Ingredients
Starter: Walnut Pâté
Serves: 4 as a starter
Makes: about 250g
- 100g walnuts
- 120g cannellini beans, drained and rinsed before you measure them
- 60g smooth cream cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon, juice and zest of half
- 1 tbsp sherry
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
To finish:
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- A light sprinkle of paprika, for the top of the pâté
- Pomegranate seeds, thyme sprigs, olive oil & walnuts to garnish
For a starter
Serves 4
- 12 crostini
- 100g mixed salad leaves
- 1 orange, segmented
- For the dressing
- Juice of 1 orange
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Main: Butternut Squash and goat's cheese wellington
Serves: 4-6
- 800g peeled and deseeded butternut squash, using the top part only (not the seeded part), slice in half (you may need 2 butternut for this)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp chopped sage
- 100g peeled shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tsp chopped thyme
- 2 tsp honey
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, wiped, chopped
- ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
- 60g hazelnuts or selection of mixed nuts, chopped
- 100g spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Dash of nutmeg
- 120g goat’s cheese
- 320g pack all-butter puff pastry
- Plain flour, for dusting
- Egg wash (1 egg plus 2 tbsp water), beaten to glaze
Dessert: Eggnog custard cream mousse with boozy mulled pears
Serves: 6
For the custard cream mousse
- 3 egg yolks
- 130g caster sugar
- 250ml milk
- 350ml double cream
- 60ml white rum
- Small pinch nutmeg
- 3 large gelatine leaves or 1scant tsp agar agar powder
For the mulled pears
- 2 small pears, quartered
- 250ml mulled wine
- Shot of brandy or amaretto
- 1 orange, zested into strips & juice of orange
- 2 star anise
- 75g caster sugar
To garnish:
- Small bay leaves and edible glitter
- You will need 4 x 150ml glasses
Method
Walnut Pâté
- To prepare the pâté, place the walnuts in a dry frying pan and toast them.
- Place the beans, smooth cream cheese, chopped parsley, garlic, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, sherry, olive oil, cumin and paprika into a food processor and blend until it reaches the texture that you like. Some of us prefer it smooth and others not.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- If you feel it needs a little more loosening, add in another tablespoon of cream cheese.
- Spoon into serving bowl (s) and sprinkle over a little paprika. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To prepare the dressing, place all the ingredients in to bowl or jar and whisk well.
- To assemble, you will need 4 plates or boards. Arrange salad leaves on each plate/board.
- Sprinkle over the orange segments, add the pate bowl. Arrange the crostini on the side.
- Garnish the pâté with some pomegranate seeds, parsley, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil,
- walnuts and thyme sprigs and serve.
Butternut Squash and goat's cheese wellington
- To prepare the butternut squash, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
- Place the squash wedges into a roasting tray. Drizzle with a little oil, add the rosemary, thyme and sage. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes or until just done. The time depends on the size of the wedges. Leave the butternut squash to cool.
- For the shallots and mushrooms, heat a large frying pan with oil and add the shallots, add the garlic, chopped thyme and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes until the shallots are fully cooked.
- Increase the heat and add the chopped mushrooms, and sauté until cooked and the mushroom juice has evaporated. Add in the honey and hazelnuts. Check for seasoning and leave to cool.
- For the spinach, heat a frying pan and add the butter and oil and the spinach leaves and cook / wilt. Squeeze out the liquid, pressing in a sieve. Set aside.
- When ready to assemble. Preheat the oven to 220°F/200°C/gas 8.
- To assemble, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 30cm x 40cm. Trim 2cm from one of the long edges and set aside to use to decorate.
- Cut the pastry in half lengthways. Transfer one length to a lined baking tray.
- Place the spinach on the pastry down the longest length, keeping a border all the way round.
- Top with the mushroom / shallot mix, followed by the goat's cheese and place the butternut on top. Lightly press together.
- Brush the pastry border with egg wash. Place the second half of the pastry over, stretching lightly to fit. Press the edges together and crimp with a fork.
- Use the pastry that you cut off to cut shapes out to decorate the top of the pastry.
- Brush with egg wash. Make a couple of incisions to let the steam out.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and crisp. Rest for 2 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with cranberry sauce, brussels sprouts and onion gravy.
Tip: To prevent a soggy pastry base, add some breadcrumbs on the base.
Eggnog custard cream mousse with boozy mulled pears
- To prepare the custard cream mousse, place the caster sugar and the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until smooth, light in colour and fluffy.
- If using gelatine, soak the leaves in cold water until they are soft.
- Heat the milk and double cream, rum and nutmeg in a saucepan over a medium heat until just hot. If using agar agar, place in saucepan along with the cream and heat.
- If using gelatine, remove gelatine from the water, squeeze out the excess liquid. Then whisk into the hot cream mix.
- Then while continuously whisking, pour the hot cream mix into the eggs and sugar mix.
- Pour or ladle the mixture into a jug and carefully transfer into the glasses filling them up to 1cm from the rim.
- Leave to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- To prepare the mulled pears, place mulled wine, brandy, orange zest and juice, star anise and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add in the pears and poach for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool in the mulled wine
- To assemble, take the custard cream mousse out the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
- Arrange the mulled pears on top. Garnish with small bay leaves, edible glitter if you have it and serve.
