Under starter's orders for Christmas dinner
Brine, made by dissolving 85g of salt in 250 ml water
110g baby onions, peeled and halved.
110g small cauliflower florets.
3g ground ginger.
3g ground turmeric.
3g mustard seeds.
5g pommery mustard.
190ml cider vinegar.
45g demerara sugar.
½ garlic clove, chopped.
110g red pepper, deseeded.
110g gherkins, chopped.
3-5g arrowroot, dissolved in a little water.
Method:
Place the onion and cauliflower in the salt water and leave for one hour. Remove from the water and dry.
Place the turmeric, ginger and mustard seeds in a pot and heat. Add the pommey mustard, garlic, cider vinegar and demerara sugar and mix.
Add the cauliflower, baby onions, red pepper and gherkin to the pickle and cook until slightly tender.
Thicken the mixture with the dissolved arrowroot and allow to cool.
Grilled Fennel:
Cut the fennel in half vertically from top to bottom. Cut each halfinto 4 ¼ inch thick.
Spray each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a char-grill medium-high heat, grill the fennel turning until you get a good char on each side and fennel is tender to the touch, about 2 to three minutes on each side.
Poached pear:
Bring the one litre of water and 250g of sugar to the boil and stir to dissolve all the sugar, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and add orange zest and the spices cinnamon, juniper and three cardomon pods, and scraped-out vanilla pod.
While this is simmering, uncovered, peel and core the pears. You can use a melon baller to scoop out the cores.
Add the pears to the syrup and let them simmer very gently for up to 25 minutes. Make sure they don’t overcook or they will be too soft to serve. When the tip of a knife slides into a pear easily with no resistance, the pears are ready.
Puff Discs
Cut and shape the puff pastry. Bake the pastries at 425°F until puffed.
Bake until you see them puff up and just start to brown, roughly 10 minutes.
Place the rabbit legs and bacon in a deep saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil, removing the impurities.
Top the water up and add the carrot, leek, celery, two sprigs of thyme, peppercorns and coriander seeds. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and falling from the bone.
Pass the liquid through a fine sieve and measure 1L of the cooking liquid. Soak the gelatine in cold water and add it to the 1L of warm stock.
Flake the ham meat from the bone and remove the fat. Heat the stock and pour some of the hot stock over the cooked ham and flaked rabbit meat.
Line a terrine mould with clingfilm; build the terrine starting with the ham, rabbit and some stock. Complete the terrine layer by layer until the mould is packed, make sure the last layer is a layer of ham, close the clingfilm over the terrine and place a heavy weight on top.
Place the terrine in the fridge and leave to set over night.
To serve, slice the terrine 1.5cm thick, glaze with oive oil and season if needed with sea salt flakes. Serve with a light salad and the Plum and Cranberry compote, apple crisp and pickled carrot (see recipe below). You could also serve toasted brioche or sour dough bread.
Defrost puff pastry to room temperature. Cut with circle cutter. Prick each disc with a fork — to stop pastry from rising. Bake in the oven for 8-10 mins @ 180 degrees.
Place plum, cranberry and grenadine in a pot and cook over a medium heat until it has stewed right down and is just dry.
Add the sugar and cook for another 10 minutes.
Taste and check for bitterness; if it needs more sugar, add it a little at a time but leave it a little bitter.
Make the brine: Combine vinegar, 3/4 cup water, the sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, bring to the boil and pour into a jar, let the pickle cool. Add the sliced carrot, leave to pickle overnight or for up to a week.
Apple, thinly sliced. Place greaseproof paper on tray, thinly slice the apple and place the slices on the tray, bake in oven @180degrees until golden and crisp.
Place all components as seen in picture, or as you desire.
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8 slices of Beef
100g cooked Ruby Beetroot
50g Cavello Nero (Waterfall Farm)
30 ml Velvet Cloud sheeps yoghurt
20 ml Apple syrup
1 pear
Pickled carrot
Pear, thinly sliced. Place greaseproof paper on tray, thinly slice the pear and place the slices on the tray, bake in oven @180degrees until golden and crisp.
Carrot, sliced
Brine
Make the brine: Combine vinegar, 3/4 cup water, the sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, bring to the boil and pour into a jar, let the pickle cool, Add the sliced carrot, leave to pickle overnight or for up to a week.
Submerge in boiling salted water for 60 seconds and refresh in iced water, dress in rapeseed oil and irish sea salt.
Velvet Cloud is a handmade natural sheep’s milk yogurt, made in Co Mayo. Highbank Orchard Apple Syrup Grown and produced by Highbank Orchards in Kilkenny.
