FLOWER POT KITCHEN: THE CHRISTMAS DINNER

3 Jan 2012

THE CHRISTMAS DINNER

TABLE PRESENTATION, THE CUTLERY IS SILVER FIDDLE DESIGN WHICH IS PART OF MY FAMILY HISTORY DATING BACK FROM THE 1700's WHERE MY FAMILY HAD TO LEAVE EUROPE TO AVOID BEING DECAPITATE FOR BEING TOO FLAMBOYANT, AND THIS CUTLERY WAS THEIR DESIGN

TABLE DECORATION

CHRISTMAS TABLE

THIS YEAR WE DECIDED NOT TO BROWN OFF THE TURKEY SKIN AND GO FOR THE MOISTEST TURKEY WE HAVE EVER COOKED, RUNNING WITH JUICES WHILE BEING CARVED AFTER RESTING FOR OVER 1 HOUR WRAPPED IN TIN FOIL

ROAST POTATO'S THIS YEAR I DID THE MAIN POTATO'S IN BEEF DRIPPING AND THEY WERE MUCH MORE CRISPY AND FLUFFY IN THE MIDDLE, THEY ALSO COOKED MUCH QUICKER THAN THE GOOSE FAT POTATO'S I HAD COOKING AS A SECOND BATCH FOR BUBBLE & SQUEAK FOR BOXING DAY

CROSSED BRUSSEL SPROUTS STEAM COOKED, I DON'T OVER COOK MY SPROUTS BUT I ALSO DON'T LIKE THEM AL-DENTE

FOUR CHEESE CAULIFLOWER CHEESE

THE BEST EVER GIBLET STOCK GRAVY

RECIPIE FOR THE GRAVY ON CHRISTMAS EVE BLOG

HOME MADE CRANBERRY JELLY

FAMILY HISTORY CHRISTMAS DINNER PLATES, THEY ONLY COME OUT ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND FOR THE LAST 30yrs I HAVE BEEN HAVING MY CHRISTMAS DAY DINNER ON THESE PLATE'S AND A FEW YEARS AGO I WAS GIVEN THE PLEASURE OF KEEPING THEM HOME WITH ME

I ALWAYS HAVE A COOKING LIST STUCK TO THE KITCHEN CUPBOARD SO THAT I CAN REALLY ENJOY CHRISTMAS DAY WITHOUT ANY REAL NEED TO THINK, I CAN HAVE MY MULLED BRANDY WINE AND PINK BUBBLY AND STILL REALLY ENJOY ONE OF THE BEST ROAST DINNERS OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE IT IS SPENT WITH MY FAMILY.

PREP ALL THE VEG ON CHRISTMAS EVE

King Edward potato's
Brussels sprouts
Parsnips & carrots
Wrap chipolatas in pancetta
Wrap sausage meat stuffing in pancetta
Make the giblet gravy stock (Christmas eve blog recipe)

TO COOK THE PERFECT JUICY TURKEY ON THE DAY
2 packs of butter under the skin
Allow 12 minutes per lb (27lb x 12=324mins=5hrs 24 mins
Wrap & over wrap in tin foil no gaps
Cook for 45mins at 180 degrees ( assuming 25lb+ bird)
Turn oven down to 150 degrees and cook on for 2 hrs
Take turkey out of the oven and baste
Check temp with a prob, should read about 58 degrees
Turn oven down to 100 degrees and cook on for 1hr
Turn oven back up to 150 degrees and cook for last1 hr & 39 mins
Check temp with probe should read approx 65 degrees = DONE
Health & Safety recommend cooking to 75 degrees.
Drain off all the juices into a separator jug
Wrap the turkey really well in fresh foil and leave to rest in a warm place

Ten minutes before I take the turkey out I turn on the saucepans with the potato's in so they can come up to the boil for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat & for the carrots and parsnips I give ten minutes, before turning off.

Once the turkey is out and resting in go the trays of dripping or goose fat to get really hot, drain the potato's fluff the edges by tossing in the pan and season with sea salt, toss and turn well in the hot fat and place back in to the oven.

15 minutes after the potato's have been cooking I drain the carrots and parsnips, season and toss into a hot roasting tin with a little fat, and put in the oven for 45 minutes.

I turn on the cauliflower cheese on the hob on low and leave to tick along.

Once the potato's have been in for approx 30 minutes I take them out and turn them.
Now it's time to put on the sprouts, bring to a rolling boil and turn off they will cook over the next 25 minutes. In go the sausages in pancetta & stuffing balls for 25-30 minutes

Turkey juices into the gravy and bring up to a simmer then turn down and tick over just before serving add a tbsp of butter to thicken, enrich and give a glossy finish. If you want your gravy thicker I recommend using some flour and butter mixed together and whisk in.

Boiling water poured into the gravy jugs to warm up.

CRANBERRY JELLY
500g cranberries crushed, 200g jam sugar in a pan, slowly melt the sugar and once the juices of the cranberries release turn up the heat to a rolling boil for four minutes, take off the heat and add in another 500g of cranberries for texture, they will soften in the heat of the jelly, once cool to touch place your serving dish.

Carrots and parsnips have now been in for 35 minutes I drizzle 2 tbsp of honey over the veg and toss.
Back into the oven for 10 minutes.

Potato's have now been in one hour and all is ready to serve.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.