My Christmas Recipes 2011 :-)

Moist and Tender Turkey Breast

• 1 (5 -20 lb) fresh or frozen turkey breast (thawed) or 1 (5 -20 lb) turkey
• 60 g (1/4 cup) butter, melted
• 300 ml (12 oz) chicken broth or beer or white wine
• 1 -2 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:

 
Place turkey or turkey breast in a roasting pan. (I use a foil-lined 13x9-inch pan) 

Combine melted butter and chicken broth and pour over the turkey. Rub mayonnaise all over turkey's exterior. Salt lightly if desired.
Roast at 150°-160°C (300°-325°F) (I raise the temperature to 170°C (350°) for the last approximate 30-45 minutes to crisp skin). Remove from oven and let sit for about 30 minutes before slicing.

Note: because the butter and broth are for making gravy, if you need to make a lot of gravy, double the amount of both.

To make gravy: pour pan drippings into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add 1 Tbls. cornstarch per cup of broth/drippings to 1/4 cup cold water. (You'll usually need 2-3 Tbls) Mix well to dissolve. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. If too thin, dissolve more cornstarch in water and add until desired thickness. If too thick, add water or more broth to thin.

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Sticky marmalade ham 

Ingredients:

• 1 raw gammon ham, smoked or unsmoked, approx 5-6kg/11-13lb 3oz with bone in
• 454g jar good quality orange marmalade
• 300g light muscovado sugar
• jar whole cloves

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 6. Put the ham into a large roasting tin, then tip in 500ml water. Cover the whole thing loosely with greaseproof paper, then cover with a large sheet of foil, scrunching and sealing it around the edge of the tin. Make sure you leave some room around the ham. Put it in the oven, then turn the heat down to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3 and leave to cook for 5 hrs. Meanwhile, mix the marmalade with the sugar and 50ml water in a small pan, bring to the boil, then set aside and leave to cool.
2. Take the ham from the oven. Be careful when you lift the foil as there will be a good amount of steam, which can burn. Once the ham has cooled just a little, remove the rind by gently prising the skin from the fat and lifting it away. Try to keep as much fat on the leg as you can as this will keep the ham moist as it roasts. Drain off most of the liquid (this is very good ham stock - keep it and use it for soup), leaving a little in the tin. Turn the oven up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
3. Score lines into the fat with a knife to make large diamond shapes, with the lines about 4cm apart. Brush a third of the marmalade glaze over the joint, really pushing it into the creases and cuts. Now stud the ham with the cloves by poking a clove into the corner of each diamond.
4. Put a trivet into the roasting tin (if you don't have one, a few halved carrots will do), then sit the ham on top. Roast the ham, uncovered, for 45-50 mins, brushing with the remaining glaze a few times during cooking, until caramelised and delicious. Carve hot or cold.

Perfect goose-fat roasties

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp goose or duck fat
• 2kg potatoes , peeled and cut into a similar size (King Edward or Maris Piper are good)
• rosemary needles from 2 sprigs (optional)
• Maldon sea salt

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the tin with the fat in the oven to heat. Drop the potatoes into a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then drain really well in a colander. Shake the potatoes around in the colander to rough up the edges a bit then carefully tip them into the hot fat, turning them over to coat.
2. Put back in the oven for about 50 minutes or until crisp and golden. Turn them halfway through and add the rosemary if using. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt before serving.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch pie shell
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method:

Yummy ;-)

I will add photos when everything is done on Christmas day! Can't wait! x