20 best Christmas party recipes: part 2 (2024)

Jeremy Lee’s royal mincemeat pye

Serves 12
apples 500g, Cox or Braeburn preferred, peeled
mincemeat 500g

For the pastry
good plain flour 250g, sifted
unsalted butter 130g
caster sugar 15g
ice-cold water 3 tbsp
egg yolk 1

For the frangipane
unsalted butter 50g
golden caster sugar 25g
whole peeled almonds 50g, ground quite fine
egg 1 medium

For the meringue
egg whites 4 large
caster sugar 250g

To make the pastry, work the flour and butter together until a fine crumb forms. Add the sugar and quickly combine. Pour the ice-cold water onto the egg yolk and beat vigorously. Pour this swiftly onto the crumbed flour and quickly bring the pastry together into a loose ball. Avoid overworking it.

Roll the pastry out evenly until it is quite thin enough to be moved onto the rolling pin and then unfurled over a 27cm wide tart case with a removable base. Shape the pastry into the edges, cut excess away, then place in the fridge.

To make the frangipane, beat the butter with the sugar until softened, then add in the almonds. Beat the egg in a cup with a fork then stir into the butter mixture and set aside.

Core the apples and cut each into 8, then mix with the mincemeat.

Spread the frangipane roughly over the base of the chilled pastry case, then tumble on the apple and mincemeat mixture. Return the tart to the fridge for 20 minutes to settle while your oven heats to 190C/gas mark 5.

Place the tart case on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, till the pastry is golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the meringue. In a scrupulously clean bowl, whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Beat in half the sugar until stiff peaks form again. Fold in the remaining half.

When it’s time, remove the pye from the oven upon the tray and settle on a bench. Reduce the oven temperature until quite cool, 120C/gas mark ½, leaving the door open to cool down. Heap and swirl the meringue onto the pye until all is used up and a marvellous scape of peaks is artlessly formed. Return the pye to the oven and bake gently for 20-30 minutes, until a golden crust forms. Serve warm.
Jeremy Lee is the chef-proprietor of Quo Vadis, London W1

Rachel Roddy’s panelle di Fabrizia (Fabrizia’s chickpea fritters)

See Also

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Fabrizia is happy to share the secrets of her panelle, perhaps because she knows that hers will always be the most delicious. The procedure may sound bizarre or difficult, but I assure you it is neither.

Serves 6-8 as an antipasti
cold water 1 litre
chickpea flour 300g
olive oil for frying
salt a big pinch
lemon wedges to serve

In a large pan, whisk the cold water and the chickpea flour until it forms a smooth batter with no lumps. Tip the batter into a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat and whisk steadily.

After 10 minutes or so, the batter will start thickening and now you really need to whisk to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Once the mixture is coming away cleanly from the sides of the pan, it is ready.

Now, moving swiftly, use a spatula to smear the batter on to a clean marble surface, a large flat tin, or plates. The layer should be 3-5mm thick. Let the mixture cool completely. If you have spread it on to a work surface or tin, it can be cut into squares where it is. If you have smeared it on to plates, peel off the layer of batter carefully and cut each one into slim wedges.

In a pan or deep frying pan, heat the oil to frying temperature, which is 180C, or when a cube of bread dances on the surface of the oil and turns golden after 20 seconds. Fry the panelle in small batches until they are crisp and golden. Lift from the oil with a slotted spoon on to kitchen paper to drain briefly, then transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and serve straightaway, with lemon wedges.
From Two Kitchens by Rachel Roddy, (Headline Home, £26)

Nigel Slater’s pork and partridge pie

You will need a loose 24cm round tart tin base to cook the pie.

Put the partridges into a deep saucepan then pour over enough cold water to cover the birds. Bring to the boil with the bay leaves and the small onion. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and let the partridges cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the red onions, finely chop the carrots and cut the celery into small slices. Warm the olive oil and butter in a large, deep pan, stir in the red onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Roughly chop the bacon and stir into the vegetables.

Pull the leaves from the thyme sprigs and the needles from the rosemary. Chop the rosemary finely. Peel and finely crush the garlic then stir, together with the herbs, into the vegetables.

Remove the skins from the sausages then put the sausage meat into a large mixing bowl. Add the ground allspice, cinnamon and mace and season with salt and black pepper.

Remove the birds from their cooking liquor, let them cool briefly then remove the breast meat from the bones. It should come away easily. If not, slice it off the bones with a kitchen knife. Retain the remaining meat, bones and cooking liquor for stock.

Stir the softened onion and bacon mixture into the seasoned sausage meat, mixing thoroughly. I tend to use my hands here.

Cut off one third of the puff pastry and roll it to fit the base of a round 24cm tart tin with a little extra overlapping the edge. You can trim this later. Pile half the sausage and herb stuffing on top of the pastry, leaving 2cm or so of bare pastry around the edge. Smooth the surface level and place the 6 partridge breasts on top then add the remaining mixture, smoothing the top into a dome.

Roll out the second piece of puff pastry to fit plentifully over the meat. Beat the eggs in a small bowl then brush the edge of the bottom layer of pastry generously. Lower the second piece over the top then trim any overhanging pastry with a knife. Press firmly and pinch the edges to seal. Brush with beaten egg.

Use pastry trimmings to make leaves or holly berries with which to decorate your pie then press them into place. Brush with more beaten egg and rest the pie in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6, placing a baking sheet in the oven to get hot. Carefully put the chilled pie, on its tart-tin base, on top of the hot baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes till golden. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.

While the pie bakes, prepare the sauce. Cut the clementine in half and squeeze the juice into a saucepan. Remove and discard the flesh then cut the peel into very fine strips, as thin as you can. Add these to the juice, then stir in the cranberries, marsala and jelly. Bring to the boil, immediately lower the heat then serve with the rested pie.
Nigel Slater is the Observer’s food writer

Tomos Parry’s smoked cod roe, fennel butter and toast

I love the combination of hot charred bread and aniseed butter with the rich, smoky, whipped cod roe. The mousse-like texture of the roe makes these very moreish.

The cod roe will come in lobes, skin on. It is important to scrape all the smoked roe from within the lobe, not wasting any. Use a kitchen spoon to do this; it may take some time, but it’s worth it.

Add the roe to a mixing bowl with the egg yolk, lemon juice and 10g of salt and begin to whisk slowly. Once the ingredients are mixed, add the oil gradually while continuing to whisk to emulsify (as you would with mayonnaise). Stop when you have 100ml of oil to go. Now add the water – this will lighten the mix and alter the colour. Whisk in the remaining oil and salt. The mix should be nice and moussey. Transfer into a piping bag and make a 1.5cm cut at the end, or use equivalent nozzle.

For the fennel butter, sweat the fennel in the oil, until soft. Add the fennel seeds and chilli and cook for 1 minute. Add the Pernod and cook on full heat for another minute. Now add the water. When the fennel mixture is boiling, gradually add the cold butter. Add the salt, then cool a little and strain.

To assemble, toast the bread – ideally on a charcoal grill, but a domestic grill will work or on top of a toaster. Once toasted, brush liberally with the fennel butter. Pipe or spoon on the whipped roe. Season with lemon and olive oil and top with cut cress.
Tomos Parry is the chef-founder of Brat, London E1

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Sam and Sam Clark’s chicharrones de Cádiz

Preheat the oven to 230C/gas mark 8. Mix the garlic with the fennel seeds and rub them over the flesh side of the pork belly. Turn the meat over and dry the skin thoroughly – a hair dryer works well. Generously sprinkle the skin with the salt. Leave for 20 minutes, then dust off the excess salt.

Place the onion half in a roasting tin and put the pork belly on top to create a convex shape, which will help the crackling form. Place on the top shelf of the oven.

It is important that the oven is really hot to start with, in order to blister the skin and create good crackling.

Roast at this high heat for 20-30 minutes, or until hard crackling has formed, then reduce the heat to 190C/gas mark 5. Pour 3 tablespoons of water into the bottom of the pan to prevent the meat juices burning. Continue to cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is soft and tender.

Cool completely and remove any bones. Dice the pork into generous bite-sized cubes.

Heat a frying pan until hot, but don’t add any oil. Fry the cubes of pork until they have caramelised, crisped up and heated through. Transfer to a plate, squeeze over plenty of lemon juice and sprinkle liberally with the cumin. Add extra salt to taste, if needed.
From Morito by Sam & Sam Clark (Ebury Press, £26)

OFM’s 20 best Christmas party recipes part 3 launches tomorrow morning