12 NEW WAYS WITH CLASSIC CHRISTMAS FOOD

Clever ways to enjoy traditional ingredients

1 Spice

Pomander oranges look and smell beautiful, either hanging or as a table decoration. They are best made no more than a day or two before needed, as they do not last well in hot weather. Use a satay stick to pierce small holes in a pattern over an orange then press whole cloves into the piercings. Add other decorations, such as ribbon, string, leaves, cinnamon quills or dried orange slices, as desired.

2 Fruit mince

Grate a little bitter chocolate into mincemeat, spoon into halved ripe peaches or apricots and bake until hot. Delicious served with mascarpone.

Drizzle mince pies with lemon icing – it is a nice foil for the sweet mincemeat.

3 Shortbread

Enhance your shortbread by pressing patterns into the dough. You could use:

A traditional wooden stamp or carved rolling pin.

The base of a cut crystal glass or dish. A clean crochet doily – do this before cutting the dough into shapes.

4 Nuts

A bowl of moreish, spicy roasted nuts is always good grazing fare. In a large bowl whisk together 1 egg white, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 teaspoon each of salt, garam masala, and ground cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Add 5 cups mixed nuts and toss well to coat. Spread on a lined tray and roast at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until toasted. Nuts will go crunchy as they cool, and keep for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container.

5 Bubbles

For a delightful and exceptionally refreshing tipple, serve this Sparkling Cranberry & Lychee Sorbet Cocktail.

750ml bottle dry sparkling wine, well chilled 1 litre cranberry juice, well chilled

LYCHEE SORBET

2 x 565g cans lychees, drained reserving

a cup of syrup

1 cup caster sugar

1 lime, finely grated zest

¼ cup lime juice

12 mint leaves, torn

Sorbet: Place lychee syrup in a saucepan with caster sugar and stir over gentle heat until sugar has dissolved. Cool.

Place lychees, lime zest, juice and mint in a food processor and mix until smooth. Combine purée with cooled syrup, place in an ice cream machine and churn to manufacturer’s directions. (Alternatively, pour mixture into a shallow dish and freeze for about an hour until slushy. Use a fork to rake the sorbet and freeze for another hour. Repeat until sorbet sets.)

To serve, place scoops of sorbet in glasses and top with half bubbly and half cranberry juice. Makes about 20 cocktails

6 Peppermint candy

Peppermint bark is a cinch to make and a great gift: Melt a block of white chocolate in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave and pour onto a baking paper-lined tray in a thin layer. Sprinkle over smashed candy canes, gently pressing them into the chocolate. Chill until set then break into pieces. >

7 New potatoes

Anoint boiled baby potatoes with delicious Toasted Almond & Dill Butter. It’s also wonderful on steamed asparagus and roasted root vegetables.

¾ cup sliced almonds

100g butter, softened

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon sea salt

Cracked or freshly ground pepper

Place almonds in an un-oiled frying pan and cook over moderate-high heat, stirring constantly, until golden. Cool.

In a medium bowl combine butter, dill, zest and seasoning. Fold in toasted almonds. Wrap and store in fridge for 3-4 days or freeze. Toss butter with hot vegetables or dot on top before serving.

8 Ham

Build scrumptious sandwiches with leftover Christmas ham, cheese and this green salsa: Combine 1 small telegraph cucumber, seeded and finely diced, with ½ cup pitted green olives, finely diced, 3 finely sliced spring onions, 2 preserved lemon quarters (flesh removed and finely chopped), 1 tablespoon chopped capers and 2-3 tablespoons lime-infused avocado oil. Season well with salt and pepper and chill for at least 3 hours before serving to allow flavours to meld. Keeps 3-4 days. Makes about 1½ cups

9 Crayfish

Melt tasty Chilli Ginger Butter over freshly grilled crayfish tails to make them even more special: Beat 120g butter until creamy then mix in 1 large red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped,

1 small thumb ginger, peeled and finely grated, the zest of 1 lime and ¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped. Wrap in plastic, form into a small log and chill. >

10 Brandy Butter

Serve Brandy Butter Cream, a version of traditional hard sauce, with steamed plum pudding: Beat 250g butter until pale and creamy then gradually beat in ½ cup caster sugar, 2-3 tablespoons brandy, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of nutmeg. Keeps in the fridge for a week. Makes about 1½ cups

11 Pavlova

Instead of one large pav, make bite-sized mini desserts – they’re cute and easier to eat. These Baby Rose & Berry Pavlovas are as delicious as they are pretty.

2 egg whites

Pinch of salt

120g caster or icing sugar 1 teaspoon rose water

TO SERVE

300ml cream, beaten until stiff

300g mixed berries, sliced into small pieces Raspberry coulis (home-made or bought) Edible flowers, eg violas or dried rose petals

Heat oven to 140°C. Using electric beaters, whisk egg whites with salt on medium speed until frothy. Slowly add sugar, a teaspoonful at a time, while increasing the speed of the beaters to high.

Once the meringue is shiny, holds its shape and is not grainy, mix in rose water until thoroughly combined.

Pipe meringue in 2.5cm rounds on a lined baking tray, leaving 2.5cm between each one. Place in oven and immediately lower temperature to 110°C. Bake 25 minutes then switch oven off and leave them to dry in the oven for at least

2 hours or overnight.

To serve: Not more than 30-40 minutes before serving, top pavlovas with cream and berries. Drizzle with coulis and scatter with edible flowers if desired. Makes 40-45

12 Plum pudding

Give plum pudding a summery twist by using it cold as a fruity ingredient:

Break up some pudding and gently mix with a selection of roughly chopped nuts, dried fruit and desiccated coconut – about 400g in total. Combine quickly with 500g melted white chocolate then spread in a lined tray, scatter with coconut thread and chill until set.

Stuff medjool dates to serve as part of a Christmas platter: split dates and remove pips then place a small slice of pudding in each cavity with some mascarpone. Chill until ready to serve.

Crumble pudding into small pieces and quickly mix into slightly softened vanilla ice cream. Place in a serving container, cover and return to freezer until needed.