Festive Feasts THE LITTLE BOOK OF Your helping hand to the perfect feast
Delicious duck, goose and turkey Gressingham Duck tastes delicious whatever time of year but it is even more special as the centrepiece to a festive table laden with Christmas trimmings, not forgetting the potatoes made with duck fat. We have put together these Gressingham festive recipes to make your Christmas meal even more memorable. Seasonal HINTS AND TIPS It is important to cook your duck or goose on a wire rack so that the fat drains away from the bird. Remember to rest your festive bird before carving and serving as this makes the meat more succulent and tender. Season the skin of the bird with plenty of salt to get a crispy skin. You can use the giblets to make a delicious stock for soups or gravy. For more inspiring and simple duck recipe ideas and how-to videos visit: www.gressinghamduck.co.uk & VIDEOS RECIPES T I P S 02 03
SERVES 4 Roast Duck SERVES 4 Roast Goose the whole family Preheat oven to 190 C, Fan 170 C, Gas Mark 5. Remove giblets etc and any spare fat from inside the cavity. Use the spare fat to spread over the legs of the goose. Stuff the neck cavity with your chosen stuffing. Prick the skin and rub salt and pepper over it, then brush with cooking oil or butter. Place the goose on a rack or crumpled foil in the meat tin, breast side up. Do not cover. Cook in the centre of a preheated oven for 30 minutes per kilo plus 30 minutes. That s around 2 hours 45 minutes for a 4.5kg goose or 3 hours 15 minutes for a 5.4kg goose. Allow 20 minutes extra per 500g of stuffing. After the first hour, thoroughly baste the goose with its fat. When the cooking time s up, lift the goose on to a carving dish, cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes before carving. This retains more of the juices for a more succulent meat. Save the fat for roast potatoes or for basting other meats. Goose fat is low in saturates and high in polyunsaturates and mono-unsaturates. It can be stored in the deep freeze and used to make top quality pastry. All cooking appliances vary in performance, these are guidelines only. Pre-heat your oven to 220 C, Fan 200 C, Gas Mark 7. Remove all packaging. Take bag of giblets out of the body cavity (they re useful for stock). Weigh the duck without the giblets. It s important to do this don t just use the weight on the bag, as this includes the weight of the giblets. Place on a rack in the roasting tin, prick the skin all over and rub a teaspoon of salt into the skin. Roast in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes per 500g, plus 20 minutes extra. Rest the duck for 10-20 minutes. This retains more of the juices for a more succulent meat. All cooking appliances vary in performance, these are guidelines only. a delicious alternative NEED A HELPING HAND? Visit www.gressinghamduck.co.uk for our how to videos. 04 www.gressinghamduck.co.uk 05
Roast Turkey SERVES 4 Preheat oven to 190 C, Fan 170 C, Gas Mark 5. How To Carve Your Festive Bird A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE Remove all packaging. Remove giblet bag from neck cavity. Weigh the turkey to calculate cooking time. Place turkey in a roasting tin and season to taste. Cover loosely with foil. STEP ONE Cook in the centre of a preheated oven. Cook turkeys less than 4kg for 20 minutes per kilo plus 70 minutes and cook turkeys more than 4kg for 20 minutes per kilo plus 90 minutes. If stuffing, stuff the neck cavity only and allow 20 minutes extra cooking time per 500g of stuffing. Slice the meat next to the leg bone and fold back until the leg is completely removed Remove foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking. After cooking time, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. This retains more of the juices for a more succulent meat. All cooking appliances vary in performance, these are guidelines only. a classic Christmas STEP TWO Trim the leg meat to make a drumstick STEP THREE Slice along the breast bone STEP FOUR Fold back the breast meat and continue to carve down until the whole breast is removed STEP FIVE Slice the breast meat and remove the wing STEP FOUR Serve the different cuts of meat and enjoy! Save the bird s carcass for making a delicious winter soup 06 www.gressinghamduck.co.uk 07
SERVES 4/6 CHRISTMAS TRIMMINGS Roasted Vegetables WITH THYME AND ROSEMARY SERVES 4/6 CHRISTMAS TRIMMINGS Winter Greens WITH ROASTED ALMONDS 2 large beetroots peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks 2 large carrots peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks 2 large parsnips carrots peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks 2 red onions peeled and cut in half 1 bulb of garlic cut in half width ways A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary 4-6 tbsp olive oil Pre-heat oven 200 C, Fan 180 C, Gas Mark 6. Put the red onion, beetroot, carrot, parsnips, garlic, and herbs into a roasting tray and season them well with salt and pepper and add olive oil. Mix well so that all the vegetables are covered in oil. (Add a little more if necessary). Place into the oven and cook for approx 40-50 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. They are ready when crispy and slightly caramelised. a hearty side dish a tasty 1 of your 5 a day 1 large or 2 small Savoy cabbage 1 tbsp flaked almonds 1 tbsp olive oil Large knob of butter Prepare the cabbage: peel off the leaves discarding any ones that may be spoilt and omitting the core. Place a pan of salted water onto boil. Blanche the cabbage by plunging the leaves into the boiling water and then into a pot of cold water, preferably iced. Drain well, slice thinly and set aside. 5 minutes before you need to serve, melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan. Throw in the almonds and fry briefly to crisp, and then add the greens. Fry off together so the ingredients are mixed well and heated through. Serve. 08 www.gressinghamduck.co.uk 09
Devils On Horseback appetising snacks CHRISTMAS TRIMMINGS 20 MAKES MAKES 12 Seasoned Stuffing Balls WITH MUSHROOM CHRISTMAS TRIMMINGS TIP You can prepare them in advance and place them into the oven when the turkey is resting. 20 pitted prunes 10 rashers streaky bacon 3 tbsp cranberry sauce Balsamic glaze/syrup (optional) 125 ml brandy mixed with 125ml water Make a small slit in each prune and place into a bowl. Pour over the water/brandy mix and soak for at least half an hour. Remove the prunes from the bowl and set aside. Fill each prune with a little cranberry sauce. Cut each bacon rasher in half across its width and wrap a round each prune. Secure each one with a cocktail stick. Place the prunes on a roasting tray lined with baking parchment and place into a pre-heated oven at 200 C, Fan 180 C, Gas Mark 6. Turn them over halfway through cooking. Cook until bacon is crispy approximately 12-15 minutes. Place onto a serving tray and drizzle with balsamic syrup if required. NEED A HELPING HAND? Visit www.gressinghamduck.co.uk for our how to videos. 500g good quality sausage meat 300g mushrooms - finely chopped (a mixture is good, i.e button, oyster, chestnut) 1 onion - finely chopped 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped Small bunch of parsley - finely chopped 1 egg 50g butter 1 tbsp olive oil Generous handful of breadcrumbs Salt and pepper stuffing with a twist Pre-heat the oven to 200 C, Fan 180 C, Gas Mark 6. Put a pan on a low to medium heat and add the oil and butter. Gently fry off the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the mushrooms and fry for a further 5-10 minutes, seasoning well and adding a touch of water if it dries too quickly. Take off the heat and allow to cool. Put the sausage meat, egg and parsley into a bowl and add the cooked onion and mushroom mix. Mix together well and season again. With wet hands, roll the mix into 1½ inch balls. If they are not holding well, throw in the breadcrumbs and combine until the mixture is firm. Lightly oil a baking tray and place the balls onto it. They are ready to go into the oven and take 30 minutes to cook. 10 www.gressinghamduck.co.uk 11
SERVES 4/6 Crispy Roast Potatoes MADE WITH DUCK FAT TIP Use the fat from your roast duck to make delicious crispy roast potatoes. any familiy roast SERVES 4/6 1 whole Gressingham Duck ½ pint cider ¼ pint cider vinegar 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves then crushed A selection of salad leaves 1 pomegranate seeds removed 1 small bunch of red grapes Handful of dried whole cranberries FOR THE RUB: 1 tsp ground cumin 4 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground allspice ½ tsp chilli powder 1 tsp ground black/ white pepper 2 tsp salt 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp whole grain mustard Festive Pulled Duck WITH AN EXOTIC RUB Pre-heat oven to 190 C, Fan 170 C, Gas Mark 5. Mix all the rub ingredients together. Take 2/3 of the rub and rub onto the inside and outside of the duck. Place into a deep roasting tray; pour in the cider and the vinegar. Cover with foil and place into the oven for 1¼ hours. After 1¼ hours reduce the temperature to 150 C, Fan 130 C, Gas Mark 2. Continue to cook for 1 hour. Increase the heat to 200 C, Fan 180 C, Gas Mark 6, remove the foil and cook for 10 minutes to crisp up. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the wreath. Place a large plate on the surface you are serving from. Shape the leaves around the plate and scatter the pomegranates, grapes and cranberries over the leaves. Remove the plate to reveal the wreath. Using two forks, shred or pull the duck and place the pulled meat in the middle of the wreath, where the plate has been. Sprinkle some, or all, of the remaining rub onto the duck. Serve with bread baps and slaw. 1.5 kg large Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into a good eating size 25 g duck fat 3 sprigs rosemary Salt and white pepper Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for further 10 mins. Then drain. Meanwhile decant the duck fat into a large baking tray and place into a preheated oven at 200 C, Fan 180 C, Gas Mark 6 for 10 minutes. Remove the baking tray from the oven and carefully place the potatoes into the fat. Lightly season with salt and white pepper. Add the rosemary and place back into the oven. Cook for 35-45 mins until the potatoes are a crisp golden brown colour. Remove from the oven, carefully drain off the fat (save it for next time) and serve. an inviting buffet 12 www.gressinghamduck.co.uk 13
SERVES 2 Duck Breasts WITH A CITRUS ASIAN CRUST The New Year New Year COMPETITION We have 3 duck hampers and 250 thermometers to give away. We re giving our customers the chance to win one of three duck whampers. The first 250 people to enter the competition will also receive a free thermometer. TO ENTER JUST GO TO: www.gressinghamduck.co.uk/festivefeast Closing date for entries is 14th February 2015 2 Gressingham Duck breasts 80g light brown sugar 5g Szechuan peppercorns, crushed 1g star anise, ground 15g grated orange zest 10g sea salt 1g black pepper Pre-heat the oven to 180 C, Fan 160 C, Gas Mark 4. Score the fat on each duck breast, combine all ingredients and rub over duck breasts ensuring that the mix gets into the scored skin. Place, skin side up, into an oven proof dish and roast for approx. 20 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving. PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES READY IN: 30 MINUTES 14 www.gressinghamduck.co.uk 15
Now that we have given you a helping hand at Christmas why not share your Gressingham creations with us on Facebook or Twitter. facebook.com/gressinghamduck @RemarkableDuck Gressingham Duck youtube.com/gressinghamduck www.pinterest.com/gressinghamduck Drop us a line at: Gressingham, Loomswood Farm, Debach, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 6JW feedback@gressinghamduck.co.uk