Happy 2025 everybody, and should the New Yr carry with it the optimistic modifications all of us so yearn for. Personally, I will likely be embracing change in a giant means, as a result of, after seven years, that is my ultimate column for the Guardian’s Feast. From March, I will likely be writing a brand new, long-form quarterly column full of recipes, private experiences and basic observations in regards to the meals world, so keep tuned. The Feast neighborhood is probably the most engaged and grasping I do know, so thanks! And I hope you welcome the New Yr with these occasion nibbles I’ve lined up for this weekend. Right here’s to new beginnings!
Anchovy, pecorino and rosemary straws (pictured high)
For anybody with a drink in hand or in want of a savoury chunk, nothing will hit the spot greater than these. Double or triple the batch, if you happen to like, then freeze the surplus unbaked straws – put them within the freezer on their tray, then, as soon as frozen, retailer in layers separated by greaseproof paper in an acceptable freezer container. They’ll preserve for a month and might be baked straight from frozen, however give them just a little extra time within the oven to account for that.
Prep 30 min
Chill 1 hr
Cook dinner 30 min
Makes 24
1 sheet all-butter puff pastry (320g)
55g pecorino, or parmesan
10g picked rosemary leaves, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, to get 2 tsp
30g anchovy fillets in oil, drained, plus 1 tbsp oil from the jar
1½ tsp aleppo chilli
Black pepper
Put the pastry on a big sheet of greaseproof paper and roll it out just a little to make a 26cm x 40cm rectangle. Utilizing the paper that can assist you, raise the pastry on to a big tray and chill till required.
Grate 20g of the cheese into the small bowl of a meals processor, add the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, anchovies, anchovy oil, aleppo chilli and a beneficiant grind of pepper, then blitz till nearly easy. Unfold out this combination on to half of the pastry alongside one in every of its brief sides, then fold over the pastry to make a 26cm x 20cm envelope. Roll it out once more, this time to make a roughly 30cm x 22cm rectangle.
Brush the highest with water, grate 20g of the remaining cheese on high, then fold in half to make a 15cm x 22cm rectangle. Roll out the pastry as soon as once more, this time right into a 36cm x 22cm rectangle, brush with extra water, then grate on the ultimate 15g of cheese. Generously grind over some extra pepper and, utilizing your arms, press the cheese and pepper down into the pastry.
Lower the pastry into 24 1½cm-wide strips and organize these on two lined baking trays so that they’re 2cm aside. Holding one finish of every strip, twist it into a decent spiral, then push each ends into the paper, so the straw sticks to it. Chill for half-hour, to agency up.
In the meantime, warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. Bake the straws for 22-25 minutes, till the cheese has crisped up and the pastry is golden, then go away to chill on a wire rack earlier than serving.
Chocolate and chestnut meringue kisses
A tray of those because it approaches midnight on 31 December could be an excellent approach to see out the yr. They work each as finger meals, for everybody to assist themselves, or as a centrepiece dessert. The meringues might be made a day forward, however don’t assemble the dish till you’re near serving up, in any other case they’ll soften within the cream. If you happen to like, add a teaspoon or two of your favorite tipple to the cream combine for an additional kick.
Prep 10 min
Cook dinner 2 hr
Serves 10 as a canape or 6-8 as dessert
140g tender light-brown sugar
25g blanched hazelnuts
75g egg whites (ie from 2 giant eggs)
100g ready-cooked entire chestnuts
180ml double cream
150ml creme fraiche
20g 70%-cocoa darkish chocolate, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 mandarin, or easy-peeler, to get 1 tsp
Warmth the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/fuel 6½. Unfold out the sugar on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and put the hazelnuts on a second tray, this time unlined. Bake each for six minutes, till the sugar has caramelised barely and the nuts are nicely toasted, then take away and switch down the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300F/fuel 2. Put a tablespoon of the sugar in a medium bowl and put aside for later.
Put the egg whites in a big bowl (or in a stand mixer) and whisk to stiff peaks. Whisking on a regular basis, slowly add the remaining sizzling sugar a tablespoon at a time, till it’s all included and dissolved, and you’ve got shiny stiff peaks.
Line two giant oven trays with baking paper, and dab just a little of the meringue combination below every nook of each sheets of paper, so that they keep on with the tray. Utilizing a tablespoon, scoop a beneficiant golf ball-sized quantity of meringue out of the bowl and, utilizing a finger that can assist you, push it out on to the paper, lifting up the spoon because the meringue releases to create a slight peak. Repeat with the remainder of the meringue combination, then bake for 90 minutes, till frivolously browned and agency to the contact. Flip off the oven, go away the door barely ajar, and go away to chill fully.
In the meantime, frivolously crush the roast hazelnuts in a mortar, then tip right into a bowl. Put the chestnuts within the mortar and crush to a easy paste. Tip the chestnut paste into the bowl of reserved sugar and add 150ml of the cream. Gently whisk till mixed, then add the creme fraiche and whisk for 2 minutes, till the cream is frivolously whipped. Cowl and chill till required.
As soon as the meringues are cool and you’re able to serve, make the chocolate drizzle. Put the chocolate and a tablespoon of double cream in a microwave-safe bowl and warmth for 20 seconds till the chocolate has melted (alternatively, soften it in a bowl set over a pan of heat or gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t contact the water). Stir to mix, then add the final tablespoon of cream: it’s best to now have a unfastened and spoonable chocolate sauce.
To serve, unfold a 2½cm-thick layer of the cream all around the base of a big serving dish. Organize the meringues on high in a single layer – just a little overlapping is OK – then drizzle the chocolate sauce on high. Sprinkle over the hazelnuts and zest, and serve instantly.
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