SIMON WOOD’S CHRISTMAS PARTY FOOD

Food Columnist and renowned Celebrity Chef Simon Wood shares his Favourite Seasonal Dishes for over the festive period.

Garlic Salmon and Cream Cheese Fried Toasts

Garlic Salmon & Cream Cheese Fried Toasts

Ingredients

1 x Thick White Loaf
1 x Garlic Oil
400g Smoked Salmon
1 x Tub Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese
30g Double Cream
Chives to Finish

Method

Use a round cookie cutter to cut 5cm discs out of your bread

In a large frying pan add the garlic oil and toast the bread until golden and crisp throughout

In a mixing bowl gently combine the cream cheese and double cream, add it to a piping bag if you have one

Next pipe onto the now-cooled toast and top with slivers of salmon before finishing with chopped chives

Mince Pie Brownie Bites

Ingredients

185g Unsalted Butter, Cubed
185g High-Quality Dark Chocolate, Chopped
85g Plain Flour
40g Cocoa Powder
3 x Large Free Range Eggs
275g Golden Caster Sugar
1 Jar Mince Pie Mix
Icing Sugar, For Dusting

Method

Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium bowl, over a pan of simmering water and stirring occasionally.

Once melted, leave to cool.

Heat the oven to 160ºc fan

Line the base of a shallow 20cm square tin with non-stick baking paper.

Sieve the flour and cocoa into a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and creamy,

This should take about 5 minutes

Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture, then fold together with a rubber spatula in a figure of eight

Sift in the cocoa and flour mixture and continue gently folding. The mixture will look dry and dusty, then fudgy don’t overmix it.

Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared tin, then add the mince pies filling in uniform teaspoon-sized balls Scrape over the rest of the mixture and Level the top. Put in the oven for 25 mins.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four.

Cheeseboard Roulette ‘Breadsticks’

Ingredients

350g Ready-Rolled Puff Pastry
200g Left Over Cheese, Grated Or Chopped Finely
Large Free Range Egg
20g Colman’s English Mustard
20g Whole Milk
20g Black Onion Seed
Flour, To Roll Pastry On

Method

Pre-heat oven to 220ºc

Mix the Milk, Egg and Mustard together

Unroll a puff pastry, scatter over a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan, then fold in half. On a floured surface,

roll out to until ½ a centimetre thickness.

Cut into 1cm strips, then twist the strips 3-4 times and glaze with the egg mix

Lay on a baking sheet, scatter over more cheese and bake for 12 mins, or until golden

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Sweet Potato Puffs, Maple Mustard Franks in Blanks & Parkin Cake

by Simon Wood | Nov 4, 2024 | Food

SIMON WOOD’S BONFIRE & SEASONAL PARTY FOOD

Food Columnist and renowned Celebrity Chef Simon Wood shares his Favourite Autumn Dishes

Sweet Potato Puffs

Ingredients

400g Sweet Potato Dry Roasted Whole
400g White Potato Dry Roasted Whole
200g 0:0 Flour, Plus Extra For Dusting
2 Free Range Egg Yolks
1½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp White Pepper
150g Unsalted Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, Grated
10g Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped

Parmesan, To Serve

Method

Bake your potatoes until softened all the way through, then while warm remove the skins, transfer to a bowl and mash well.

Sift the flour over the surface of the potato and mix and then add the egg yolk, salt, white pepper and garlic and mix until you have a soft dough, do not overwork it. Add a little more flour if needed.

Dust a work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a 40cm long sausage shape; cut into 3cm pieces.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and tip in a third of the gnocchi. Stir briefly, then wait for them to rise to the surface, about 3 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside before repeating.

Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat until foaming add the gnocchi and Fry until golden brown, then stir in the parsley and grate over the Parmesan to serve.

Maple Mustard Franks in Blanks

Ingredients

24 Cocktail Sausages
3 Tbsp Clear Honey
3 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
2 Tsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
Oil For Deep Frying

Method

Deep fry the sausages until evenly browned and cooked through

In a frying pan add the honey and heat until loosened, add in the mustard and combine well, next add the sausages and top with the chopped parsley

Parkin Cake

Ingredients

800g butter
800g golden syrup
340g treacle
340g light brown sugar
400g oats
1kg self-rising flour
60g ginger
4x eggs
240g milk

Method

Melt the butter, syrup, treacle & sugar in a pan.

Place dry ingredients into mixer with the paddle or combine with a wooden spoon

Pour in the (Wet) butter mix and combine, then add the eggs and milk to finish.

Bake at 160ºc degrees for 50 mins.

Written by Simon Wood

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Food Columnist and renowned Celebrity Chef Simon wood shares his Halloween Favourite Dishes

Pumpkin Spice Wontons

Ingredients

400g Roasted Pumpkin, smashed with a fork

70g Maple syrup

20g Brown sugar

5g Cinnamon

2g Nutmeg

1 Pack Wonton wrappers

Icing sugar, for dusting

Oil for Deep Frying

Method

Use a fork to mix all of the ingredients together

Place a heaped teaspoon of mixture into the centre of a wonton wrapper

Use a little water to dampen around the edges before pinching all four corners together and giving them a little twist.

Deep fry at 180ºc and allow to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar

Honey Nut Mushrooms

Ingredients

100g Crunchy nut cornflakes Crushed

100g Panko Breadcrumbs

200g Small Baby Button Mushrooms

20g Sesame Oil

2 Eggs, beaten

50g Plain Flour

Oil for Deep Frying

Siracha mayonnaise for Dipping

Chopped Coriander to garnish

Method

Cook the whole mushrooms in the sesame oil and drain in kitchen paper, don’t worry about cooking them right the way through as they will be cooked again once you crumb them.

Take three bowls and fill each one with the Flour, Egg, Breadcrumb Flake Mix

Add the mushrooms to the flour and coat evenly, next add them into the egg, and then into the crumb mixture.

Deep fry at 180ºc and allow to cool slightly and serve with Siracha mayonnaise and coriander

Rosemary-Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Ingredients

200g caster sugar

150ml water

70g pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped

2 Springs Rosemary leaf, Chopped

Method

Place the caster sugar into a pan and add the water.

Heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then turn up the heat and cook (Do not stir with a spoon!)

Cook until the sugar turns a deep caramel colour – with care swirl the pan occasionally.

While the sugar is cooking, line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Pour the caramel on to the prepared sheet, spreading to a thin, even layer with a spatula.

Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and Rosemary. Leave to set.

Break into shards with a rolling pin or toffee hammer.

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Rib of beef, Celeriac Puree, & Pommes Anna Recipe by simon wood

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As we hit the Autumn months, we asked our resident chef and food editor Simon Wood to share a mouth watering recipe:

Rib of beef, Celeriac Puree, & Pommes Anna

BY SIMON WOOD

Sticky Rib Sauce

2 Litre Beef Stock
100ml Mirin
100ml Gluten Free Soy
50g Dashi Granules
30ml Lemon Juice
60g Brown Sugar

Beef Rib

Method

Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a steady simmer, in an oven proof pan add a little oil and brown your beef rib on all sides before adding the heated sauce mixture. Cook for 5 hours at 180ºc until tender

Remove the rib and chill in the fridge or if eating straight away remove from the sauce and then start to reduce the sauce into a sticky glaze in a pan and then re add the rib once the sauce is thickened and sticky

Salt bake pastry (Salt baked celeriac sheets)

Celeriac Puree

1kg celeriac peeled and sliced
50g unsalted butter
200ml double cream

Method

Thinly slice the celeriac before adding the double cream and unsalted butter, and cooking in a saucepan on a low heat for 30 minutes. Then, place into a food processor and blend into a puree.

Spring Onions

Slice thinly and add to iced-water to curl

Pommes Anna

1kg Redskin Potato (Like a Rooster)
250g Butter
1 Bulb Garlic Halved
1 Bunch Thyme
3 Spring Rosemary
1/2 tea spoon maldon sea salt

Method

Add your butter and aromats to a low heat and soften for 6-8 minutes to infuse with the garlic, rosemary & thyme flavour. Then pass so you just have butter left, season it with salt

Peel and thinly slice your potatoes before layering in a small oven proof rectangular dish, add a little butter with every layer and cook until soft at 170ºc for 35 minutes. Chill in the fridge and Fry until golden when required.

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Christmas Trimmings Recipes

by Simon Wood | Dec 6, 2023 | Featured

CHRISTMAS TRIMMINGS RECIPES

BY SIMON WOOD

_____________________________

Honey mustard pigs in blankets

Ingredients

30 pigs in blankets

80g Colmans English mustard

80g runny honey

Chopped chives

Method

Cook the pigs in blankets until golden, add the honey and mustard in to a medium heat frying pan, heat until it bubbles and then add the sausages, glaze until sticky and serve with chopped chives

Vichy carrots

Ingredients

1kg Heritage Carrots with tops

125g Unsalted Butter

250ml carrot juice

125ml orange juice

2 sprigs rosemary

1 Star Anise

4 sprigs thyme

2 cloves garlic, crushed

80ml white wine vinegar

100g sugar or honey,

Salt and Black Pepper

Method

Pick the green leafy tops off the carrots and drop them into ice water.

Steam the carrots until just cooked, and then in a sauté pan add in all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, add in the carrots and cook for 10 minutes, serve with a little of the liquid and the crisp green leafy tops.

Ultimate roasties

Perfect Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

2kg Red Skin Potatoes

2 Bulbs of Garlic (Halved)

1 Bunch of Fresh Rosemary

1 Bunch of Fresh Thyme

500g Goose Fat

Maldon Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.

Peel the potatoes, cutting any larger ones so they’re all the same size

Wash the potatoes in cold water to get rid of any extra starch and place a large saucepan on to boil, season with a good amount of sea-salt.

Add your goose fat into a large roasting tray, the biggest you have. This is to make sure there’s plenty of room for the potatoes and heat to circulate, heat for 10 minutes while your pan of water comes to the boil

Now, add the potatoes to the water and parboil for 10 minutes, you want the outside soft and the inside with a little firmness remaining once ready drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 5 minutes.

After 3 minutes give the colander a shake to help fluff up the potatoes so they look ‘Snowy’ – this will help to help them to crisp up later on.

Carefully remove your roasting tray with the hot fat from the oven and place on a suitable surface, add in half of your herbs and a bulb of your halved garlic and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes. After five minutes remove the herbs and garlic. You now have a nicely flavoured oil that will make your potatoes taste amazing!

If you leave the herbs in for the whole time it takes to roast your potatoes, they will burn and taste acrid! We will add in the rest of the herbs with 10 minutes to go to really lift the flavour!

Tip the potatoes into your roasting tray and turn with tongs slowly coating them in the flavoured hot fat, take care not to break them before seasoning well with the sea salt and black pepper.

Roast for 45 minutes, before turning each one to coat in more fat and ensure even colouring, now add in your remaining herbs and garlic and roast for a further 10-20 minutes depending on how much colour you want on them

Once golden and crisp drain any excess oil on a little kitchen paper

As a chef I find Its always best to do a little test at this point and eat one just to check the seasoning, sometimes I must do this three or four times, just to be sure!

Simons Christmas gravy

Ingredients

1kg Chicken Thighs or Wings or a mixture of the two

Olive oil

4 large carrots

2 Sticks of Celery

3/4 Bay leaves

1 Sprig of Rosemary

1 Teaspoon fresh Thyme

1 Teaspoon fresh Sage

3 White onions halved

2 Maris piper potatoes quartered

1 Tablespoon of your cranberry sauce

Celery Salt (1 teaspoon)

Ground Black Pepper

3 Pints of Chicken Stock

4 tablespoons cornflour

Method

Set the Stock and cornflour Aside

Add the remaining ingredients into a roasting tin and cover with olive oil. Roast until golden and the meat is easy to pinch away from the bone, approximately 75 minutes at 180c, 350f, Gas 4. Remove from the oven and shred the meat into the roasting tin and use a fork or a masher to crush all the vegetables Place over a flame or on the hob

Add 4 table spoons of the cornflour and mix well cooking the flour out and then add in the stock slowly stirring well and crushing all the flavour out of the vegetables and the chicken. Cook until thickened and dark brown in colour.

Check Seasoning and strain through a colander and then again through a sieve to get a refined finish to your sauce

Cranberry Sauce

Juice of 2 clementine’s

400g cranberries

200g light muscovado sugar

100ml port

The Method

Add all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook on a medium heat until sticky and delicious, store in sterilised jars in the fridge or give away as Christmas gifts!

Chicken fat brioche bread sauce.

Ingredients

500ml whole milk

500ml double cream

100g Chicken fat

25g unsalted butter

150g chopped white onion

10 white peppercorns

2 bay leaf’s

10 thyme sprigs

2 grated garlic cloves

200g brioche crumb

1g Ground Nutmeg

3g Maldon sea salt

Method

Sauté the Onion, Garlic, Thyme, Peppercorns, Bay Leaf and salt in the chicken fat and butter. Add in the Brioche crumb and stir before adding the milk and cream.

Add the nutmeg after 5 minutes and then cook for further 25 minutes and then blend until smooth.

Buttered chicken sprouts

Ingredients

1kg sprouts, shredded
150g chopped shallot
300ml chicken stock
Crispy chicken skin
100g smoked bacon lardons
Chopped Chives
250g butter.
Ground black papper

Method

In a saucepan over a medium heat add the lardons and cook until just starting to crisp up. Add in the chopped shallots and cook for two minutes, next add the sprouts, stock and butter and bring to the boil reducing slightly, season with pepper

Serve in a bowl topped with the chicken skin and chopped chives.

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SIMON WOOD’S CHRISTMAS PARTY FOOD

Garlic Salmon & Cream Cheese Fried Toasts

Mince Pie Brownie Bites

Cheeseboard Roulette ‘Breadsticks’

CHEF – PRIVATE & GUEST | KEYNOTE SPEAKER | EVENT HOST

MENU DEVELOPMENT | AUTHOR & MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR

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SIMON WOOD’S BONFIRE & SEASONAL PARTY FOOD

Sweet Potato Puffs

Maple Mustard Franks in Blanks

Parkin Cake

Written by Simon Wood

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Links

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SIMON WOOD’S HALLOWEEN PARTY FOOD

Pumpkin Spice Wontons

Honey Nut Mushrooms

Rosemary-Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Written by Simon Wood

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Related Articles

Links

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Rib of beef, Celeriac Puree, & Pommes Anna

BY SIMON WOOD

CHRISTMAS TRIMMINGS RECIPES

Honey mustard pigs in blankets

Vichy carrots

Ultimate roasties

Simons Christmas gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Chicken fat brioche bread sauce.

Buttered chicken sprouts

Written by Simon Wood

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH BROOD:

Related Articles

Links

Follow Us

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