
46:16merry Christmas everyone
46:21well that's being served up
46:25next Monday night at eight
46:26or right now
46:27if you just can't wait
46:28and have a few quid
46:29in your pocket
46:29stream the whole series
46:30on channel four plus
46:31go on
46:32call it an early Christmas
46:33present to yourself
46:34next tonight
46:35minute by minute
46:36a brand new troubling case
46:37comes under investigation
46:38in 24 hours
46:39in police custody
46:40you
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