Impress your mum and/or mates with Juliet Sear’s festive bakes
Celeb chef Juliet Sear’s tips on how to keep cool in the kitchen this festive season
If you’ve accidentally volunteered to cook Christmas dinner this year, or even if you just want to impress your mum by helping out in the kitchen, we’ve quizzed baking expert Juliet Sear for her secret hacks to wow potential guests this festive season. Juliet discovered a love of baking while juggling three kids under the age of three. Since then, she’s made cakes for everyone from Prince Harry to Kate Moss, and she’s appeared on This Morning so many times, she has Phil and Holly on speed dial.
Now, she’s landed her very own series on ITV, Beautiful Baking, where she’s joined by celeb guests and food experts to whip up impressive dishes. Here’s her festive cooking 101 to ensure you don’t overheat in the kitchen this Chrimbo.
Would you say you’re a Christmas fanatic? Definitely – I love Christmas. You get the chance to snuggle up with your family and pig
out. For me, Christmas is about grazing throughout the day. When it comes to the big dinner, are there any areas where we can “cheat”? If you’re not into cooking, you can get some amazing shop-bought desserts. Aldi and Lidl do great Christmas puddings, or if you want to be posh, you can go to Fortnum’s. With things like appetizers, if you have lots of people coming over and want to serve some savoury bits, it’s fine to get oven-ready canapés, as they’re great. I wouldn’t recommend ready-made roasties, though. What are your tips for nailing the perfect roast potato? I boil them for about ten minutes, strain them in a colander to let all of the steam escape, and scatter on some dried polenta. I then chuck them back into the pan and give them a good shake. That will absorb any excess moisture, as you want them to be crisp and dry. Make sure your oil is super-hot – you want it to be on 220°C for the first 20 or 30 minutes. And don’t move them – it’s so tempting to keep turning them, but leave them for the first 20 minutes. What about veggie guests? My kids are vegan, and I’m trying to make the best vegan main dish.
I think we’ve cracked it this year with a Brussels sprout tarte tatin. It’s so good, and I make it with my daughter Ruby on the show because we’re both obsessed with Brussels sprouts. What about wowing guests who are popping round for drinks? If I’m hosting a big party, I’ll make trays of canapés and pop them in the oven when people arrive. A nice quick thing is to have some lovely bread like a sourdough – you can make really tasty crostinis with some pesto and veg. Another good cheat is to buy ready-rolled pastry, which makes savoury or sweet bites. Try scattering sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan or spices, then add some poppy seeds and turn them into cheese straws. We want to impress our mates with some DIY gifts – any ideas? I like to get a nice Kilner jar, or reuse a pickle jar, and make biscuits. On the show, we made some delicious Parmesan shortbreads with rosemary and olive oil, which melt in the mouth and are great gifts. Try to use really good ingredients. You don’t have to bake loads, just make it tasty and package it well. ■
Beautiful Baking With Juliet Sear is on ITV, Sundays at 9.30am
‘It’s fine to get oven-ready canapés’