THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS DINNER As we hit the festive season we look at the latest Christmas dinner trends and explore the best way to cook your turkey, goose or even rabbit this year.
Cider roast turkey (From BBC Good Food Magazine) For the turkey: 4.5 to 6kg turkey, giblets removed and kept 450g stuffing 2 leeks, trimmed and halved 2 carrots, halved 50g butter, softened 300ml dry cider For the gravy: 300ml dry cider 600ml chicken stock 2tbsp quince or redcurrant jelly Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Wash and dry the turkey, removing any feathers. Pull out the giblets and the neck, then set aside. Lift up the skin that covers the neck opening, then stuff the stuffing up and under the skin, securing it tightly underneath with a skewer or two cocktail sticks. Weigh the stuffed turkey. Calculate the cooking time, allowing 40 mins per kg (20 mins per lb). Put the leeks and carrots along the hen it comes to selecting the Christmas roast, turkey is the obvious bottom of a roasting tin in a single layer - this will make a trivet for the turkey to sit on and add flavour to the choice for many, but it seems this gravy. Add the neck to the tin. Sit the turkey on top and year a spirit of adventure is taking hold in the supermarket aisles. Goose coat the breast all over with butter. Pour in the cider, is now fighting turkey for the title of Britain's best-selling cover with foil, then roast according to your timings. bird this Christmas. Although, not to be outshone by its Keep checking the tin - if the vegetables look like they're burning, add a splash of water or cider. At 30 mins feathered friend, the turkey is also seeing unprecedented sales with traditional breeds flying off the before the end of cooking, remove the foil and season generously. shelves.
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In a poll of 2,400 readers, BBC Good Food Magazine found that turkey is still the most popular centre-piece. Meanwhile sales of other seasonal meats are also soaring, with British beef sales up 20%, while gammon is on the rise with one in 10 families tucking into this succulent joint at the dinner table. Here are two recipes assured to keep you on trend this Christmas:
To test that the turkey is ready, pierce the thigh through its thickest part; the juices should run clear. Take the turkey out and leave to rest, covered with a clean tea towel. Leave to rest for up to 1 hour. Now make the gravy. Drain the fat and juices from the tin into a jug, discarding the veg and the neck. Place the tin over a flame, then pour in the cider, scraping up the flavourfilled crusty bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce the cider by half, then strain into a saucepan.
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