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WORK PLAN
Several days ahead:
Prepare nuts and ricotta islands.

Day before:
Make pie filling.

In the morning:
Make “sea” for dessert, prepare salsa and assemble pies.
Prepare green vegetable of choice for main course.

1 hour before serving:
Take pies from fridge and turn oven to 210°C, ready for cooking. Take custard from fridge.

 

Last minute:
Cook green vegetable and assemble oysters on a bed of ice.

 

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Ricotta and Nougat Islands on Vanilla Cream Sea
(pictured above)

 

Ricotta islands:
350g ricotta
150g caster sugar
150g fruit and nut nougat, finely chopped
250ml cream, beaten to soft peaks
Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon

Vanilla sea:
225ml milk
½ vanilla bean
Few drops vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Spun sugar* and gold leaf for garnish

Islands: Process ricotta and sugar in a food processor until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl and add nougat, cream and lemon zest. Mix well. Pour into 6 individual serving moulds or a lined 1-litre loaf tin. Cover and freeze.  Makes 1 litre

Sea: Place milk, vanilla bean and extract in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisk egg yolk and sugar together in a bowl. Gradually add hot cream, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over gentle heat, whisking until sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not overheat or custard will curdle. Cool completely before serving. If making ahead, store covered in the fridge and take from fridge 1 hour before needed.  Makes ¾ cup

To serve, unmould islands on to dishes and pour the sea to surround. Garnish with gold leaf and spun sugar.  Serves 6

 

A tasty nibble to serve with drinks. Chilli oil is available from speciality food stores but it’s easy to make your own (see the recipe on page 196 of the December 2007 issue)

Preheat oven to 125°C. Line a baking pan with baking paper. In a large bowl, combine chilli oil, lime juice, chilli flakes, cumin, salt and sugar. Add peanuts and toss to completely coat in mixture. 

 
Place nuts in baking pan, spread in a single layer. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden, stirring several times during cooking. Remove from oven and toss through the whole dried chillies.

Cool nuts completely before storing. They will keep for several weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. If they lose some of their crispness, reheat on a baking sheet at 125°C for 15 minutes before serving.  Makes 4 cups

 

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Oysters with Capsicum, Chilli and Pickled Ginger Salsa
Assemble these just before serving. The salsa can be made earlier in the day and stored covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

24 oysters, out of the shell Pickled ginger and coriander leaves for garnish Salsa: 1 orange capsicum, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons pickled ginger Finely grated zest of ½ a lime 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar

Place all salsa ingredients in a food processor and process to a fine purée. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed (more lime juice, sugar, etc).

To serve, place each oyster in an individual serving glass and spoon over a little of the salsa. Add a piece of pickled ginger and a coriander leaf to garnish. Serve immediately on a bed of ice.  Makes 24

 

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Turkey, Ham and Cranberry Pies
These pot pies offer a delicious way to enjoy the traditional flavours of Christmas without any last-minute fuss.

 

150g butter 3 leeks, washed and finely sliced 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 cup dried cranberries 50g flour 1 cup turkey stock or good-quality chicken stock 1 cup milk 150ml white wine 300ml cream ¼ cup chopped parsley 2 cups each cooked turkey and ham cut into bite-sized pieces 4 sheets puff pastry (quantity may vary depending on the size of the serving containers) 1 egg, beaten for glaze

 
Heat 50g of the butter in a large frying pan and cook leeks and garlic over gentle heat until leeks are soft. Add cranberries and cook gently, stirring, for a further 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. 

 
Melt remaining butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Stir over low heat for about 2 minutes then gradually whisk in stock, milk and wine. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to the boil.  Simmer 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in cream and parsley. Add turkey, ham and the leek mixture. Stir to combine and season to taste.

Divide mixture between 6 ovenproof dishes. Cut pastry 1.5cm larger than the top of the dishes. Brush rim of dishes with egg glaze. Place pastry over dishes and press on to rims, leaving a frilly overhang. Brush pie tops with egg and decorate with pastry scraps if desired. Bake at 210°C for 25-30 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden. (If making ahead, remove pies from fridge 20-30 minutes before baking.) Serve with a green vegetable or salad.  Makes 6

 

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Rhubarb and Ginger Vodka Martini
To make an alcohol-free version of this pretty drink, place a few tablespoons of the rhubarb syrup in a tall glass with a little ginger syrup and top up with soda water or lemonade.

Rhubarb syrup: 5 stalks rhubarb, coarsely chopped 2 cups water 1 cup sugar Martini (per serve): 2 tablespoons prepared rhubarb syrup 1 tablespoon preserved ginger syrup 2 tablespoons vodka, chilled 2 tablespoons Vermouth Ice cubes   Rhubarb syrup: Boil rhubarb with water until soft. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Transfer mixture to a jelly bag or piece of muslin tied into a bag, suspend it over a bowl and leave to drip overnight. Store liquid in a sealed jar in the refrigerator until ready to use. Keeps about a week. Makes about 2 cups

To make each martini, place ingredients in a martini shaker with whole ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and serve garnished with baby stalks of rhubarb if available. 

 
For styling suggestions see the Photo Gallery attached to this story.