Christmas is here, and there’s a lot of pressure to cook ‘special’ meals around this time for your visiting family and friends. This week we’re featuring a few recipes which are perfect for a   seasonal meal,   sure to impress any guests!  We hope you have fun cooking your way through the  Christmas season. These recipes come courtesy of the Hurst founder and manager, Rebecca Hurst. Rebecca says that the Scotch Eggs are a nice canapé idea for the Christmas season ahead as the Asian Chicken Salad and everyone’s favourite potato  salad with bacon.  The  Rose  Peaches are seasonal and totally yummy as a dessert.

We hope you enjoy trying out some of these recipes, and most importantly, enjoy the Christmas season.

Mini Scotch Eggs

Ingredients

2kg sausage meat

70 quails eggs

1.5kg onion, very finely chopped

40g finely chopped sage

40g teaspoon thyme leaves

120g tablespoon chopped parsley

4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

8 tbls Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

600g   seasoned   dried   breadcrumbs   (one third cornflakes, 2 thirds crumbs)

Flour seasoned

10 eggs (egg wash)

Vegetable oil for frying

English Mustard to serve

Directions

In a  frying pan,  cook the onions for  15  minutes,  until soft but without colour. Season. Take sausages out of their casings. Allow onion mixture to cool,  then mix in  Dijon mustard,  Worcester sauce,   parsley,   thyme,   and sage in with the sausage meat. Season. Place the quail eggs into a  pot,  small batches at a  time.  Boil enough water to generously cover each batch of eggs.

Pour on top of the quail eggs and heat for 2 minutes ONLY. Immediately plunge the eggs into cold water and leave for 5 minutes before shelling them in the water. Flour the shelled eggs.  Divide the sausage meat into 20g portions.   Wet your hands,   then mould the sausage creating a little pocket. Put the quail egg into the pocket and seal.  Shape into a ball.

Place onto a lightly floured tray. Put the Scotch eggs into the fridge for 30 minutes before crumbing. Flour, egg, and crumb TWICE. Again place  Scotch eggs in the fridge for  30  –  60  mins to set up. Deep fry in small batches for 4 minutes at 180 degrees. Drain on paper towel.  Slice in half with a  sharp knife. Clean knife frequently.

Place the cut  Scotch eggs onto a platter and serve with hot English mustard.

Summer Asian Baby Chicken Salad

Ingredients

For the marinade:

6 red chillies, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

200g coriander roots, finely chopped

2 ½ teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons castor sugar

100ml rice wine vinegar

3 baby chickens

For the salad:

10 spring onions, sliced at an angle

100g coriander leaves

100g fresh mint leaves

50g fresh Italian parsley (leaves only)

1 large carrot cut into fine Julienne

100g baby salad leaves

Salad Dressing:

150ml soy sauce

100ml lime juice

100ml olive oil

30ml sesame oil

1tsp castor sugar

4 tablespoons sake or dry sherry

Directions

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

For the marinade:   mix chillies,   garlic,   coriander roots, salt, sugar and rice wine vinegar together in a bowl.  Spatch cock the chickens and place them into the marinade. Marinade for a  minimum of  2  hours, preferably overnight,  turning halfway through the process.

Remove the chickens and cut in half, lengthways. Heat a large ovenproof griddle pan until very hot. Thread a skewer through each half and place onto the griddle pan, skin-side down. Chargrill for   3   –   4   minutes,   until brown marks appear on skin. Transfer the chicken to the oven to roast for 35-40 minutes, basting with the marinade until completely cooked through.   Alternatively braai the chicken over indirect coals,   basting frequently.

For the salad dressing: mix together the soy sauce, lime juice, sugar and dry sherry / Sake in a separate bowl.  Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss lightly. Portion the cooked chicken as necessary into chunky pieces.  To serve,  spoon a  small amount of the salad onto each plate and top with chicken.

Drizzle with additional salad dressing if necessary and sprinkle with a little chopped coriander.

Fragrant Rosé Peaches

Ingredients

 750ml bottle Rosé wine

115g castor sugar

6 peaches

6 tablespoons creme fraiche

1   handful   of   small   fresh   mint   leaves,   to  decorate

Directions

Put the wine and sugar in a large pan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Increase the heat and boil rapidly for  10  minutes until the liquid has reduced by about one-third. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then cover and chill until completely cold.  Meanwhile,  skin the peaches,  put them in a  heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 1-2 minutes, drain and plunge into cold water.

As long as they are ripe,  the skins will peel off effortlessly. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. Cut into slices about    5mm    thick and divide between six serving bowls.   Add   1-tablespoon   crème Fraiche to each serving, then pour in the rose syrup. Scatter over the fresh mint leaves and serve immediately.