Brian McDermott & Neven McGuire's Christmas dinner: Today

Method

Starter: Crab Cocktail

For the marinated tomatoes:

1. Place the cherry tomatoes in a bowl and season generously. Sprinkle over the olive oil, balsamic vinegar lemon zest and basil.
2. Cover with clingfilm and set aside at room temperature for at least 10 minutes (or up to 1 hour is fine) to allow the flavours to mingle.

For the Marie Rose sauce:

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, olive oil, mustard, Tabasco and Worcestershire in a bowl. Season to taste and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.

For the guacamole:

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones. Put the flesh in a bowl and mash to a purée. Stir in the mayonnaise, chutney and lime juice and season to taste. Cover with clingfilm and chill for up to 2 hours.

To serve:

1. Arrange 5 Little Gem lettuce leaves on each serving plate or in a martini glass. If serving on a plate, place lemon wedge in the middle.
2. Add small spoonful's of the guacamole, the crab meat, marinated cherry tomatoes, slices of mango and teaspoons of the Marie Rose sauce.
3. Garnish each one with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Main: Neven's buttermilk brined roast butterfly of turkey with orange and rosemary

For the harissa butter:

1. Beat the butter until soft and add in the harissa spice, , parsley and thyme. Beat until well combined and refrigerate until needed.

For the turkey:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in turkey bag for the buttermilk brine and add the turkey breast. Tie up the bag securely and place in the salad drawer at the bottom of the fridge for up to 2 days is best but at least 24 hours.
2. When ready to cook the turkey preheat the oven to 190°C (375F), Gas mark 5.
3. Prepare the turkey breast, remove the turkey breast from the brine and drain off any
4. excess liquid, then pat the skin of the turkey dry with kitchen paper. Place onto a roasting tin. Using a trivet is best.
5. Rub the prepared flavoured butter generously over the skin, this is best using gloves.
6. Cover the top with streaky rashers.
7. Place the prepared turkey breast in the oven and calculate your time, 20 minutes per 450g plus 20 minutes. The turkey breast will cook much quicker than a full turkey, so make sure to keep basting; you can cover with foil if it's browning too quickly. When cooked cover with foil to rest and keep warm.
8. Skim all the fat from the cooking juices, then pour off all but three tablespoons juices from the roasting tin. Stir the flour into the pan residue and cook, stirring over a low heat until golden.
9. Stir in the onion and thyme and then gradually pour in the stock, stirring all time. Bring to the boil, and let bubble for 2-3 minutes until thickened and the onion has cooked through. Season to taste and then strain through a sieve and keep warm.
10. To serve, carve the turkey breast into slices and arrange on warmed plates with the roast potatoes and vegetables. Pour the gravy into a warmed gravy jug and hand around separately.

For the stuffing:

1. Melt butter in pan and cook onions for a few minutes until they soften.
2. Add the herbs, apricots, cranberries and pine nuts.
3. Mix well, and stir the mixture into the white breadcrumbs, again mixing well. It’s now ready to roll in tinfoil (in a large Christmas cracker style) or stuff the turkey

Dessert: Cheesecake with Raspberries and White Chocolate

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla seeds and the lemon rind and juice for about 5 minutes, until smooth and light.
2. Melt the 200g white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little. Meanwhile, place the cream in a separate bowl and whip until stiff.
4. Fold the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture and then carefully fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (1/2in) plain nozzle and place in the fridge until needed.
5. To poach the raspberries, place the red wine and crème de cassis in a pan with the sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise and vanilla pod and seeds and bring to the boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced by half and slightly thickened. Place the raspberries in a heatproof bowl and pour over the wine mixture through a fine sieve, discarding the cinnamon stick, star anise and vanilla pod. Stir to combine and leave to cool.
7. To assemble the cheesecake, divide the poached raspberries among martini glasses and crumble the shortbread biscuits on top.
8. Pipe the cheesecake mixture right up to the rim of the glasses and decorate with raspberries, white chocolate curls (see below), dried raspberries, baby Maltesers, spun sugar (see below) and mint sprigs.
9. To serve, arrange the cheesecakes on plates with a Jammie Dodger.

Cook ahead: The poached raspberries will keep in the fridge for up to five days. All the other elements can be prepared 24 hours in advance and assembled just before serving.