Christmas Made Easy…
With the chance to celebrate with friends and family this Christmas, make party-time easy with these stress-free recipes that are sure to please
With everyone looking forward to the Christmas festivities, if you’re the host then food will be foremost in your mind. Whether that’s Christmas Eve party food, the main-event turkey or transforming leftovers into a Boxing Day feast, these recipes from Booths are guaranteed crowd-pleasers.
Jennifer Middleton, who works as Booths’ PR agent and is also known as Mrs Mid, has some great quick and easy recipes that are sure to impress. Try them out and see for yourself!
DEVILLED EGGS
Mrs Mid says: “In my late 70’s childhood, when these eggs appeared we knew we had company! My mum called them emergency canapés – quickly made with minimal effort and maximum appreciation.”
Boil 12 eggs for 10 minutes and then run them under cold water to chill. Peel and slice the eggs in half and carefully scoop out the yolks and place into a bowl. Mix four tablespoons of mayonnaise, a quarter of a teaspoon of smoky paprika, one teaspoon of English mustard, three drops of tabasco and one tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with the egg yolks. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Place the mixture in a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe into the egg white halves. If you don’t have a piping bag, a generous teaspoon-dollop works fine. Garnish with finely chopped chives, or if you’re luxurious, add a bit of caviar for really good friends!
CRANBERRY, ORANGE & GINGER SAUCE
“I like to think of this as the little black dress of festive sauces and it’s so simple to make,” says Mrs Mid. “The sauce goes with so many things, turkey or goose on Christmas Day, Boxing Day ham, as a relish with pork pies, an absolute must slathered on a leftover turkey sandwich and absolutely delicious with a baked brie!”
In a medium saucepan combine the grated zest of one orange, a two centimetre piece of fresh ginger (peeled and grated), one cinnamon stick, 150ml water, 150ml fresh orange juice and 30 grams of sugar. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add 350 grams of cranberries and mix to combine. Cook for about seven minutes while the cranberries make a very pleasing popping sound and the mixture has thickened. Cool, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and keep the mixture in the fridge. You can make this up to five days ahead and it’s so useful you might want to have another batch in the freezer.
BEETROOT, FENNEL & APPLE SALAD
Mrs Mid says: “I like to make this crisp earthy salad to add a bit of zest and freshness to a Boxing Day buffet.”
Finely slice one medium fennel bulb, stalks and fronds, leaving a few fronds aside to garnish. Slice three medium cooked beetroot into slim slivers, and finely slice two apples and four radishes and add to a bowl. Sprinkle over two tablespoons of torn fresh mint leaves. For the dressing, add two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, one tablespoon red wine vinegar, one tablespoon honey and one teaspoon of mustard to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad, add a squeeze of half a lemon and gently toss to coat. Booths’ Rosemary and Sea Salt Almonds make a great addition to add a bit of savoury crunch.
