This Christmas, tantalise your taste buds with dark chocolate, roasted turkey and pumpkin soup

With Christmas knocking at our doors (and dropping temperatures), there is no feeling like sitting in the warmth of your house and feasting on a 3 course Christmas special meal. If you’re wondering wondering what to cook this holiday season, fret not ‘cause we have got you covered. Here are 3 easy peasy lemon squeezy recipes you can try your hand at this Christmas.

Roasted Christmas Turkey (serves 4)

Ingredients:

Whole Turkey, neck and giblets removed: 5 kg
Kosher salt: 2 cups
Butter, melted: ½ cup
Onions, peeled and chopped: 100 g
Carrots, peeled and chopped: 100 g
Thyme: 20 g
Bay leaf: 1
Dry white wine: 1 cup
Brussels sprouts: 200 g
Baby potatoes: 200 g
Seasonal root vegetables: 200 g
Butter: 100 g
Smoked turkey bacon: 100 g

Method:

-Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt

-Place the turkey in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture for 12 hours or overnight

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

-Thoroughly rinse the turkey and discard the brine mixture

-Brush the turkey with ½ the melted butter. Place the turkey on a roasting rack, breast side down in a shallow roasting pan

-Stuff the turkey cavity with onions, carrots, thyme and bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan and coat with white wine

-Roast the turkey uncovered for 3 ½ - 4 hours in the preheated oven until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 75 degrees C

-Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand for about 30 minutes before carving.

-Prepare the vegetables: blanch the Brussels sprouts in salted boiled water and cool in ice after cooking. Peel and cut the root vegetables in cubes, wash the baby potatoes and keep in a container. Slice the smoked turkey bacon

-Mix all vegetables and cook slowly in a pan with butter, add salt, pepper and smoked turkey at the end

-Plate the roasted turkey in a dish with mixed vegetables, served with the turkey juice on the side

(Courtesy: Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai)

Pumpkin Soup

Agencies

Season with salt and pepper; garnish with sage and pumpkin seeds and feta cheese.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin: 500 g
Onion: 1
Chicken stock: 500 ml
Corn flour: 1 tbsp
Water: 1 ½ tbsp
Cream: 150 ml
Butter: 50 g
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Sage: 6 leaves
Pumpkin seeds
Feta cheese, crumbled

Method:

-Cut the pumpkin into large pieces, place in a hot pan with a little olive oil until lightly coloured

-Add chicken stock, onion and simmer until the pumpkin and onion are cooked – roughly 15 minutes

-Add the cream and bring to a boil, add the corn flour and water.

-Blitz the mixture with butter until the texture is to your liking

-Add sage and bring to a boil

-Season with salt and pepper; garnish with sage and pumpkin seeds and feta cheese

(Courtesy: Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai)

Single origin Dark Chocolate


Ingredients:

Butter: 500 g
Cocoa Powder: 50 g
Castor Sugar: 100 g
Brown Eggs: 3
Whipped Cream: 350 g
Cinnamon stick: 1

Method:

-Melt the chocolate on a water bath until smooth with the butter

-In a kitchen aid whip the eggs to a light airy consistency and slowly add in the warm castor sugar syrup (infused with cinnamon) in order to lightly cook and firm up the mixture, followed by lightly folding in the Dark cocoa powder

-Now lightly cut and fold the chocolate mix with the egg mix to a further smooth light texture

-The mix should slowly be amalgamated with whipped cream and allowed to set in moulds in the fridge

-Serve along with crème fresh and cherries

(Courtesy: SAZ American Brasserie)