It's what's inside that counts

3 years ago AB and I hosted our first family Christmas.

I do believe in the go hard or go home philosophy when I comes to Christmas so it had to be better than Ben Hur.

 

Naturally a Turducken was the only way to go!

 

AB gives me a look whenever I mention Turkducken and recounts a tale of sobbing on the floor at 2am when the roasting pan was too small to fit the birds.

 

My version of the event doesn't include the crying but a whole Navy of expletives, words that had never passed my lips till that morning.

 

The draw card to this rolled turkey is my love of a boneless bird mainly because I'm pretty useless when it comes to carving. (Plus AB hates bones)

 

So this year it's our turn again and I've said not to worry about any dramas I'm just doing a rolled turkey......we'll just keep quiet about the duck and the chicken till later on.......it's ok I've got a bigger pan!

 

No matter whether it's a boneless or whole bird "The Stuffing" to end all stuffing is a major star of this show.

 

"The Stuffing"

Ingredients

• 8-10 dried figs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 500g Italian sausage skin removed or sausage mince
• 1 large brown onion grated
• 1 large red onion grated
• Half a preserved blood orange or lemon finely chopped
• 80g pistachio
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

Method

• Soak the figs in lemon juice for about 30 minutes
• Fry off the sausages or mince with the grated onions
• When sausage is cooked, add to a mixing bowl and allow to cool
• Slice the figs and add with the soaking liquid to the sausage
• Add the remaining ingredients and combine well

The stuffing is almost like Christmas lights!

• For the boned turkey flatten the stuffing on the meat (skin side down) and then roll the sides in on each other so it looks like a turkey again.
• Cover in bacon to keep the breasts moist.
• Roast covered at 160°C for about 25-30 per 500g, then uncovered for last 20-30 minutes.  

(the bathroom scales may finally get a use after all)

 

Can be joined together with a metal skewer down it's back

The big day will have woven bacon as while I went for quick and easy it would look a million times better.

 

The turkey looks really dry in the photo but it was my hatchet job of cutting and snapping in 3 minutes before I was late for work.

 

This crazy move was purely so I could have it for lunch, I honestly could not wait!

 

It was moist, delicious and we may need to stage a turkey intervention.....again!

 

The Turkey can be made a day ahead and cut cold and reheated in tinfoil parcels with a splash of water, in the oven with the vegetable for about 20 minutes. (careful not to dry it out)

The best thing about this demo bird is I have the most amazing turkey stock in the freezer just waiting to be part of the Christmas gravy.

Here are a few pictures of how I boned the turkey (may be too graphic for some), you could always try and con your butcher into doing it for you.

For me the key is a sharp knife and letting it find it's way through the bird.

Plus take your time, don't start it 10 minutes before it is due to go into the oven.

Ditch the wings, aint nobody got time for that.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Remove the white tendons from the legs

Looks better finished for sure!

Nutty Christmas Cake

Along with the carols one familiar sound from my Christmas past was the sound of Dad popping open a plastic container then a shriek "Robert! Stop eating the nuts off the top of the cake!"


This was as regular as clockwork till the nuts were, eventually no more. Cashews and Brazil nuts were a particular favourite.


This would go on every year and I would think why don't you just add more nuts??


So then it came to me making a cake for him as part of a hamper, I was very clear on the brief......NUTS!


Right on track the whole top was covered, not a single crumb was visible. 


I must have done ok as this year I had the phone call "you ARE making the cake again?" so I guess that meant I was.


I think there is something to be said about knowing your audience as he is divorced and now married to a bloke called Bruce, let's face it my Dad really, really likes........Fruitcake!


(Where were you going with that sentence?? Filthy!)


Nutty Christmas Cake
Ingredients

• 650g dried fruit (see note)
• 150ml brandy
• 250g butter soften unsalted
• 200g brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 30g treacle
• 30g jam (any kind I had strawberry and blood orange)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon ground (2g)
• 2 tsp. mixed spice (4g)
• 100g almond meal
• 300g plain flour
• 100g nuts (a mix of those listed below)
• Additional hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, walnuts, slivered almonds to decorate
• Extra brandy for feeding

Method

• Soak the fruit in the brandy for about 24 hours
• Roughly chop the 100g of nuts
• Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till paler and fluffy
• Slowly add eggs and beat till combined
• Add treacle, jam and spices beat through for 30 seconds
• Stir through flour and almond meal
• Stir through fruits and nuts till mixture is well combined
• Spoon into a lined 20cm square cake time (or shape of your preference)
• Smooth over the top
• Decorate with as little or as many nuts as you like (more is more)
• Bake at 150°C for 3 hours till a skewer comes out clean
• Let cool and then remove from tin
• Brush top with additional brandy about 10-15ml, repeat weekly till ready to serve.
• Store in a plastic container

Note: My fruit mix varies so I think of it as a total of fruit rather than individual quantities of each. It has raisin, sultanas, currents, figs, cranberries, dates, mixed peel, sometimes pineapple or ginger and even the almost compulsory but loathed glace cherry (but only 1, 2 tops!)

 


 


 


 


 


 If your eggs look let they have curdled, as mine because butter and eggs are never the exact some temperature, a tbsp. of the weighed flour will bring it back together.

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 



 


 


 


 You can present the cake with a decorative border either, paper, foil or material, fastened with a pin to be removed before serving.
Some food writers if in a rush may stick it together with a Band-Aid not shown in the picture, but they would almost never write about it.

I had run out of mixed spice (I must have done some baking recently) so whipped up some of my own and used 3 tsp. of this mix.

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 tsp. of ground ginger

1 tsp. of ground coriander

1 tsp. of all spice

1/2 a nutmeg grated

I may not buy mixed spice again but I will certainly be buying a new spice mill!

Haul out the holly with the smell of Christmas spice...

It is amazing the things you find stored on your computer that had been forgotten, I'd once made a fact sheet for a crafty group exercise I had to present.

I'd first made these spice bags during the life's a banquet art show I mentioned in October's In My Kitchen.

The aroma of the spice bags smells just like Christmas cake, mince pies, and pudding, oh my!

On the dinning table used as a place setting they fill the air with the promise of what is to come, plus the guests get to take home a memento of the event.

Spice bags can be used as car air fresheners or in wardrobes to keep clothes fresh and moth free. (I think moths hate cloves)

Materials: 

• Organza bags (my are 7cm x 10cm, but size is up to you)
• Whole spices: cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, nutmeg, all spice
• There is no specific quantity of each spice it is determined by personal preference

Method:

• Put spices in bag (I really can't make it any simpler)
• Tie off the organza bag. If the finished product will be around small children you may wish to sew up the bag to avoid a choking hazard.

Notes:

• Organza bags are available from “$2 type” shops or eBay if you want to do large quantities.
• Spices must be whole and not ground; they are most affordable from Asian grocers or Indian spice stores.
• Some people with Asthma may be affected by strong aromas, always check for allergies.
• Be aware star anise may have sharp points if working with children.
• You can tell the fact sheet was full of OHS warnings!!

The concept has expanded this year with Emergency Christmas in a jar. Instead of breaking glass in an emergency, a quick off with the lid and the perfume of Christmas can relieve any stressful moment. Unless it is Christmas that is your stress and well in that case I have nothing except this 3 point plan:

• It's December 25 every year, the date doesn't change so don't wait to shop on Christmas eve
• Make the day just about what is special to you and yours
• Finally.....it's just a baked dinner, chillax

If you are handy you could drill holes in the lid of the jar to allow the aroma to escape (I'm not)

Cos we all need a little Christmas.......