Once again a fantastic turn out for our "Cooking for Christmas with Peter Gorton". Everyone I meet had a great time and already looking forward to the next one.

Below we have set out the menu Peter cooked for everyone and the recipes so that you can also try them.

Menu
Baked salmon in brioche with smoked salmon mousse 
and a white wine & chive sauce
Or
Butternut squash risotto with smoked bacon & duck confit
~~
Roasted corn fed chicken breast with macadamia nut, 
cranberry and herb stuffing
Or
Grilled gilthead bream with a crab crust and laurier dressing
~~
Warm chocolate tart with marinated oranges 
and raspberry sauce 
Or
Poached pear with amaretto filling in filo pastry baked and 
served with vanilla ice cream & caramel sauce

Peter Gorton

Salmon Baked in Puff Pastry

Ingredients – Serves x 6

800g x fillet of salmon

Mousse

200g x Salmon trimmings (see below)

100g x smoked salmon

2 x egg whites

Salt and pepper

150ml x cream

Method

Pre-heated oven to 200°c/fan oven 180°c/gas 6

Remove all bones from salmon fillet with tweezers or small pliers and skin completely.  Trim 8cm of flesh from the tail and 3cm from the flap/rib section, these trimmings go into the mousse (see above)

Place trimmings and the smoked salmon in the processor and blitz for a few seconds then add 1 x egg white, when mixed add the other egg white.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in the cream, season to taste refrigerate for 1 hour.

Lay the evenly trimmed salmon fillet on a board and spread the smoked salmon mousse on top.

Roll the pastry out to 30 cm x 18 cm/12 inch x 5 inch and place on a baking sheet, brush the pastry with an egg wash around the edges.  Place the salmon fillet in the middle and bring the edge nearer you up and over then the far edge over that, making sure it is all egg washed to stick well. Try and tuck in the edge underneath if you can.  Rest the salmon in a refrigerator for 1 hour before cooking.

Bake for 10 minutes then turn down the oven to 180°c/ fan oven 160°/gas 4 for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Vegetables

Red Cabbage

Ingredients

1 red cabbage

Olive oil

Apple grated

1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly

Red wine

Method

Remove and discard any outer damaged leaves, cut into quarters and cut away the hard cores, thinly slice the cabbage.

Put the olive oil in a large pan, heat and add the cabbage and stir fir 10 minutes until all the cabbage is cooked, add the grated apple, sliced onions and redcurrant jelly, cook for 10 minutes.  Add the red wine, reduce the heat and slowly cook for 45 minutes stirring occasionally the liquid should have evaporated.

Serve hot.

GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

Sliced Potatoes Baked with Cream and Garlic

Ingredients – serves 6

4 medium-sized potatoes

75ml (3 fl oz) milk

75 ml (3 fl oz) double cream

Salt

Pinch of nutmeg

1 garlic clove

15 ml (1 tbsp) clarified butter

Method

Peel the potatoes and slice very finely on a mandolin.  Soak in cold water to remove the starch.

Boil together the milk and the cream, season with salt and add the nutmeg.

Rub a 15 x 30.5 cm (6 x 12 inch) rectangular roasting pan with garlic.  Brush it with clarified butter.

Drain the potatoes and dry thoroughly on absorbent kitchen paper.  Spread the potatoes in thin, closely packed layers, adding a little creamy liquid between each layer.

The mixture should not be more than 2 cm (¾ inch) thick.  Pour the rest of the liquid on top and bake in the oven at 180c (350f) mark 4 for about 30-45 minute

Peter Gorton

Butternut squash risotto with smoked bacon and sage

Ingredients

Caramelised Squash

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large 900g butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

Course salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

Method

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over a medium heat.  Season the squash with salt and pepper add it to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until nicely browned, about 6 minutes.  Cook and cover until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and cook until the squash is caramelized, but still holding its shape, about 2 minutes then set aside.

Risotto

2 litres vegetable or chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

50g slab bacon lightly smoked, cut into ½ inch dice

225g finely chopped shallots

450g Italian rice (Arborio etc.)

1 teaspoon fresh sage chopped

¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

125ml dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over a high heat.  Reduce the heat and keep hot.  In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium – low.  Stir in the rice, sage and thyme.  Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the rice is coated, has released its starch, turns a milky opaque white and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 7 - 10 minutes.  Add the wine and boil until completely reduced, about 2 - 3 minutes.  Ladle about 225ml of the simmering stock into the rice, cook, stirring often, until the stock is almost completely absorbed by the rice.

Continue cooking and stirring, adding another 225ml of stock.  After 15 minutes, begin tasting the rice.  At this point, add the remaining stock, judiciously.  The rice should be firm, yet cooked through in 18 – 20 minutes total cooking time.  Stir in chopped parsley and any other seasoning you like.  Transfer the risotto to warmed bowls and serve immediately.

Peter Gorton

Roast Corn Fed Chicken Breast with Macadamia,

Cranberries and Herb Stuffing

Ingredients

15g soft butter

1 teaspoon chopped sage

4 corn fed chicken breasts

175ml chicken stock

50ml cranberry sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Stuffing

Ingredients

40g butter, chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 smoked bacon rashers, chopped

40g macadamia nuts

50g breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grated apple or pear

1½ tablespoons of chopped sage

1½ tablespoons of fresh or sweetened dried cranberries

Method

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onions and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes then add the bacon and macadamias and cook for another 3 minutes or until lightly browned.  Transfer mixture to a bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients and season to taste.  Cool to room temperature.

Chicken Breasts

Mix the butter and sage to taste.  Carefully lift the skin from the chicken breast, spread the butter mixture over the flesh, and then press the skin back down.  Place breast skin side down on a board, place stuffing in the centre then fold sides together.  Place the chicken breasts on a square of foil large enough to wrap up the chicken and roll in the foil to form a sausage shape, squeezing both ends together.

To Cook the Chicken

Place foil chicken parcels in a pan with a little oil and warm the parcel for 5 minutes.  Put in a moderate oven and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and slice the chicken breasts into four slices.  Place on the centre of four warmed dinner plates, serve with vegetables of your choice.

Peter Gorton

Crab Crusted Fish with a Laurier Dressing

Ingredients – Serves 6

6 x 160g fish fillets, skin off

55g fresh breadcrumbs

30g parsley and mixed fresh herbs

80g butter

25 Gruyere

100g crab meat

Method

Place the breadcrumbs and herbs into a food processor and mix until the herbs are finally chopped and the breadcrumbs have turned green in colour.  Add the butter and cheese continue to process until all the ingredients are fully combined.  Add the crabmeat and pulse the food processor to just mix in the crab.

Empty the mixture onto a sheet of baking paper.  Form into a ball with your hands, top with another sheet of paper and using a rolling pin roll to about four millimetres in thickness, chill.

Cooking the Fish

Pre-heat oven to 220°c

Season fish fillets with salt.  Remove the crab crust from the fridge.  Take off the top layer of paper and cut rectangles of crab crust the some size as your fish portions.  Place on top of the fish, put onto buttered baking paper in an ovenproof frying pan and cook in the oven for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove fish from the oven and allow to rest for 3 minutes.

Laurier Dressing

Ingredients

2 shallots

2 cloves garlic. minced

6 tablespoon olive oil

1½ cups dry white wine

2 fresh bay leaves

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon  balsamic vinegar

4fl oz passata

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoon softened butter (optional)

Method

Place the shallots, garlic and olive oil into a small saucepan over a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the balsamic vinegar, white wine and bay leaves.  Increase the heat and cook and reduce by half.

Add the tomato passata, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Bring the mixture to the boil and remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the softened butter. Adjust the seasoning.

Marinated Oranges

30g castor sugar                                                               1 star anise

100ml water                                                                        2 tablespoons grenadine syrup

150ml strained fresh orange juice                                             3 oranges segmented

½ vanilla pod seeds scraped out and added to the caramel         Zest of 2 oranges

Method

Boil the castor sugar and water in a saucepan until the mixture turns into a caramel colour.  Reduce the heat and add the orange juice and zest and cook for 5 minutes then add the grenadine syrup, vanilla pod seeds and star anise.  Cook for another 5 minutes, finally pour over the segmented orange in a bowl and allow to marinate for a day.

PETER GORTON

Poached pears, wrapped in filo pastry with a caramel sauce

Ingredients – serves 4

4 small firm pears

Poaching liquid                                                      Pastry

700ml water                                                               450g package of filo pastry de-frosted in

225ml red wine                                                      the refrigerator overnight

115g granulated sugar                                             225ml melted unsalted butter

2 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Amaretti Filling                                                      Caramel Sauce

125g amaretti biscuits, crushed                                    250g double cream (& a little extra

(mix all the ingredients below                                    cream to thin the sauce)

to form a firm paste)                                             250g sugar

125g ground almonds                                             150ml water

4 teaspoons sugar

4 teaspoons butter

Method       Pre-heat oven 200°c/gas6

Choose firm pears that still have their stems attached.  Peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler and cut a thin slice off the bottom to create a flat surface so that the pears will stand upright during poaching.

Combine the poaching ingredients together, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and add the pears, return to the boil and then simmer for 10 minute.  Remove the pears from the liquid so they don’t continue to cook.  When they have cooled completely, core the pears from the bottom & fill them with the amaretti filling, dry any excess

liquid from the pears.

To prepare the pastry – Allow 3 sheets of filo per pear, brush each sheet with melted butter, layering them on top of the next sheet, place 1 pear in the centre of each pastry square and pull the four corners up towards the top and pinch around the stem leaving as much stem exposed as possible.  Bake the pears until golden brown, while the pears are baking prepare the caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

Bring the water and sugar to the boil and boil until a nice golden brown, remove from the heat and in another pan bring the cream to the boil and add this a little at a time to the caramel, whisk carefully and return to the heat until all the caramel has dissolved.

Presentation

Place pears in the centre of four plates and pour the caramel sauce over, serve with an ice-cream of your choice or clotted cream.

Chef’s Tips

The pears can be prepared up to three days in advance.  When adding the cream to the caramel be very careful as the mixture tends to splatter.

Peter Gorton

Chocolate Tart

Chocolate Dough

Ingredients - Serves 8 - 10

1 x 9" Baked pastry shell (baked blind)

115g unsalted butter, softened

115g castor sugar

2.5ml/ ½ teaspoon salt

15ml / 1 tablespoon vanilla essence

50g cocoa powder

175g plain flour

Method

In a food processor combine the sugar, salt, vanilla essence and butter and process until blended. Add the cocoa powder and process for 1 minute, add the flour all at once and process for 15 seconds, do not over process Place a piece of clear film on the work surface. Turn the dough on to this and shape into a round disc, wrap and chill for about 1 hour.

Butter the bottom and sides of the tart tine. Transfer the dough to a sheet of waxed paper and with your hands gently form the dough into a ball and flatten it into a circle and then carefully roll the dough out to form a circle to fit the tin. Transfer it to the prepared tart pan. Generously prick the dough lining the bottom of the tart pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 375°f / 190°c / gas 5

Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator, place on a baking sheet in the centre of the oven. Bake the pastry for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the pastry case for at least ½ hour before filling with the chocolate mixture.

Filling Mixture

180ml double cream

90ml milk

175g dark chocolate

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Method

Pre-heat oven to 190°c/375ºf/gas 5

In a medium saucepan combine the cream and milk and bring to a simmer over a moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat, pass through a sieve into a clean bowl add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and the mixture is well blended. Set aside to cool to lukewarm. When cooled add the egg and whisk until thoroughly blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pastry shell. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the filling is slightly firm but still trembling in the centre. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. Serve warm at room temperature.

We hope you and your family enjoy the food and wish you all a very merry Christmas.