1. A Perfect Garlic and Herb Butter Stuffed Roast Chicken
There is nothing quite like this, because sometimes the simplest things in life are the best. I really do believe that a perfect roast chicken is hard to ever forget, and with these few quick, simple steps, you’ll have perfection time after time. For those who don’t fancy turkey on Christmas Day, this recipe is for you.
Serves 4
Cook Time – 75 Minutes
Prep Time – 25 Minutes
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
250g salted butter (room temperature)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
Half a bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
1 bunch chives (finely chopped)
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt
50ml apple cider vinegar
80g crème fraîche
Method
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, crushed garlic, finely chopped herbs, pepper and salt.
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Place the chicken in a large roasting tray, half the lemon and insert into the cavity.
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Very carefully lift up the skin of the chicken (from the cavity end) and place the herbed butter underneath, spreading evenly and making sure not to make any holes.
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Lightly oil the outside skin.
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Pop it into the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.
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Reduce the heat to 180 degrees for another 30 minutes or so, but more importantly until the core temperature is 68 degrees.
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Leave to rest for a further 40 minutes before carving.
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Save the resting juices from the chicken, and mix with the apple cider vinegar, chives and crème fraîche. Save all the bones too for any stock.
Accompanying Chicken Brine
Simply gold dust for never having a dry chicken ever again, I love to make this in big batches and keep it in the fridge to just do that little bit extra when having friends over or for special occasions like Christmas. Learning how to cook the perfect chicken will change your entire kitchen life, and this is the first step. As much as I have labelled this chicken brine, it’s also the key to the ultimate golden girl turkey, and actually most beautiful birds.
Cook Time – 10 Minutes
Prep Time – 40 Minutes
Ingredients
5 litres water
180g kosher salt
180g caster sugar
2 thyme sprigs
2 bulbs of garlic (cut in half)
2 oranges ( zested and juiced)
2 lemons (zested and juiced)
Method
1. Mix the water, salt and sugar together in a saucepan. Whisk well to combine, then bring up to a boil and add the thyme, garlic, zest, and juice. Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Once simmered, leave the brine to cool naturally (for best results leave at room temperature overnight).
3. The brine can now be kept in the fridge until needed.
4. Brine your chicken or turkey to absorb the juices for the following lengths of time: 6 hours for chicken breasts and thighs / 12 hours for a whole chicken / 6 hours per kg of turkey.
2. Roast Squash, Hot Honey and Toasted Hazelnuts
This is everything you are looking for in a side dish – sweet, salty, spicy and savory; it’s also amazing as a vegetarian main course. Squash is often peeled, but I love to keep the skin on as it is totally edible and adds an amazing texture to this dish. Hot honey can be kept in the cupboard for when you need it, and as soon as I buy hazelnuts, I always toast them so they are ready to go whenever I need them.
Serves 4
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
Olive oil
100ml honey
10g chilli flakes
200g cream cheese
Salt
Black pepper
1 bunch chives
150g hazelnuts
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees
2. Cut the butternut squash in half, remove the seeds and then cut into 2 cm thick slices, leaving the skin on. Dress in olive oil, salt and black pepper and lay out on a roasting tray and place into the oven for about 30-40 minutes until golden in colour and cooked all the way through.
3. In a small saucepan, heat up the honey to melt it down, adding in the chilli flakes and then set aside off the heat to infuse for about 10 minutes.
4. Whisk the cream cheese in a small bowl with the finely chopped chives, salt and black pepper.
5. On a roasting tray, toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 8 minutes until just starting to turn golden, and then lightly crush with a rolling pin.
6. Place the cream cheese on the bottom of the plate topped with the roasted butternut squash, finished with some rock salt. Drizzle the hot honey over the top and finish with the toasted hazelnuts.
3. The Only Lemon Meringue Tart
Meringue is one of those things that can be so many different forms based on the recipe that you follow. I have been using this method for lots of uses and it never lets me down: a simple method but with amazing results, and I think that’s all we really need. And what goes best with meringue? A lemon tart of course…
Serves 8-10
Cook Time – 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Prep Time – 1 Hour
For The Pastry
1 egg yolk
1 egg
150g butter
100g icing sugar
25g cornflour
25g Bird’s custard powder
350g plain flour
Salt
Method
1. First, make your pastry case by preheating the oven to 160 degrees.
2. Place all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix until fully mixed through.
3. Add the butter in small diced chunks and slowly mix in until the consistency of fine breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining.
4. Add the egg and yolk and mix for two more minutes until the dough is smooth and firm.
5. Set aside to rest in the fridge and firm up. During this time, line your tart shell or mould.
6. Once set and chilled, roll out to an even thickness and lay out on baking parchment. For best results chill for about five minutes before cutting or shaping.
7. Bake at 160 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, and then leave on the side to rest while you make your filling. Turn your oven down to 100 degrees at this point too.
For The Pie Filling
Ingredients
18 eggs
500ml double cream
500g caster sugar
495ml lemon juice
6 lemons (zested)
Method
1. Place the cream, lemon juice, zest and half the sugar in a thick bottom pan and bring to the boil.
2. Whisk the eggs and remaining sugar together, and then pour the boiling liquid over the egg miz through muslin or a fine sieve if possible, skimming off the bubbles .
3. Fill your blindbaked tart case with the filling and cook at 100 degrees until it sets – roughly 45 minutes. The tart should have a little jiggle to it when baked.
4. Leave it to cool at room temperature as you move onto the meringue, putting the oven temperature back to 120 degrees.
For The Meringue
Ingredients
400g egg whites (roughly 10-13 eggs)
800g caster sugar
Method
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and caster sugar together – just to mix rather than to whip.
2. Place the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water ,stirring regularly, until it reaches 75°c, and the mix looks clear with no grains of sugar remaining.
3. Once the mixture has come up to temperature and all the sugar has visibly dissolved, place the bowl into the stand mixer and whisk on a medium speed until starting to thicken.
4. Check holding consistency, and turn up the speed on the mixer for two minutes to thicken further.
5. Once the meringue mix is holding, stop whisking.
6. Spread into two 20cm disks, or pipe into individual domes for single servings.
7. For a perfect meringue, bake at 120 degrees for an hour and then leave to cool naturally in the oven, with the door closed. You can then crush up your meringues to top your tart, or slice it into shards.
8. Or, you can pipe your meringue in a piping bag on top of your tart and blowtorch it to cook. Be sure to not place uncooked or non-blowtorched meringue in the fridge though or the sugar will crystallise.
