Recipes: Inspiration for your Christmas Day starter

Prawn Mille

Ingredients

200g sheet puff pastry 

Cook at 200c until crisp and brown

 6 Dublin Bay Prawns 

1 onion 

1 carrot

1 clove garlic 

100ml cream 

500g prawn shells 

1 lit veg stock 

1 bay leaf 

½ lemon peel 

1 tsp peppercorns 

½ tsp smoked paprika 

1 tblsp tomato pure 

1 tblsp oil 

50g Leek sliced in rings 

Seasonal leaves 

Method:

• Place the prawn shells and heads in a pot and add the stock, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, lemon peel and garlic. Bring up to a boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, covered until the stock is well infused by the shells.
• In a separate pot, melt a little butter and fry the onion & Carrot until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds before adding the smoked paprika & tomato paste.
• Allow to fry for 30 seconds then pour in the prawn stock with the shells and heads.
• Allow to simmer for 20 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the stock has cooled down, blend, shells and all until the shells are broken up completely. Pass the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and then through a sieve lined with muslin once more into a clean pot. This is to make sure there is no grit or sediment in the bisque Place the pot over a low heat and allow to come back up to heat In a hot pan, fry the seasoned Prawns for 120 seconds.
• Remove and place in the portioned puff pastry.
• Sear the leek in the hot pan and place with the prawns.
• Decorate with seasonal leaves and spoon over the prawn sauce.

Ham Hock: Ballotine 

Ingredients

 1 large gammon hock 

1 onion

 2 sticks of celery 

1 bayleaf 

1 sprig thyme 

1 leaf of gelatine 

4-5 gerkins 

Method:

•  Place the hock, vegetables and herbs in a pot, cover with water and simmer for 3 hours until ham is tender and falling off the bone. Leave hock to cool in stock.
• Once cool, flake the hock into a mixing bowl.
• Add wholegrain mustard, diced up gherkins herbs and season with black pepper.
• Dissolve gelatine in water and add to ham hock.
• Mix with a little of ham stock liquid and roll ham hock Mix in a sausage shape between cling film Roll tightly and set in fridge overnight.

Spiced Pear Chutney 

100g Demerara sugar 

100g white wine vinegar 

1 star anise 

1tsp ground cumin 

1 red onion chopped

 1tspn grated ginger 

5 pears peeled, chopped into bite size pieces 

1 red chilli halved 

25g sultanas 

Method:

• Put all ingredients in a pot except sultanas and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for 45 minutes until pears are just cooked then stir in sultanas.
• Celeriac Remoulade 1 medium sized celeriac 4tbsp mayonnaise 2tbsp Dijon mustard Method Cut the celeriac into julienne and lightly salt for 20min, squeeze out excess moisture.
• Add mayonnaise to bind, not too wet.
• Add Dijon mustard to taste.
• Add lemon juice and zest to taste Check for seasoning.

Jerusaleum Artichoke Soup with Chestnuts & Toasted Hazelnuts 

1 large onion grated

1 garlic cloves crushed

 400 g sliced Artichoke 

100g of gratted potato 

1000 ml of Vegetable stock

 100g cooked chestnut 

100ml of cream 

100ml of milk 

20g Toasted Hazelnuts Seasoning 

Method:

• In a large pot sweat onion, garlic and fennel (no coloration add the artichoke and sweat, stir at all time for 3-5 minutes add the stock add all the other ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes (stir every 5 minutes to prevent from sticking). 
• Liquidise using the blender and strain it season to taste with salt and pepper to serve; add some pieces of chestnut and Toasted Hazelnuts into the bowl serve soup in a jug and pour.