Food To Love December 2019

This month, we’re all about the celebrations that make up this rather special month. As a lover of food, you are bound to be thinking about what you will be cooking for your gatherings, and we have a spread to impress all on p106. The Goat’s Cheese Truffles will delight and excite all, we’re sure of it! Then with all the leftovers that Christmas inevitably provides, turn to p90 for meals made out of leftover ham and turkey, and sweet bites made from mince pies! As not every day will be a party, we also have some ‘eat the rainbow’ midweek meals, from p54 to get some much-needed vitamins into your diet during this time of excess. It is all about yin and yang in our lives, after all... And…

WHAT IS THE PERFECT GIFT TO TAKE TO A FOODIE'S DINNER PARTY OVER CHRISTMAS? A We’ve all had a discussion here in the office and the unanimous decision is that some homemade delights would be well received. Why not have a go at something using the best of the seasonal veg, such as kimchi, pickled ginger or even sauerkraut. They are all surprisingly easy to make and bound to impress. Or if you haven’t the time or the inclination, then finding unusual ingredients in a high-end supermarket would also go down a treat. A pot of n’duja to smear on bread, or dried black limes to add to your Persian pursuits will be welcome in all our households – as will you to sample the dishes! HAVE YOU ANY GOOD IDEAS FOR MOCKTAILS, AS…

WINTER fruit EATING APPLES BRAMLEY APPLES CHESTNUTS CLEMENTINES CRANBERRIES DATES GRAPEFRUIT PEARS QUINCE WINTER vegetables BEETROOT BRUSSELS SPROUTS CABBAGE – RED, WHITE & GREEN CAULIFLOWER CELERY CELERIAC LEEK PARSNIPS PUMPKIN SALSIFY SWEDE SWEET POTATO TURNIP BLOOD ORANGE & CAMPARI MARMALADE PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS 15 MINUTES MAKES 1.9KG You will need a 5cm square piece of muslin for this recipe. Learn how to sterilise jars on page 127. • 1kg blood oranges• 1.5 litres water• 1.3kg white sugar• 125ml campari 1 Cut unpeeled oranges in half; slice halves thickly, reserve seeds. Tie seeds in muslin. 2 Combine fruit, muslin bag and the water in a large saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 1½ hours or until rind is soft. Discard muslin bag. 3 Add sugar to pan; stir over high heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil; boil, uncovered, without stirring, 30 minutes or until marmalade gels (see cook’s notes). Stir…

ORANGES come in a number of varieties, but fall into two camps, sweet or bitter. Our most common sweet orange is the Navel, these easy-peelers are seedless, so are perfect for eating. Blood oranges make a great colour splash to salads and tarts, but are only around from now until May. For a bitter orange, seek out the Seville orange. Too bitter to eat, they are great for marmalade and cooking with. So stock up when they are around during January. LEMONS are available all year round, but peak from now until March. The best lemons for wedging have smooth, thin skin, but for zesting, head for the knobbly, thicker skinned ones. CLEMENTINES This variety of tangerine is sweet and tangy, contains no seeds and is recognisable by its loose, baggy bright orange skin. They…

CITRUS ZEST Pull a zester (see below the pile of zest) lengthways down the citrus fruit to remove the peel in fine strips. Without a zester, peel the rind from the fruit using a vegetable peeler. Remove any white pith with a small sharp knife. Cut the rind into thin strips. SEGMENTING CITRUS Cut top and bottom off the fruit. Following the curve of the fruit, cut away the skin with the white pith. Holding the fruit over a bowl, cut down either side of each segment, between membranes, to release the segment. FINELY GRATED CITRUS RIND Use a microplane or fine grater to remove only the coloured rind from the fruit; this is where the oils and flavour are. Avoid the white pith, as it is bitter. CITRUS RIND STRIPS Peel rind thinly with a vegetable…

TIRAMISU NAKED CAKE PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR (+ REFRIGERATION) SERVES 8 OR 12 AS PART OF A BUFFET • 4 medium oranges (960g)• 90g honey• 4 egg yolks• 110g caster sugar• 750g mascarpone• 300ml double cream• 60ml coffee liqueur• 2 round sponge cakes• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 140°C fan. Line oven tray with baking paper. 2 Cut 2 oranges into 4mm slices. Brush with honey; place in a single layer on tray. Bake for 45 minutes or until starting to caramelise. Cool. 3 Grease an 8cm-deep, 18cm round springform pan; line base and side with three layers of baking paper, extending paper 5cm above the edge. 4 Finely grate 2 teaspoons of rind from 1 orange. Squeeze 125ml of juice from remaining oranges. 5 Beat egg yolks, sugar and…