Hello everyone

As it says in Ecclestiastes 3 'For everything there is a season'*, reiterated by by the Byrds in their well-known song**.

Now that the children have grown up and left home I miss the rhythm of the year being divided into school terms and holidays.  


The days roll on the same now that we've retired (no days off once you give up work!)  The days are more leisurely and tend to start later but they still tend to involve 'jobs'.

So these days I'm very keen on the rhythm of the seasons. It gives a structure to the year.  We recently had Halloween (or like me ignored it), followed by Bonfire Night, then Remembrance Day, 11 November.

So now it's time to start thinking about Christmas, although I do prefer to keep Christmas to December.

November is the month for starting to write Christmas cards as it makes a job which could become tedious into more of a pleasure.

Looking at the back of the cupboard this week I found an enormous jar of made mincemeat.  I'm looking forward to making some mince pies, come December.  And Jamie Oliver has just come to the rescue with his recipe for pastry.  
I've been making pastry of all types for years but thought perhaps it was time for a refresher, and here are his ideas for pastry-making:  http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/ultimate-guide-to-pastry-puff-recipe/#pgbQQqhswhJtxU3f.97.

Then, coming on to mince pies themselves, here's Jamie's page: http://www.jamieoliver.com/search/?s=mince+pies

I hope to put more Christmas ideas on here soon, especially in December, when Christmas really starts ..........


* https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3&version=KJV
** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4

Turkey...

It's now mid December and time to think about Christmas food.  I've sorted the Christmas Pudding and the Christmas Cake - and the chocolate of course.  

Now what about the Christmas Dinner?  We enjoyed turkey last year so are planning to have it again this year.  To decide what size turkey to buy, apparently the yardstick is:

For 4 - 6 people: 2.25 kg ( very small)
For 6 - 8 people: 3.6 kg (small)
For 8 - 10 people: 4.5 - 6.5 kg (medium)
For 10 - 12 people: 6.75 kg (large)
For 12 - 15 people: 9 kg (rather large)

• When you get it home, remove the packaging and put the giblets in a covered bowl. 
• Wipe the turkey inside and out with kitchen paper. 
• Put in on a large plate and cover with foil.
• Keep at the bottom on the fridge and bring to room temperature an hour before cooking.

If you freeze the turkey, to thaw put in a cool place (below 15C/60F) or immerse in regularly changed water (below 15C/60F) for:

• very small or small (see above) turkey about 20 hours (or 10 hours in water)
• medium to large, 22-24 hours (19 hours).
• rather large bird: 40-48 hrs (39 hrs)

If  it's time to put the turkey in the oven and it isn't completely defrosted put the unwrapped bird in the sink and cover with cold water.   Keep changing the water and running cold water through the cavity until you can see and feel no ice crystals.

Stuffing
Stuff only the neck, if there's too much stuffing then put it into a baking dish to cook, or roll it into balls and roast separately until crisp.  For my stuffing recipes - well Delia's - see: http://edvisgardening.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/christmas-cookery.html

To keep the turkey in shape: secure the oven flap with a skewer to prevent the stuffing from tumbling out too much during roasting. Then tie the legs together with string.

To cook: Allow 18 mins per 450g/lb at 190C/ Gas5/ fan 170C (weigh after stuffing the bird), for the following times (approximately):

• Very small - 1.5 hrs
• Small - 2.5 hrs
• Medium 3 to 3.5 hrs
• Large - 4.5 hrs
• Rather large - 6 hrs.

Cover with foil until half an hour before the end, as it keeps the delicate breast meat and keeps it moist, but don't cover it too tightly or it'll steam.  The last 30 minutes uncovered lets the skin brown and crisp up.

If the bird won't fit in the oven - the chances are pretty remote - but if it is, then remove the legs and roast these separately.  Or divide the bird up completely into legs, wings and breasts.  

If you are worried and you have a small oven then buy a turkey breast jointed (sometimes called a 'crown').  Also they have little wastage.

Turkey can be cooked on a barbecue with a domed lid.  (See Weber's Ultimate Barbecue Book by Matthew Drennan)

Rest the turkey after removing from the oven, keep it wrapped and in a warm place.  Will keep for up to 45 minutes like this.

To help with carving, remove the wishbone before cooking.  Be organised before you start; make sure the carving knife is very sharp and get the platter hot and ready to take the turkey and it's carved.  

Remove any bacon from the breast and divide it up. Untie the legs and remove the skewer.  Put the bird on a big flat carving board, preferably with a channel to catch the juices.  

Leftovers can be frozen, packed into rigid containers or in foil packages.  To keep moist freeze with gravy poured over.

Roast potatoes:  I'm rubbish at these, so here are a few ideas: 

• Choose the right sort of potato - desiree, King Edward and maris piper are all good.
• parboil them, this can be done in advance, and allow to cool
• drain them well and rough up the surfaces
• don't add salt until the end

And here's a rather nice recipe for cooking turkey, which I found in the Saturday Telegraph

Roasting a Turkey


1 Onion, quartered
1 Carrot halved
1 bulb of Garlic, halved
Thyme
Olive Oil
Butter, s&p

1. Cut the wings off the bird. Make a trivet in the bottom of the roasting tin with the wings and the vegetables. Add the thyme and the garlic.
2. Place the bird on the trivet.  Sprinkle with olive oil, then cover the breast with slices of butter. Season then rub it all into the skin.
3. Add a glass of water to the tray (or perhaps white wine?).
4. Cover with two layers of foil, leaving lots of space around the bird.  Roast until juices run clear, see above for timings.  Remove foil for last half hour.
5. Rest for 45 minutes (both you and the bird!)
6. While resting, use the juices at the bottom of the pan to make gravy.

Other ideas:

Some people put a lemon, herbs and an onion in the cavity.  They cover the turkey with strips of streaky bacon, removing them half an hour before the end so the turkey will brown nicely.

Some recipes from Lorraine Pascale* 

Here are some delicious recipes from Lorraine's 'Last Minute Christmas' book.  How can anyone so slim be so good at cooking?!!

Special Mince Pies

Puff paste
Mincemeat fortified with vanilla extract, port and orange zest

1. Roll out a 300cm square of puff paste and divide into four.
2. Put a blob of fortified mincemeat in the middle of each one. 
3. Cut into each corner and fold in one side, making a whirligig shape
4. Secure with a little beaten egg.
5. Put a shape on top, such as a star.
6. Brush over with beaten egg and cook.
7. When removed from the oven put on wire rack.
8. Glaze with a little maple syrup.
9. Lastly, sprinkle over some icing sugar.

Irish Cream

Cream

Coffee

Grated Chocolate

Whisky (or Whiskey)

Condensed milk

Vanilla extract

Raised Pie

• Roast and whizz 600g pecan, cashew, hazelnuts.
• Put 4 Leeks, Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic, Sage leaves, Mushrooms into a bowl.
• Add the nuts.
• Add Cheese and 3 Eggs.
• Make pastry with 300g Flour, 1 Egg, 15ml water and some butter (melted).
• Line 7" tin with a loose bottom with the pastry.
• Add half the filling.
• Then add some dried Cranberries or Apricots.
• Add rest of filling.
• Put on lid of pastry.
• Cook at 200C for about 40 minutes.
• Turn out of tin, then glaze and put some cranberries on top ten minutes before the end of the cooking.

Stained Glass Window Biscuits

100g butter

100g soft brown Sugar

2 tbsp Syrup

1 tsp Treacle

1 tbsp Cinnamon

1 tbsp Ginger

pinch ground Cloves

1. Melt all the above ingredients together.
2. Then add half a teaspoon of bicarb and 250g flour.
3. Rest for five minutes, no longer.
4. Roll to 1 cm thick and cut into shapes.
5. Cut out a shape from the middle and fill the middle with crushed boiled sweets.
6. Cook on greaseproof paper/baking parchment.

Sage and Rosemary Turkey

to follow ...

Spiced Roast Lamb

1.5 kg Potatoes

1 Garlic head

1 tsp Cumin, 2 tsp Coriander, 1 tsp Paprika - ground in a pestle.

1. Have the lamb at room temperature.
2. Scatter potatoes in roasting tin. 
3. Put lamb on top, into holes in the meat insert garlic.
4. Brush the top with lots of Harissa and some s&p and the ground spices.
5. Cook, then rest.

And my favourite:

CHOCoLATE DELIGHT

• Gently melt 300g dark Chocolate and 300g light Chocolate in a pan.
• Pour the dark chocolate onto parchment paper.
• Then add the light chocolate, swirling ever so slightly.
• Add 50g dried fruit adn 50g mixed nuts.
• Leave to set and then break into chunks.
• Makes a super present!

* http://www.lorrainepascale.com/category:recipes