Recipes: Inspiration for your Christmas Day starter

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
- 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.

1 large gammon hock
1 onion
2 sticks of celery
1 bayleaf
1 sprig thyme
1 leaf of gelatine
4-5 gerkins
- 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
- 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.

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
- 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.
