From turkey crown to pigs in blankets: Mary Berry's Christmas recipes
OUR celebrity chef collected three of Mary Berry's favourite Christmas classics.
Merry Christmas for tomorrow readers! I love Christmas: spending time with my family, and eating all that gorgeous food! Today though, I will be following my traditional Italian fast.
We avoid meat on Christmas Eve in Italy; this has the double benefit of purifying the body for Christmas Day, but also making room for Christmas dinner. Today I will be preparing Fritto misto which roughly translates as mixed-fry. On Christmas Day itself my Italian traditions have had to give way to British ones, so it’s a Kelly Bronze turkey and all the trimmings!
This week’s book Mary Berry’s Christmas Collection will ensure I’m in safe hands. I’ve chosen three recipes (opposite) which should mean you have the perfect Christmas dinner.
TURKEY CROWN
4-4.5kg turkey crown on the bone
1 lemon, thinly sliced
3 small sprigs of fresh thyme
75g butter, softened
SERVES: 12-15
PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES(plus 20 minutes resting)
COOKING TIME: 2 HOURS
Preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F/Gas Mark 6.
Line a large roasting tin with foil. Loosen the skin over the breast of the turkey and arrange the lemon and thyme in a neat layer between the skin and the breast. Spread with the soft butter.
Put the turkey crown into the roasting tin. Roast in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown. Reduce the temperature to 180°C/356°F/Gas Mark 4 and continue to roast for 1½-1¾ hours until golden and cooked through.
To test if the bird is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the breast and check that the juices run clear. The temperature of the thickest part of the breast should be about 75°C when tested with a thermometer.
Leave the turkey to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
SAUSAGES WRAPPED IN BACON
6 long slices of dry-cured streaky bacon
18 cocktail sausages
SERVES: 8
PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 45 MINUTES
Preheat the oven to 190°C/374°F/Gas Mark 5.
Stretch each bacon rasher with the back of a knife. Cut each rasher into three.
Wrap a piece of bacon tightly around each sausage, and put on to a baking tray ready for cooking.
Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the sausages are cooked and crisp. Serve hot with the roast turkey.
CRANBERRY SAUCE
450g fresh or frozen cranberries
225g granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange, finely grated
50ml port
50ml cider vinegar
A large pinch of ground allspice
A large pinch of ground cinnamon
SERVES: 20
PREPARATION: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 10-15 MINUTES
Measure all the ingredients into a shallow saucepan.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Don’t worry if it looks a bit runny as it will thicken when it cools.
Serve warm or cold.