Starter: Michael Chakraverty’s camembert, cranberry and walnut pithiviers
This starter wraps the most festive of foods, the cheeseboard, in buttery, flaky, puff pastry – and they’re much easier than their fancy title suggests. Find the tangiest camembert you can, to pair perfectly with the tart, sweet cranberry and the candied walnuts’ crunch. This dish works well as a main, too – just make the pastry discs big enough to fit a wheel of camembert and double down on the walnuts and cranberry sauce.
Prep 10 min + chilling
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 6
2 x 500g shop-bought puff pastry blocks (or make your own), chilled
500g camembert, cut into 1-2cm cubes
2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
For the cranberry sauce
100g caster sugar
220g cranberries
Zest of 1 orange
A splash of port
For the candied walnuts
100g walnuts
50g granulated sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
First, make the cranberry sauce. Heat the sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, swirling from time to time but not stirring, until it becomes a golden caramel. Add the cranberries and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened to a jammy consistency. Stir through the orange zest and port, then leave to cool.
Heat all the candied walnut ingredients in a pan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep it from catching. When the sugar starts to melt, stir constantly until the nuts are coated in caramel, then transfer to a sheet of greaseproof paper. Quickly separate the nuts with two forks and leave to cool.
To assemble, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick . Using a small plate or cookie cutter, stamp out six 10cm discs and six 14cm discs, and transfer to the fridge while you work.
Take a 10cm disc, crumble some walnuts into the centre, then top with a small mound of cheese and a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Brush the edges with water, put a 14cm disc on top and press firmly around the edges with a fork to seal, avoiding trapping any air bubbles inside. Trim the edges to neaten. Repeat to make six pithiviers, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then pierce the centre of each pithivier. Score the tops with the back of a knife, marking lines in a spiral from the centre outwards. Bake at 200C (180C fan)/gas 6 until the pastry is golden brown – about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Main course: Henry Bird’s duck leg with port glaze, clementines and roast potatoes
For a dinner party, this main course is not only hassle-free, but a sure-fire way to get your guests feeling warm and cosy. The only slightly fiddly bit is basting the duck and potatoes, but it’s all worth it. The spiced rub for the duck and the sweetness from the port and clementines will leave you feeling festive again. Plus, you won’t be left having to wash away a tray of duck fat, as it is used to give a beautiful crunch to the roast potatoes.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Serves 6
6 large duck legs
150ml ruby port
3 clementines, cut into wedges
150g dried apricots
2 bay leaves
8 rosemary sprigs
For the rub
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp table salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
For the potatoes
1.5kg potatoes (ideally maris piper), peeled and chopped
1 tbsp salt
8 rosemary sprigs
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Mix the rub ingredients together, then lightly toss the duck legs in it. Put the legs in a shallow bowl, cover with an airtight lid and leave overnight, and at least eight hours.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/gas 6 and put the duck legs in a single layer in a deep roasting tray. Roast for 25 minutes, until the skin starts to colour, then drain off the fat into a second roasting tray.
Mix 250ml water and the port in a jug. Add the clementines, apricots, bay leaves and rosemary to the duck legs, then pour in the port mix. Cover with foil and cook for an hour and 20 minutes, basting the duck in its own juices every 10-15 minutes, and removing the foil 30 minutes before the end of cooking, to crisp up the skin.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water and parboil for 10-15 minutes, until just cooked. Drain and leave for a few minutes to steam dry. Shake them in the colander to fluff up the edges, then add the potatoes, rosemary and garlic to a second roasting tray with the reserved duck fat and roast alongside the duck for about 50 minutes. Every 10-15 minutes, mix the potatoes in the duck fat. The duck and potatoes should finish cooking at the same time, so serve straight away.
Side: David Atherton’s miso-glazed green beans
This simple side dish is given a rich, earthy twist with a miso and hoisin glaze. The hoisin and the orange zest give a nod to the classic, and the pumpkin seeds provide a nutty crunch.
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 6
30g pumpkin seeds
Zest of 1 orange
200g fine green beans
200g mange tout
For the dressing
1 tsp white miso paste
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp salt
30ml rapeseed oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
For the dressing, put everything in a jar, and shake until emulsified.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until they are just beginning to brown, then toss with the orange zest.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook the beans and mange tout for seven minutes, until just tender. Drain, add the dressing and shake to coat the veg. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.
Dessert: Alice Fevronia’s caramel and chocolate orange tart
When you’re in need of a slice of decadence, what better than a chocolate tart, especially to bring in the New Year. This zesty chocolate shortcrust pastry goes perfectly with the silky chocolate and gooey caramel. It is wonderfully rich and perfect for a dinner party, with the orange giving a slight tangy twist.
Prep 30 min + chilling
Cook 45 min
Serves 10-12
For the pastry
160g plain flour
115g unsalted butter
70g icing sugar
20g cocoa powder
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
For the caramel
100g caster sugar
45g salted butter
60ml cream
For the chocolate-orange filling
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
25g unsalted butter
200ml double cream
50g caster sugar
Juice of ½ orange
To decorate
Candied orange (optional)
Melted chocolate (optional)
For the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar, cocoa, zest and vanilla in a food processor, and pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, and blend until the dough just comes together. Leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until about 3mm thick, then lift into a 20cm tart tin to line it. Trim the edges, then transfer to the fridge for another 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/gas 6.
Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and baking beans or rice, then blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, and bake for a further five to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the caramel. Heat the sugar on a medium heat until melted, being careful not to burn it. When it’s a deep golden colour, slowly add the butter and cream, and stir thoroughly. Cool slightly, fill the pastry case about 12mm deep with caramel, and leave to set in the fridge while you make the chocolate-orange filling.
Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl. Heat the cream and sugar in a pan until it just boils, then pour this over the chocolate and butter, and stir thoroughly. Add the orange juice and stir until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour into the pastry case and chill to set – at least an hour. Decorate with candied orange and melted chocolate, if you like.
• Michael Chakraverty, Henry Bird, David Atherton and Alice Fevronia competed in this year’s Great British Bake Off. They styled themselves as the Least Laddy Lads’ Club.
