Recipe | Brussels Sprout Bhajias

This simple recipe will see off the rest of the sprouts on for a Post-Big Day Buffet

Makes 16

2 tsp cumin seeds, bashed
2 tsp mustard seeds, bashed
1 tsp turmeric
225g gram flour
1 tsp flaked sea salt
270ml water
1 onion, finely sliced
2 green chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
Thumb of ginger, grated
300g Brussels sprouts, halved and shredded
Vegetable oil, for deep -frying

1 Mix together the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, gram flour and salt. Pour in the water and whisk into a batter. Stir in the onion, chilli, ginger and sprouts until well coated.

2 Half fill a saucepan with oil and heat until bubbling. With a tablespoon, drop balls of batter into the oil and fry for 4-5 mins , until golden. Drain on paper towel and keep warm in a low oven.

These Brussels Bhajias are part of our menu for a post-Christmas turkey buffet, with an Indian flavour. You can find the rest of the recipes, including Carrot & Parsnip Pakora, Turkey Makhani and Cranberry Chutney, starting on page 36 of the December issue.

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Tipple | Swedish Glogg

The Swedes know a thing or two about keeping cosy in winter. Try this mulled wine, Swede style

A warming spiced drink that fills your home with the smells of Christmas is just what you need to kick off December. Pop on some carols, get your Christmas cards and pen out and welcome winter Scandi style

Makes 2 litres

2 oranges
350ml water
12 cloves
3 broken cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
10 bruised cardamom pods
A grating of fresh nutmeg (optional)
6 x ½cm-thick slices of fresh ginger
250g demerara sugar
4 tbsp dried cranberries (traditionally raisins)
2 x 750ml bottles of red wine
250ml brandy
4 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted

1 Squeeze the juice from one of the oranges into a large pot, then add the water, spices, ginger, sugar and cranberries. Gently simmer for 45 mins, then bring to the boil and let it bubble away for 2–3 mins, adding more water, if needed.
2 Thinly slice the remaining orange. Add it to the pot, along with the wine, brandy and toasted flaked almonds. Simmer for a further 15–20 mins, or until it’s fully warmed through. Serve while warm, ladled into heatproof glasses.

Recipe and styling by Rachel de Thample. Find this and more festive tipples, recipes and fun in our bumper December Miscellany, starting on page 65.

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Recipe | Blackcurrant and Bay Creme Brulee

A fruity, custardy festive pudding sure to satisfy any cravings for a sweet treat

Who said you had to wait until Christmas to bring out the festive puds? An afternoon making something sweet and sticky to brighten a dark winter evening is always time well spent. This fruity, festive twist on a creamy pud is just one of the recipes in our Night Before Christmas feature in our December issue by Erin Baker. But we think you can make it as early as you like. And perhaps have a practice run or two beforehand just to be absolutely sure you’ve got it right…

Serves 4

4 large egg yolks
4 tbsp caster sugar
400ml double cream
100g blackcurrants
6 fresh bay leaves, separated
40-60g golden granulated sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 150C/Fan 130C/ Gas 2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until the mixture begins to lighten in colour.
2 In a small saucepan, heat the cream with 2 of the bay leaves until almost boiling. Remove the bay leaves. Add a little of the cream to the yolk mixture and whisk well, repeat adding a little bit each time, whisking throughout, until all the cream is incorporated.
3 Divide the blackcurrants evenly across 4 ramekins, then pour in the hot custard and stand a bay leaf in each (leave it propped against the side, it'll be easier to pull out later).
4 Move the ramekins to an ovenproof dish deep enough to accommodate hot water two thirds of the way up the side of each ramekin. Bake until barely wobbling in the centre, this should take around 30-45 mins.
5 When they’re almost completely set (you can tell if there's only a slight ripple in the middle when they're jiggled), gently tease out the bay leaves. Leave to cool to room temperature, then chill.
6Sprinkle the granulated sugar generously, but evenly, over each custard. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon then caramelise using either a cook's blowtorch or under a hot grill. If using a blowtorch, work the tip of the blue flame lightly over the sugar. If using the grill, allow it plenty of time to heat up first: they need to be caramelised quickly to allow the top to set without melting the underneath. Leave to cool at room temperature for 10 mins before serving, garnished with blackcurrants.

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Make | Edible baubles

Iced gingerbread baubles look beautiful, smell fantastic and taste pretty good, too

Makes 20

175g dark muscovado sugar
85g golden syrup
100g butter
350g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
Ready-to-use royal icing

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. In a medium saucepan, melt the sugar, syrup and butter. Once melted, let it bubble for 1-2 mins, before removing from the heat. Leave to cool for around 10 mins.
2 Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large bowl. Add the egg along with the cooled sugar and butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chillfor 30 mins. Meanwhile, line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment.
3 Once the dough has chilled, allow it to come back to room temperature before rolling out to approximately 5mm thick on a lightly-floured surface. Cut out as many shapes as you can, then, using the end of a paper straw, make a small hole at the top of each biscuit for hanging. Continue rolling and cutting until all the dough has been used.
4 Carefully transfer the biscuits to the lined baking trays, leaving a little space between each one. Bake for 12 mins, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to firm before transferring to a cooling rack. If the hole that you made has closed up a little, use a skewer whilst the biscuit is still warm to open it up again.
5 When completely cool, decorate with royal icing using a piping bag and a small round nozzle. Once the icing has hardened, thread your choice of ribbon through the hole and hang on the tree.

Find the rest of the edible bauble recipes, including Stained Glass Orange and Cinnamon Biscuits and Butternut Squash and Peanut Butter Dog Biscuit tree decorations, in our December issue, starting on page 25.

And if you’re inspired to bake more gingerbread, you might like to read First Catch Your Gingerbread by food historian Sam Bilton, which is out this month.

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How to | do Christmas leftovers better

Photography: Mowie Kay

If you’re about to embark on a week of turkey curry and risotto, stop. Hold our eggnog. We’ve got this. 

We don’t know about you, but much as we love a Christmas lunch, it’s the leftovers that get us really excited. A classic turkey and stuffing sandwich or two is a must, but there are plenty more ways to deal with The Rest of the Bird, and a hundred things to do with your other Christmas leftovers that don’t just involve bubble and squeak. Here are a few of The Simple Things staff’s favourites:

Turkey tonnato (enough for 4)

A tasty Italian lunch

Whizz 100g of mayo, a tin of tuna, the juice of half a lemon and a tbsp of capers together in a blender and set aside. It should be quite thin so it can be drizzled. You may need to loosen it with a little water. Slice enough turkey breast for 4 and lay on a plate. Drizzle over the tuna mayo sauce. Decorate the top with criss-crossed anchovies with little capers in between. Serve with rocket and crusty bread. 

Red cabbage pickle

Fancy up a cold lunch in a flash.

Toss leftover red cabbage with equal parts red wine vinegar and caster sugar. Add a good slug of salt. Cover tightly and leave in fridge for an hour. Serve on Scandi style open sandwiches with leftover smoked salmon, white meat or cheese. 

Nut roast falafel in pitta

A simple and delicious dinner for Boxing Day

Crumble leftover nut roast, then mix with a couple of tablespoons of hummus and some crumbled feta and season well. You can add chopped chill or other herbs if you wish. The amount of hummus and feta will depend on how much nut roast you have left but the mixture should be not too sticky and able to be formed into balls. Roll teaspoon sized lumps of the mix into balls. Pop on a baking tray and cook at 180 fan for approx 10 mins, until the falafels are golden. Serve with pitta, salad, tzatziki and any extras you like. 

Christmas pud truffles

Because all puddings should bring you joy at least twice

Break up and crumble  any leftover pud. Melt a few squares of dark chocolate in the microwave or on the hob. Stir into the crumbled pud and mix well. Add leftover Christmas booze if you wish. Roll the mixture into little bite-sized balls. Melt a little white chocolate and drizzle over the top to look like brandy cream. Put the truffles in the fridge to set. 

All the above recipes should be served with a glow of satisfaction at having used your leftovers well and not become thoroughly sick of the whole festive season. We were inspired to write this blog by the amazing Brussles Sprouts Christmas Tree pictured above. The recipe is from LEAF: Lettuce, Greens, Herbs, Weeds by Catherine Phipps, with photography by Mowie Kay (Quadrille) and we’ve printed the whole recipe in our December issue. One the shops are open again, pop out and buy it (or click on the link below to have it delivered to your door) you’ll find it on p94. You won’t find a better use for your leftover sprouts. 

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Make | molten chocolate oranges

These oozing chocolate treats can be cooked in the embers of a winter barbecue

Whether you’re having a few friends over for a Yule bonfire and some outdoor snacks, or are going ambitious and cooking your whole Christmas lunch outdoors (see our Gathering feature in the December issue) these chocolate puds will put a smile on rosy-cheeked winter faces. And a Terry’s Chocolate Orange will never be quite the same again.

Serves 6

6 oranges
120g unsalted butter
135g dark chocolate (minimum 75% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
4 tbsp Cointreau (optional)
55g plain flour, sifted
Grated chocolate, to garnish

For the vanilla cream

600ml double cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or the seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod

1 Prepare your oranges by slicing the top off each one, about ¼ of the way down – don’t discard the tops!
2 Gently remove the flesh by running a spoon down the sides and pulling the flesh away from the skin. Be careful not to pull out the ‘pith plug’ at the bottom of the orange, as this will create a hole. You can keep the discarded orange flesh in the fridge and have it for breakfast or sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and serve with ice cream.
3 Next, make the vanilla cream. Pour the double cream into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and vanilla. Using an electric whisk, whip until soft peaks form. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
4 In a bain-marie, melt the butter and chocolate together. Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside.
5 In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture, whilst continuing to whisk on a low speed. Once combined, add the Cointreau (if using) and then fold through the sifted flour.
6 Divide the mixture evenly between the hollowed-out oranges, and replace the orange lids. Carefully double wrap each orange with two layers of foil, watching that the lid doesn’t slip off in the process and that the oranges remain upright at all times. Make sure the oranges are completely sealed in the foil, with no gaps or holes for the chocolate mix to escape through.
7 Place the oranges upright, directly onto hot embers for about 12 mins.
8 Remove from the heat, unwrap and remove the lids. You should have a chocolate sponge with a runny molten middle. Top with the vanilla cream and a grating of chocolate.

These puds were part of our Gathering feature in the December issue with recipes by Bex Long for an outdoor Christmas lunch, including a spectacular hang-roasted bacon-wrapped partridge. Find the rest of the menu in this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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