Olive Magazine

welcome to christmas

What we choose to eat for Christmas dinner is often bound by our family traditions. It’s a day of eating where the devil is in the recipe detail – the precise timing of the turkey or how the sprouts should be trimmed (no crosses in the bases, thanks). Tweaking Christmas meals to try new flavours, kicking out disliked dishes and adding new traditions for the years to follow is a joy to anyone who loves cooking and eating. With a potentially smaller pool of guests to introduce to your new way of thinking this year, now is the time to break the mould by trying our updates on classics. How good do whisky marmalade ham, harissa lime prawn cocktail and pedro ximénez Christmas pudding sound? Try the braised short rib dish…

star attractions

Whisky marmalade ham 5 HOURS 20 MINUTES SERVES 10 | EASY | Fruity, smoky, sweet and salty, this ham is a Christmas flavour explosion. It looks impressive with the bone in and carved at the table – but keep leftovers for those epic post-Christmas Day sarnies (with a little more marmalade if you’re feeling fancy) and eggy breakfast/brunches. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! uncooked gammon joint 5kg, bone inonion 1, choppedcarrot 1, dicedbay leaves 2orange 1, zest pared, juicedblack peppercorns 2 tspcloves a handfulmarmalade 250gwhisky 100mlsoft light brown sugar 125gground ginger1/2 tsp • Put the gammon in your largest pot into which it will fit comfortably, and top up with cold water to submerge. Add the onion, carrot, bay leaves, orange zest and juice, peppercorns and a few of the cloves. Bring…

baking in a winter wonderland

Choux snowball tower 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES + COOLING SERVES 6 | A LITTLE EFFORT CHOUX PASTRY whole milk 85mlunsalted butter 85g, dicedcaster sugar 2 tspfine sea salt1/2 tspflour 85g (use a mixture of equal parts plain and bread flours)eggs 3 large, beaten FILLING coconut milk 400g tin (chill the tin – you’ll use 100g thickened cream from it)double cream 400mlvanilla bean paste 1 tspicing sugar 2 tbsp GLAZE icing sugar 200gwhole milk 30mlvanilla bean paste1/4 tspflaked or desiccated coconut 50g, lightly toasted • To make the choux pastry, pour 85ml of water and the milk into a medium pan with the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over a low-medium heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat, add the flour…

discover a new tradition

Emily and Amy Chung, otherwise known as the Rangoon Sisters (@RangoonSisters), have been hosting Burmese supper clubs since 2013, alongside their careers as NHS doctors. Their debut cookbook, The Rangoon Sisters Cookbook (£20, Ebury Press) was published this year and is full of their vibrant Burmese family recipes. Crispy pork wontons 40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY These crispy wontons were always a feature during the festive season when we were kids – served up for a Christmas party or the New Year’s Eve feast. Crunchy and hot with a sweet and tangy sauce, they’re always hugely popular with guests. Dad, who was Chinese, taught us how to make them and we would all sit around the telly, preparing them before the guests arrived. In this recipe, we have added a Burmese-inspired…

time well spent

Cranberry-cured salmon 20 MINUTES + CURING SERVES 8 AS A STARTER A LITTLE EFFORT | cranberries (fresh or frozen) 300gsoft light brown sugar 300gfine sea salt 200gvodka 150mllemons 3, zestedblack peppercorns ground to make 1 tbspsalmon 800g, boneless and skinless side from the thick endbuttered bread to serve DILL AND HORSERADISH CRÈME FRAÎCHE crème fraîche 250mlcreamed horseradish 5 tbsplemon 1, zested and juicedblack peppercorns ground to make ½ tsp • Put the cranberries (defrosted if frozen), sugar, salt and vodka into a food processor and whizz to a purée. Add the lemon zest and black pepper, and whizz again. • Pour half the mixture into a container large enough to fit the side of fish. Put the salmon on top, then pour over the remaining cure, ensuring the fish is completely covered. Cover and chill for…

dazzling desserts

Negroni meringue pie 1 HOUR + CHILLING + SETTING | SERVES 8-10 A LITTLE EFFORT pre-rolled shortcrust pastry 320g CURD oranges 3-4, juiced to make 160ml, plus pared zest of 2 orangeslemons 3-4, juiced to make 100ml, plus pared zest of 1 lemoncoriander seeds 1 tspjuniper berries 1 tsp, crushedcornflour 50gcaster sugar 150geggs 3 large, yolks only (use the whites for the meringue, below)unsalted butter 75g, cubedCampari 4 tbspsweet red vermouth 2 tbsp MERINGUE egg whites (see above)caster sugar 175g • In a small pan, heat the orange and lemon juices and zests, along with the coriander seeds, juniper berries and 150ml of water. Bring to the boil, take off the heat, put a lid on and leave to infuse until needed. • Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Unroll the pastry and drape it over a…