A Vegetarian Christmas: Chantelle Nicholson’s French Mushroom Pie, Caramelised Pear Pud And More

Christmas for maine began arsenic a summertime ceremony successful New Zealand, pinch agelong days and lukewarm evenings. Twenty-plus years on, nan wintry cosiness of a UK Christmas has taken hold. Now, my essentials see perfectly crisp roast potatoes pinch plentifulness of gravy, and sprouts (non-negotiable). Even my young niece and nephew emotion them, which is simply a mini triumph I’m softly proud of.

Blue food and chromatic gougères

Let location beryllium light: Chantelle Nicholson’s bluish food and chromatic gougères.

Warm gougerès caller from nan oven are a beautiful tricky point to beat. However, adding bluish food and chromatic steps them up different level. The champion point astir these gougeres, though, is you tin make and frost them successful advance, meaning they’re ne'er much than 25 minutes away.

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min, positive freezing
Makes 24

65g unsalted butter, diced
3g good salt
1 tbsp honey
85g beardown flour
60g bluish cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
1 ovum yolk, beaten
1 tsp honey, to finish

Put nan 165g water, nan butter, brackish and chromatic successful a mean saucepan and bring to a boil connected a precocious heat, making judge nan food has afloat melted. Tip successful nan flour each astatine once, past operation difficult until nan substance forms a soft mixed that pulls distant from nan sides of nan pan. Take disconnected nan power and operation successful 40g of nan crumbled bluish food until evenly combined.

Transfer nan mixed to a vessel and time off it for a infinitesimal aliases 2 to cool slightly. Add half nan beaten eggs, operation until good incorporated, past adhd nan remainder of nan eggs and hit until nan mixed is soft and glossy. Spoon nan mixed into a piping container fitted pinch a large, plain nozzle, past tube retired 2cm mounds connected to a baking expanse lined pinch a silicone mat aliases greaseproof insubstantial (alternatively, tube it straight into mini financier moulds for neat, moreover shapes). Freeze until coagulated (about 2 hours), past transportation nan gougeres to an airtight instrumentality and support successful nan freezer until needed.

To bake, put nan stiff gougeres 2cm isolated connected a lined baking tray, past brushwood nan tops lightly pinch nan beaten ovum yolk. Heat nan oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, past cook nan gougeres for 8 minutes. Turn down nan somesthesia to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and cook for 10 minutes more, until puffed and golden.

Take retired of nan oven, brushwood nan tops pinch nan chromatic and scatter complete nan remaining 20g bluish cheese. Return to nan oven for 5 minutes, until nan food melts and nan tops move shiny.

Roast squash velouté, pickled walnut, Baron Bigod

Smooth operator: Chantelle Nicholson’s roast squash velouté pinch pickled walnuts and Baron Bigod.

A rich | squash crockery is for illustration a hug successful a bowl, and this type suitably dazzles pinch 2 of my favourite wintertime ingredients: pickled walnuts and Baron Bigod. It’s a crockery that besides uses nan full squash (seeds and tegument included), truthful there’s minimal discarded and maximum taste.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 4

1 bulb squash, aliases reddish kuri squash
2 sprigs caller rosemary
1 bay leaf
50g unsalted butter, diced
Salt
1 tbsp rootlike oil
100g pickled walnuts, chopped
100g Baron Bigod

Scrub nan squash well, past peel it; support nan peelings. Cut nan squash successful half and scoop retired nan seeds. Put nan seeds successful a mean saucepan pinch nan rosemary and bay leaf, screen pinch 2 litres of h2o and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes, past strain into a cleanable cookware and discard nan solids.

Heat nan oven to 220C (200 fan)/425F/gas 7. Cut nan squash soma into ample chunks, dispersed them retired connected a baking tray, adhd nan food and a generous pinch of salt, and roast for 20 minutes. Transfer nan roast squash to nan cookware of strained stock, adhd a small much brackish and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend until wholly smooth, past sensation and set nan seasoning.

Turn down nan oven to 190C (170 fan)/375F/gas 5. Toss nan squash peelings pinch nan tablespoonful of lipid and a small salt, dispersed retired connected a baking tray and cook for 12–20 minutes, moving them astir from clip to clip truthful they navigator evenly, until crisp.

To serve, disagreement nan chopped pickled walnuts betwixt 4 warmed bowls. Using a basking knife, portion nan food into 12 neat pieces and spot 3 successful each bowl. Top pinch nan crisp squash skin. Serve nan basking velouté successful a jug aliases jugs astatine nan table, truthful guests tin move it astir nan garnish.

Mushroom and celeriac pithivier

The worldly of dreams: Chantelle Nicholson’s mushroom and celeriac pithivier.

A showstopper is required for Christmas day, and what amended measurement to do that than pinch a delicious pastry (of sorts)? While there’s a spot of mentation involved, spot me, this is good worthy nan effort.

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 30 min
Chill 1 hr
Serves 4 with capable for leftovers

500g artifact puff pastry
Flour, for dusting
1 ample celeriac
20g miso (red aliases white)
20g bunch thyme
10 tbsp rootlike oil
Salt and achromatic pepper
1kg chestnut mushrooms, quartered
4 ail cloves, peeled and bashed
50g unsalted butter
250ml rootlike stock, aliases mushroom stock
150ml double cream
2 tbsp pick sherry
20g bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 egg, separated

Begin by rolling nan pastry truthful it has clip to rest. Divide nan pastry artifact into 2 pieces, 1 weighing astir 200g and nan different astir 300g. Shape each portion into a disc, past rotation retired into 2 circles, nan smaller portion to astir 25cm successful diameter and nan larger 1 to astir 40cm. Dust some lightly pinch flour, screen pinch a beverage towel and refrigerate for 25 minutes.

Heat nan oven to 200C (180 fan)/390F/gas 6. Scrub nan celeriac well, past peel it, reserving nan peelings. Put nan peelings connected a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes, until golden. Tip nan peelings into a mean saucepan, screen pinch a litre of water, adhd nan miso and half nan thyme, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Slice nan peeled celeriac into 5mm rounds. Brush some sides pinch oil, play good and roast connected a tray for 10 minutes. Turn complete nan slices and roast for different 10 minutes.

To navigator nan mushrooms, power 2 tablespoons of rootlike lipid successful a ample saucepan. Once hot, adhd a 4th of nan mushrooms, on pinch nan remaining thyme and each nan garlic, play pinch brackish and navigator until golden. Add a 4th of nan food and proceed cooking until each nan liquid successful nan cookware has evaporated. Leaving nan thyme and ail successful nan pan, transportation nan mushrooms to a tray. Repeat this process 3 much times pinch nan remaining mushrooms, reusing nan thyme and ail each time. After nan 3rd batch, chill nan cooked mushrooms. With nan last batch, erstwhile nan mushrooms are golden, move successful nan banal and simmer for 10 minutes. Lift retired and discard nan thyme, adhd 50ml pick and blend to a chunky puree. Cover and chill.

Strain nan celeriac peel banal and discard nan solids. Pour nan liquid into a cleanable pan, bring to a simmer and adhd nan sherry. Reduce mildly for 5 minutes, past adhd nan remaining cream. Boil quickly for 10 minutes, to thicken slightly, past sensation and set nan seasoning.

To combine nan pithivier, laic nan smaller pastry circle connected a portion of baking paper. Using a mini knife, lightly people a 15mm separator each astir nan edge. Arrange half nan roast celeriac slices wrong nan border, past apical pinch half nan mushroom puree. Stir nan chopped parsley into nan chilled mushrooms, past spoon half nan mushrooms connected top. Repeat nan layers pinch nan remaining celeriac, mushroom puree and chilled mushrooms.

Lightly hit nan ovum achromatic and brushwood it each astir nan scored border. Drape nan larger pastry circle complete nan apical of nan filling, then, utilizing nan sides of your hands, property firmly astir nan edges to seal, keeping nan dome arsenic gangly arsenic possible. Chill for 15 minutes, past trim neatly into a cleanable circle (use a tart ringing aliases barroom tin arsenic a guide). The pithivier tin now remainder overnight successful nan fridge aliases beryllium baked consecutive away.

When you’re fresh to bake, power nan oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Brush nan apical and sides pinch nan beaten ovum yolk, chill for 10 minutes, past repetition nan glazing and chill again. Mark a mini dot successful nan centre of nan pastry pinch nan extremity of a knife. Starting from nan guidelines of nan dome, lightly people curved lines sweeping up towards nan centre dot, moving each nan measurement astir to create a sunburst pattern. Bake for 10 minutes, past move down nan power to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and cook for 10 minutes more, until heavy golden. Serve pinch nan lukewarm celeriac sauce.

Roast miso brussels sprouts

Sprouts, but not arsenic you cognize them: Chantelle Nicholson’s roast miso brussels sprouts.

I’m firmly squad sprout – and squad miso – truthful this combines nan champion of some worlds. Just guarantee you get capable power connected nan wee morsels to induce that nutty flavour.

Prep 5 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4 arsenic a side

50g rootlike oil
Salt
300g brussels sprouts
20g miso paste (red aliases white)

Pour nan lipid into a heavy roasting dish, adhd a bully pinch of salt, put nan crockery successful nan oven and move it connected to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7.

Halve nan sprouts or, if they’re larger than a 50p piece, 4th them. Once nan oven is up to temperature, cautiously extremity nan sprouts into nan basking lipid – they will spit, truthful beryllium cautious – past roast for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, operation nan miso pinch 4 tablespoons of h2o until smooth. Take nan tray retired of nan oven and cautiously operation nan miso substance done nan sprouts. Turn down nan oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, past roast nan sprouts for six minutes more. Serve hot.

Caramelised pear and rosemary pudding

Alchemy: Chantelle Nicholson’s caramelised pear and rosemary pudding.

There’s an alchemy pinch pears, caramel and rosemary, and this pudding conscionable affirms it. The floral notes successful nan pear and rosemary lucifer truthful perfectly, resulting successful a awesome measurement to wrap up your festive feast.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4–6

3 pears – comice aliases conference
275g unsalted butter, softened
150g soft acheronian brownish sugar
2 sprigs caller rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
105g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
A pinch of salt
200g self-raising flour, sieved
2 tsp rootlike oil
Custard, pick and/or ice-cream, to serve

Heat nan oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Peel, 4th and halfway nan pears, keeping nan peelings. Press 75g of nan food successful an moreover furniture complete nan guidelines of a 22cm-25cm ovenproof cast-iron cookware aliases heavy pudding dish. Sprinkle complete 75g of nan soft brownish sugar, past laic nan 12 pear quarters trim broadside down successful a spiral connected apical (you whitethorn request to trim nan tops to make them beryllium neatly). Scatter complete nan chopped rosemary, past cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pick nan remaining food pinch nan remaining soft brownish sweetener and 100g of nan caster sweetener until heavy and fluffy. Beat successful nan eggs, past adhd nan brackish and mildly fold successful nan sieved self-raising flour.

Spread retired nan pear peelings connected a baking tray. Add 1 and a half teaspoons of nan lipid and nan remaining 5g caster sugar, and flip pinch your hands to coat.

Remove nan pudding crockery from nan oven and move down nan power to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Bake nan sugared peelings for 20-30 minutes, moving them astir occasionally, until crisp.

Brush nan sides of nan pudding crockery pinch a small of nan remaining rootlike oil. Spoon nan barroom batter connected apical of nan caramelised pears and soft nan surface. Bake for astir 20 minutes, aliases until a skewer inserted into nan centre comes retired clean.

To serve, while nan pudding is still warm, mildly shingle nan crockery to loosen it from nan sides. Invert a ample sheet connected top, past flip nan full point complete and assistance disconnected nan pudding crockery truthful nan pears are now connected top. Spoon immoderate caramel near successful nan crockery each complete nan pudding, scatter pinch nan crisp pear skins, past service pinch lashings of custard, pick and/or ice-cream.

• Chantelle Nicholson is chef/patron of Apricity, London W1