Christmas can also bring a lot of dread and stress. The food bill alone can be overwhelming, on top of everything else.
It got me thinking of ways to create an outstanding, memorable dinner but for less.
Dress up a supermarket round of cheese, adding some Christmas spice along with decorative herbs from the garden to make it become a stunning centrepiece.
Or serve a brined roast chicken to be talked of for years to come.
Another simple trick is to store old bread in the freezer to be turned into delectable balls of stuffing.
Finish it all off with home-made gravy and a tray of roast vegetables.
Hot baked brie with cranberry,
home-made olive oil crackers
and garden goodies
The idea behind this as your first course is that it can be placed in the middle of the table and you can talk and nibble away.
Baking a round of brie transforms the cheese into a decadent melting pot, almost like a cheat’s version of a fondue. It is perfect for dipping goodies into.
I serve mine with home-made crunchy olive oil crackers and crunchy raw vegetables.
Olive oil crackers
Makes 24 crackers
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Skill: easy
1 cup flour
1 cup semolina flour or whole wheat
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped rosemary leaves (optional)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2/3 cup warm water (approx)
Sea salt flakes and cracked pepper to finish
Method
Combine the flours, salt, and herbs in a bowl.
Add the oil and two-thirds of the warm water.
Mix together well. If the dough is too dry add a little more water until you get a soft, pliable dough which is slightly sticky to touch.
Lightly dust your workbench. Turn out the dough and knead for a couple of minutes.
Cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Lightly grease 2 baking trays with olive oil.
Divide the dough into 4.
Rub a little oil over the bread and roll out as thin as you possibly can, the thinner the better. Cut into strips, rounds or triangles.
Brush with oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Continue with the remaining dough.
Bake until golden and crisp (4-6 minutes each side) Turn over halfway through cooking.
Cool completely before eating.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Baked brie
This recipe can be easily modified for larger gatherings.
Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Skill: easy
1 round of brie
2 Tbsp cranberry jam/jelly
Fresh rosemary, thyme or summer savoury sprigs
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Place the brie in a snug, oven-proof vessel (this will prevent the cheese from collapsing).
Spread over the cranberry jam, poke in some herbs and bake until the cheese is gooey (10-12 minutes).
To serve, arrange sprigs of herbs around the outside of the cheese to form a reef, you could add olives, nuts etc.
Serve with an array of raw vegetables such as carrots, radishes, fennel and celery sticks. Arrange the crackers and enjoy while the cheese is hot.
Brined chicken, stuffing and gravy
Brining chicken is a fantastic way to get flavour into the bird. It also helps to keep it juicy and make the skin extra crispy.
As it is Christmas, you must have stuffing and these herby (leftover) stuffing balls are irresistible.
Finally, to bring it all together, you must have a good home-made gravy.
Preparation time: 20 hours (includes brining)
Cooking time: 1½ hours, plus resting
Skill: moderate
1.3-1.8 kg whole chicken
Brine
1 cup salt
¼ cup sugar or honey
1 lemon, halved
4 bay leaves
30g fresh thyme
50g parsley (stalks are good)
10 black peppercorns
3 litres water
Gravy
Chicken juices
750ml chicken stock
20 butter
20g flour
Salt and ground white pepper to taste
Stuffing balls (makes 18-20)
300g stale bread, grated or crumbled into bread crumbs
25g butter
1 Tbsp oil
2 onion, finely diced
2 sticks of celery, finely diced
2 tsp dried sage
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped (optional)
2 tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
3 eggs
½ cup chicken stock
Method
Begin by making the brine for the chicken. Add all the ingredients for the brine to a large pot and bring to the boil. Turn off and cool completely.
Once cooled, submerge the chicken in the brine. Place in the refrigerator and leave overnight, or for at least 12 hours. Remove the chicken and pat dry.
Preheat the to oven 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
When ready to roast the chicken, stuff the cavity with herbs such as sage and a bay leaf. Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together (this will hold the chicken firmer).
Place on a rack over a roasting dish.
Brush over the oil and season with a little salt and cracked pepper
Roast the chicken for 1½ hours. If you have a cooking thermometer, test between the joint of the leg and thigh. The chicken is cooked once the temperature is 75°C, or the juices run clear.
Remove the chicken from the oven dish, cover and rest while you make the gravy.
To make the gravy
Place the roasting dish on the stove top over a moderate heat. Keep all the juices and any sediment. Add the stock and stir to dislodge the sediment.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter and flour so no lumps occur.
Slowly add pea-size balls to the stock and whisk well until incorporated. Turn down the heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and ground pepper. Strain through a sieve into a suitable sized saucepan.
Keep warm over a very low heat until ready to serve.
To make the stuffing balls
This can be done the day before. Place the bread into a food processor (in batches) and processor until breadcrumb texture. Remove and tip into a large bowl.
In a fry pan, add the butter and oil and melt over a moderate-low heat. Add the diced onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes without colouring. Add the sage and stir through.
Remove from the heat and add to the bread crumbs along with the remaining ingredients except the eggs and stock. Stir very well to mix evenly. Add the eggs and mix well. Finally add the stock. I use my hands to mix this stage as you want the stock and eggs to soak into the bread.
Roll into balls about 50g and place on a greased baking dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator until required.
When ready to cook, remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Drizzle over a little oil and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Assorted roast vegetables
Roast vegetables are a delicious and easy accompaniment to the roast chicken. I use favourites like potatoes, carrots, fennel and beetroot. They not only taste fantastic, they look impressive too.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Skill: easy
1 kg potatoes, peeled
1 kg carrots, peeled
1 kg beetroot, scrubbed
1 kg fennel bulbs, tough outer removed
Olive oil
Rosemary
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced).
Place a large roasting tray in the oven to get hot while you prepare your vegetables.
Cut each variety of vegetables into even-sized pieces. I keep mine relatively large. Place them in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over a little chopped rosemary. Toss well to combine.
Tip the vegetables on the hot roasting tray.
Roast for 15 minutes, turn over and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes or until golden and tender.
Serve on a platter alongside your chicken and stuffing.
