Recipes from Rosemary Shrager

Chestnut Pavlova Cake 

Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep time: 1 hr
Inactive time: 1 hr
Cook time: 4 hrs 10 mins
Serves: 12

Ingredients For the Meringue:

• 5 egg whites (large eggs)
• 170 oz caster sugar
• ½ tablespoon vanilla essence
• ½ tablespoon raspberry vinegar
• ½ tablespoon cornflour

For the sandwich mixture:

• 100g soft brown sugar
• 50ml water
• 4 egg yolks
• 250g unsalted butter
• ½ small tin chestnut puree (sweetened)

For the topping:

• 400ml double cream
• ½ tin chestnut puree
• ½ tablespoon vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 100g walnuts

Directions

Meringue rounds:

1. Grease two 9” baking tins (round), line with greaseproof paper and then grease the paper.

2. Whist egg whites till stiff.

3. Gradually add in ½ sugar and continue whisking until it forms peaks – now add the vanilla, cornflour and raspberry vinegar towards the end of beating.

4. Spread into 2 baking tins and bake for about 2 ½ hours at 75°C. Turn off oven and leave for a further 1 hour to dry out meringue.

5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before very carefully lifting from baking tin and peeling off the paper.

Meringue sandwich mixture:

1. Beat egg yolks.

2. Dissolve sugar in water and boil to 120°C and pour onto egg yolks and whisk until thick.

3. Cream butter and beat into eggs.

4. Loosen the chestnut puree and.add to the egg mixture. On one side of the meringue spread the butter and egg mix then sandwich 2 halves of cake together. Put into the fridge for 2 hours until the butter has firmed up.

Method for topping and round the sides to form the cake:

1. Whip double cream until quite thick and add icing sugar.

2. Soften the chestnut pure with the vanilla essence fold 1/3rd of the cream into the chestnut and mix, then fold in the rest of the cream.

3. Spread on top and round the sides and decorate with ground and chopped walnuts or almonds.

4. Then dust with icing sugar. Put into the fridge until ready to eat.

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Honey Roast Christmas Ham 

Prep time: ½ hr
Cook time: 3 ½ hrs
Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 6kg Gammon
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 star anise
• 1 tbsp of black pepper corns
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• Few strings of parsley
• Few sticks of celery

For the glaze:

• Approx 150 cloves
• 450g soft dark brown sugar
• 300ml thick runny honey
• 1tbsp Dijon Mustard

For the Cumberland Sauce

• 75g very finely chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
• One zest and juice of one lemon
• One zest and juice of one orange
• 220g redcurrant jam
• 150g port
• 1 teaspoon of English powdered mustard made up
• 1 desert spoon of sugar

Directions

1. Place pork in a very large saucepan and cover with cold water.

2. Add to the cold water, 2 peeled onions, 4 stick of celery, 3 star anise, 4 carrots, 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns and sprigs of parsley

3. Bring up the simmer and cook for 3 hours approximately. I allow 20 minutes per 500g. You can tell when the ham is cooked when the rind starts coming off easily

4. Remove the ham from the saucepan and allow to rest for one hour.

5. Remove all the rind while the ham is still warm, leaving as much fat on as possible.

6. Score the fat into diamond shapes by cutting long line one way then the other way.

7. Put a clove into each diamond corner.

8. Mix 350g brown sugar, 200ml thick honey and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and use a pastry brush to spread the mixture all over the ham.

9. Bake in a pre-heated oven set at 180°C /Gas mark 4 for 25 minutes approximately or until caramelized .You will need to baste the ham every ten minutes, to get a good colour.

10. Serve hot or cold with Cumberland Sauce.

Cumberland Sauce:

1. Place all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil.

2. Simmer for one hour approximately on a low heat until a sticky sauce is thickened and ready to go- leave the onion you do not need to strain the sauce.

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Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash with Mushrooms, Walnuts and a Herb Crust

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: ½ hr
Cook time: 1 hr
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 medium butternut squash (each base one portion)
• Extra virgin olive oil

For the filling:

• Butternut squash (cooked flesh of 4)
• 40g butter
• Olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 4 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 100g gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tarragon, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 60g Butter for dotting

For the topping:

• 30g butter
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 40g walnuts chopped
• 40g white breadcrumbs
• 60g grated gruyere
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. First prepare the butternut squash, cut the top long neck off leaving the round small base. Remove the pips and clean out. Peel two of the necks and cut into 1cm dice , reserve the other two butternut squash for something else.

2. In a large frying pan add some olive oil and gently sauté the squash, this should take about 20 mins. Remove put onto a plate while you cook the rest of the mixture.

3. In the same frying pan put in the butter and place onto a medium heat add the onion and cook until soft, add the mushrooms turn up the heat for a couple of minutes make sure they are cooked.

4. Now add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and pine nuts and mixed herbs and the saved cooked squash, mix well and put into a bowl to one side.

5. Make sure each base sits nicely in the gratin dish. Now fill the four squash to the top.

6. Meanwhile In the same frying pan soften the onion, put into a bowl and add all other ingredients, mix well and season. Cover each squash with some mixture and place into a gratin dish put into the oven for 25 minutes at 180°C. Serve.

Rosemary Shrager's Classic Christmas will be screened on Food Network on freeview 41, Sky 262, Virgin 287, freesat 403 at 8:05am & 2.30pm on Saturday, December 21; 9.30am on Sunday, December 22; 10.30am & 2pm on Monday, December 30.