Ingredients

Christmas orange, pomegranate, burrata salad with mint roast almonds and Extra virgin olive oil dressing

This starter sets the tone for Christmas lunch. Burrata is delicate soft and creamy, teamed with citrus flavours of orange, freshness of mint and bejewelled with pomegranate seeds make this a wonderful beginning to a celebratory dinner.

The burrata should be served at room temperature, extra virgin olive oil should be used in the dressing – the quality of the olive oil used makes a notable difference to the overall dish.

Serves 4

• 2 medium sized oranges
• 4 burrata balls
• Seeds of one pomegranate (you probably won't need all of these; the rest can be used to decorate desserts or salads)

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons of orange juice (juice of one clementine)
• 3 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil (best quality available)
• A large pinch of sea salt (I use Maldon)

To Serve

• A few grinds of black pepper
• A few sprigs of mint
• A tablespoon of roast almonds – finely sliced

Mushroom pithivier with porcini cream

Serves 4 as a main course

For the filling

• 60g butter
• Glug of olive oil
• 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 x 160g pack of mixed mushrooms – roughly chopped
• 6 large field mushrooms - halved and sliced
• 100 ml of white wine
• A splash of cream
• A Tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 100g Grated parmesan
• 2 pack of ready rolled all butter puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk for glazing Porcini cream
• 30g Butter
• 2 cloves of garlic finely, chopped
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 20g of dried Porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water and finely chopped (reserve the soaking liquid)
• 150ml cream

Meringue roulade with clementine curd

Serves 6

• 5 egg whites
• 10 oz (275g) caster sugar
• 2 oz (50g) flaked almonds

Filling

• 350ml double cream

Clementine curd

This will make enough for two roulades

• 100mls Clementine juice
• Juice of one lemon
• 180g sugar
• 100g butter
• 3 eggs pus one yolk

Method

Christmas orange, pomegranate, burrata salad with mint roast almonds and Extra virgin olive oil dressing

1. First, make the dressing by simply combining the orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar, put the lid on and give it a good shake. This can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge, remove from the fridge an hour before serving.
2. Use a sharp serrated knife and trim the top and the bottom of the oranges. Cut down the sides of the oranges going with the natural curve and remove the skin and the pith.
3. Then slice each orange into eight rounds. Take the mint leaves off the stem and using a sharp knife shred the leaves. Leave this to the very last minute.
4. To serve, arrange the oranges in a circular shape slightly overlapping in the middle of the plate. Place the drained burrata on top. Remember that burrata has a delicate constitution so be gentle with them!
5. Check the dressing for seasoning then spoon the dressing over the burrata, sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the oranges, followed by roast sliced almonds then finally sprinkle the finely sliced mint on top of the burrata.

Note: To roast the almonds; place almonds skin on or off on a roasting tin for 10 minutes in a preheated oven 180 for 10 minutes. Allow to cook and store in an airtight jar until needed. You can also buy roast almonds and smoked almonds in a deli.

Mushroom pithivier with porcini cream

1. Place a large frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil and when hot add the butter, then add the onions and garlic, fry gently for a few minutes until softened then add the mushrooms.
2. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes, then turn up the heat and add the white wine, allow to reduce, then add the mustard and cream reduce the heat and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and transfer to a bowl, stir in the parmesan, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook. Cover and transfer to the fridge for a minimum of One hour.
4. To assemble the pithivier, lightly dust a work surface with flour, unroll the pastry and cut out 2 x 15cm discs and 2 10cm discs from each sheet.
5. Place the four larger rounds on a parchment lined baking tray. Divide the cooled mushroom mixture between the four larger discs leaving a 1-1.5cm border.
6. Brush the border with beaten egg and place the smaller disc on top of the filling. Bring the sides of the pastry base up to cover the sides of the smaller pastry rims. Put the pithiviers in the fridge to rest for an hour. Remove from the fridge and glaze each one with egg yolk to glaze.
7. Use a small knife to make a hole in the centre of the pastry and then score curved lines from the top to the bottom. Place back in the fridge to chill.
8. At this stage, you can cook or carefully wrap until needed, they will be good for a day in the fridge. To cook pre heat the oven to 200C and cook for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180 and bake for a further 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
9. For the porcini cream, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, add the onions and garlic, fry gently for a few minutes until softened then add the porcini mushrooms, and 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, simmer for a minute or two then add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.
10. To serve, place each pithivier on a warm plate and spoon the porcini cream around the perimeter.

Meringue roulade with clementine curd

1. Pre-heat oven 200°C/180°Fan/Gas 6 Line a 13" x 9" (33x23 cm) swiss roll tin with greased non-stick baking paper. Whisk the egg whites in a clean, large bowl in an electric mixer on full speed until very stiff.
2. Gradually add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, and still on high speed, whisking well between each addition.
3. Whisk until very, very stiff and glossy and all the sugar has been added. Spread the meringue mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with almonds.
4. Place the tin in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 8 minutes until very golden. Then lower the temperature to 160°/140°Fan/Gas 3 and bake the roulade for a further 15 minutes until crisp and firm to the touch.
5. Remove the meringue from the oven and turn almond side down on to a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Remove the paper from the base of the cooked meringue and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Lightly whip the cream, fold in the clementine curd Spread evenly over the meringue. Roll up the meringue firmly using the paper to help you, from the long end to form a roulade, it is essential to keep the roll very tight. Wrap in non-stick baking paper and chill before serving.
7. To serve, gently unroll the roulade on a suitable plate. Dredge with icing sugar and serve.

Clementine curd

1. Place all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and continue to stir for about 15 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
2. Remove from the heat allow to cool. This will last up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.