Delicious food at Christmas

Text by: Tu Dao

Photos by: Bao Ngoc

Travellive 12/2010 - Another Christmas is coming; Travellive would like to introduce a fascinating main course for your family. These dishes are often cooked by European families on year-end occasion.

Roast turkey and goose are traditional foods at Christmas while beef and lamb ribs are the favourite all time dishes all over the world and are also becoming popular for the year-end main course. Your mouth will water at first sight, from pieces of meat symbolizing prosperity and happiness to addictives, spices decorated so eye-pleasingly that you cannot wait very long to taste the delicious flavor on the table.

Skillful chef Marcel Riemer from Germany will help us savor the European flavor at Christmas. Four dishes that he introduces will be served at Mangosteen restaurant at Christmas this year. To those who want to try it at home, Marcel also shares his recipe of each dish cooked for 8 people.

Mangosteen Restaurant

Mövenpick Hanoi Hotel

83A Ly Thuong Kiet, Ha Noi

Tel: 04. 3822 2800

Roast goose with chestnut stuffing  

Ingredients:

6kg            Goose with giblets                            

01          Potato, peeled and cut into                pieces, par-boiled                                               

450g          Prunes    

250ml         Port

 30g           Butter            

1                Leek, sliced

1                Onion, quartered

1                Onion, finely chopped

6                Celery sticks, chopped

1kg            Vacuum-packed chestnuts, chopped

150g           Dried cranberries, chopped

1 tbsp          Cornflour

Spices: salt, pepper, chopped parsley

                      

Method: Place the leek and onion in the goose cavity. Prick the skin of the goose all over with a fork and rub in the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then cover them well with aluminium foil. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 4 (about 3,5 hours for a goose 6kg). After an hour of roasting, take the goose out and baste the goose with the juices collected. Return the goose to the oven uncovered for the last 45 minutes of roasting. Gently stir the potatoes, season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and transfer to the oven. For the gravy, place the goose giblets into a large saucepan filled with about 2.5litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for three hours. Return the liquid to the saucepan and simmer. Add the cornflour and stir well to thicken. Melt the butter, add the onion, celery and garlic and fry in the butter for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the chestnuts, cranberries and the prunes to the onion and celery mixture. Add the port and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes. To serve, carve the goose and place onto warmed plates. Serve the roast potatoes and stuffing alongside, with gravy poured over.

Herb crusted Carved Rack of Lamb

Ingredients:

Rack of lamb, chilled, Australian	1750g
Herbs de Provence	12g
Bread crumbs	8g
Whole egg	2 quả
Onion, white, sliced	1 củ
Demi glace	240ml
Red wine	40ml
Olive oil	240ml
Haricouvert beans, blanched	380g
Pumpkin Potatoes Mint jelly Spices: salt, black pepper, fresh thyme, rosemary	480g 480g 40ml

                         

Method:

Season and seal off the lamb, transfer to oven and cook to desired temperature. Combine herbs de Provence, bread crumbs and egg. Top the lamb with herb mixture and gratinate under salamander. Sautee onions until golden brown, deglaze with red wine and add Demi glace. Reduce to desired consistency. Sautee Haricouvert beans and season. Boil pumpkin and potatoes, mash them and season. Garnish with rosemary.

Beef Wellington

Ingredients:

Australian Beef Tenderloin           8 pieces

Apollo Fillo                                   18 sheets

Eggs, well beaten                           02

Mushrooms                                    1kg

Onions                                            01

Melted butter, salt, pepper, lemon and parsley

                         

Duxelles: Clean or trim stems of mushrooms. Chop very fine mushrooms. Wrap in towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Heat butter and lightly brown chopped onions. And mushrooms, salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice; stir over high heat until all moisture has completely evaporated. Stir in chopped parsley. Let cool.

Method: Place first leaf of fillo on damp cloth, brush with melted butter. Place one filet in the middle of the dough and spread ¼ of the Duxelles over the top of the filet. Fold the filet tightly. Repeat for every piece of beef. Brush filet with well beaten egg and bake in preheated oven at 180⁰C for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Serve with Druxelles sauce.

Roast turkey with spiced cranberry and walnut stuffing    

Ingredients:

Turkey                                   1 (about 4kg)

Fresh chicken stock               300ml

Egg                                        01

Pork sausage meat                 300g

Bacon                                     6 rashers

Softened butter                       100g

Dry cider                                 800ml

Shallots, chopped                    3

Sticks of celery, chopped        2

Cornflour                                 1tsp

Breadcrumbs                         2 big handfuls

Dried cranberries                  1 large handful

Chopped walnuts                  1 large handful
 Fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped                                 1 sprig

Ground nutmeg                     ½ tsp        Ground allspice                    ½ tsp      

                         
                  

Method: To make the stuffing, melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan and add the bacon, shallots, celery and rosemary. Cook gently with the lid on for about 10 minutes. Add the cranberries and half the cider and cook until the liquid has reduced to a third of its volume, it aside to cool. Mix in the nutmeg, allspice, some salt and pepper, the walnuts, orange zest, sausage meat and egg, then fold in the breadcrumbs. Pat the turkey’s skin dry with kitchen paper, then stuff the neck end with half the stuffing. Place in a roasting tin, cover with foil and pop in the 240°C/gas 9 preheated oven. After 15 minutes, turn down the heat to 150°C/gas 2. Baste, then roast for another 2 to 2¾ hours. Remove the foil 1 hour before the end of cooking time. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with foil then leave to rest for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/gas 6. Skim off the fat in the tin and it to roast your potatoes. Add the rest of the cider to the meat juices in the tin. Stir in the cornflour, dissolved in a little water, and simmer on the hob until thickened. Sieve into a jug and serve with your turkey, stuffing and some roast potatoes.