Darren Purchese - Chefs Host Christmas Too: A cooks guide to blitzing the holiday season

Hold on to your Santa hats, Christmas is here! Youve been counting down the days and youve bought all the pressies, and this year its your turn to host. All the relatives have already confirmed theyre coming. Theres no need to panic

Butwhat are you going to cook?

Oh, the stress and worry of it all. Does Uncle Quinn even like seafood? Dont forget Hannah is now a vegetarian. Is cousin Emmas new boyfriend coming? Will he eat anything, or is he a fussy so and so, too? Should you make it a traditional or nontraditional lunch? What to do! Are you gonna do roast spuds? Have you even ordered the ham yet? And why bother with the brussels sprouts? No one eats them. Arrrgh! Its too hard.

Wait! Stop. Pour yourself a mulled wine and let me help. This book has the lotand so much more. Take a flick through and find my suggestions for some nibbles to go with that much-needed drink. Theres advice on alternatives to a boring roast turkey and Ill tell you the secret to the crispiest roast potatoes. Want a showstopping main? Its all in here. Do you need help on dessert? I know a thing or two about that as well.

Think of this book as a little survival guide to the holiday season it has everything you need to totally crush Christmas. Everyone will be thanking you and trying to invite themselves back next year. Theyll be raving about your salads, impressed by your thoughtful edible gifts, and that Christmas trifle will be the talk of the town. Seriously, you are going to look like an absolute superstar! When Christmas is mentioned in years to come, Careless Whisper by George Michael will spring to mind, closely followed by your magnificent pavlova.

Its the best time of year I love it, so I wrote a book. Now, Christmas is yoursown it.

Merry Christmas!

DARREN

The traditional

Start

Main

Dessert + cheese

The luxe

Start

Main

Dessert + cheese

A seafood surprise

Start

Main

Boiled new potatoes (recipe not included)

Dessert

The celebration

Start

Main

Steamed rice (recipe not included)

Dessert

*This book uses 15 ml ( fl oz) tablespoons; cooks with 20 ml ( fl oz) tablespoons should be scant with their tablespoon measurements.

It also uses metric cup measurements, i.e. 250 ml for 1 cup; in the US a cup is 8 fl oz, just smaller, and American cooks should be generous in their cup measurements; in the UK a cup is 10 fl oz and British cooks should be scant with their cup measurements.

Equipment.

The recipes in this book arent hard for you to make at home and you certainly dont need any fancy kitchen gear. You know, the stuff you rushed out to buy after you watched that cooking show. There is no reason for you to buy a Dewar flask and start googling liquid nitrogen supplier companies. You will need a few bits though. I guess they arent essential, but you will get better and more consistent results if you invest in the following pieces of equipment.

Digital scales

Leave the guesswork to a Christmas Day game of charades. To make (and nail) these dishes you need to follow the recipe. That means weighing out ingredients correctly; and that means a good set of digital scales.

Digital thermometer

So handy for so many things: making marshmallow, melting chocolate and testing the doneness of meat. This is a must-have in my kitchen; I absolutely could not live without one. They are relatively inexpensive as well and whats $15 when you have probably spent twice that on assembling a beef wellington. You dont want to overcook the beef; that would be a shame. So, be good and ask Santa for a digital thermometer.

Knives

Youll need different knives for different jobs. It is well worth investing in and maintaining a set of knives. Carving, chopping, slicing and small paring jobs all need a different knife. Keep them sharp and your food will always look professionally done.

Microwave oven

This is perfect for melting small quantities of chocolate. Think of Chef Mike as your own little sous chef.

Piping (icing) bags

Disposable or not, these are great to direct creams and mixes onto cakes and desserts.

Blow torch

Not strictly essential but they are useful for lightly toasting meringue or marshmallow, or for crisping up that piece of pork crackling.

Cocktail sauce.

Makes 450 g (1 lb)

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons warm water

pinch of salt flakes

250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) light olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato sauce (ketchup)

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons sriracha sauce or hot chilli sauce

1 teaspoon grated fresh horseradish or store-bought horseradish cream

teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon brandy

1/ Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, warm water and salt in a tall, narrow measuring jug. Process well using a hand-held blender.

2/ Continue to blend while you add a tablespoon of oil to the jug. Mix until it emulsifies, then slowly trickle in the remaining oil. Continue to blend in an up and down motion until you have mayonnaise. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.

3/ Cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve with the .

Apple sauce.

Makes 250 g (9 oz)

30 g (1 oz) butter

3 granny smith apples, or other tart cooking apples, peeled and chopped into 5 mm ( in) dice

2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/ Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the apples. Stir and cook for 8 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for a further 45 minutes.

2/ Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar and lemon zest. Cool and serve with the .

Chilli mayonnaise.

Makes 350 g (12 oz)

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons warm water

pinch of salt flakes

250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) light olive oil

chilli sauce, to taste

1/ Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, warm water and salt in a tall, narrow measuring jug. Process well using a hand-held blender.

2/