Lorraine's Last Minute Christmas

I'm Lorraine Pascale and I absolutely love this time of year.

Long, dark evenings, frosty mornings, and, of course, festive food.

'But with Christmas almost upon us, are you feeling like

'the only preparations you've done so far are, well, pretty much zero?

'Well, all will be OK because I've got some ideas

'for a Christmas feast you can whip up in no time.'

So, if you're looking for tasty recipes,

ideas for entertaining, and scrumptious yuletide goodies

than my Last Minute Christmas may be just for you.

Now, I genuinely love this time of year

when friends and family can come together and celebrate.

And even though I'm in charge of all the festive arrangements,

I fully intend to enjoy myself.

'Traditionally, my dad's the family chef at Christmas.

'This year, it's my turn to take on the turkey

'and trimmings for ten and I'm going to be cooking succulent sage and rosemary roast turkey,

'and I'm serving this with sweet and delicious

'maple and thyme parsnips,

'carrots in cinnamon, raisins and walnuts,

'extra crunchy roast potatoes, and the humble Brussels sprouts

'is given a makeover with the addition of chestnuts and chorizo.'

If you've got vegetarians on the guest list or you just want

something different for a New Year's Eve supper dish,

then my raised vegetarian nut roast with cranberries

may be just the dish for you.

And if you're looking for an alternative to turkey

or perhaps a new family roast,

then how about my Yuletide spiced roast lamb?

All this plus a pretty cool Christmas cake traybake.

Transformed into a winter wonderland confection

guaranteed to add the wow factor to your Christmas table.

If you need some last-minute present ideas with a truly

personal touch, then how about my edible hamper gifts?

As usual,

I've left it too late to book my online Christmas delivery slot.

So I did the main shop here yesterday

and now I have to pick up a couple more things.

Now, I know the supermarket shelves are groaning with mince pies this time of year

but I do like to make my own at home

and it really helps me get into the Christmas spirit.

I'm going to use shop-bought puff pastry

and mincemeat with a few extras, and a special twist to make them into stars.

I'm going to spice up my shop-bought mincemeat with some vanilla extract,

orange zest, and a drop of port.

And sometimes life's just too short to make your own puff pastry.

These mince pies are really quite simple.

Just roll out a square of puff pastry,

about 30 by 30 centimetres.

I do like to be quite exact so they all look the same.

And I like to use a clean metal ruler to do this.

Just measure...

..across like that. That's 30 there.

30...there.

And then...

up like that.

I've seen so many types of different mince pies but not like these.

They're kind of like Danish pastries.

But they have that lovely mincemeat filling.

OK, they're my squares.

Now, take the square

and then just cut...

sort of almost to the centre...

all the way around.

Like that.

And then take the mincemeat, which is smelling beautiful.

And put a blob in the centre. Not too much, about a tablespoon.

And then take one egg.

An egg on puff pastry acts like a sort of glue

and it gives it a wonderful glaze as well.

A quick whisk.

And then just brush all the way around...the edge.

And then take one corner.

And fold it into the centre.

And then...

..the next and into the centre,

so I'm taking, sort of, every other corner and folding it.

A bit of egg glue on top.

Slide into the baking tray.

This recipe makes about nine mince pies.

To finish, cut little stars out of the leftover pastry

and place on top of each one.

Then bake in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes

or until golden brown.

OK, so these have been in the oven for about 20, 25 minutes.

And they're lovely and puffed up and golden brown.

And smell really good.

All that's left now is to glaze them with some maple syrup.

Just give even more flavour.

Just dab it on like that...

while it's still warm, it's going to soak into the pastry.

A few more dabs.

And then dust them with a little bit of icing sugar.

Just makes them look nice and Christmassy.

Really pretty.

Perfect.

I'm going to put some of these in the hampers. I've saved some for later.

And I'm going to have one for myself now.

And it goes beautifully with my home-made Irish cream.

And they both taste much better than shop-bought.

These Irish cream liqueurs

also make really cool last-minute hamper gifts.

To make them, simply pour 200ml of double cream into a pan

and warm slowly.

Dissolve one or two teaspoons of instant coffee powder into the cream,

then add 40 grams of grated chocolate.

Now pour in 350ml of Irish whiskey and stir gently.

You can leave out the whiskey

for a non-alcoholic, velvety, warming mochachino.

Finally, add two cans of condensed milk

and a good drizzle of vanilla extract.

Allow the mixture to cool before pouring it into bottles.

And it's delicious served on the rocks.

Now, I've done most of my shopping at the supermarket

but I do like to get my turkey from the butcher.

-All right, Chris?

-Hello. Happy Christmas.

Happy Christmas to you, too. Now, I left it a bit late again.

-Have you got a turkey for me?

-For how many people?

Er...about ten.

-Ten?

-Yeah.

-OK, I've got...

Probably about that size you're probably looking for.

That's perfect. I know I just got lucky.

Thank you very much, you saved my life.

But how likely is it that you'd have a turkey, say,

someone comes rushing in the night before on Christmas Eve?

You take your luck, if you don't order,

but, I mean, in general, there's always an option.

-You have to be a bit flexible.

-I've got a big Christmas this year

but, sometimes, it's just two or three of us.

What would you recommend for smaller families

or people on a budget or something like that?

Usually, most people like the breast of a turkey.

These are bronzed turkeys. They've got lots of little black stubbles in them.

Don't let that put you off because these are packed with flavour because they're slow maturing birds.

The other thing you can do, if there's not so many people,

get a leg, get your butcher to bone it out, pack a stuffing,

-you know, sausage meat...

-Yeah.

-It's a pretty simple dish.

-Tie it up, roll it, it's lovely.

-Nice.

What would you say are the top three Christmas roasts people are buying?

-Number one, turkey.

-Top of the list.

-Goose, number two.

-Yep.

-And beef.

-Before people ate turkey, people ate swan.

-Ooh.

-And Goose.

I think I'll stick with turkey this year.

So, that's the turkey sorted

and the meat eaters in my family will hopefully be very happy,

but I also want to make something a little bit special for the vegetarians as well.

So, in my family we have vegetarians and every Christmas they get

sick and tired of being palmed off with just having the veg.

So this year,

I've made a pretty tasty veggie pie.

Here's the filling. And here's how I made it.

Carefully toast 600 grams of pecan, cashew

and hazelnuts in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Let them cool and blitz them in a food processor.

Gently fry four finely-sliced leeks in olive oil

with rosemary, thyme and three cloves of chopped garlic until soft.

Add 250 grams of finely chopped or blitzed chestnut mushrooms

and five sage leaves roughly chopped or torn.

Cook for a further two minutes.

Take off the heat and leave to cool in a large bowl.

Mix in the nuts, 150 grams of gruyere cheese and three eggs,

and combine and season.

I'm making a type of hot, watercrust pastry,

the type you get in pork pies.

I was making it one day - cos you make it with plain flour - and I'd run out,

so I used half plain and half wholemeal, and it tasted amazing.

Put 125 grams of plain flour and 150 grams of wholemeal flour,

plus a pinch of salt and an egg in a bowl.

Cover the egg with a little bit of flour to protect it.

I've melted 100ml of water and 80 grams of butter.

Put it over a low heat and then whack it up and get it bubbling away

and just as its bubbling, it's ready.

Pour the liquid over the flour and mix together really quickly until it combines into a dough.

Roll it out to about half a centimetre thick.

So I've got this tin.

It's a seven-inch loose-bottomed tin and it's deep.

Put it into quarters.

It doesn't matter about holes, just patch them up after.

And then take the tin

and just put the corner in the centre of the tin like that

and then let it sink...

..into the tin.

I'm just easing it gently in.

I'm going to try and get it so it has nice straight sides,

so it gets right into the corners.

And just trim it all the way round.

So I take my filling

and just tip half of it in...

..like that.

Now, for something a little bit festive

and for a bit of colour, dried cranberries.

Just sprinkle them on. You can use apricots or anything like that.

I like to use cranberries

so that when you slice it you get that lovely layering effect.

And then the rest of the topping. It smells really good.

OK.

Right. Now I'm going to make the lid.

I take my offcuts and just roll-out a lid.

Pop this down on it like that.

Then cut around.

You just need one egg to stick the pastry lid on.

A quick whisk.

And then just glaze the top so it acts like a glue.

Then I get my pastry lid, I pop it on top

and I'm going to seal it or crimp it, so I take my finger and pinch...

..all the way round like that.

Just sealing everything together.

There we are.

Neaten it up a bit.

Then a hole in the middle.

Let any steam out, although there won't be that much.

It's not like cooking meat.

Right, so that's that done.

I'm going to pop this in the oven at 200 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes

and then ten minutes before it's ready,

I'm going to glaze the top to act like a glue

and put on some frozen cranberries.

I know there's cranberries inside, but those cranberries are sweet

and the cranberries on top are quite sour.

So there's a wonderful layering of different flavours.

MUSIC: "Fairytale Of New York" by The Pogues

German Christmas markets, like this one at London's Southbank Centre,

date all the way back to the 14th and 15th centuries,

and they're popping up all over the UK this year.

I find it's a great place for inspiration

for my last-minute edible hamper gifts.

When you're out and about,

you can buy all sorts of things for your hampers,

but I think it's cool to make your own.

My hampers are going to be stuffed full of edible goodies

that I've cooked or created.

I think they're the perfect gift

if you've left everything to the last minute.

You can make several at a time, and personalise them

by adding some extra bits and pieces

like a favourite magazine, a beauty product, or how about

some seeds for the keen gardener in your family?

This year, my hampers will contain some of my maple-glazed mince pie stars,

delicious chocolate and vanilla Irish cream,

some creamy dark and white chocolate bark,

which is great for chocoholics,

a super quick chocolate cake mix, a perfect last-minute gift,

some mulled wine sachets bursting with flavour,

and some super tasty home-made pate with garlic and brandy.

And I love these ginger and cinnamon stained-glass cookies.

They don't only look great in a hamper, they also make

really cool Christmas tree decorations.

And here's how I made them.

I put 100 grams of butter,

100 grams of soft light brown sugar,

two tablespoons of golden syrup,

one teaspoon of treacle,

a tablespoon each of ginger and cinnamon,

a large pinch of ground cloves

into a medium pan over a gentle heat.

Allow everything to dissolve for three to four minutes, stirring,

then remove the pan from the heat

and stir in half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

and 250 grams of flour...

..until you have a smooth but fairly stiff dough.

OK, so I've left the dough for about five minutes.

It's about room temperature.

If you leave it too long, it goes very dry and crumbly.

Then just roll it, turning it round all the time,

like that.

Now, I like my cookies quite thick,

so I'm going to roll it to about a centimetre.

Take a cutter,

and I've got this snowflake cutter, but any shape will do,

and then press down.

OK, now I'm just going to get this

on to the baking tin.

Just slide it across

like that.

Give it a little wiggle. There.

I've got this cutter, a slightly smaller cutter.

Can be any shape, really.

And then into the centre...

..and out.

OK. I'll carry on with the rest.

OK, so I've got these boiled sweets -

I like to get really, really colourful ones -

and this big pestle and mortar.

Put the sweets

into the pestle and mortar

and then just crush them

into smallish chunks.

And then you want to sprinkle them

into the centre of the cookie.

Then what's going to happen is, when it cooks,

it just melts into this beautiful

stained-glass effect.

OK, so the cookies are nice and cool now.

And what I like to do is hang them on the Christmas tree,

and just before they go into the oven,

you can get a skewer and put a little hole in them,

to thread the ribbon through.

But I think it's more fun using

a drill.

So, I have this drill bit that I use especially for my cookies,

and it's obviously been sterilised.

Then put the cookie on a wire rack,

and I'm going to put it about here.

Just very slowly at first.

And then you get this perfect hole.

OK, I like to decorate my cookies with icing.

You can just use regular icing, but I like to use royal icing.

You can get it from the supermarket.

You just want it about that thickness, so it's quite gloopy.

Of course, you can use a fabric piping bag,

but I just like making my own.

Take some baking parchment

and make a big triangle,

then you fold it into a cone.

with a pointy edge,

and then just tuck this bit in.

A paperback piping bag!

Just pour that in to about half full.

Perfect! OK.

Snip the end with the scissors.

So just put little blobs

on the cookie like that,

Christmassy pearls.

So that's one done

and now to get on with the rest.

I like to keep my Christmas roast quite traditional,

so this year, I'll be making a sage and rosemary infused turkey,

and it's a big turkey.

People make all sorts of different things at Christmas

from goose to beef,

but if you're looking for an alternative meat this Christmas,

how about my Yuletide spiced roast lamb?

Peel one-and-a-half to two kilograms of potatoes,

and cut into one-centimetre slices.

Take one bulb of garlic and cut it into slithers.

Grind together a teaspoon of cumin seeds,

two teaspoons of coriander seeds

and a tablespoon of paprika,

in a pestle and mortar.

OK.

Get my lamb.

I like to take my lamb out of the fridge about an hour or so

before I cook it - this way the lamb comes to room temperature,

so it cooks much more quickly and stays nice and moist.

Scatter the potatoes in the bottom of the roasting tin

and then place the lamb on top of it.

And pierce all over with a sharp knife.

Take the garlic...

and push it

all the way in

and this just infuses the lamb with so much flavour.

And it looks lovely when you cut it, you see bits of garlic

all throughout the meat.

And then harissa,

wonderful blend of spices.

Just brush this all over the top.

Look at that great colour - it looks beautiful!

I'm double dipping, cos I'm going to use the whole jar,

so no worries there about uncooked meat.

Season with salt and pepper

and sprinkle with the ground spices,

then it's ready to go into the oven.

Gorgeous...smell,

and that is it!

Done!

So, this has been resting for about 20 minutes,

and I'm just going to carve it now, and the smell is beautiful!

I know this is not a traditional way of carving,

but it's just how I do it!

Carve off...

.the slices.

Quite thick slices I like.

And I'm just going to have a little bit.

You can just see the bits of garlic in it.

Beautiful!

Now, one of the beauties of this hamper gift

is that all you have to do is heat up chocolate.

So, if you've forgotten to buy a present,

you could even do this late on Christmas Eve.

300 grams of dark chocolate 300 grams of white chocolate,

both melted in individual heatproof bowls

over a pan of simmering water.

Gently stir as the chocolate melts.

Once melted, pour the dark chocolate into a shallow tin,

lined with parchment.

Then pour the white chocolate over the dark

and gently swirl it around,

giving it a pretty, rippled effect.

Roughly chop 50 grams of dried fruit

and 50 grams of mixed nuts

and scatter evenly all over the chocolate in a single layer,

so that they set into the mixture.

Then leave in a cool place for a couple of hours to set.

Once set, carefully lift out of the tin

and break into chunks, then wrap in cellophane,

and there we have it -

another simple, last-minute gift for your hampers.

Every December in the UK,

we buy around 150 million bottles of wine,

but with so much choice, sometimes I find it a little bit overwhelming.

So people often ask me, "Lorraine, what wine should I drink with my food?

"What grape, what country, how much should I spend?"

I'm at my friend JC's restaurant, and I've got some wines here that we're going to sample.

Jean-Cristophe has been a sommelier at top French restaurants

and together, we're going to choose the wines which I'm going to serve with my Christmas meal.

JC blind-tasted over 30 wines being offered this year

as Christmas bargains at six leading supermarkets.

Now he's going to help me choose a red, a white,

and a sparkling wine to complement my Christmas meal.

First up, the reds.

A lot of people think that you can't drink red wine with white meat.

What do you think about that?

I think if it's a roast turkey, I think it's quite a rich dish,

and I think something not too heavy, like a Merlot, for example.

This Merlot's from Chile.

I just love the New World wine.

The key is don't follow the rule.

If you have white meat, you don't really have to have white wine.

You can break the rules, so I think something not too heavy, and the red wine could be very nice.

-Mmm!

-Mmm!

-Yeah, this is good.

It's not too heavy, not too light, as I said. I think it goes well.

-It can go well with cheeses if they're not too strong, but it goes beautifully with the turkey.

-It does.

This year, you can buy a really good Chilean Merlot for less than a fiver.

But, if you want to go upmarket,

you can get a French Merlot for under £10.

'Next, white wine.

'I'm going to serve Chardonnay. Now, I know it's not particularly trendy,

'but it's a grape that has a bit of body, which you need in a white wine if you're serving it with a meat.'

Because the turkey flavours are so big. You've got roast potatoes, and all that fat, cranberries, sauce...

I think it's actually got body to it.

There's a backbone to the Chardonnay.

'I think my Chilean Chardonnay was a real bargain at 3.99,

'and JC found a French Chardonnay for just under £12.'

OK, now the sparkling.

The sparkling indeed!

'JC likes his champers, but you can't really get a bottle for under a tenner.'

There is other options, like Prosecco, for example.

Yeah, I'm not a Prosecco girl myself. I like Cava.

-Ah, you're a Cava girl, aren't you?

-Yeah, cheap and cheerful!

-If it's made like champagne...

-It is made like champagne.

Not the same grade, but it's made like champagne.

Some champagne will set you back nearly £30,

but I like to buy a bottle of Cava for just under a tenner.

It's beautiful! Really light, would be great to serve as an aperitif.

We could even serve it with the meal.

-Yes, very nice.

-Really, really light.

-Very, very good indeed.

-Very nice.

I have a cool idea for really making an impact when you're serving sparkling wine to your guests,

using a jar of hibiscus flowers. And it's just so simple.'

So these hibiscus flowers, they just add a little bit of something extra.

-They come from Australia.

-Ah!

You put them in the bottom of the glass, like that,

and get some syrup in there as well.

It's just a nice treat to have at Christmas, I think,

or a special occasion.

I think it's nice to make it a little bit funky.

Almost like a pink champagne.

Lots of flavour, makes it a little bit sweeter.

I do like to put a little lime in it as well.

-Oh, yes!

-Mmm!

-Ah!

-Happy Christmas.

-Joyeux Noel!

'You can buy jars of hibiscus flowers online from leading supermarkets

'and specialist cookshops.'

The distinctive smell of mulled wine spices always makes the house smell so Christmassy,

and I find making your own mulled wine sachets is so simple.

This recipe makes six mulled wine sachets,

and you need cardamom pods,

whole cloves, all-spice berries,

black peppercorns,

some cinnamon sticks, and a sheet of muslin.

Cut the muslin into six 5cm squares,

then divide the cardamom cloves, all-spice and peppercorns

equally between the squares.

Gather the corners,

and tie together with a cinnamon stick

and another strip of muslin.

I like to provide a label with instructions

about how to make the mulled wine,

or for a non-alcoholic alternative, you can use cranberry.

Now this recipe came about when one year,

I was making a meal for my friend's birthday dinner,

and I became so wrapped up in making sure all the food was right,

that I completely forgot to buy her a present.

So I looked up on my shelf, and I saw these jars, and I thought, "Right."

So I layered up the cake mix, and a new gift was born.

This all-in-one chocolate cake mix requires no cooking whatsoever.

You just add all of the ingredients into a jar,

and I like to layer it up so that it looks more attractive.

Just add 200g of soft, light brown sugar,

150g of self-raising flour,

and 50g of cocoa powder into the jar.

'I like to divide my ingredients to form five layers,

so that it looks more attractive.

Then tie a label around the top with the recipe,

and the wet ingredients that people have to add at home.

So usually, I make my Christmas cake round about August, September,

and then I feed it every two weeks with alcohol,

but this year, I just wanted to make something a little bit different.

Something that's quick, something that I think looks pretty impressive,

and something that can be made last minute.

And so I came up with my Winter Wonderland Christmas Traybake.

So I'm just making a light sponge here.

I've got 250g of butter,

and 250g of soft light brown sugar.

I just love using soft light brown sugar instead of caster sugar

because it gives a lovely caramelised flavour.

So I'm just going to add two eggs.

I need five eggs altogether.

But I like to add half the eggs in now with half the flour.

And then do the other half, and that way it doesn't curdle.

Little bit of baking powder.

And some salt.

Always put a pinch of salt in my cakes.

It really helps the flavour. But not too much salt.

And then give it another beat.

OK. Then add three more eggs.

Try not to get any shell in.

And these eggs are at room temperature,

which also helps the mixture not to curdle.

So now I'm going to add the rest of the flour, and that's self-raising.

So that's all the flour.

So I've got some spices here, mixed spice.

We want two to three tablespoons,

but just depends on how spicy you want it.

I like it quite spicy.

And ground ginger.

Another beat.

It's flying everywhere, so I'll just get a tea towel.

The old tea towel trick!

And whilst that's beating away there,

I've got my vanilla.

So I just scrape down the centre, like that,

and then I get the smaller knife,

get all of the seeds out.

I'll just drop them in.

Lovely!

You really get a great smell from that.

Whack it up.

Just want it to get a little bit light and fluffy.

And then finally the fruit.

So I've got 500g of mixed fruit here,

and then 60g of cranberries somewhere in there too.

And I've just put about 70ml of Madeira, or Masala,

just to get them infused with some flavour.

You don't have to use the Madeira.

You can use some apple juice or just leave it out altogether.

So I'll pop that in.

Just fold it all in together.

Just a lovely, light sponge.

OK. So I've got this...

cake tin here.

It's actually the roasting tin that I use for small roasts.

I've lined it with baking parchment.

I just cut a square off,

and then do the sides like that.

So you can just push it into the tin.

And then just get the mixture,

pour it into the tin.

And I've preheated the oven to 180 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

But I'll check it after 30.

And now I'm going to get on with the sugar syrup, and the meringue topping.

So normally, my Christmas cakes,

I put a layer of marzipan, and then the icing.

But this time, I'm making a meringue for the topping.

And the way I make meringue is a little bit backwards...

..because I add the sugar first.

So put that all in. And then egg white.

I've got eight medium-sized eggs.

So just put a little bit in like that.

And then whisk it.

So just whisk it until it's all nicely combined.

The thing about this meringue is, it does take longer to make,

but you absolutely cannot overwhisk it,

and you'll get the stiffest, shiniest meringue...

that you've ever made.

I promise!

And then just add another couple.

And then leave that to whisk for about five minutes.

And I'm using my mixer here,

but those electric whisks work really well, too.

But if you do use a hand whisk, I must admit,

it does take quite some elbow grease.

While that's whipping up nicely,

I'm going to make the sugar syrup to soak the sponge when it comes out of the oven.

Put 50g of sugar and 50g of maple syrup

and 50g of water into a pan.

Add the zest of one orange,

and stir gently until the sugar has just dissolved.

And then let it boil one minute.

OK, so I'm going to give it a little test.

I want a really stiff peak.

Now that's what you call a "stiff peak!"

After about 45 minutes, the cake should be ready.

Remove from the oven, and brush liberally with the sugar syrup.

So now I'm going to fill the piping bag.

I'm just putting it in and

grabbing it with my hand, like that.

There.

OK.

Just pipe, squeeze,

and then lift off.

So you've got all these peaks all over the cake.

Sort of this snowy scene.

And if you don't fancy piping,

you can spoon the meringue onto the cake, and form peaks using a fork.

And then pop it back into the oven at 150

for about 20, 25 minutes to cook the meringue.

And there you go!

OK, this is ready.

Let's carefully get this out.

If you cook it in a fan oven, sometimes it goes quite brown,

but this is still nice and white, and I like to put a bit of colour on it.

So you can either put it back in the oven at a slightly higher temperature for five minutes,

or what I like to do...

is use my blow torch.

A bit more fun than just putting it back in the oven.

Just very gently over it.

It turns quite quickly.

All the way round.

Done.

Now I'm just going to finish it with a bit of glitter.

I'm just sprinkling on this edible glitter.

Just put loads on, all over.

And there, a winter wonderland Christmas traybake.

These meringues can be made right at the last minute on Christmas Eve,

and if you keep them in a cool, dry place,

they will stay nice and firm for about two to three days.

Making pate is really simple and really quick,

and it's something delicious for the hampers, and it makes a great posh snack.

Melt some butter in a large frying pan over a fairly high heat.

Add 450 grams of trimmed chicken livers,

and fry for three to four minutes, turning halfway through

until browned on the outside but still a little bit pink in the middle.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers to a food processor,

leaving the fat behind.

Turn the heat down and gently fry one clove of chopped garlic

for about a minute, taking care not to let it burn and turn bitter.

Add the garlic to the food processor with 75ml of double cream

and two tablespoons of brandy, then season well.

Blend for a couple of minutes until as smooth as possible,

and divide the pate equally between some small jars, and leave to cool.

Melt the remaining butter in a small pan

and allow the white solids to settle.

And once the pate is cooled, pour a little of the clear butter

over the top of each jar, and secure the lid.

And once they're set,

these will keep for about three to four days in the fridge,

and I just love making them for hamper gifts,

but I always make an extra one for myself.

# Just hear those sleigh bells jingling

# Ring-ting-tingling too

# Come on, it's lovely weather

# For a sleigh ride together with you... #

On Christmas morning, I like to get up early

and get the turkey out of the fridge so it comes to room temperature.

But the problem is when you're cooking turkey,

the breast is always ready before the legs.

And that's when it sometimes dries out.

So I've got this little trick that I found, which works quite well.

I get some frozen peas...

..and put them on the breast

just whilst the turkey comes to room temperature,

and then this way the breast cooks more slowly

and is ready at the same time as the legs.

Great.

That's me back to bed for an hour.

# Our cheeks are nice and rosy

# And comfy cosy are we

# We're snuggled up together

# Like two birds of a feather would be

# Let's take that road before us

# And sing a chorus or two

# Come on, it's lovely weather

# For a sleigh ride together with you

# Outside the snow is falling

# Friends are calling you

# Come on, it's lovely weather... #

Right, time to stuff the bird.

Always remember to give these a rinse off

before they go back in the freezer.

So...

..from the neck end, just loosen the skin.

It looks a bit scary, but...

it's all right.

Then just get your finger in,

and really gently loosen the skin away from the flesh.

And there's no quick way of doing this,

but the trick is not breaking the skin.

I'm happy with that.

Now I'm going to take some herbs, I've got my sage here.

There's no need to chop them or anything, just rip them up

and then just shove them underneath the skin.

All the way in.

It's just quite nice to see bits of the herb through the skin.

I love rosemary and I love sage, it's such a great combination.

But too much sage can taste a little bit soapy.

Now, when I do roast turkey,

sometimes I do actually pierce the skin

and just put bits of rosemary in, but this is kind of nice for Christmas.

That will be enough.

OK, I'm just going to wash my hands, and then season it.

So whenever my dad cooks poultry,

he always puts a lemon or a lime in the cavity,

so I'm going to adopt that tradition.

So just pop those in there, and that is ready.

I don't put any tinfoil on, or anything like that.

I'm going to roast it for about 30 minutes per kilo.

First 30 minutes goes in at 200 degrees, then I turn it down to 180.

OK.

SHE GROANS

That is a big bird. There'll be loads of leftovers.

And here are my top five turkey leftover recipes.

At number five, turkey fajitas.

Fajitas are always popular in our house,

so I tend to fry some onions, add some spices to the turkey leftovers,

and put out some salsa and sour cream

and leave people to get stuck in.

At number four, turkey and leek pies.

Keep life simple when you're making pies from leftovers,

and reach for ready-made puff pastry.

Use a muffin tin to make these turkey, leek and tarragon mini puff pies.

And at number three, turkey soup is always a treat.

With a rich stock made from the turkey bones,

with kale, sausage and sage,

this soup is transformed into a delicious Boxing Day dish.

In second place, the turkey sandwich.

In my family, we all love a turkey sandwich, and for me,

the perfect post-Christmas sarnie is a combo of turkey, goat's cheese,

bacon and cranberry sauce, all toasted in a pan.

Christmas flavours simply ooze out of this sandwich.

And top of my leftover list is turkey curry.

It's such a great invention and there are so many different ways

of making curry, but I particularly like turkey tikka masala.

-Hi, Dad!

-Hello!

-How are you?

-I'm all right, how are you?

-Good to see you! Come in.

My dad's normally the Christmas chef,

so he's arrived early to give me a hand.

Sprouts, your favourite!

-Yeah, I don't really like sprouts that much, to be honest.

-No, you never did.

I think this is THE vegetable for Christmas, I think it's great.

-But the way I cook them, you know, you kind of mask the flavour.

-Yes.

A bit of butter, some chestnuts,

and some chor-it-so in as well.

-Maybe even some chor-ee-tho.

-Chor-ee-tho, yes.

Spanish teacher!

-Chor-ee-tho.

-I'm retired, but not that retired!

There's not much food that you dislike, is there, really?

You always loved your food, I remember.

People have said, how is it that you manage to keep so thin when you're...

-A bit of exercise, Dad.

-That's right, a bit of exercise and not over-eat.

How are we going? We're not even halfway there yet.

No, no, we've got a long way to go.

OK, time to get on with the rest of the veg,

starting with the goose fat roast tatties.

For extra crunchy roast potatoes,

take two kilos of potatoes,

peel and cut into large chunks,

and parboil for about eight to ten minutes.

Add 125 grams of goose fat or lard to a large roasting tin,

and pop into the oven to warm up for about five minutes.

Very carefully add the potatoes, and season well

and then roast for one hour and 15 minutes,

turning and basting every so often.

They should be cooked thoroughly and wonderfully crisp on the outside.

There are loads of things you can do with your other veg,

and what you do depends so much on how much space you have

in the oven, and how elaborate you want to be.

Here are my suggestions.

First off, complement sprouts with chestnuts

and one of my favourite ingredients, chorizo.

Rinse and trim the sprouts,

then slice them into half centimetre pieces.

Pop them onto a baking tray and dot 25 grams of butter all over.

Season with salt and pepper,

and then roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes,

adding the chorizo and chestnuts halfway through.

The sprouts should have caught a rich, golden colour

and be soft through when pierced with a knife.

Cut the carrots into large batons,

heat some oil in a large frying pan

and then add the carrots.

Then sprinkle with cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.

Cook over the hob for about 25 minutes until they're soft

and just beginning to char,

and turn regularly so they don't burn.

Then throw in the raisins and walnuts onto the carrots

for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Spoon into a serving bowl, scatter the parsley all over,

and serve at once.

I'm also cooking my parsnips on the stove.

Heat two tablespoons of oil, quarter the parsnips lengthways

and scatter them into the pan.

Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary

and season well with salt and pepper,

and toss everything together to coat.

Then cook them for about 25 minutes,

remembering to turn them regularly so they don't burn,

until they're just softened and beginning to char.

During the last five to ten minutes, drizzle over some maple syrup.

There's often so much pressure when I cook for family gatherings.

Sometimes I find myself thinking, "Why did I sign up for this again?!"

But I have found that these top tips help me get through the day

relatively unscathed and actually rather enjoy myself.

If you find all too late that the bird doesn't fit in the oven -

and I'm not ashamed to say I've actually been there -

then just get your best pair of scissors and cut the bird up.

It'll cook much more quickly and will remain very succulent, too.

I like to give myself a break,

because there's no need to cook everything from scratch.

Being a last-minute Larry when it comes to gatherings,

there are some things I buy ready-made with no shame whatsoever.

With something like cranberry sauce, I'll go for shop bought

and then just add some orange or Cointreau at home.

Even canapes, if you buy the best ones you can afford

then scatter them with fresh herbs, no-one will be any the wiser.

I like to draw up a time plan

starting from when I want to serve the meal,

working backwards to where I am now,

and my time plan for the big day is available on the website.

So my usual mantra is shop online.

OK, I know I forgot this year,

but I will definitely be remembering to book early next year.

Now, this is really pedantic, I know,

but I do like to draw up a washing-up rota

so everyone knows where they stand, and so certain people -

yes, you know who you are -

don't get away without doing the washing up again this year.

If you can, drag the family out for a walk before or after lunch.

It can prevent the cabin fever and sofa inertia which can strike this time of year.

And, finally, get another family member to do all the cooking.

No, just kidding!

Right, let's get down to business.

DOORBELL CHIMES

Hello!

-You all right?

-Rodney!

My, you've grown!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Come in. Just go through to the Christmas tree.

Right, mince pie, anyone?

-Thank you.

-Lovely.

This is alcoholic.

-Cheers!

-Happy Christmas!

The bird is ready. This is smelling so good.

And it's very heavy!

Look at that.

OK, so, my mum used to tell me when I cooked poultry

to check if the bird is ready,

just insert a knife into the thickest part and squeeze it,

and if the juices run clear, then it's done.

But I have my trusty thermometer.

And it's really easy. It's instant read,

and what I'm going to do is stick it into the thigh,

making sure I don't hit the bone,

and what I'm looking for is an internal temperature of about 70 degrees.

Many chefs argue about different temperatures

but just to keep it easy, 70's good for me.

Perfect.

So, I want this to rest.

It's so important to rest all meat when you cook it, really.

You can rest this up to an hour,

but I'm going to rest it for about half an hour.

I don't think anyone's going to wait longer than that.

Try not to drop it, I won't be popular if I do.

There.

Just cover it with tinfoil.

The only thing about resting it and covering it

is that the skin can sometimes go a little bit soft.

It's lovely and crispy now,

so I am going to leave some gaps for the air to circulate.

And the smell is just beautiful.

Now, I've already done the stock for the gravy, and this is how I made it.

Rinse the turkey giblets and place them in a large pan with onions,

carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns.

Pour over the water and slowly bring to the boil.

Then simmer for between 30 minutes to two hours

before straining through a fine sieve.

So I've got the roasting juices here from the turkey for the gravy.

And what I need is about three tablespoons of the fat.

You get great flavour from this, rather than just using butter.

And I don't need the rest of this fat.

Put the roasting tin with the turkey fat on a high heat on the hob,

add three tablespoons of plain flour, and stir to form a paste.

Add a glass of wine, and allow it to bubble down until reduced by half,

scraping in any sticky bits with a wooden spoon.

I'm going to get it really boiling.

It's going to bubble away nicely

and it will intensify the flavours and drive off that really strong alcoholic smell.

Then gradually add the rest of the turkey juices

until the floury paste has dissolved,

and then finally add the stock made from the giblets.

Now, one final thing that I really think adds great flavour to gravy.

Rosemary.

Such a beautiful, aromatic smell and flavour.

I'm just going to throw a couple of those in.

And I'll leave that to bubble away.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes

or until thickened and reduced by half,

and then check seasoning and adjust as necessary.

OK, now, this gravy is lovely and thick. Smells wonderful.

Not a necessary step, but I do like to sieve my gravy.

I'll just pour it into the strainer, like that,

and then just squish all the flavour through the sieve, like that.

And then this goes into the gravy boat,

and it's ready to go.

It's ready!

THEY CHEER

CRACKERS SNAP

LAUGHTER

Everyone help yourselves!

-Brussels sprouts, anyone?

-Yes, please.

-Yes, please.

-It's all good, isn't it?

-It's all good.

-All good.

I have to say, I'm not the greatest lover of sprouts,

but these are very, very good.

-Cheers, everyone!

-Cheers!

-Happy Christmas!

-Happy Christmas!

SNORING

So much for that washing up rota!

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