Recipes: The perfect starters for Christmas Day dinner

WOW Christmas Food Supplement Beetroot Cured Salmon, Bloody Mary Jelly & Pickled Carrot Salmon
We continue our series of recipes and tips to help you prepare for Christmas.
Here students Helena O’Brien, Skye Philips and Rebecca Colbert, members of the Year 3 Chef de Partie Apprentice course at Munster Technological University, share three wonderful starters to choose from for your Christmas Day menu.

- 1. Peel the beetroot and cut into pieces. Add to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and process to create the cure.
- 2. Place half the cure on a tray placing the salmon on top, cover with the rest of the cure.
- 3. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 10 hours. Turn the salmon, re-cover and place the salmon back in the fridge for a further 10 hours.
- 4. Tip away the juices and wash of the cure, pat dry with kitchen paper and chill until needed.
- 1. Peel and slice the carrots, blanch in boiling water for 60 seconds.
- 2. Place all the ingredients in a pot and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
- 3. Place the carrots in a kilner jar cover with the pickle, leave in the fridge for 24 hours allowing the pickle to be absorbed.
- 1. Soak the gelatine in cold water for four minutes
- 2. Combine the juice, vodka, Worcestershire, and tabasco in a pan and gently warm over a low heat.
- 3. Add the gelatine to the mix and stir until dissolved. Pour into a shallow dish and let to set.
- 1. Slice and cube the cured salmon.
- 2. Cut a circular disc of the bloody Mary jelly and place on your serving place.
- 3. Top with the salmon and some pickled carrot which has been dried with kitchen paper.
- 4. Place the horseradish Mayonnaise around the dish and drizzle with a little olive oil.
- 5. Finish with some fresh fennel herb and nasturtium leaf.

- 1. Roll the goats cheese gently to form 6 small balls.
- 2. Place the figs, plum, hazelnuts, on a metal tray and drizzle with olive oil.
- 3. Place under a grill and cook until golden in colour.
- 4. Add the goat’s cheese to the tray and place back under the grill until heated through.
- 5. Arrange on a plate with the membrillo jelly, beetroot, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, serve.

- 1. Begin with 50g of butter and fry the mushrooms in a pot until lightly browned. Add the chopped shallot, chopped chestnut and garlic and cook until soft for about another minute.
- 2. Stir in the rinsed rice and cook until translucent. Pour in the wine and stir once.
- 3. Add the stock a little at a time stirring constantly until all is absorbed and creamy in tex ture and the rice is cooked.
- 4. Season with sea salt and pepper, add in the oil and final 50 g of unsalted butter.
- 5. Finally add in the Coolea cheese and serve.