Spinach Salad

Ingredients

100g Spinach

75g Radicchio Leaves (salad leaves will do)

50g Mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)

50g Parma Ham (torn)

100g Cooked Chicken (torn)

1 Orange (all the juice and half the zest)

1 Tablespoon Natural Yoghurt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Equipment

1 SHARP Knife

1 Chopping Board

1 Screwtop Jam Jar

1 Serving Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Start by chucking all your leaves into the serving bowl and mixing well, then add in the chicken, mushrooms and ham and mix again.
2. Now, in your jar place the oil, yogurt, orange juice and zest, screw the lid on and shake well, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour your dressing over the salad and mix well before serving.

Serves 4

Tuscan Pudding

Ingredients

75g Dried Mixed Fruit

250g Ricotta Cheese

3 Eggs (yolks only)

50g Caster Sugar

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

2 Oranges (zest only)

Butter (for greasing only)

Creme Fraiche (optional, for serving)

Equipment

4 Ramekins (or pudding dishes, they make a nice shaped pudding)

1 Bowl (half filled with warm tap water)

1 Balloon Whisk

1 Large mixing Bowl

1 Sieve

1 Zester

The Good Bit

1. Preheat your oven 180c 350f gas 4, soak your dried fruit in the warm water for 10 minutes and grease your ramekins/pudding dishes with the butter.
2. Whisk your egg yolk, cinnamon, ricotta cheese and half your orange zest together, drain the fruit and stir this into the ricotta mixture, spoon into your ramekins/pudding dishes.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, the pudding should be firm but not golden (give them a little shake to test) Decorate with the remaining orange zest and serve. You can also serve chilled and a good dollop of creme fraiche goes really well this.

Serves 4

Peaches in White Wine

Ingredients

4 Peaches (stoned and cut into small wedges)

2 Tablespoons Icing Sugar (sifted)

1 Orange (cut the rind off leaving behind as much of the pith as you can, then juice)

200ml Sweet/Medium White Wine

Equipment

1 SHARP Knife

1 ChoppingBoard

1 Juicer

1 Small Bowl

1 Serving Bowl

1 Sieve

Kitchen Paper/Towel

The Good Bit

1. Place the peaches in your serving bowl and sprinkle over the icing sugar, then cut your peelings of orange skin into matchstick size pieces, place in your small bowl and cover with water.
2. Now pour the orange juice and wine over your peaches and chill in your fridge for one hour.
3. In the meantime, dry your orange match sticks on the kitchen paper, sprinkle over the peaches just before serving and enjoy. (Double cream goes very well this, and maybe a sprinkling of grated chocolate)

Serves 4

Mince Pies

Ingredients
250g Plain Flour
75g Butter (chilled and cut into cubes)
50g Ground Almonds
25g Caster Sugar
1 Egg (beaten)
1 Egg White
1 Orange (zested and juiced)
250g Mincemeat
Icing Sugar

Equipment
1 Large Mixing Bowl
1 Small Mixing Bowl
1 Fork (to beat the egg)
1 Sieve
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Rolling Pin
1 3 inch Pastry Cutter
1 Bun Tray
1 Pastry Brush
1 Wire Rack

The Good Bit

1. Pre heat your oven too 200c 400f gas 6. Sieve the flour into the bowl then drop in the butter, rub together with your finger tips until you get bread crumbs then stir in the ground almonds, sugar and orange zest. Now mix in the beaten egg and 2-3 tablespoons of the orange juice until you have a nice firm dough.
2. Flour your work surface lightly and need the gently for 20 seconds, now roll out your dough and with a pastry cutter you should be able to cut out 12 rounds., grease your bun tray with a little butter, then fill each one with a pastry round and and add 1 teaspoon of mincemeat to each.
3. Gather up the remaining dough and roll out again until you can cut 12x5cm rounds, no dampen the edges of the pies and then press a lid on gently, brush the top of the pies with the egg white then sprinkle some icing sugar over them.
4. Bake for 20 minutes until golden then remove from the oven and leave to cool until you can hold them then allow to cool further on a wire rack
   

Makes 12

Christmas Turkey

Ingredients
3-4Kg Turkey (oven ready with giblets)
4 Shallots
4 Cloves
25g Butter (diced)
40ml Water
80ml White Wine
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper
Herb Sprigs
15g Cranberries
15g Chopped Walnuts
1 Orange (juiced and zested)
1 lemon (juiced and zested)
1 Egg Yolk

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Zester
1 Large Roasting Dish
1 Sauce Pan
Tin Foil
1 Skewer
1 Mixing Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Pre heat your oven to 190c 375f gas 5. Start by removing the giblets from the turkey, then spike each of the shallots with a clove, now season the cavity of your bird with salt and pepper, then drop in the spiked shallots and half of the butter cubes, rub the rest of the butter over the skin of the bird.
2. Now chop the giblets into small chunks and place in the roasting tin along with the water, white wine and the bay leaf, cover with tin foil and cook for 15 minutes per every 1/2Kg then remove the tin foil and cook for a further 30 minutes. Prick deeply with a skewer to make sure the juices are clear (not pink with blood) Set aside and keep warm reserving the juice.
3. In your sauce pan drop in the berries, walnuts, orange and lemon juice and zest and enough of the reserved turkey juices to make up to 150ml and simmer gently. Whisk the egg yolk and mix with 1 tablespoon of your cranberry sauce, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the egg mixture.
4. Garnish the turkey with sprigs, serve a shallot to each person and hand out the sauce separately.
   

Serves 4

Duck with Orange and Cranberries

Ingredients
4 Barbary Duck Breasts (with skin on)
2 Oranges peeled, pith and core remove, segmented)
125g Cranberries
50g Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Honey
Salt and pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Griddle Pan
1 Small Pan

The Good Bit

1. Score the duck breast on the skin skin side with a sharp knife (just through the skin to release the fat) Now cook in a hot griddle pan, skin side for 6-10 minutes then the other side for 4-6 minutes
2. Place the cranberries, oranges, and sugar in a pan and heat until the berries soften, then season, then add the honey.
3. Remove the duck from the griddle and slice then serve with the orange and cranberry sauce.
   

Serves 4

Cajun Chicken Salad

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts (sliced in half to make 8 thin breasts) or 12 Mini Fillets
1 Lime (juiced)
5 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Salt
2 Oranges (peeled and sliced)
120g Bag of Spinach or Rocket Leaves
1 Small Red Onion (thinly sliced into rings)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Oven Proof Dish
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Plate

The Good Bit

1. Pre heat your oven to 220c 425f or gas 7, toss the chicken into the lime juice whilst you measure out into the mixing bowl the flour, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper and the pinch of salt, give it a good mix then sprinkle it out onto the plate.
2. Lift each slice of chicken out of the lime juice and press down onto the seasoned flour, coat both sides then place on the oven proof dish. place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
3. Mix the salad leaves with the onion and orange slices plus any juice that came out of the oranges then serve onto 4 plates and top with the crispy chicken. Enjoy.
   

Serves 4

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients
250g Cranberries (fresh are better but frozen will do)
150ml Water (you can replace all or 50% with orange juice and the zest of 1 orange for an orangey sauce)
175g Sugar
1-2 Tablespoons Port (optional but devilishly good)

Equipment
1 Large Pan
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Zester (if making the orangey version)

The Good Bit

1. Heat the water in the pan and add the sugar and bring to the boil (do the same if you are using orange juice) stir occasionally and boil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the cranberries cover and gently simmer until all the berries have popped, once you are happy they look like they have all popped, remove the lid and simmer for a further 5 minutes to thicken.
3. Add the port if you are using and serve (the orange version with a touch of port goes very well with the Christmas turkey or a duck that is cooked and still pink inside, you can also serve with lamb)

Serves 6

Warrens Chocolate Orange

Ingredients
2 Oranges
2 Pears (peeled, cored and halved)
2 Apples (peeled, cored and quartered)
1 Lemon (juiced)
50g Butter
4 Tablespoons Muscovado Sugar
75g Chocolate
4 Tablespoons Double/Whipping Cream

Equipment
1 Zester/Juicer
1 Chopping Board
1 SHARP Knife
1 Frying Pan
1 Glass Bowl
1 Large Pan
1 Spoon
1 Grater

The Good Bit

1. Remove the zest from one orange and keep to one side then grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the second, now remove the rest of the skin from both oranges and slice into thick chunks saving any juice.
   
2. Melt your butter in the frying pan and add the sugar until dissolved then add the zest from the first orange along with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, the apples pears and orange slices, cook for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Heat some water in the pan and put your glass bowl in it, break the chocolate into the glass bowl and melt (or you can do this without the water and pan using a microwave, trying 30seconds at a time) add in the grated orange rind and juice and the cream and stir well.
4. Serve the fruit between four bowls and drizzle over the chocolate.

Serves 4

Orange Syllabub

Ingredients
2 Oranges (zested and juiced)
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
75g Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cointreau
300ml Double Cream
Biscuits to Serve (ginger biscuits work very well)

Equipment
1 Large Bowl
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Balloon Whisk

The Good Bit

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except the cream, cover and chill for an hour.
2. Whisk in the cream until it holds its shape (you could always whisk the cream in a separate bowl, then serve into 4 dishes and drizzle over the the sauce and give a little stir to give a marbled effect) Serve well chilled.
   

Serves 4

Crepe Suzette

Ingredients
100g Plain Flour
1 Egg
25g Butter (melted)
250ml Milk
Pinch of Salt
Lard (for frying, oil will do)
40g Butter
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
2 Oranges (zested and juiced)
1 Teaspoon Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brandy
Cream to Serve (whipping cream, or make my cream from 'meringue magic' mascarpone/cream/icing sugar)

Equipment
1 Medium Frying Pan
1 Large Bowl
2 Small Bowls
1 Zester
1 Spatula
1 Table Knife
1 Sieve
1 Table Fork
1 Balloon Whisk

The Good Bit

1. Sieve the flour into the large bowl, whisk the egg in a small bowl with the fork, add the pinch of salt to the flour then make a well in the flour and add the butter egg and half the milk, with the balloon whisk beat until you have a smooth batter gradually adding the rest of the milk a little at a time (or prepare this 24hrs in advance and cover and leave in the fridge, this will get rid of lumps!!)
2. Heat a little lard in the frying pan over a medium heat then add approximately 2 tablespoons of mixture to the pan (enough to make a decent pancake, you are the best judge there as different pans are different sizes) cook the pancake until it's golden brown on one side then flip over (with the spatula unless you want to be daring and go for a toss!?) cook for 30 seconds then remove, do this with all your mixture, try to make between 4-8 pancakes.
3. Heat the remaining butter in the frying pan with the orange juice, zest and 2 tablespoons of caster sugar, whilst this is coming to a gentle simmer, roll all your pancakes up and cut into 1cm wide strips, add these to the pan next and give a very gentle but good stir to cover in the juices.
4. Push the pancakes to one side and add the teaspoon of caster sugar to a bare bit of pan, heat until it begins to bubble then cover with the brandy and ignite, swirl round in the pan (being careful) when the flames have gone out, serve! then add a dollop of cream!

serves 4

Spanish Salad

Ingredients
150g Spinach and Rocket Salad (available at most supermarkets)
1 Small Onion (red is sweeter and preferred)
2 Oranges
Dash of Olive Oil
Optional
4 Chicken Breasts (The flavoured packs of cooked chicken pieces that supermarkets do work very well here and will allow you to experiment with flavours like Thai, Mexican and BBQ, if you are using flavoured pieces, ignore the rest of this section)
4 Tablespoons Flour (any will do)
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
A Good Pinch of Salt and Pepper
Zest and Juice of A Lime
1 Tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning

Equipment
2 Large Bowls
1 Small bowl for the lime juice
1 Large Frying Pan/Wok
1 Spatula
1 Lime Zester and Juicer

The Good Bit

1. If you are having the chicken, mix all the spice, salt, pepper and flower in a bowl along with the zest of the lime, dip your chicken in the lime juice and then coat both sides with the flour mixture.
2. Fry these off on a medium heat until golden turning only once so as to disturb the coating as little as possible.
3. Mix the salad leaves in with a dash of olive oil, peel and cut your oranges into skinless segments collecting any juice and mixing that in with the salad leaves.
4. Serve the leaves straight onto a plate and add a couple of slices of orange, then place a chicken fillet on top, or if you are using the pieces option, sprinkle them on top or mix in with the leaves, it's down to you!

Serves 4