Top chef and Life columnist Peter Gordon shares his favourite Christmas recipes.
Over the past few years, but especially during the last 12 months, I've been getting more involved with local companies who share my beliefs in quality, high-calibre products with an edge.
And so for this Christmas lunch I decided to bring them all together so you can produce a great meal (and even a cocktail) with minimal fuss and maximum impact.
The pavlova, however, I had to leave to my mother Timmy - she makes the best I've tasted. I'm back in London launching my new restaurant, Kopapa, so called in my chef-friend Grant Allen, who's done a wonderful job of cooking and styling the dishes at his Auckland home.
Here's to a festive time for us all, and bring on 2011.
STARTER
Salad of smoked salmon, radish, asparagus, toasted almonds and Peter Gordon's Sunny Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
All good salads rely on tasty and perfectly ripe ingredients, so make sure the asparagus is al dente, the salmon the best you can afford and the watercress (or other salad greens) blemish free.
Ingredients
2-3 bunches asparagus, ends trimmed, and lower part of the stalks peeled or snapped off and discarded
400g smoked salmon, thinly sliced
3 good handfuls of watercress, washed and well drained
Sunny Pomegranate Molasses and Avocado Oil dressing
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup of lightly toasted almonds, roughly chopped (I used Sabato's salted toasted Marcona almonds)
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil, or use a steamer, and cook the asparagus for 1 minute.
2. Drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water to stop it cooling.
3. Cut the stalks in half and divide the lower halves between your plates.
4. Lay the sliced salmon on top. Pile the watercress on top of this, almost in a ball.
5. Scatter the asparagus tips on, then drizzle with as much dressing as you think it needs - a tablespoon each should be fine (shake the bottle well). Scatter the sliced radish and almonds on last of all and eat immediately.
Alternate dressing
1 Tbs runny manuka honey
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp grain mustard
2 Tbs avocado oil
2 Tbs olive oil
Put everything in a jam jar and shake well - taste for seasoning.
CANAPES
Grilled scallops with Peter Gordon's Famous Sweet Chilli Sauce and creme fraiche
You can serve these in Chinese style soup-spoons as a canape, just one scallop per portion, although they're also delicious as a starter - a handful of watercress or rocket leaves with six to eight scallops scattered on top, topped with the sauce and dolloped with creme fraiche.
Serve two
Ingredients
16 scallops, out of the shell, cleaned, keep the coral on
2-3 Tbs Famous Sweet Chilli Sauce
3 Tbs creme fraiche (or sour cream)
cress to garnish
1. Lightly season the scallops and toss with a few teaspoons vegetable oil - avocado oil works well.
2. Heat a heavy based pan (or the barbecue) till very hot, slide the scallops in and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Carefully flip over and cook a further 20 seconds. Take off the heat, place in the spoons and drizzle on the Famous sauce and creme fraiche, then garnish with the cress.
Famous Sweet Chilli Sauce
I first created this lovely thick sauce at The Sugar Club in London in 1995 and have been making it ever since.
You can buy it from my range at Sabato, but here's a very simplified recipe - this will make about two cups worth.
Ingredients
1/2 large beetroot - peeled and cut into chunks
2 thumbs ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 thumb galangal, peeled and thinly sliced
8 peeled cloves garlic
2 red chillies thinly sliced (more or less to taste)
10 lime leaves - remove the central thick fibre from each leaf
4 lemongrass - remove the outer 2 leaves and slice the stalk, avoiding any over fibrous pieces
handful of coriander, shredded - the stem and roots are good for flavour
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1. Place everything from the beetroot to the coriander in a food processor and blitz to a reasonably fine paste.
2. Bring the sugar and a few tablespoons water to the boil, stir to dissolve the sugar, then cook over medium heat to caramelise the sugar to a deep golden brown.
3. Carefully add the paste, making sure you don't burn yourself if it splatters, and stir in until it begins to bubble.
4. Cook 30 seconds, then add the vinegar and fish sauce and boil again. Turn to a rapid simmer and cook 2 minutes, then take off the heat and pour into a clean heat-proof jar or bowl.
Crostini with babaganoush, pomegranate and coriander
Crostini are really just crunchy pieces of thinly sliced bread that have been baked in a low-heat oven and drizzled with oil.
They're a versatile base for many canapes. The babaganoush will make much more than you need, but it lasts in the fridge for three days, or just serve more of these tasty canapes.
Ingredients
1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbs raisins, soaked in warm water while the eggplant is cooking
The finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon (you may need more juice)
2 Tbs tahini (sesame paste)
80ml thick yoghurt
4-6 thin slices of a dense bread, crusts removed, cut into fingers 2cm wide
olive oil
3 Tbs freshly opened pomegranate seeds (or use diced tomato)
coriander leaves for garnish
1. Set oven at 200C.
2. Place the eggplant on top of the peeled garlic in a roasting dish. Use a toothpick or thin sharp knife to poke eight holes in the eggplant and bake until you can just squeeze the flesh - about 40 minutes or so. You can also barbecue it, but make sure the skin doesn't burn.
3. Take out of the oven, cut the stalk from it and split in half lengthways. Sit in a colander with the garlic to drain and cool to room temperature.
4. You can now either hand chop it or place it in a food processor. Add the garlic and the drained raisins, the lemon zest and juice and the tahini.
5. Puree quite fine and then stir in the yoghurt. Season well and place in the fridge to chill.
6. Once the eggplant is cooked, turn the oven down to 150C. Lay the fingers of bread on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt then bake till golden and crisp - around 20-30 minutes. These can be made a few days in advance and kept in an airtight container.
7. To assemble, spread generous amounts of babaganoush on the crostini, scatter with the pomegranate seeds and the picked coriander.
MAIN
Beehive Craft Series by Peter Gordon twice-cooked five-spiced pork belly, on roast kumara with tahini, bean and pea salad, and apple, brazil nut and tomato salsa
The point of my recipes in this feature is to make the preparation and cooking of your Christmas lunch as simple as possible, hence urging you to use my prepared pork belly. If you have time, you can of course use a slab of pork belly and cook it from scratch.
Ingredients
4 packets Beehive Craft Series by Peter Gordon pork belly
4 to 6 medium kumara, skins scrubbed
200g green beans, ends trimmed
200g peas (frozen work fine)
80g tahini
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
2 large ripe tomatoes
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
100g toasted brazil nuts or pecan nuts, roughly chopped
3 apples - slightly sour ones work best
1 Tbs tarragon leaves or shredded basil
1. Turn your oven to 240C. If you have a non-stick pan then heat it up. Drizzle with a little oil and place the pork belly pieces in their skin facing down. Don't overcrowd the pan, and cook until the skin turns golden, then place in a roasting dish lined with foil, skin facing up.
2. If you don't have a non-stick pan don't worry - sit the pork belly on a foil-lined tray, skin facing up.
3. Place in the oven, near the top, and cook for 30 minutes.
4. As soon as the belly goes in, cut the kumara into chunks and toss with a little salt and pepper and olive oil. Tip on a roasting tray, scatter with a few tablespoons of water and cook until done.
5. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the beans and cook for two minutes, then add the peas and bring back to the boil. Drain into a colander and leave to cool.
6. Stir half the lemon juice into the tahini with two tablespoons of cold water and when paste-like, mix in the sesame seeds and then mix in the beans and peas. Keep out of the fridge.
7. Dice the tomatoes and mix with the remaining lemon juice, the extra virgin olive oil and the nuts. Thinly slice the apples - don't peel them but do discard the core. Cut into julienne (matchsticks) and add to the tomato with the herbs. Mix gently.
8. By now the belly should be cooked and the skin crispy. If it isn't, turn the grill on in the oven, open the door a little, and cook until it crisps up.
9. To serve, make it look effortless and casual (which it is) by placing the kumara and bean salad on each plate, then sit a piece of pork belly on top and pile the salsa on last of all.
SIDE DISH
Roast carrots with Beehive Craft Series by Peter Gordon bacon lardons, grapes and mint
For this recipe you can skip the lardons if you like, but they add a lovely richness to the carrots.
This dish is particularly good if you're having turkey as your main course, or even barbecued fish.
Ingredients
4 to 5 large carrots, peeled
1/2 packet Beehive Craft Series by Peter Gordon bacon lardons
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
24 grapes, cut in half lengthways
1 tsp finely grated lemon or orange zest
A generous handful of mint leaves, coarsely shredded or torn
1. Cut the carrots into 1/2 cm-thick rings and steam or boil until almost cooked in lightly salted water, then drain and place in a bowl.
2. While they're cooking, heat up a wide frypan. Add the bacon lardons and garlic (you may need to add a little oil or butter) and fry over a moderate high heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to go golden and slightly crisp.
3. Add the halved grapes and cook for another two minutes.
4. Toss this mixture on the cooked carrots along with the lemon zest, some salt and pepper and leave to cool.
5. An hour before serving, toss in the mint and mix well.
COCKTAIL
Stolen rum and Heilala vanilla syrup cocktail
Ingredients
350ml Golden Stolen rum
220ml Heilala vanilla syrup
90ml fresh lime juice
ice
DESSERT
Timmy's pavlova with vanilla honey yoghurt cream and strawberry compote
My mum Timmy makes, without doubt, the best pavlova ever. I should know as I eat at least one whenever I come back to NZ - this year I managed to get through my share of at least six.
Make the pavlova up to three days before you need it to save the hassle, and store on a plate covered with foil.
Make sure you don't put the cream and strawberries on any longer than three hours before you're going to eat it as it'll go soggy.
Ingredients
3 large (jumbo) egg whites
Just less than 1 cup caster sugar
1 Tbs cornflour
1 tsp malt vinegar (although mum says any vinegar should be ok)
1. Set oven at 180C.
2. Mum likes to use a hand-held electric mixer for this. Beat the whites till stiff then slowly add the sugar, initially a tablespoon at a time. Once half has been added you can add it a bit faster. Turn your beaters off.
3. Sprinkle the cornflour and vinegar over the top of your meringue and then slowly mix it in - don't beat.
4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and then transfer your mixture onto it with a spatula. Make any shape you want (a log, a round, a square). Place the tray in the oven then immediately drop the temperature to 130C.
5. Bake for one hour then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven.
Vanilla honey yoghurt cream
Heilala make a delicious vanilla paste which is perfect for this, although a good quality pure vanilla extract will offer a similar flavour.
Ingredients
500ml cream (must be straight from the fridge)
2 tsp Heilala vanilla paste
3 Tbs honey (any delicious honey will work here, but manuka is great)
300ml chilled thick Greek-style yoghurt (or try Clevedon Valley buffalo yoghurt)
1. Lightly whisk the cream and vanilla to soft peaks in a chilled bowl.
2. Whisk the honey into the yoghurt and add this to the cream, then continue to beat until you have firm peaks.
Strawberry compote
This couldn't be simpler and it doesn't even need cooking.
I add a few shots of Golden Stolen Rum if it's an adults-only dessert.
Ingredients
2 punnets strawberries
5 Tbs icing sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1. Hull the strawberries, then slice about 1/2 cm thick.
2. Toss with the icing sugar and zest and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
3. The juice that runs off is lovely, but keep it separate and drizzle over the pavlova as you serve it or it can make the pavlova go soggy.
