Making your own snacks sounds like a bit of a faff, but your guests will appreciate your efforts
I have never really thought of myself as the sort of cook who makes his own bits and pieces to serve with drinks. Too much fiddle and faff if you ask me. But then when I do, I realise I should have done so all along. Not just because what I’ve made often tastes better than anything I can buy, but because the effort is much more appreciated. Thoughtful drinks and homemade bits like the gin lemonade and bacon popcorn below aren’t a great deal of trouble and say Merry Christmas far more effectively than arranging something you’ve just picked up from the shops on a plate.
With these drinks may I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas. See you in a couple of weeks.
Gin lemonade
Bright as the star in the east, a fresh, citrus-scented gin cocktail.
Makes enough for 4-6 small glasses unwaxed lemons 2 caster sugar 5 tbsp still mineral water 500ml juniper berries 8 ice cubes gin (50ml to 250ml of lemonade)
Cut the lemons into large pieces, pips and all peel, and place in a blender jug then add the sugar and water. Process to a thick creamy-yellow liquor, then tip into a jug. Crack the juniper berries lightly using a heavy weight or pestle and mortar. Add to the lemon syrup then refrigerate.
Put ice into the glasses. Pour over the gin and top up with lemonade, and garnish with a slice of lemon.
Fennel seed and pancetta popcorn
Bacon fat works brilliantly with the fennel, lending a scent of porcetta.
For 8-10 bacon or pancetta 150g, sliced thinly butter 125g fennel seeds 2 tbsp popping corn 125g
Lay the bacon or pancetta on a baking sheet and cook under a hot grill until crisp. Turn and cook the other side. You are after truly crisp flesh. Lift the rashers from the tray and place on kitchen paper. Reserve the fat in the tray, tipping it into a deep saucepan.
Melt 95g of the butter in a small pan. While it melts, bash the fennel seed using a pestle and mortar, to release its fragrance, not to crush to a powder, then add to the butter and stir, letting it warm gently. Turn off the heat.
Melt the remaining butter in the bacon fat over a moderate heat, then add the popping corn. Cover tightly with a lid, shaking the pan occasionally, until the kernels have popped. This will take anything between 3 and 5 minutes, depending on the heat and thickness of your pan.
Crumble the bacon or pancetta into tiny pieces, add to the fennel-seed butter with a little sea salt then fold into the popcorn and serve.
Pomegranate and prosecco
Savoury and sweet: pomegranate and prosecco, with green olive pastries. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer
Deep ruby red, nicely balanced between sweet and sour, this is a perfect drink for Christmas morning.
Serves about 6 clementines 2 cardamom pods 6 pomegranate juice 350ml to taste prosecco 1 bottle ice
Peel the clementines, and break into segments. Remove the skin and pith with your fingers, then lay the segments on a tray and place in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Crack the cardamom pods open with a heavy weight, such as a mortar, but don’t grind them to a powder.
Divide the pomegranate juice between glasses, add two segments of frozen clementines to each glass, then a cardamom pod. Top up with prosecco and serve with ice.
Green olive pastries
About the size of Danish pastries, these are best warm from the oven.
Makes about 12 green olives 200g (stoned weight 150g) garlic 2 cloves basil 10g parsley leaves 5g olive oil 120ml parmesan 60g, grated puff pastry 500g, ready made egg a little beaten to glaze
If the olives have stones, remove them. Then put the olive flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Peel the garlic and add the cloves to the olives. Put the basil, leaves and stalks and the parsley leaves into the bowl of the food processor, then process, pouring in the olive oil as you go until you have a loose green paste. Stir in most of the grated parmesan, leaving a little to scatter over the finished pastries.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.
On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle of about 44 x 30cm. Spread the olive paste over the surface of the pastry leaving a 2cm rim of bare pastry on all sides. Brush the rim with egg wash.
With the narrow edge towards you, roll the pastry up into a long thick sausage, pressing the edges tightly together to seal. Wrap the roll lightly in kitchen paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. It will firm up a little, making it easier to slice.
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Cut the roll into finger- thick slices, placing them flat on the parchment. You will have about 12. Scatter a little of the remaining parmesan over the surface of each and bake for 12-15 minutes or until crisp, golden and puffed.
Using a palette knife, remove the cooked pastries from the baking tray and serve warm.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
Soju, the world’s bestselling alcohol, is a rice-based Korean hooch that packs a fair punch. That said, it is almost Christmas, so you could use St Germain instead of the cordial to make this even boozier. Serves one.
20ml soju 20ml elderflower cordial 10ml Cointreau 10ml lime juice 20ml orange juice 10ml egg white Angostura bitters, to finish
Shake the soju, cordial, Cointreau, citrus and egg in a shaker, add ice and shake again. Strain into a coupe glass, add a drop of bitters and serve.
Does ‘Christmas pudding’ have to come in only one form? This year, take traditional flavours – dried fruit, booze, spices – and shape them into seasonal sweet goods with a difference
Sweet aromatics infuse the winter months: ginger, nutmeg, clove, clementine, spiced rum and brandy. Their exotic, warming flavours wrap around you like a warm blanket. My California blood almost curdled when I was first faced with Christmas pudding, but now I crave the concentrated sweetness of sun-dried fruits in midwinter. We all know a recipe for the classic, but why not switch things up now and again? This week, I’ve created five show-stopping alternatives to Christmas pudding.
Spiced cheesecake with cranberry compote
At this time of year, I can’t get enough of cranberries. A traditional New York-style cheesecake is only made better with this tart, pungent compote.
Claire Ptak’s spiced cheesecake with cranberry compote. Photograph: Kristin Perers for the Guardian
Makes 1 cake For the cheesecake 175g ginger biscuits 75g butter, melted 600g cream cheese 180g caster sugar ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp cinnamon A grating of black pepper A grating of nutmeg ¼ tsp mixed spice A pinch of ground allspice 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 eggs, plus 1 extra yolk 200g creme fraiche
For the cranberry compote 340g cranberries 300g caster sugar Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Grease a 20cm springform tin.
2 Grind the biscuits in a food processor until fine. Stir in the melted butter, then press into the bottom of the tin.
3 Beat the cream cheese with the sugar, salt, pepper, spices and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the eggs and extra yolk. Fold in the creme fraiche.
4 Wrap the bottom of the cake tin with tin foil, then scrape in the batter. Put it in a roasting pan large enough for it to sit in comfortably. Pour in water to 3/4 up the side of the cake tin and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. It should have a slight wobble but be set around the edges. Allow to cool completely, then chill in the tin for at least 2 hours.
5 For the compote, add all the ingredients to a heavy-based saucepan. Cook for around 15 minutes, or until jammy. Allow to cool.
6 Serve the cheesecake with a dollop of the cranberry compote, or spread it all over the top.
Banana, chocolate and spiced rum pavlova
Custard and cream are flavoured with ample nutmeg and booze, topped with perfectly ripe bananas drizzled with lashings of dark chocolate ganache.
Claire Ptak’s banana, chocolate and spiced rum pavlova. Photograph: Kristin Perers for the Guardian
Serves 6-8 For the meringue 4 egg whites ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract 270g caster sugar 2 tbsp cornflour ½ a nutmeg, grated, plus extra to finish
For the custard 50g cornflour 4 egg yolks 600ml whole milk 100g caster sugar ½ tsp salt 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the cream 400mldouble cream 2 tbsp rum A grating of nutmeg 1 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp caster sugar
For the ganache 200g 70% dark chocolate 200ml double cream
To finish 3 ripe (but not over-ripe) bananas
1 Preheat the oven to 110C/230F/gas mark ¼. Line a tray with baking paper. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, vinegar and vanilla on a high speed until soft peaks form.
2 Whisk the sugar, cornflour and nutmeg together by hand, then add half to the frothy egg whites. Whisk until very stiff, then add the remaining sugar mixture. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
3 Pipe the meringue into a 23cm circle or oval, making a slight depression in the centre. Bake for about 2 hours. Remove from the oven. Transfer the meringue on to a cooling rack right away to cool completely.
4 To make the custard, have ready an iced water bath, with a bowl set inside it. In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour into the yolks.
5 In a heavy-based pan, heat the milk, sugar, salt and vanilla until it starts to foam. Pour a little over the yolks to temper, whisk, then return to the pan. Cook until the custard has thickened and coats the back of the spoon. The custard should be the thickness of a creme patisserie.
6 Transfer the custard to the bowl set in the iced water bath to stop it cooking any further. Cover the surface of the custard with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming. Chill.
7 For the cream, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk until it has just thickened into loose peaks, as it will continue to thicken after you stop whisking. Set aside.
8 To make the ganache, chop the chocolate finely and put in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it is just bubbling, watching it closely to ensure it doesn’t bubble over. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and leave to sit for five minutes. Stir to combine and until the ganache is shiny.
9 To assemble the pavlova, transfer the meringue to a serving dish. Top with the custard, then the cream, and finally the sliced bananas. Drizzle with the ganache, and finish with a grating of nutmeg.
Figgy mulled wine honey cake (main picture)
Dried figs are plumped with the remains of yesterday’s red wine and steeped in spices, then drenched in honey. The texture and stickiness of this one makes it my favourite.
Makes 1 cake 400g dried figs 165g unsalted butter 75g brandy 300mlred wine Zest of 1 orange, and 25mlfreshly squeezed orange juice 250g honey, plus extra for drizzling 1 egg 1½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves 200g wholemeal wheat or wholemeal spelt flour 1½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and line a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.
2 Trim the rough stems off the figs, then chop into 1cm pieces. Cut the butter into small pieces and allow it to soften to room temperature.
3 Put the brandy, wine and dried figs in a heavy-based saucepan and simmer over a medium-low heat to plump the figs. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and cool for 20 minutes.
4 Add the orange zest and juice, then stir in the butter and honey. Leave for 15 minutes, then whisk in the egg.
5 In a separate bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, cloves, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Slowly whisk into the wet ingredients. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, and bake for 45 minutes.
6 Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a plate. To serve, drizzle with a little extra honey and serve warm with yoghurt.
Orange almond syrup cake
Claudia Roden’s orange cake is famous for its use of an orange boiled whole. I’ve spiced it up here with cinnamon, added whole, unpeeled almonds that you grind yourself, and drizzled it with a Cointreau-laced syrup.
Claire Ptak’s orange almond syrup cake. Photograph: Kristin Perers for the Guardian
Makes 1 cake For the cake 2 large oranges 250g whole almonds (skins on) 6 eggs 200g caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder
For the custard 2 bay leaves 300mldouble cream 3 egg yolks 2 tbsp caster sugar
For the syrup Juice and zest of 1 orange 100g caster sugar 100mlwater Juice of 1 lemon 4 tbsp Cointreau or other orange liquor
1 Butter and line a 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
2 Wash the oranges, then simmer them whole (including their peel) in a saucepan of water for two hours. Cool, then cut open and remove any pips.
3 Grind the almonds to a fine powder in a food processor, then set aside.
4 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Cut the oranges into quarters and put in a food processor. Process to a pulp. Add the ground nuts, then the eggs one at a time, then the sugar and baking powder.
5 Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour. Cool in the tin, and then turn out on to a serving plate.
6 For the custard, put the bay leaves and the cream in a heavy-based saucepan. Steep over a medium heat just until the cream comes to the boil. Watch it closely as it can boil over.
7 In a bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar. Temper the yolks with a little of the bay cream, then return to the saucepan and whisk over a low heat for five minutes. Allow to cool.
8 For the syrup, put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Reduce by half. Skewer the cooled cake, then pour half of the syrup over just before serving. Serve the remaining syrup separately for pouring over individual slices of cake with the custard.
Dulce de leche and chocolate pudding
This is made with the moreish caramel that results from reducing cream and sugar or condensed milk into a jam. Chocolate and cinnamon have a long history together in Mexico and here they make this delicious, self-saucing, flan-like dessert more Christmassy. The cake mixture and the flan mixture could both be made in advance and then assembled and baked closer to the serving time. Alternatively, you could bake the dish a few hours before serving and serve at room temperature, but it really should be made on the day.
Claire Ptak’s dulce de leche and chocolate pudding. Photograph: Kristin Perers for the Guardian
Makes 1 cake 200g dulce de leche ¼ tsp Maldon salt
For the cake 150g caster sugar 100g plain flour 40g cocoa powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda ¼ tsp baking powder A pinch of fine sea salt 180g plain yoghurt 4 tbsp mild olive oil 1 egg
For the flan 340g evaporated milk 400g sweetened condensed milk 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla
1 Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 and have ready a roasting tray that is large enough to house a round or oval pudding dish, and is at least 4cm deep. Spread the dulce de leche inside the pudding dish, as if you were buttering it. Sprinkle with the Maldon salt.
2 For the cake, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, olive oil and egg. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and pour into the prepared puddingdish.
3 In a separate bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, condensed milk, eggs and vanilla. Decant into a jug, and slowly and gently pour this over the chocolate cake mixture. You want to try to keep distinct layers at this stage.
4 Set the pudding dish within the larger roasting tray, then carefully fill the tray with water until it is halfway up the sides of the pudding dish. Cover the whole roasting tray with tin foil (shiny side down), and bake for one hour, until the chocolate cake has risen to the top and is set.
5 Remove from the oven and allow the pudding to cool for 10 minutes in the water. Remove from the water and cool for another 10 minutes. Run a small sharp knife around the perimeter of the pudding to separate it from the dish. Invert on to a serving plate and serve.
Claire Ptak is a pastry chef, author and food stylist and owns Violet Bakery in London. She is the author of the Violet Bakery Cookbook (Square Peg); @violetcakeslondon
An inexpensive Persian rice dish for Christmas Eve, and a light salad for the evening after the blowout lunch
The Christmas countdown has started, and to avoid the usual last-minute fluster, I’m trying to plan ahead. Knowing what we’re going to eat next weekend and beyond means I can get some cooking done early. It also limits panic buys: every year, I never think we have enough food in, but there’s always way too much. I’m making this comforting and inexpensive Persian rice for Christmas Eve, most of which can be made ahead; and a light salad for the evening after the big lunch.
Persian rice with grilled squid, orange zest and crisp onions
This is the type of dish you can eat with a spoon while curled up in a heap or when celebrating around a crowded table. Serves four to six.
6 medium-sized squid 100g brown lentils 200g basmati rice, soaked for 1 hour 6 tbsp olive oil 2 small white onions, peeled and finely chopped 80g sultanas, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes 1 tsp turmeric 1 stick cinnamon 1 pinch saffron threads, soaked in 100ml warm water
For the onions 150ml vegetable oil 2 white onions, peeled and finely sliced
For the dressing 1 orange 1 lemon ½ small bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped 1 small bunch dill, finely chopped 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Cut down one side of each squid and open it out. Scrape out any gunk, then wash. Score the inside surface in a criss-cross pattern, but don’t cut all the way through, then refrigerate.
Warm the oil for the onions in a deep pan (or wok) on a medium-low heat, and sweat the onions, stirring often, for 30-40 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Put the lentils and rice in separate small pans, cover both with water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Cook the rice for 10 minutes, drain and leave uncovered to steam dry. Let the lentils cook for 10-15 minutes longer, until just cooked, then drain and steam dry in the same way.
Warm half the olive oil in a casserole and sweat the chopped onions on medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the sultanas, turmeric and cinnamon, cook for five minutes, then stir into the lentils.
For the dressing, grate the orange and lemon zest into a bowl, then add the onion mix and the herbs. Cut off and discard the lemon pith, roughly chop the flesh, stir this into the salad mix, and season to taste. This can all be done ahead of time.
Just before serving, wipe clean the casserole, add the remaining oil and put on a medium heat. Spoon in half the rice in an even layer, then top with half the lentils, and repeat until both are used up. Poke holes all over the top layer of lentils, and pour the saffron water into the indents. Cover the pan with a clean tea towel and a lid, pulling the towel up and over the lid, to keep it away from the heat source, and cook on a medium heat for 25 minutes, until the bottom layer of rice is golden and crisp.
Five minutes before the rice is done, heat a griddle until smoking hot. Rub the squid in a little oil, salt and pepper, then lay it unscored side down on the griddle, pressing it flat with a fish slice. Cook for a minute a side, then cut into big chunks.
Spoon the rice and lentils on to a platter, scraping the bottom to get all those lovely crunchy bits. Scatter over the squid, spoon on the dressing and top with the onions. Serve hot.
Grilled pear and radicchio salad with blue cheese and tarragon dressing
Thomasina Miers’ grilled pear and radicchio salad with blue cheese and tarragon dressing. Photograph: Louise Hagger for the Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay
Grilling gives the pears a lovely smokiness, while the dressing adds a sparkling acidity. Serves four to six.
1 small shallot, peeled and finely sliced 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 4 firm pears, cut lengthways into 2cm slices 50g blue cheese (gorgonzola or stilton) Juice of 1 small lemon 2 tsp creme fraiche 2-3 sprigs tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped 5 tbsp olive oil 300g radicchio, chicory and watercress leaves, washed and dried
For the nuts 75g shelled walnuts, roughly chopped 15g sugar 1 large pinch sweet pimentón 10g butter
Put the shallot and vinegar in a small bowl, stir and leave to macerate while you get on with the everything else.
Heat a griddle until smoking hot (or heat a grill to its highest setting), then grill the pear slices for two to three minutes a side, until lightly charred, but not cooking them so much that the fruit falls apart. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put the nuts, sugar, pimentón and butter in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat and cook, stirring, for five minutes until the butter and sugar have melted and coated the nuts. Tip out on to a plate covered in greaseproof paper, and separate the nuts a little, so they don’t stick together too much as they cool.
For the dressing, mash the cheese and lemon with a fork, until smoothish, stir in the creme fraiche and tarragon, then slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified and thick. Season to taste. Rip the leaves into random shapes and sizes, and arrange on a platter. Sit the pears on top, followed by the shallots. Break up the nuts with your hands, sprinkle all over the top, then spoon on the dressing and serve at once.
And for the rest of the week…
If, like me, you over-order blue cheese at Christmas, don’t worry. Beaten into an equal amount of mascarpone, it makes a glorious filling for mini cheese scones. Or add some to a rarebit mixture made with strong cheddar or Lincolnshire poacher, for the perfect simple and quick supper. Or use it up in a cheese soufflé. Whizz leftover tarragon with parsley to make a fast salsa verde. And sprinkle excess crisp onions on just about anything.
Simple food that’s big on flavour ticks all the boxes for the Christmas holidays
The Christmas holidays are a perfect opportunity to catch up with friends in the best possible way: over a table of good food. Choose dishes that deliver on flavour, look great and are also deceptively simple: today’s stew, for instance, almost cooks itself. The doughnuts, meanwhile, need a little time to prove, but the kneading is easy and the boozy cream a deliciously decadent alternative to jam. So end the year as you mean to go on, and remind yourself of the power of great food and good company.
Slow-cooked shin of beef with pickled walnuts and onion puree
The sweet onion puree is a lovely backdrop to the deep flavours in the stew. Serves six to eight.
1.5kg beef shin (or other stewing beef), cut into 4cm chunks 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned (optional) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped 1 carrot, cut into roughly 1cm dice 2 sticks celery, cut into roughly 1cm dice 350ml stout 350ml beef (or chicken) stock 3 star anise 3 branches rosemary 60ml red-wine vinegar ½ jar pickled walnuts, cut into slices
For the onion puree 150g butter 8 onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced ¼ nutmeg, freshly grated ½ tsp brown sugar 1 small bunch thyme, leaves picked
Heat the oven to 130C/260F/gas mark ½. Toss the beef in the flour, if using; otherwise, season generously.
Heat half the oil in a large casserole on a medium flame, then fry the vegetables until soft, about eight to 10 minutes, seasoning well as they cook, then remove from the pan.
Turn up the heat and, when the pan is smoking hot, add the remaining oil and brown the beef in batches until caramelised all over (if you overcrowd the pan, the meat will sweat rather than fry, so it won’t brown and you’ll miss out on flavour in the finished dish). Once all the meat is browned, return the beef and vegetables to the casserole and add the stout, stock, star anise and rosemary. Bring to simmering point, then cover and cook in the oven for three hours. Add the vinegar and walnuts, season again to taste, and cook for another hour or so, until the beef is tender and falling apart.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide pan, then add the onions, nutmeg, sugar and thyme. Season well, cook on a medium heat for half an hour, stirring from time to time, until softened but not golden, then blitz smooth with a stick blender.
Serve the beef over some of the warm puree, perhaps with braised red cabbage and mash alongside.
Doughnuts with melted chocolate and armagnac and Earl Grey prune cream
Thomasina Miers’ doughnuts with melted chocolate and armagnac and Earl Grey prune cream. Photograph: Louise Hagger for the Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay
The cream in these homemade doughnuts is irresistible. Makes 50 mini doughnuts – allow two to three per person, and freeze whatever dough you don’t need.
7g dried fast-action yeast sachet 50g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting 175ml lukewarm milk 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp fine sea salt 100g unsalted butter, cubed 2 large eggs, beaten 2 litres sunflower oil for deep frying, plus extra for greasing
For the cream 75ml armagnac (or brandy) 30g caster sugar 225g pitted prunes Earl Grey tea (3 bags or 1½ tbsp loose-leaf), steeped in 375ml boiling water 200ml double cream 150g 70% dark chocolate
Mix the yeast in a small bowl with a teaspoon of sugar, then pour on the milk and leave to froth for five minutes. Whisk together the flour, salt and remaining sugar, then rub in the butter with your fingertips.
Make a well in the flour mix, and beat in the eggs and the yeast mixture. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until it feels smooth and springy (or give it five minutes in a mixer with a dough hook). Shape into a ball, put in a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place to rise for an hour, until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, heat the armagnac and sugar in a pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat, add the prunes and strained tea, and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes. Blitz smooth with a hand blender. Beat the cream to floppy, soft peaks, and gently fold into the prune mix.
Turn out the dough on to a work surface and knead for a minute. At this stage, freeze whatever dough you don’t need straight away and save it for next time. Divide the remaining dough into 30g pieces and shape each one into a ball. Lay these out on greased, lined baking sheets, making sure there is plenty of space between the balls to allow for rising, and leave to prove for 45 minutes.
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave; keep warm on a very low flame. Heat the oil in a large pan to 170C. Frying three to five balls at a time, carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry for three minutes a side. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel, then repeat with the remaining dough.
Once all the doughnuts are fried, tip them into a bowl and dust with caster sugar. Arrange on a plate, drizzle over the chocolate sauce and serve with a bowl of the cream, for dunking (or use a piping bag to inject each doughnut with cream).
And for the rest of the week…
The beef improves after cooking, so make it ahead of time, if you can. It makes yummy leftovers, too, particularly on soft polenta or pasta ribbons with plenty of grated parmesan. Pickled walnuts are a fine accompaniment to cold cuts, particularly ham, and cheese plates. Excess prune puree is gorgeous spooned over morning yoghurt or stirred into porridge.
Make a batter by beating together 2 large eggs and 300ml of full fat milk. Beat in a little salt and 125g of plain flour. Don’t worry about any small lumps. Pull the leaves from 5 sprigs of thyme and stir them into the batter then leave it to rest for 20 minutes. Set the oven at 220C/gas mark 8. Evenly brown 350g of cocktail chipolatas in a little oil or bacon fat. When they are done, add 2 tbsp of marmalade and 100g of fresh or frozen cranberries to the pan and toss the sausages in it to coat them evenly. Pour the fat, together with 3 tbsp of groundnut oil or dripping into a 22cm round metal dish or similar baking tin, add the marmalade-coated sausages and place in the oven to get hot. When the oil and sausages are really hot, add the batter and return to the oven immediately. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the batter is golden and puffed around the edges. Serve immediately. Enough for 2.
The trick
Like its sister recipe the Yorkshire pudding, this one needs really hot fat if it is to achieve any sort of lightness. Let the oil and sausages get as hot as you dare, the oil may shimmer, even smoke a little, before you add the batter in one swoosh. If a thin layer of batter firms up immediately on contact with the hot fat, then the pudding should rise well.
The twist
Pieces of pancetta or smoked bacon are good here, as is black pudding, either instead of or in addition to the sausages. If cranberries are unavailable, try small cubes of sharp apple instead.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
