MasterChef’s John Torode and Lisa Faulkner present their Christmas dinner roast turkey and mackerel pâté starter recipes
Love Christmas but hate cooking the dinner? Let the pros guide you and make this December 25th stress-free and tastier than ever
DECEMBER is upon is (how did that sneak up so quickly?) and the stress of cooking up a storm on Christmas Day is looming.
If your kitchen is more prone to descending into festive fear than festive cheer, these Fabulous Christmas Dinner recipes and tips from MasterChef's John Torode and Lisa Faulkner will sort you out. Panic over.
Starter: Lisa’s easy smoked mackerel pâté on toast
Serves 6-12
Prep time 4 hrs
Cooking time 15 mins
Cals 440
Sat fat 13g
*120ml rice vinegar
*50g caster sugar
*1tsp coriander seeds
*1 cucumber
*2tbsp sea salt
*4 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned
*150g soft cream cheese
*1-2tbsp crème fraiche
*Juice 1 lemon
*Handful chopped fresh dill
*6 slices rye bread
I like my pâté coarse, but you can make it lovely and smooth by blitzing for longer
On Christmas Eve
1 Combine the vinegar, sugar and coriander seeds in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Rub the halves with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Rinse under cold water and pat dry.
2 Using a potato peeler, peel the cucumber into long ribbons and place in a large glass jar. Pour the spiced vinegar over the cucumber to cover, then seal the jar and place in the fridge overnight.
On Christmas morning
1 Flake the mackerel into a food processor, removing any bones. Add the cream cheese, 1tbsp crème fraiche, the lemon juice, dill and black pepper, then blitz until combined.
2 Taste and add extra pepper and crème fraiche to loosen the pâté to the consistency you prefer.
3 Toast the rye bread and slice in half. Remove the cucumber ribbons from the vinegar and wrap them around a fork to make little spirals. Serve with the toast and pâté.
Main: Lisa and John’s Roast Turkey
Serves 8-10
Prep time 15 mins
Cooking time 2 hrs 30 mins
Cals 238
Sat fat 3g
*4.5-5.5kg turkey
*2tsp sea salt
*2tsp ground black pepper
*100g salted butter
*3 large onions
Rest the turkey breast-side down so all the juices run back through the bird. It makes the breast meat moist and the back lovely and crispy.
On Christmas Eve
1 Remove the giblets from the turkey if need be and wipe the bird inside and out with kitchen paper.
2 Open the cavity and season the inside with some salt and pepper.
3 Soften the butter and add the remaining seasoning to it. Rub over the whole turkey. Take a piece of greaseproof paper double the size of the breast and fold to make it a double thickness. Lay this over the breasts to protect them during the cooking. Place in the fridge overnight.
4 Calculate your cooking times for the morning – allow 20 minutes at high heat, then 30 minutes per kg after you have reduced the heat. So a 4.5kg turkey will take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes in total.
On Christmas morning
1 Heat your oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan/gas mark 7. Remove the turkey from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature while the oven is heating up.
2 Cut the onions in half and place in a roasting tin. Put the turkey on a trivet or wire cooling rack and then into the tin. Pour one cup of boiling water into the cavity of the bird. Seal with a skewer. Pour another 2 cups of boiling water into the roasting tin with the onions and cover with foil (two layers work well), making sure that it’s sealed around the edges. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas mark 6 for the remaining cooking time.
3 After 1 hour 30 minutes, remove the foil and greaseproof paper and turn the turkey over so the breasts are now facing down. Resist the temptation to open the oven door again until the cooking time is up.
4 To test whether the turkey is cooked, insert a skewer or knife into the point where the thigh joins the breast, and the juice should run clear. If it is pink, leave it for another 20 minutes and then test again.
5 Take the bird out of the oven and strain the juice from the bottom of the tray into a large jug to settle. The fat will rise to the top, leaving the aromatic turkey and onion juices beneath. Skim off the fat and set aside for the gravy.
6 Leave the turkey to rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes before carving to serve.
Check out John and Lisa's eat-me-now Christmas dinner side dishes and their pudding and cocktail recipes to top it all off.
Thanks to Paperchase, Sainsbury’s, Portobello Road Gin, Kelly Bronze & Lakeland.