It’s the most wonderful – and delicious – time of the year…

Christmas is right around the corner and naturally, we’re deep in Christmas dinner planning. It can be a juggle to cater to all tastes and dietary requirements, but we reckon the below main, side, dessert and cocktail recipes will be total crowd pleasers.

Whether you’re hosting or dining with friends or family, these recipe ideas courtesy of Maldon Sea Salt make for a very elegant festive pot luck dish or Christmas dinner spread for those who are hosting. Cheers and a very merry Christmas from all of us at H&IS HQ!

Mushroom, Butternut Squash, Chestnut and Caramelized Onion Wreath

Serves: 6

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus chilling

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 red onions, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 knob of butter
• Pinch of Maldon Sea Salt
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar
• 450g mixed mushrooms (chestnut, shittake, oyster), torn into pieces
• ½ small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
• 50g chestnuts, crumbled
• Small handful sage leaves, shredded
• A little grated nutmeg
• 30g dried cranberries
• Pinch of Maldon Garlic Sea Salt
• 1x 320g sheet of puff pastry
• Milk or egg to glaze

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c.
2. Start by making the caramelized onions. To a frying pan add 1 tbsp of olive olive plus a knob of butter and allow it to melt.
3. When foaming, add the sliced onions and a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt. Fry these on a low heat for at least 10 minutes until they are soft and translucent.
4. Then add the soft brown sugar and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the onions have gone sticky, soft and caramelized. Set aside to cool.
5. Place all the mushrooms onto a baking tray along with the diced butternut squash. Then drizzle with the remaining olive oil and some salt and pepper.
6. Place into the hot oven and roast for 25 minutes until the squash is tender and the mushrooms are golden. Set the tray aside to cool.
7. Once the vegetables have cooled you can make the filling. Simply mix in a bowl with the caramelized onions, chestnuts, sage, nutmeg, dried cranberries and Maldon Garlic Sea Salt.
8. Unroll the pastry onto a baking tray and then pile the filling down the middle in a line. Then roll the pastry over to seal it, as though making a large sausage roll. Use the egg wash to seal it down, and then take the two open ends and join them together, sealing them as well.
9. Any excess pastry can be cut off and used to decorate the wreath, if desired. Egg wash the whole outside of the wreath and then place into the fridge for 30 minutes.
10. Once the wreath has chilled, place it into the preheated oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until it is golden and crisp on the outside. Cool slightly before serving – can be served warm or cold.

Christmas Spiced Orange Roast Duck

Serves: 6 people

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1x whole duck (roughly 2.2kg)
• Maldon Smoked Sea Salt
• 500g Maris piper potatoes
• 5x banana shallots, peeled and halved
• 6x clementines
• 2x bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp honey
• 50g Seville orange marmalade

Method:

1. Set the oven to 180C. Pat the skin of the duck dry and rub 1tsp of the smoked salt into the skin. Place the bird breast side down in a roasting tin with the shallots and roast for 1 hour.
2. While this is roasting, peel and halve any large potatoes. Place them in a pan of water and boil them for 8 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted.
3. Then tip the potatoes into a colander in the sink and allow them to steam. Shake the colander a little to fluff up the potatoes and then set aside.
4. After 1 hour, drain off all the fat reserving it to cook your potatoes in! Then carefully lift and turn the duck in the tray. Surround it with 3 clementines, halved, the cinnamon and bay and return to the oven for a further one hour (keep watching and basting).
5. Meanwhile, roast the potatoes in the duck fat adding a good pinch of Maldon Smoked Sea Salt.
6. Before the end of the cooking, add the juice of the 3 remaining clementines to a small pan and simmer until reduced by half, then add the honey and marmalade. Brush the duck with the sticky glaze and return to the oven for the final 10 minutes.
7. Serve the duck with the roast potatoes, braised red cabbage and sprouts.

Charred Brussel Sprouts on Toast with Ricotta and Parmesan

Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2x slices of sourdough bread
• 200g Brussel sprouts, halved
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100g ricotta
• ½ lemon, zested
• 30g blanched hazelnuts, toasted
• 50g parmesan, finely grated
• Pinch of Maldon Sea Salt
• Cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Place the Brussel sprouts onto a large baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil, then season with Maldon Sea Salt and black pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 15 – 20 minutes until charred in places.
3. Toast the two pieces of sourdough bread. In a small bowl mix together the ricotta and lemon zest along with some Maldon Sea Salt and black pepper. Then spread the ricotta mixture on top of each toast. Roughly chop the toasted hazelnuts.
4. Top each toast with the charred Brussel sprouts, a scattering of toasted hazelnuts and some grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Loaded Leftover Christmas Toastie

Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2x slices of sourdough bread
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 70g leftover turkey
• Pinch of Maldon Chilli Sea Salt
• Black pepper
• Leftover stuffing / pigs in blankets
• 50g sliced brie
• 1 tbsp cranberry sauce
• Knob of butter
• Cornichon and cocktail stick
• Warm gravy for dipping, optional

Method:

1. Start by assembling your toasted sandwich. Take each slice of sourdough bread and spread the outside of each with mayonnaise.
2. Then fill by spreading a tsp of Dijon mustard, followed by the leftover turkey meat – this is a good point to season the toastie with a pinch of Maldon Chilli Sea Salt and some black pepper.
3. Top this with the sliced up leftover stuffing and pigs in blankets. Then top with slices of brie. Finally finish with a generous amount of cranberry sauce then sandwich the top slice of bread on top.
4. Place a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat and add the knob of butter. When melted add your sandwich, then use a heavy weight to press it down. Allow this to cook on one side for approximately 3 – 5 minutes before lifting the weight and carefully flipping the sandwich.
5. The other side should be golden and crisp on the bottom. Add the weight back on and cook the other side for the same time.
6. As soon as the toastie is done, remove it from the pan and cut in half. The cheese should be oozy, and you can serve it with a cornichon and cocktail stick in the top. It is delicious served with warm leftover gravy for dunking.

Salted Caramel Poached Pears with Flaked Almonds & Crème Fraiche

Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1x vanilla pod, halved lengthways
• 1x cinnamon stick
• 1x star anise
• 3 strips of orange peel
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 firm pears, left whole but peeled
• 150g caster sugar
• 90g unsalted butter
• 225ml double cream
• 1 tsp Maldon Sea Salt
• Crème fraiche, to serve
• Toasted flaked almonds, to serve

Method:

1. Half fill a pan with water and add the vanilla pod, cinnamon stick, star anise, caster sugar and orange peel. Bring up to the boil and allow the sugar to dissolve before lowering the heat and adding the pears.
2. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the pear is tender. Remove from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the poaching liquid.
3. To make the salted caramel sauce start by melting the sugar in a pan. Gently melt in the pan and swirl around but avoid vigorous stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and it has gone a deep golden-brown colour.
4. Then immediately take off the heat and add the butter and half of the cream – it will bubble a lot – whisk this in before adding the remaining cream and a generous pinch of Maldon Sea Salt, whisking to a smooth caramel sauce.
5. Serve the pears with some crème fraiche, the salted caramel sauce and some toasted almonds.

Spiced Apple Frangipane Tart

Serves: 8

Prep time: 35 minutes, plus chilling time

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the pastry

• 160g plain flour
• 50g icing sugar
• 120g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp of cold water (more if needed)

For the frangipane

• 130g unsalted butter, room temp
• 150g caster sugar
• Pinch of Smoked Maldon Sea Salt
• 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 150g ground almonds
• 45g plain flour
• 2 large apples, cored and thinly sliced with skin-on
• Icing sugar, to serve

Method:

1. Start by making the pastry. In a food processor add the plain flour and icing sugar. Then add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Next add the egg yolk and cold water. Pulse again until the pastry starts to come together. If it looks a little dry, add a splash more water.
2. Bring the pastry together with your hands and tip out of the food processor. Knead very gently and then wrap in clingfilm in a flat disc shape and put into the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
3. After 30 mins, remove the pastry from the fridge and the roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. Roll a large circle around 2cm in thickness and the use your rolling pin to lift the pastry and drape over a 23cm fluted tart tin.
4. Gently press in the corners and up the sides, leaving some overhang at the top. Use a fork to lightly prick the base of the tart. Then place this back into the fridge for another 30 mins.
5. Preheat the oven to 180c. After 30 minutes, remove the chilled pastry case from the fridge. Scrunch up some baking paper and then line the pastry with this and some baking beans. Place into the preheated oven to blind bake.
6. Bake it for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the pastry feels chalky and lightly golden in colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
7. While the pastry is blind baking, make the frangipane. Using an electric hand whisk, place the softened butter, sugar and pinch of Maldon Smoked Sea Salt in a large bowl and whisk together for 2 – 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
8. Then add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla and whisk again. Finally add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ground almonds and flour and whisk until combined.
9. When the pastry case has cooled slightly, take a small, serrated knife and carefully trim off the excess pastry so you have a nice smooth line around the top. Dust off any pastry remains.
10. Spoon the frangipane filling into the pastry case and smooth out with a palette knife. Then arrange the apple slices on the top and lightly press into the filling.
11. Place the tart back into the oven for around 40 – 45 minutes until the apples are golden and the frangipane is puffed up and golden brown too.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before dusting with icing sugar and serving.

Flaming Old Fashioned

Serves: 1

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp sugar syrup
• 2 dashes of bitters
• Pinch of Maldon Smoked Sea Salt
• 60ml whiskey or bourbon
• Orange
• Soda water (optional)

Garnish:

• Rosemary and cinnamon stick, soaked in high proof spirit for a couple of minutes

Method:

1. Start by soaking the rosemary and cinnamon stick in some high proof spirit for a few minutes – this will be the flaming part of the cocktail.
2. Take a tumbler and add the sugar, bitters and Maldon Smoked Sea Salt, stirring together. Then fill the glass with ice and add the whiskey or bourbon and stir again. Add a splash of soda water if you like and a slice of orange.
3. Then take the soaked rosemary and cinnamon stick and carefully balance on the rim of the drink. Use a lighter or matches to ignite them – they should flame and smoke. The smell of the smoked rosemary and cinnamon add Christmassy notes to your cocktail.

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