Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Summer Pudding with Mascarpone

A Christmas-time classic, this recipe is incredibly simple and presents beautifully. The vibrant, fresh summer berries make it the perfect way to round off any Christmas feast.

Ingredients: serves 4
1 loaf white sliced bread
1 punnet each of summer berries: could include raspberries, red or white currants, blueberries, mulberries, blackberries, strawberries or logan berries.
250g good mascarpone
Mint tips
500ml mixed berry coulis: Blend leftover or frozen mixed berries (3 cups) with equal parts water and sugar, adjust consistency and flavour by adding more/less of each ingredient or a squeeze of lemon.

Equipment:
4 x soufflé moulds / deep ramekins
1 x large tray

Method:
Step 1: Preparation
Cut 24 slices of bread to the size of your soufflé mould or ramekin and place on a large tray. Cover with three quarters of the berry coulis, or until it absorbs most of the sauce and changes to a deep red.
Step 2: Assembly
Line souffle mould with cling film and place a disc of bread on the base. Place a few mixed berries on top and drizzle with coulis from bread tray. Repeat this layering until the souffle mould is full, finishing with a layer of bread.
Cover each mould with cling film and place a light weight on top of puddings to compress. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve:
Remove the puddings from the mould by turning upside down. Garnish with mixed berries, a dollop of mascarpone, remaining berry coulis and couple of mint leaves.

Turkey tenderloins with chestnut, cranberry and sage farce

See a video of this recipe at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwo6dXCEKRA

By using only the tenderloins (or breast fillets) of the turkey, this recipe prevents you having to buy, store and roast a whole bird on Christmas Day, making it a great time and space saver. The ‘farce’ (French for “stuffing”) is on the outside of the breast and keeps the breast tender during cooking. You can prepare the fillets the day before by “stuffing” and steaming them, then covering and storing them in the fridge over night.

Ingredients: serves 4
4 x turkey breast tenderloin (skinless)
10 x peeled, chopped chestnuts (fresh, if available, or frozen/tinned are a good alternative)
3 x tablespoon cranberries (dried or fresh, if available)
Handful of fresh sage, chopped
4 x cups of chicken mousse*
1 x medium-large sheet crepinette **
Roast potatoes, sautéed spinach, roasted chestnuts and glazed onions to serve

Method:
Step 1:
Pre-heat oven to 200˚. To make chicken mousse: using a food processor, blend four chicken breasts, four eggs and 200ml cream until it resembles a thick, creamy paste.
Step 2:
Stir chopped chestnuts, sage and cranberries through chicken mousse until evenly dispersed.
Step 3:
To prepare crepinette, cut into squares approx. 20cm x 20cm and lay flat on cling film. Place fillet in middle of crepinette and spread a generous amount of farce on top. Peel crepinette away from cling film, starting at the top, wrap it over the breast and tuck in to fillet underside. Fold all edges of crepinette in under the breast to make a neat, contained package.
Using the crepinette can be avoided altogether – simply wrap the breast in cling film and steam until the farce has bound to the breast, which should take 8-10 minutes.
Step 4:
Place wrapped fillet into a steamer for approximately 8 minutes. Remove from steamer (and take off cling film if used) and panfry with a tablespoon of olive oil or turkey stock (can be substituted for chicken stock) until golden brown. Place in oven and cook for a further 6 minutes, or until firmly bound together.

To serve:
Remove from oven and slice into four rounds. Serve with roast potatoes, sautéed spinach, oven roasted chestnuts and gravy, and fried sage leaves and fresh cranberries to decorate.

* Chicken mousse: a binding agent for the stuffing
** Crepinette: pig’s stomach lining – a traditional way to keep ingredients together, for example in sausages, it can be bought from most butchers. Crepinette should be kept moist by storing it in brine or its own juices.