To add an element of exotica to your Christmas celebrations we bring you amazing recipes concocted by master chefs.
Ingredients:
4 lamb chops, trimmed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon grain mustard
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
For Christmas nuts and fig sauce
2 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 pound light brown sugar
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/4 lemon, zested
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 pounds firm, slightly under-ripe fresh figs, rinsed, stems removed and halved
1 table spoon pecan nuts
4 dates, chopped
8 walnuts chopped
Method:
- Season lamb chops well on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet over high heat and, when hot, add the oil. When the oil is almost smoking add the rack of lamb and brown well on all sides for about 6 minutes.
- Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside to cool slightly before proceeding.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Using the back of the spoon spread the mustard evenly over all sides of lamb chops. Spread the minced garlic over the chop in the same manner.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs and grated cheese and toss thoroughly to combine. Using your hands or a spoon, spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly all over the lamb, pressing so that the crumbs adhere to the meat. Place the rack of lamb on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes for medium-rare. Allow lamb to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before carving into chops to serve.
- Serve with some of the Fig Chutney.
Fresh Fig Chutney:
- In a large saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, ginger, mustard seeds, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, salt, allspice, and cloves and bring to a boil. - Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until mixture is thickened and reduced by 2/3rd forming a thick syrup. Add the chopped nuts and figs and cook gently until the figs are very soft and beginning to fall apart and most of the liquid they've given off has evaporated, for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the chutney to a non-reactive container and allow it to attain room temperature before serving.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
6 nos chicken breast with skin
10 leaves spinach
Salt to taste
5g pepper
Filling:
200g cottage cheese
50g red pepper brunoise
50g green pepper
5g shredded basil
Salt to taste
5g pepper
5g garlic chopped
10g olive oil
Gratinated polenta, zucchini and tomato terrine:
10g polenta
15g butter
15g onion chopped
10g parsley chopped
Salt to taste
8 nos Zucchini thick slices
8 nos tomato thick slice
Salt to taste
5g pepper
5ml balsamic vinegar
5g basil shredded
5ml Pesto
Strawberry barbeque:
100g strawberry fresh roughly chopped
50g strawberry jam
50g ketchup
20g onion chopped 20 g
15ml Honey 15 ml
15ml Tabasco sauce
10g chilly flakes
Salt to taste
10 nos pepper corn
Bay leaf 2 nos
Garnish:
50g noodles cooked
10g chopped parsley 10 gm
Oil for frying
Method:
Chicken breast:
- Slit open the chicken breast, flatten with steak hammer and arrange it on top of a cling film. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water, drain and arrange on top of chicken.
- For the filling, sauté peppers in olive oil, cool and mix with cottage cheese, adjust the seasoning.
- Spread the filling on top of the spinach, place the spinach roll on the slit chicken breast, roll and tighten both the sides. Place it on a roasting pan and roast in a combi oven covered with silver foil for 30 minutes or till tender.
Polenta and zucchini terrine:
- Sauté onions in butter, add polenta, sauté for few minutes. Add stock and seasoning, cook till polenta gets thick, finish with parsley and a knob of butter. Transfer to a tray and refrigerate.
- Marinate the zucchini and tomato with oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and basil. Grill on a hot plate till tender.
- Cut the polenta in to roundels by using a round cutter. Arrange polenta, zucchini and tomato in alternate layers to make four terrine with the help of a round mould
- Spoon a little cheese sauce on top, sprinkle little parmesan and parsley crumb mix and gratinate under the salamander.
Garnish:
- For strawberry barbeque sauce, blend all the ingredients together except bay leaf and pepper corn. Reduce in a pan with bay leaf and pepper corn and strain.
- Dust the cooked noodles with chopped parsley and fry till golden brown
Presentation:
- Dust the chicken roulade in pista and slice
- Place one terrine on the centre of the plate, arrange five slices of chicken roulade around
- Drizzle strawberry barbeque sauce around and serve hot garnished with fried noodle crisp and a chives.
Recipes courtesy: Chef Naren Thimmaiah of The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore
Ingredients:
600g chocolate
220g cream
3g cinnamon powder
200g marzipan (marzipan can be bought ready to use from selected stores.)
Method:
- Boil cream and take off the flame.
- Reserve 100g chocolate and add rest of the chocolate into the hot cream.
- Add cinnamon powder.
- Stir to obtain a smooth and shiny paste.
- Chill the mixture in refrigerator overnight.
- Fill in the chilled mixture in a piping bag fitted with plain nozzle.
- Pipe on a butter paper and put it in the freezer.
- Put this piped mixture back in the freezer for around 2 hours.
- Roll the marzipan 2 mm thick and roll around the frozen mixture.
- Melt the reserved chocolate and brush on the logs to give a wood like texture.
- Cut into one inch pieces and serve.
Ingredients:
Basic dough:
125ml milk
4g star anise
4g cinnamon
200g rye flour
215g honey
210g glucose
Additional ingredients:
65g flour
15g baking powder
2.5g eggs
100g soft butter
5g salt
120g marmalade
4g cinnamon powder
4g star anise powder
Method:
Basic dough:
- Mixed milk with cinnamon and star anise. Let the flavours seep in the milk and set aside.
- Knead rye flour with honey, glucose and infused milk. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
Finishing:
- Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and star anise powder together.
- Add flour mixture to the basic dough.
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Add soft butter at the end.
- Fill in greased cup moulds and bake at 170°c for 20-25 minutes.
Ingredients:
6 nos eggs
500g castor sugar
340g butter
430g flour
100g cocoa powder
10g baking soda
400g chocolate chips
400g melted chocolate
2g cinnamon powder
2g star anise powder
1g nutmeg powder
Method:
- In a bowl cream butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Add chocolate and butter melted together.
- Fold in the flour, soda, spices and chocolate chips mixed together
- After resting for four hours in a refrigerator shape into 50g balls. Flatten a bit.
- Bake at 190°c for 9 minutes.
Recipes courtesy: Chef Anurag Barthwal of The Oberoi, Bangalore
Ingredients:
250g beet
250g kumquat
100ml orange juice
800g duck breast
100g risotto rice
100ml red wine jus
100g foiegras slice
200g duck leg
50g onion
20g garlic
20g leeks
20g celery
50g polenta
Method:
- Steam the beetroot and kumquats in a steamer, set aside for cooling when cooked.
- Sauté chopped onion, garlic, leeks and celery in a shallow bottom pan and add the orange juice, reduce on a slow flame and along with the kumquats.
- Slice the steamed beetroots into wedges and toss with sauté onion, garlic, leeks and celery.
- Place the beet and kumquat stew on each corner of the plate.
- Marinate the duck leg with garlic, salt and pepper in olive oil for 24 hours.
- Cook the marinated duck leg at 50 degree C. for 10 to 12 hours.
- Remove the flesh and store in the duck fat, and use when required.
- For Arborio slab make risotto, then add cream and parmesan cheese, sauté onion, garlic, leeks and celery into it. Add lots of chopped fine herbs. Divide into portions of 75g each and make discs and roll the discs in polenta.
- Sear the duck breast on the skin side and roast in an oven for seven minutes.
- Dust the sliced foiegras and sear.
- Plate the duck confit on top of the cooked Arborio slab which is kept at the centre of the plate and arrange the cooked sliced duck breasts and place a seared foie gras on top and cover with red wine jus.
- Sprinkle fleur de sel on top of the duck and garnish with herbs and serve hot.
Recipe courtesy: Chef Sandip Narang of Taj West End, Bangalore
Ingredients:
3-4kg turkey
50g unsalted butter, softened
Traditional stuffing:
185ml chicken stock
160g butter
1 1/2 cups chopped shallots
2 celery sticks, chopped
3 tbs chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley
2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
8 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1 lemon, rind grated
Grated fresh nutmeg
Cranberry sauce:
175g craisins
125ml (1/2 cup) port
Zest and juice of a large orange
1/2 cup redcurrant jelly
250 ml brown stock
30 ml cognac
Method:
- To make the stuffing, place chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and leave at a simmer.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring to prevent catching, for 6-8 minutes. Add herbs and cook for a further minute.
- Remove from heat and place in a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs and rind and stir to combine. Add only enough stock to the mixture to soften, then season well with salt, pepper and some nutmeg.
- Set aside to cool completely then use to stuff turkey. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a large roasting pan, smear the turkey breast all over with the butter and cover legs loosely with foil. Roast for 31/2-4 hours, basting every 30 minutes. Remove the foil in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Set aside for 20 minutes to rest before serving.
- Place a 175g packet of craisins in a medium bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the craisins and place in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup port, the zest and juice from one large orange and 1/2 cup redcurrant jelly. Add brown stock. Simmer for 6-8 minutes over low heat until thickened. Set aside to cool. Season and finish with cognac and butter.
Recipe courtesy: Chef Ramasamy Selvaraju of Vivanta by Taj, MG Road, Bangalore
Deep almond flavour and sophisticated apricot and pure chocolate accents give these cookies a cosmopolitan air.
Yield: Makes about 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 (8-oz) can almond paste
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
25 drops red food colouring
25 drops green food colouring
1 (12-oz) jar apricot preserves, heated and strained
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
Special equipment: a heavy-duty stand mixer, a small offset spatula
Method:
- Place oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan and line the bottom with wax paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 ends, then butter paper.
- Beat whites in mixer fitted with whisk attachment at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating at high speed until whites hold stiff, slightly glossy peaks. Transfer to another bowl.
- Switch to paddle attachment, then beat together almond paste and remaining 3/4 cup sugar until well blended, for about 3 minutes. Add butter and beat until pale and fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Add yolks and almond extract and beat until combined well, for about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add flour and salt and mix until just combined.
- Fold half of egg white mixture into almond mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
- Divide batter among 3 bowls. Stir red food colouring into one and green food colouring into another, leaving the third batch plain. Set white batter aside. Chill green batter, covered. Pour red batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with offset spatula (layer will be about 1/4 inch thick).
- Bake red layer for 8 to 10 minutes, until just set. (It is important to undercook.)
- Using paper overhang, transfer layer to a rack to cool, for about 15 minutes. - Clean pan, then line with wax paper and butter paper in same manner as done earlier. Bake white layer in prepared pan until just set. As white layer bakes, bring green batter to room temperature. Transfer white layer to a rack. Prepare pan as above, then bake green layer in the same manner as earlier. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- When all layers are cool, invert green onto a wax-paper-lined large baking sheet. Discard paper from layer and spread with half of preserves. Invert white on top of green layer, discarding paper. Spread with remaining preserves. Invert red layer on top of white layer and discard wax paper.
- Cover with plastic wrap and weight with a large baking pan. Chill for at least 8 hours.
- Remove weight and plastic wrap. Bring layers to room temperature. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Keep chocolate over water.
- Trim edges of assembled layers with a long serrated knife. Quickly spread half of chocolate on a thin layer on top of cake. Chill, uncovered, until chocolate is firm, for about 15 minutes. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and place another baking sheet on top, then invert cake onto sheet and remove paper.
- Quickly spread with remaining chocolate. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Cut lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut strips crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide cookies.
Cooks'note: Keep cookies layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks.
Recipe courtesy: Chef Arzooman Irani of Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield, Bangalore