- 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.
12:13Look at that!
12:20Come on!
12:23Look at that!
12:26I love the scores.
12:27I love the cracks where the juices are just spilling out.
12:31Let's get a nice little slice
12:36That he's like opening up a beautiful little edible Christmas present perfectly cooked pastry
12:45Let's have a try
12:54We're going to pop
12:59I mean
13:00Double Cobb
13:02We're a flouncing of fennel
13:04And beautiful, oozy, creamy, cheesy
13:07Gorgeousness, the nutmeg here is just phenomenal
13:11That is so, so delicious
13:13That in the middle of the table with all the Christmas trimmings
13:16It's going to be amazing
13:17Two recipes in one
13:19Give yourself options
13:21Happy Bloomin' Christmas
13:23Behind every great roast dinner is an incredible gravy
13:36Behind every great roast dinner is an incredible gravy and I want to show you a fantastic get-ahead gravy
13:51That is not only going to please the meat-eaters but the veggies and the vegans and the gluten-free
13:56Yes, I've got you covered
13:59This Christmas gravy is an absolute game-changer with a dried mushroom and herb stock, blackberry jam and festive port
14:08It's rich, comforting and really is good for everyone
14:12Perfect to get all wrapped up well ahead of Christmas
14:15Now for meat-eaters like having gravy made out of stock and bones and all the kind of meat drippings and stuff like that
14:22That is easy big flavour achieved
14:25But if we wind back to veggie and vegan world you need a few bits of technique and ingredients to make it utterly undeniably delicious
14:33And I've written this recipe so we can actually look after everyone
14:36We're starting with two onions
14:38Just roughly chop those
14:40Nice big pan on a medium heat
14:43In here we go with some olive oil
14:46We're going to go in with our onions
14:48And we'll start to fry these off
14:51Then I've got some lovely carrots here
14:53So the carrots have had a nice little wash
14:55Don't peel them
14:56There's a lot of flavour in the skin
14:58And we'll simply just split these in half
15:00And then roughly chop these as well
15:03So onions in
15:08Carrots in
15:09Now instead of just kind of putting liquid on there and boiling straight away
15:12What I want to do is invest time into
15:15Concentrating and caramelising all the natural sugars in the onion and the carrots
15:20That's going to give us colour
15:21We want gravy to be dark
15:23And it's going to give us massive flavour
15:25Season a little bit with salt and pepper
15:28Now celery is fantastic
15:32It's fragrant
15:33And we're just going to roughly chop that up
15:35And as that fries away
15:37I want to start thinking about a nice beautiful stock
15:41I'm going to use dried mushrooms
15:43Now look at these
15:44Dried mushrooms are amazing
15:46You can get them from the supermarkets
15:48And when you dry mushrooms
15:51It's really hearty flavours that you're going to get from this
15:54And just a small amount will make all the difference
15:57Put in here like a litre, litre and a half of boiling water
16:02We're going to rehydrate the mushrooms
16:05And they'll start giving off incredible colour
16:08So what else can we do?
16:10Things like rosemary
16:11You can put that also into this lovely homemade stock
16:16We're going to go in with some bay leaves
16:19And some lovely thyme as well
16:21It's all flavour
16:22I'll add now your typical veggie stock cube into here
16:26Now there's all kinds of different yeast extracts that you can get
16:30This is a fantastic way to give your veggie vegan gravy more colour
16:34More depth of flavour
16:35And a nice base of seasoning
16:37So let that infuse
16:39Now let's have a little look at the pan
16:41It's getting dark now
16:42Don't be afraid of that
16:43Add fresh herbs to this as well
16:46So some rosemary goes in
16:48Bay leaf
16:50We take a little bit of thyme
16:52Now I'm going to use a couple of nice teaspoons of blackcurrant or blackberry jam
16:58This sweetness balances your beautiful gravy
17:01So I'm going to stir that in with a nice lug of port
17:05The jam and the port makes this an amazing Christmas gravy
17:11And then a little tomato puree
17:14So a couple of tablespoons
17:16And then two tablespoons of gluten free flour
17:21And 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 will transform this
17:32Like you have to trust me
17:34We want your taste buds to be firing on all cylinders
17:38Like base, mid and treble
17:40Surround sound flavours
17:42Now this goes in
17:44Let it sizzle up
17:45It's all good
17:46So bring that to the boil
17:48And let that simmer for about 10 minutes
17:59It smells incredible
18:01Pull out the herbs
18:03Like the rosemary
18:05They have done their job
18:06So we can get rid of those
18:08And ladle this
18:10Into this liquidiser
18:12The colour looks phenomenal
18:14We'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
18:21Super, super low
18:22Slowly, slowly
18:23Then we can increase that speed
18:29So that's it
18:31I'll push this through the core sieve
18:39Just look at that blipping away
18:41Beautiful
18:42Right, let's have a little try
18:43This is your opportunity to check the seasoning
18:47Big
18:51Bold
18:52Delicious
18:53Elegant
18:54That
18:55Is an epic gravy
18:56That is probably
18:57In my opinion
18:58One of the best veggie vegan gravies I've ever had
19:00Right
19:01And I like that consistency
19:02The colour's amazing
19:03We have now got epic gravy
19:06Done
19:07Right, weeks before Christmas
19:08The stress has gone
19:09We're never going to run out
19:10But also
19:11On Christmas day
19:12When you're resting the turkey
19:13Right, we just take that fat off the tray
19:15With all the sticky bits in the bottom
19:17And we put that in there
19:18Simmer it away
19:19And you're going to get the best turkey gravy as well
19:21This is a win-win scenario
19:22So
19:23You can put it in Tupperware
19:24You can put it in these little bags
19:26But it's just a brilliant thing that gives you choices
19:28And 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
19:54Get it in the freezer
19:55And then before Christmas day we can defrost it
19:57This is going to be good
19:59My festive get-ahead stuffing is brilliantly veggie
20:02Packed with scrumptious squash, herbs, spices, fruit and nuts
20:06Prep and freeze in advance
20:08As the perfect little present to yourself this Christmas
20:11So there's many, many ways you can do a stuffing
20:14And obviously the history of stuffing was all about stretching the meat further
20:19But we're going to make this vegetarian
20:21I want to introduce a few new flavours that I think are really Christmassy and really delicious
20:25So at the base of this is a button-up squash
20:28So get the tip of the knife
20:30Put it in nice and safely here
20:32And then just bring it down like that
20:34Then pick it up
20:35Move it around
20:36The tip is still in
20:37We're going to go down
20:39It's nice and easy okay
20:41Remove the seeds
20:43You don't have to remove the peel
20:45Because it's really delicate
20:47Really thin and sweet and nutty
20:49Go down the length of the squash again nice and carefully
20:52Some nice red onions
20:55And then cut them into quarters
20:58Add a little bit of sea salt
21:01We want some pepper
21:03And also best friends with squash by the way
21:06Is ground coriander
21:08So a teaspoon
21:10And a nice little pinch of cinnamon in there as well
21:13And then a classic spice
21:16That's often underloved
21:19Nutmeg
21:24Half a nutmeg goes in
21:26And then just a little olive oil
21:28So get your hands in there
21:30Toss it all up
21:32So this goes in the oven
21:33For about 40 minutes
21:34At 190 degrees Celsius
21:36Which is 350 Fahrenheit
21:38And this will be the base of the best stuffing ever
21:48So the squash is nearly done
21:49And I've got some lovely sage here
21:51And I want to show you a little tip
21:52That will transform this herb
21:54Into something very special
21:55Just a little olive oil
21:56And just massage it
21:58And then if I sprinkle this over the squash
22:00Just for 5-10 minutes in the oven
22:02They will go crispy crisp
22:04So if you have a little look at this
22:07You can see it's already shrunk
22:10And that shrinking is concentration of flavour
22:12Then sprinkle this over the top
22:14And putting that back in the oven now
22:16For 5-10 minutes
22:17These will go really crisp
22:24So a typical stuffing would often have
22:26Nearly always
22:27Bread
22:28Breadcrumbs
22:29500 grams I've got there
22:31Remove
22:32The crust
22:33First
22:34And traditionally
22:35You would always make stuffing
22:37With stale bread
22:38So what I'm going to do
22:39Is rehydrate it
22:40With milk
22:43And we're just going to pour
22:44Some milk in
22:45Let's say a couple of hundred mils
22:47And it will just soften it up
22:49Squeeze it out
22:51So this excess milk here
22:54We can just lose that
22:55So look you can see
22:57Now this is light
22:58And spongy
22:59Let me just touch my hands
23:00Now currently this stuffing is vegetarian
23:02If I swap the milk for water
23:03Which is still very traditional
23:04It will be vegan
23:05And if you wanted to
23:06You could take a little batch
23:07Of this beautiful stuffing
23:08And mix it with some sausage meat
23:09And have a meat version as well
23:10They're all incredible
23:11So look
23:12Oh the colours and the smells
23:25And you can see how crisp this has gone
23:29Unbelievable
23:30Amazing flavour
23:31So now what we can do
23:33Is bejewel this beautiful stuffing
23:36I've got some cranberries
23:39A nice little handful
23:40Sweet and sour
23:41Secondly
23:42I've got some cranberries
23:43A nice little handful
23:44Sweet and sour
23:45Secondly
23:46Like a little handful
23:48Of pistachios
23:49And just cut through some of these
23:51I'm going to use some of these vat packed
23:55Chestnuts
23:56That is the flavour of Christmas
23:57Come on
23:59So we can leave some whole
24:00Some halved like that
24:01And make some of those
24:03And then make some of those
24:04some halved like that and then some we can literally break up like a little powder
24:10and sprinkle that on top now in with the bread
24:14I use the back of the spoon to kind of squash it
24:19so this is done now right you can put it in the fridge for like two or three days
24:24easy peasy or get it in the freezer like weeks before if you want to be super in advance
24:28it's a great job done and dusted so what I would do if it was frozen is just take it out on Christmas
24:33Eve let it defrost and then once that's defrosted I like to do two things with the stuffing the
24:39first thing is I take a third and I'll stuff that into the turkey and that way it'll absorb all the
24:44cooking juices it'll be soft and gorgeous but then I take the other two thirds and I love to put it
24:49into a bowl or a tin and then that way we can roast it in here and get crispy edges a completely
24:56different experience and I promise you people will be screaming about your stuffing so this is
25:02non-stick so I just like to double make sure it's non-stick by rubbing it with some olive oil
25:07then I'm going to take two thirds of this lovely mix and pop it in here think of it almost like
25:14the most delicious Christmassy edible sandcastle
25:19this goes into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius which is 350 Fahrenheit for about an hour until golden
25:25crisp and delicious
25:36look at that come on so simply get your mould and then hope for a turnout that works I'm feeling good
25:47about it look at the sage as well that is exactly what I wanted
25:59get in there look at that crispy on the outside soft in the middle and obviously I've just cooked
26:07this to show you but I have to taste as well to give you my professional opinion
26:11mmm it's really soft and light on the inside on the outside it's crunchy and those little kind
26:24of bejeweling of lovely cranberries and the lovely pistachios and the chestnuts it's absolutely blooming
26:30delicious that's another really important job done and dusted so it's going to make your Christmas a
26:35little bit easier this year love it
26:57flavoured butters I think are an amazing principle that will serve you and your family really really
27:03well and especially at Christmas this is like a little bank a little library of flavors in the
27:08form of butter that can go into so many dishes leftovers Christmas day Boxing day and beyond
27:16my flavoured butters are the easiest way to get ahead with big flavour this Christmas
27:21I'm making one with fresh parsley watercress and hot horse reddish to go with a gorgeous platter of greens
27:27and a mouth tingling prosecco orange and cumin butter that's perfect with carrots
27:34super simple and done in advance to add big flavour to veggies on Christmas day
27:41so in here pestle and mortar get some lovely parsley stalks and all I've also got some watercress it's nice
27:48and mustardy and beautiful so just pound it up the little seasoning of salt helps create a little bit of
27:56abrasion just give it a bash for 20 seconds hardcore
28:01and look at it it's green rustic now this is a fresh horseradish you just give it a little peel
28:08and then you can grate it and of course it's hot and spicy you can buy the jarred stuff creamed or
28:15not it doesn't matter so we've got parsley watercress and horseradish nice and then something that works
28:22really really well with this is lemon we'll use the zest because it's our best friend and the juice
28:29so make up your own combos look there's no real right or wrong and a little bit of lemon juice goes
28:35in here salt and pepper to season it and then we'll go in with a pack of butter
28:41now if you think about having three or four of these in your freezer at Christmas time then you
28:48can dedicate one combo to brussel sprouts and then one combo to some lovely carrots and for me when you
28:56look at the Christmas table when each thing has got its own single-mindedness and unique flavour profile
29:02that is when you've got a feast of all feasts now i want to show you how to store this flavoured butter
29:09let me just wash my hands cut two sheets of grease proof into quarters like this get this butter
29:20divided into four put this on top like that and press it down because it's nice and thin when it's frozen
29:28it's going to be a nice little envelope and i can just put it over a plate of something and it just
29:32goes and melts straight away and each one of these little envelopes is like a little love letter to a
29:39piece of fish or a little bit of greens and that's the way i look at it so in the freezer we go let me
29:46show you because i've got one i made earlier if i just peel this off what we have is a lovely little
29:52disc and they melt really really quickly right classic combo we're going to go orange and cumin
30:00and that with veggies particularly carrots is absolutely amazing so in a pestle and mortar again
30:06i'll go in with some salt some pepper some thyme you could use any woody herb but i think thyme
30:12and carrots is really really nice so i'm just going to pick off the leaves like that we'll get into a pan
30:19here just like a couple of teaspoons of cumin seeds and just toast it up by toasting it you'll
30:26just reawaken those natural oils and the flavors and it'll just make a massive difference
30:34couple of little bashes
30:37and we're done back to our little zester orange cumin thyme and garlic an amazing combination so again
30:47using that pestle and mortar or it could be a food processor or a lot of chopping and scrunching
30:53so i'm going to go in now with two cloves of garlic
30:58and we've got the toasted cumin there just kind of crack them oh the smells and then in with the butter
31:07let me show you a different format to store this flavored butter i just get a bit of grease proof like
31:21that and get the butter in there like that and then roll it up twist up the ends like a christmas
31:27cracker get it nice and tight and then if you put that in the freezer for like five minutes it will firm
31:32up a bit then you can slice it into little pre-portioned discs and then later on weeks months
31:37later take a little disc and put that on something delicious to make it extra extra special right let's
31:43get this in the freezer so if you've got ahead and frozen your butters a few weeks before christmas
31:49i'm going to show you exactly what to do on christmas day to give your veggies a big hit of festive flavor
31:55i'm going to give you two recipes to celebrate these gorgeous butters this christmas the first
32:02recipe i just love because it's a little bit bonkers it's a little bit eccentric it's very christmas
32:09so it's carrots in the bag simply get a wide piece of tin foil on the bottom i'll have two pieces
32:17like that and then grab a little plate press the tin foil down into the shape of the plate
32:23then i've got some lovely carrots here look at these these have been washed cut them into little
32:31angled pieces like this cooking in the bag is primarily about steaming right the moisture goes
32:39to the top of the bag and then evaporates down again and goes to the bottom and boils up again
32:42you're just kind of basting whatever you're cooking in that bag with that flavor so it's clever let's get
32:48our beautiful butter out of the freezer and a little bottle of something nice because it's
32:55christmas time so in this recipe you've got that incredible marriage and combination of butter and
33:02then liquid which is in the form of some nice bubbles right because it's christmas time but it could be
33:08white wine it could even be red wine it could be cider it could be orange juice it could be water
33:12merry christmas so let's just put a little splodge of the good stuff in there and uh i'll have a
33:23little splodge of stuff in there as well if you want to put some herb in time tips i'll take a bit of
33:31that so two pieces of tin foil in the bottom just to keep it nice and solid uh one piece on the top
33:36if you egg wash the side of this little envelope when you seal it no steam will get out and all
33:44of that flavor and that liquid will stay in that little foil envelope and then it will puff up like
33:51something crazy out of a cartoon so just put that over the carrots like that fold it up and pinch and
33:58you can see this is quite a robust thing now this can go in the fridge you can do it the day before
34:03christmas two days before christmas and then on the big day you can do this on the hob which is
34:07really convenient and as this starts puffing up a little bit and you'll hear the tin foil just going
34:12kink kink kink kink kink then turn it down to medium give it about 20 minutes and you'll have the most
34:17delicious carrots ever right let me show you how to take simple humble greens and make them spectacular
34:25at christmas time oven space and hob space is at a premium so when you can't go out you go up so
34:32what we're going to do is have boiling and steaming so brussels sprouts go in and then when it comes
34:38to your layers what i love about this is you just get another little steamer insert and you can add
34:43another veg right like a cabbage leaf just kind of have fun with it whatever your family loves and then
34:49if you wanted to add some peas you absolutely can and then with five minutes to go before you want to
34:55eat your christmas dinner kettle boiled brussels come up to the boil then we'll go on with our steamer
35:02all very chill all very nice they'll literally only need like four five minutes max and then it's butter time
35:17so we can take our fantastic frozen get ahead butter and i'll lay that on the top here
35:23lid back on top and that butter's just gonna over the peas broccoli chard through the holes onto the
35:33lovely cabbages and the last bits going through the holes will go on to the brussels down the bottom
35:39happy days
35:44let's get a nice little platter we can lay out the different veggies at the lovely peas
35:50cavalo nero and kale and then with the last empty steamer we can use that as a colander and if you
36:00need any liquid for your gravy you can use that
36:02and look at that a lovely little platter of quickly cooked greens let's have a little try
36:13delicious horseradish watercress it's an amazing combination let's do the carrots come on look at
36:20that it is brilliant get a platter it's hot so use a pair of tongs just to pick it up imagine that going
36:29to the christmas table the turkey platter the gravy seam in the way you got the veg but then at the
36:34table all confident and that is the coolest thing ever i think this is the quickest easiest way to big
36:43flavor on christmas day
36:55i've got a delicious festive dessert that is the perfect get ahead recipe this is my christmas arctic
37:09roll the fantastic principal recipe for any time of the year but i want to show you how you can make
37:14it incredibly christmassy my get ahead chocolate arctic roll is the perfect combination of festive flavors
37:22and the best bit it can all be done well in advance with a clementine flavored no-churn ice cream
37:29and cranberries wrapped in a decadent chocolate sponge this is the ultimate treat to add a bit of
37:35sparkle to your christmas table it is so so simple first up let's choose the flavor clementines the
37:44flavor of christmas remove just the beautiful orange zest this is full of flavor so get
37:52a pan on heat by squeezing this juice into the pan right we'll reduce it down and it will give this
37:59beautiful ice cream the most amazing flavor i'm going to use five nice juicy clementines
38:06now in the bowl here we're going to go in with 600 milliliters of double cream
38:11and start to whisk it up get the air into it you want it to be soft peaks which is thickened
38:18and definitely not thick don't over whisk it so that is how i want it nice and soft nice and delicate
38:26so into here i'm going to get a tin of condensed milk this is normally about 400 grams so think of
38:33this almost like your basic vanilla ice cream we've got the syrup here you can see the juice has gone down
38:41by a quarter if you want to cool it down quickly literally just get the pan and i just hold it
38:47into a little bowl of cold water this is christmas intensified then we back it up with the zest
38:57and then we just fold it through
39:01and put it into a little tray like this flatten it out a little bit
39:05that tiny little bit of zest left over beautiful and you can do this a week two weeks three weeks
39:13in advance but i want to show you how you can turn this into an epic classic christmas dessert whack
39:20that in the freezer for three or four hours and then it'll be ready and raring to go
39:28right let me show you how to make the simplest chocolate sponge get yourself three lovely large
39:32organic eggs into our mixer and in with a hundred grams of golden caster sugar
39:50i think that is looking pretty good so the way to tell if it's ready is you can see that it's like
39:57almost tripled in volume then i'm going to take 75 grams of plain flour put it through a sieve
40:06and i'm going to flavor it with cocoa powder 25 grams pretty much a heaped tablespoon and then we're
40:14just going to fold it through
40:20so what i've got here is a typical baking tray this is 38 centimeters by 25
40:26i've rubbed it with butter a bit of greaseproof paper and then in we go with our lovely chocolate sponge
40:34get it to those corners
40:38so this goes in the oven for just 10 minutes at 180 degrees celsius which is 350 fahrenheit nice and gently
40:45the sponge has had just under 10 minutes i've got a damp clean cloth here which i'll lay out
41:00and then i'll get some greaseproof paper
41:05and then i want a little bit of golden cast sugar just to sprinkle on top
41:09this just gives the sponge a little finish super old school love it okay let's get our sponge
41:16and i'm just going to turn it out super confident one two three
41:22and then while it's warm just start getting that bit of greaseproof paper
41:27it's very satisfying what i'm going to do is fold over the greaseproof paper
41:35and start to loosely fold it up by rolling this up while the sponge is still warm it's flexible if i
41:44let that flat sponge cool down and then i went to roll it up it would most likely crack multiple times
41:49which isn't as cool so let that cool down let the ice cream freeze and when that's ready to go then i'll
41:55show you how to put this all together
42:08the ice cream has just frozen beautifully and then whenever i want to use it i just place it in the
42:15fridge for like 15 20 minutes and it's scoopable pretty quick here is the sponge part which has
42:22cooled down and i'll just unfold this i'm going to take this beautiful cranberry sauce and i'll give
42:30it a nice thick layer
42:35then i've got some chocolate orange here take a little watch and then break it up over the top like
42:41that but do whatever chocolate you like right push this to one side then we've got our beautiful no churn
42:50ice cream so this is a fun bit i'm going to take a bit of the greaseproof paper and i'm going to take
42:58this ice cream
43:01then i'm going to grab the grease proof don't worry about it getting messy roll it up and use your hands
43:09just to push it into a kind of cigar shape squeeze the sides and we can just roll that like that
43:15don't worry about the mess get your sponge and then basically we can unravel it just put it on like
43:22that
43:24then we roll it up as tight as possible then get yourself some foil
43:31roll it up and really put pressure on it as you do it
43:36then you can go to the outside like a christmas cracker and squeeze it and roll it up and then you
43:41get that fantastic shape right so that now goes in the freezer you can do this a week before two
43:46weeks before it is the most brilliant get ahead dessert whack it in there and then you're ready and
43:52rocking so if we've made this and frozen it a few weeks before christmas i'm going to show you exactly
43:59what to do on christmas day to serve up this deliciously decadent get ahead dessert
44:04so once it's frozen up it's really robust and when you're ready and raring to go unwrap it like a
44:12christmas present actually this is a nice christmas present now i quite like the idea of giving it a
44:20dusting of cocoa powder right just to give it that nice finish after like a couple of minutes out of
44:27the freezer and you can slice through hallelujah hallelujah it's just beautiful go for another one
44:40look at it guys retro arctic roll
44:47merry christmas honestly santa's going to be so proud of you to start kind of like taking holly
44:59and all that kind of melarchs come on let's make it look nice i want something for the top take a
45:05little bar of chocolate right and we're just going to slowly but surely drag this towards you
45:10and that's what you get put it on the top let me show you on the white chocolate
45:22let's get rudolph in on the act you can take little sparklers come on merry christmas
45:31and if i just try a little bit here
45:42oh come on the sourness of the cranberry with that beautiful clementine ice cream is a thing
45:50of joy and wrapped in that chocolate sponge is just so good
45:54that is what it's all about this really could be the best christmas ever
46:01next time i'll show you how we can get ahead in the days before christmas with a stunning starter
46:08the most incredible way to cook turkey and a batter for an epic yorkshire pudding
46:14all done and dusted ahead of time merry christmas everyone
46:24that's being served up next monday night at eight or right now if you just can't wait and have a few
46:28quid in your pocket stream the whole series on channel four plus go on call it an early christmas
46:33present to yourself next tonight minute by minute a brand new troubling case comes under investigation
46:38in 24 hours in police custody
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