Three make-ahead and freeze Christmas recipes to ease stress on the big day
A Christmas sauce and two sides to get your feast off to a stress-free start.
Cheesy gratin of leeks and brussels sprouts
This hot, creamy gratin is comforting dish and the perfect way to use up leftover vegetables
Servings
6Preparation Time
20 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
35 minsCourse
MainIngredients
8 medium leeks or 1 ½ lbs plus ½ lbs quartered, blanched and refreshed sprouts
600ml whole milk
a few slices of carrot and onion
3 or 4 peppercorns
sprig of thyme or parsley
175g grated Cheddar cheese or a mixture of grated Cheddar, Parmesan and Gruyère
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
salt
freshly ground black pepper
For the buttered crumbs:
50g butter
110g soft white breadcrumbs
Method
To make the buttered crumbs, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the breadcrumbs. Remove from the heat immediately and allow to cool. Use what you need and store the remainder in a box in the fridge to scatter over gratins or fish pies.
Trim most of the green part off the leeks (use to make soup or pop into the stock pot). Leave the white parts whole, slit the top and wash well under cold running water. Cook in a little boiling salted water in a covered saucepan until just tender, 15 minutes approx.
Meanwhile, put the cold milk into a saucepan with a few slices of carrot and onion, 3 or 4 peppercorns and a sprig of thyme or parsley. Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain out the vegetables, bring the milk back to the boil, and thicken with roux to a light coating consistency. Add the mustard and two-thirds of the grated cheese, keep the remainder of the cheese for grating over the top. Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper: taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
Drain the leeks well, slice into chunks, mix with the blanched Brussel sprouts. Arrange in an ovenproof serving dish, season well, coat with the sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese mixed with a few buttered crumbs. Reheat in a moderate oven 180˚C until golden and bubbly – about 15 minutes.
Braised red cabbage
This red cabbage can be made several days ahead or frozen for several weeks.
Servings
6Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
50 minsTotal Time
55 minsCourse
SideIngredients
450g Irish red cabbage
450g Irish cooking apples (Bramley’s Seedling)
1 tbsp wine vinegar
120ml water
1 level tsp salt
2 heaped tbsp sugar
Method
Remove any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage. Examine and clean it if necessary. Cut in quarter, remove the core and slice the cabbage finely across the grain. Put the vinegar, water, salt and sugar into a cast-iron casserole or stainless steel saucepan. Add the cabbage and bring it to the boil.
Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and cut into quarters (no smaller). Lay them on top of the cabbage, cover and continue to cook gently until the cabbage is tender, 30-50 minutes approx. Do not overcook or the colour and flavour will be ruined. Taste for seasoning and add more sugar if necessary.
Serve in a warm serving dish.
Cranberry sauce
This sauce will keep in your fridge for several weeks. Add a spoonful of port and a quarter teaspoon of finely grated orange zest for a change — but I love the clean taste of the original.
Servings
6Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
8 minsTotal Time
18 minsCourse
SideIngredients
170g fresh or frozen cranberries
60ml water
85g granulated sugar
Method
Put the fresh cranberries in a heavy-based stainless steel or cast-iron saucepan with the water — don’t add the sugar yet as it tends to toughen the skins. Bring them to the boil, cover and simmer until the cranberries pop and soften, about 7 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Serve warm or cold.
Note: Fresh cranberries keep for weeks on end but also freeze perfectly.
