The Method in my Madness

The Creaking Table

Christmas Eve Supper – Option 1

Seafood Platter

Smoked Trout Mousse

Smoked Salmon - sliced

Asian Spiced Salmon – broken into small chunks

Prawns – defrosted if frozen

Smoked Mackerel – skin removed and broken

into small pieces

Marie Rose sauce

Creamed horseradish

Sliced lemons, baby tomatoes and sliced cucumber

Festive Three Cheese Tart

Winter Coleslaw

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken

Honey Roast Beetroot

Baby new potatoes, roasted with parsley and butter

Cheese & Pecan Loaf with butter

Cheese Board and grapes

This menu covers all the bases – salty, citrus, sweet, crunch, colour and all the other bits that guests love – potatoes and bread.

Taking in turn, the seafood platter uses only two recipes, both of which are simplicity itself and can be prepared a day or two beforehand and “fridged” - the mousse and the Asian Spiced Salmon. The recipe for the mousse follows – where would we be without James Martin – the mousse recipe is one of his. The Asian Spiced Salmon recipe appears in the posting “Life with GOM: Chapter Two”.

Dig out a large shallow bowl – 32 cms approximately or a platter – 37 x 30 cms approximately (a couple of photos attached to illustrate). Arrange your seafood in the bowl or on the platter – serve the sauces in ramekins and place centrally. Garnish with wedges of lemon, baby tomatoes and sliced cucumber. If you have small ramekins, fill 3 or 4 with the mousse and arrange between the seafood on your serving dish of choice and garnish with the lemons, tomatoes and cucumber.

The Three Cheese Tart appeared in the posting “The Shindig”. I am including a festive twist for the tart – optional of course. The tart can be made beforehand and frozen.

I am including a recipe for a winter coleslaw. What I will do is prepare the red cabbage, carrots and onions ahead, bag separately and “fridge”. It's then 5 minutes to combine and add the remaining ingredients.

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken is the easiest recipe, here it is :

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 tbsp baking powder*

4 fl oz/½ cup maple syrup*

2 fl oz/¼ cup white miso paste*

Mix * together, add the chicken breasts and

marinate for 24 hrs

Sprinkle with chopped spring onions

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6

for 35 minutes

Again, takes no time at all and, if you marinate the chicken in one of my famous, washing-up free foil dishes, it can go straight from the fridge, into the oven at the same time as you are roasting your baby new potatoes. The honey roast beetroot recipe appears in the post “Kitchen investments and Wednesday supper”. You don't have to roast beetroot from scratch if you don't have time – use vac pack organic beetroot.

As the for Cheese & Pecan Loaf, watch this space – coming soon!