Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes are an absolute classic crowd pleaser, and so versatile. The lusciously rich creamy potato with a boost of garlic is a great accompaniment to both red and white meats. Its easy to make and can be made ahead and reheated if needed. I’m going to show you the correct method for making the gratin, so forget what you may have had in the past and try these out.
Christmas is really a once-a-year dinner party. And this is my guide to having a Successful Christmas Dinner, without all the stress.
This Beautifully light Helston Pudding originates from the village of Helston in Cornwall. And is credited to George Perry-Smith, a pioneer of British cooking in the 60s. It’s easy to make comfort food which makes a light alternative to Christmas Pudding. I have put in a couple of minor changes to make it even more Christmassy, and served it with an orange brandy sauce.
If you are fed up with shop-bought puddings. Or have left it too late to make your own, this is a great substitute. For more great Christmas ideas, look up our:-
Classic Chestnut stuffing.
And our Cranberry and Whisky Mince Pies.
Chop the apricots down to the same size as the sultanas. Pop the apricots, sultanas and currants into a bowl and sprinkle with the Drambuie. Tightly cling film the bowl and leave to stand overnight.
Using the upturned pudding basil cut a circle of greaseproof paper at least 4cm large than the bowl all round. Rub some soft butter all around the inside of the pudding basin and on the paper lid.
Take the stem ginger and cut into very thin strips. Sprinkle the strips around the base of the basin, adding the golden syrup on top.
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl then add the rice flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar, mixed spice, and breadcrumbs, mixing well together. Mix in the soaked fruit, and any remaining juices.
Grate the orange zest into the mix and add the suet and fold in. forming a well in the middle.
Start working milk to the dry mix, using enough to form a soft dropping consistency.
This can be judged by lifting the spatula and letting the mixture drop off. –
When the mix steadily drops off the spatula it abought right.
Should the mix sit hesitating on the spatula its too dry, add a little more milk. If it quickly flows off its too soft, add a little more breadcrumbs.
Once you are happy with the consistency spoon the mix into the prepared basin and tap the basil lightly on the worktop to remove any air pockets.
You may have noticed that the basin has a raised rim around the top. The purpose of this rim is to help us secure the lid to the bowl. If you’re using a plastic basin all you need to do is pop the greaseproof paper on the top, then snap on the lid. I always tightly cling film the whole think before cooking as insurance against the lid coming off.
This is a simple job, but cane be tricky the first time you try it. Read right though this before giving it a go. A spare pair of hands can make things much easier.
Place the buttered greaseproof on top of the bowl butter side down. Now this is the tricky bit. Set the cloth onto the top of the basin and take the string. Tie the cloth on to the basin by wrapping the string around the basin just below the raised rim of the basin. Wrap the string around twice then tie it off. The string needs to be reasonable tight but don’t overdo it or it will simply slide down the tapered sides of the bowl.
You will have the four corners of the cloth lying down on the table. Take hold of two opposing corners and bring them up over the bowl. Pull up against the bowl and knot the two corners together tightly. Doing this will force the string up against the raised rim of the basin tightening everything up. Repeat this with the two remaining corners, leaving you with a perfectly covered pudding with four rabbit ears.
If you have correctly completed this, well done. You should be able to lift the filled basin by the cloth ears with ease.
Steam for 1 ½ to 2 hours. If you don’t have a steamer or need to keep the hob as clear as possible a slow cooker does a great job. In theory it shouldn’t work, but today slow cookers are not that slow! Modern units run too hot be a true slow cooker. Which I think is because of food safety concerns. A bit of a nuisance if you want a nice slow cooked joint. But the upside is they can become a useful double boiler for slower-cooked foods.
When the pudding is almost ready its time to make the sauce (see below). The easiest and best way to keep the sauce hot ready to serve is to pour it into a warmed thermos flask. This works well as long as its not the one you keep your curry in! the best part is that it will allow you to do the washing up before you sit down for your meal.
Its best to have the pudding cooked ready for starting your meal. Its easy to keep the pudding warm ready to serve just turn down the heat to a bear simmer.
When ready to serve, remove the cloth (this can be washed and re-used) and paper lid. Run the point of a knife around the rim of the pudding pushing the sides in as you do so. Take a warm plate where the well of the plate is a little larger than the pudding. Invert the plate onto the basin then turn the pate and pudding over in one rapid movement. If the pudding has not dropped onto the plate give it a little shake to persuade the pudding to leave the bowl. Lift off the bowl and you’re ready to go.
Serve with orange brandy sauce, or clotted cream ice cream, or Both!
Pour the cream into a saucepan and pop onto a low heat. Separate the egg yolks into a bowl, keeping the whites for later meringues. Freeze the white if you’re not going to use then within a week or so. Have the second Pyrex bowl hand with the sieve sitting on top ready to receive the sauce.
Take a small whisk and beat the sugar into the yolks until they have become pale and creamy, (3-4 mins.) If you are using Drambuie reduce the sugar to 3tbps or the sauce will be too sweet
Pour the hot cream onto the yolks whisking as you pour. Return the mix to the pan and return the pan to a medium heat. Abandon the whisk and take a heatproof spatula to stir the pan. Keep the sauce moving all the time, using the flat bottom of the spatula to lift the sauce from the base of the pan.
Keep steadily cooking the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. If you have a probe thermometer aim for a temperature of 82ºc. As soon as you think the sauce is ready pour it into the bowl through the sieve. Don’t hesitate. If the sauce become too hot it will separate like scrambled egg. If its not ready, just return it to the pan and cook it a little more. If you are looking at creamy scrambled egg a quick bash with a hand blender will smooth things out. The sauce will be a bit insipid, hopefully they will all be too drunk to notice………
Yes, you can cook the pudding in a saucepan. Make sure there is plenty of room around the pudding and very importantly on top. Place an old plate upturned in the bottom of the pan and set the pudding on the plate. This prevents the pudding been in direct contact with the hot metal of the pan. Pour boiling water into the pan halfway up the basin. Pop the lid onto the pan and cook on a low simmer. Checking the water level from time to time.
Tip An old kitchen trick is to put a few small pebbles into the pan around the pudding.
As the water simmers the pebbles make a noise in the pan. If the water becomes dangerously low, they stop moving and the noise stops. This gives you an audible warning of the pan boiling dry.
Easy– take some fresh white bread and remove the crusts. Bread the bread down into suitable pieces and pop them into a food processor. Chop for a couple of minutes and he-presto you have breadcrumbs.
TIP Look out for discounted bread in the shops and turn it into breadcrumbs. Fill zip seal plastic bags with the crumbs and freeze them. In that way you always have breadcrumbs for your puddings, bread sauce or stuffing’s.
And don’t forget to check out the essential 12 Tips for a Successful Christmas Dinner
Enjoy Life ! and have a great Christmas.
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
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Learn how to make our own ultimate chestnut stuffing in time for Christmas. Make it now and freeze it ready for the big day.
The festive period looms and it’s time to begin thinking about my Christmas Mince Pies and organising things to make the period as enjoyable and stress free as possible. And it’s particularly time for me to think about this year’s mince pies filled with cranberry and whisky mincemeat.