Delicious ideas for the Christmas menu! A new serial in the Chef’s Handyman food blog!
Christmas is on the way and so the planning for the Christmas menu as well! To make the choice easier Chef’s Handyman will publish in the next posts a selection of recipe ideas.
Below the outlook of the next insight:
Aperitif: Buns with dried tomatoes, cauliflower soup with périgord truffle oil or beetroot soup with horse radish cream, part 2
Starters: Spinach with quail eggs or salad with quinoa, sprouts and persimmons, part 1
Main dishes: Vegetarian, Puff pastry cups filled with mushroom sauce, fish, white fish with pastis sauce and spinach, meat, filled rolled veal meat with spicy fruits and mashed sweet potatoes, part 3
Dessert: Spiced vanilla ice cream with prickly pears or raspberry ice cream with cloves and persimmons, part 4
Some of the dishes can be prepared in advance, like the bread for aperitif, the desserts and the soups.
Let’s start with the appetizers: Spinach with quail eggs or salad with quinoa and sprouts.
To make spinach, chop onions. Heat olive oil in large pan. Glaze onions. Quench with 4 tbsp. of pastis. Add spinach. Close pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Season the spinach with salt and black pepper. Add 6 tbsp. of cream.
Bring water to the boil. Add quail eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Chill with cold water. Cut eggs in two pieces. Season the egg with pepper.
Serve spinach in glasses. Add eggs, garnish with sprouts.
To make salad, bring 2 cups of water to the boil add 1 cup of quinoa. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove pan. Leave for another 10 minutes. Drain quinoa and cool. Place green salad leaves on plates. Add quinoa and sprouts. Cut persimmons in thin slices. From flower and place on the salad.
To make dressing, combine 5 tbsp. of olive oil, 4 tbsp. of raspberry vinegar, orange rind, chopped peppermint leaves, salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the salad with the dressing.
Shopping list for 4 serves for both recipes:
Vegetables: 32 oz. spinach, 2 onions
Fruits: 2 persimmons, 1 organic orange
Salad: 20-25 oz. salad
Herbs: 1 bunch peppermint, 1 cup sprouts
Oil, Vinegar: Olive oil, raspberry vinegar
Dairy Products: Cream (4-5 tbsp.)
Spirits: 4 tbsp. pastis
Spices: Salt, black pepper
Dried Products: 1 cup quinoa
Eggs: 12 – 16 quail eggs
Happy cooking, your Chef’s Handyman team!
Outlook of the next post in the Chef’s Handyman food blog: Aperitif: Part 2, beetroot soup, cauliflower soup and buns with dried tomatoes!
