Delicious UK - (12)December 2020

SECRETS FROM OUR (VIRTUAL)

“Thismonthwe’vebeentestingalltheChristmasrecipesathomeandthinking

ofwaystohelpmakecookingtheBigLuncheasier(andwhattodoifthingsgo

wrong).Herearesomeofmyfavouritetipsandfooddiscoveriestohelp you –

however many there are gathered round your table.”FOOD EDITOR JEN BEDLOE

TEST KITCHEN

THETURKEYISN’TGOINGTOBE

READYBUTEVERYTHINGELSEIS

Removethebirdfromthe

oven,putit ona carvingboard

(onewitha liptocatchthe

juices)then,witha sharp

cook’sknife,removethelegs

andtakethebreastsoffthe

bone.Puttheturkeypieceson

a lippedbakingtrayandroast

untiltheyread70°Cona

digitalprobethermometer.

Carveasnormalandnoone

will be any the wiser.

THETURKEYISOVERCOOKED

If themeatis dry,slice,pour

hotgravyoverthetop,then

coverandleavefor5 minutes

sothemeatcanabsorbsome

of the liquid before serving.

CARVINGISSOSTRESSFUL!

Carvetheturkeyaheadoftime

andarrangeinneatportions,

spacedapart,ina shallow

baking tray or roasting tin.

Pourinjustenoughwater/

stocktoforma filmonthe

bottomofthetray.Coverthe

traytightlywithfoil,then

prepareeverythingelse.

Warmthroughina hotoven

for 10-12 minutes to serve.

THIN,TASTELESSGRAVY?

Giveit a boostbysimmering

with1 tbspofredcurrantor

cranberryjelly,thenmakea

paste(beurremanié)of1 tbsp

plainflourand1 tbspsoft

butter.Turntheheatdown

low,thenwhisknuggetsofthe

pasteintothegravy.Keepon

adding,simmeringandtasting

untilyou’rehappy.A splashof

wineorsherryattheendwill

give the gravy another lift.

LUMPYGRAVY?Pushit througha

wiremeshsieveorwhizzwith

a stick blender until smooth.

NOTIMETOMAKEMINCEPIES?Lift

thepastrylidsofshop-bought

mincersanddropina

teaspoonofbrandybutteror

creamcheesemashedwith

orangezest.Replace the

lidsandwarmin

a hotovenfor

8-10minutes.

Dustwithicing

sugar to serve.

NOVEGGIESTUFFING?

Ina pan,gentlyfry350g

choppedonionsin175gbutter

overa lowheatforabout 15

minutestosoften.Remove

fromtheheat,thenstirin

400gfreshbreadcrumbsand

50gchoppedfreshherbs(any/

allofparsley,thyme,chives

ormarjoram).Seasonto

taste,cool,pileintoan

ovenproofdish,thengently

warmintheoventoserve.

Forspecialdiets,search

‘glutenandnutfreestuffing’

at delicousmagazine.co.uk.

MUSHY,OVERCOOKEDSPROUTS?

Refreshanddrainthesoft

sprouts,sliceasbestyou

can,thenputina panwith

seasoningandsomecream.

Simmerfor2 minutestobring

together.If youhavetime,

frya littleonioninthepan

beforehand.Theresultis

yournewcreamedsprouts

dish for 2020 (winks).

YOUFORGOTTOCHILLTHEWINE

Putthebottlesina large

bucketwithplentyofice,

wateranda goodhandfulof

salt.Thiswillcoolyourwine

downquicklyassaltwater

cangoaslowas-6°Cbefore

freezing. Neat trick!

CHRISTMAS LUNCH PROBLEMS SOLVED

I WOULDN’T

BEWITHOUT...

mydigitalprobe

thermometer,which

takesawaythe

guessworkwhen

cookingexpensiveand

largercutsofmeat.

It’salsounbeatable

forjams/marmalades

andsugarwork.

ThenewThermapen

Professional,whichI’ve

tested,nowincludesa

displaythatrotatesso

it’salwaysreadable.It

givesthetemperature

amostinstantly– no

keepingtheovenopen

• andit’swaterproof,
  soeasytokeepclean.
  It’snotthecheapest
  onthemarket,butfor
  reliabilityandeaseof
  usewehaven’t found
  o n eb et te r.
  VERDICTIndispensable
  pieceofkitchen kit
  ★★★★★
  £64.80, thermapen.co.uk

GA DGET

THE TEST

134 deliciousmagazine.co.uk