She still has Christmas tree decorations from her grandmother - these beautiful very fragile, very old metallic glass Christmas baubles that she can remember decorating the tree with at her grandparent’s house when she was a little girl.
Our first recipe is for a divine Greek Celebration Lamb with Chopped Salsa Verde. It’s hard to beat low and slow for cooking larger cuts of meat - a foolproof way to ensure maximum moisture and flavour. Here we’ve kept it simple and allowed the simple Greek flavours of lemon, garlic, oregano, and olive oil to work their magic.
The bright, herbaceous salsa pairs so wonderfully with tender, slow-cooked lamb and keeps the dish nice and vibrant. We love the texture of a hand-chopped salsa verde here, but if you’re tight for time you can of course whizz this with a handheld blender/food processor. If you want to add an extra festive touch, we recommend serving this with a scatter of pomegranate arils.
Next, we have our all time favourite Christmas dessert - Heaven Cake. This stunning cake is beautifully light and delicate, perfect for the festive season and special occasions. You can make the cake bases a day or two ahead, and keep them in an airtight container until you are ready to serve.
A make-ahead dessert is our secret weapon for effortless entertaining and takes away any last-minute stress. Happy Christmas everyone. We hope you have a delicious, joyful day!
With love,
Annabel & Rose
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Greek celebration lamb with chopped salsa verde
This makes for a show-stopping centrepiece for a special occasion or Christmas lunch. If you’re cooking for a smaller household, we recommend you use a lamb oyster shoulder, which serves 4 - it will take about 3 hours to cook.
Serves 6-8
Ready in 5 hours, plus marinating
Suitable for DF GF RSF
Ingredients
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 bone-in leg of lamb
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bunch of thyme, rosemary, or oregano
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped salsa verde
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ packed cup very finely chopped parsley
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
White of 1 spring onion, very finely chopped
2 Tbsp capers, drained, very finely chopped
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup pomegranate arils, to serve (optional)
Method
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, and grated garlic. Place in a shallow dish, add lamb leg, and turn to coat in the mixture, rubbing it into the skin with your fingers. Leave on the bench for an hour or chill for up to 16 hours, bringing it back to room temperature before cooking.
Preheat your oven to 150ºC fanbake and take out a large deep roasting tray. Line the tray with baking paper and place lemon slices and herbs in the middle. Take the lamb out of its marinade and place on top of your lemon and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Pour 2 cups of water around the lamb, taking care not to get it on the skin. Cover with a piece of baking paper (to ensure the foil doesn’t stick to the lamb), and then cover the whole thing with tin foil. Make sure it is airtight, as you want all the moisture trapped in the dish to ensure the lamb is juicy and tender.
Carefully transfer to the oven to cook for 4½ hours. At this stage, the lamb should be falling off the bone and lovely and tender. Uncover, increase the oven to 200ºC, and cook until golden brown on top (15-20 minutes).
While that is cooking, make your salsa verde. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
To serve, spoon the salsa verde on to a large serving plate and top with cooked lamb.
Heaven cake
Possibly our favourite Christmas dessert! A true showstopper, this is the perfect balance between decadent and delicate. The compote makes a wonderful Christmas present - pour it into sterilised jars and decorate with a pretty ribbon for a thoughtful, low-cost gift.
Serves 10-12
Ready in 1 hour
Suitable for GF V
Ingredients
125g butter, at room temperature
7 Tbsp caster sugar
2 eggs, separated, plus 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup self-raising flour or gluten-free self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 cup Christmas cherry compote, to serve (see below)
3 cups fresh berries, to serve
Christmas cherry compote
1kg cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp brandy, fruit brandy, or rum (optional)
Vanilla yoghurt cream
2 cups cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup natural yoghurt
Method
For the compote, place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring now and then to dissolve sugar.
Cover and simmer until cherries are softened (about 10 mins). Use a slotted spoon to transfer cherries into a bowl or jar. Continue cooking the liquid until it is reduced by half and quite syrupy (8 mins). Allow to cool slightly, then pour the syrup over the cherries.
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 months, or for long-term storage bottle hot into sterilised jars, filling to 5mm from the top and then overflowing with a little boiling water, and seal with sterilised lids.
For the cake, preheat oven to 180°C fan-bake. Grease the sides of two 24-25cm spring-form cake tins and line the bases with baking paper. Do not attach the sides.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and 5 tablespoons of the sugar until pale and creamy (5 mins). Slowly add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until mixed through. Gently fold in the flour, taking care not to over-mix.
In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are very stiff. Set aside.
Divide the cake mixture between the cake tin bases. Use a spatula to evenly spread a thin layer of the mixture over each base. Then, gently spread half the beaten egg whites over each of the cake mixtures.
Attach side rings, sprinkle with almonds and the remaining 2 tablespoons caster sugar, and bake until golden (20 mins).
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 mins before removing side rings and transferring to a cooling rack.
While the cakes are cooling, make the vanilla yoghurt cream. Whip the cream and vanilla together until firm, then fold through the yoghurt.
To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate and cover with half of the vanilla yoghurt cream, then add half of the cherry compote and 1 cup of the berries.
Top with the second layer of cake. Pile the remaining yoghurt cream on top, followed by the remaining cherry compote and fresh berries.
