It seems the spirit of Christmas is needed this year more than ever, and what better than spending some time with friends and loved ones, chef Bevan Smith writes.
The thing I love about this time of year is that it can be whatever you want it to be: traditional or not, food will inevitably be involved so let the mood take you and just follow your heart.
By the time Christmas Day rolls around at my house you won't find a turkey in my oven.
I tend to opt for simpler, less stressful fare.
Lamb is at its best at the moment and what could be simpler than serving it with couscous, harissa, yoghurt and pomegranate.
If you do yearn for something a little more festive but still low-fuss, it is hard to beat a roast duck.
Add some roast new potatoes, pickled red cabbage, cherries and pinenuts: job done!
As for dessert, my all-time favourite Christmas fare is a summer berry panettone pudding.
I have made it religiously for the past 15 years and it is unbelievably good.
Fabulous for late-night snacking and a perfect standby for breakfast.
Hey, it is the holidays after all!
Have a merry and safe Christmas everyone and best wishes for the new year from the team at Riverstone.
• Bevan and Monique Smith own Riverstone Kitchen, runner-up Best Regional Restaurant in the 2014 Cuisine Good Food Awards.
Roast lamb with couscous, harissa, yoghurt and pomegranate
Serves 4
Ingredients
½ cup currants
¼ cup quality red wine vinegar
1 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
½ cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup Italian parsley, picked, roughly chopped
1 cup mint, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
¼ telegraph cucumber, finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
seeds from ½ a pomegranate
4 lamb fillets
1 cup natural yoghurt
½ cup harissa
Method
Soak the currants in the red wine vinegar, preferably overnight.
Place couscous in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Season with a little salt and pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir couscous until all the boiling water has absorbed into grains. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place to the side for 15 minutes to cool. Remove plastic wrap from couscous and with a whisk gently separate the couscous grains from one another.
Add the currants, herbs, onion, cucumber and tomato, ½ cup olive oil and a little of the red wine vinegar. Stir to combine and season to taste. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Season lamb fillets lightly and colour nicely on all sides before removing from pan and allowing to rest for 5 minutes. Once rested divide the couscous between 4 plates, slice the lamb and place on top. Drizzle yoghurt and harissa over top and sprinkle pomegranate seeds over top to finish. Serve immediately.
Roast duck with sauteed new potatoes, pickled red cabbage, cherries and pinenuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
½ small red cabbage
1 cup soft brown sugar
1 cup quality red wine vinegar
1kg cherries, fresh or frozen, stems removed
1 size 21 duck
salt and pepper
¼ cup olive oil
400g new potatoes, cooked
1 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
Method
Finely slice or shave cabbage and place into a bowl with half the brown sugar and vinegar. Toss to combine and set aside for at least one hour before using. Place the cherries in a non-reactive pot and warm with a splash of water over a medium heat until the cherries soften and the juices start to flow. Remove cherries from pot and allow to cool before removing the stones. Add the remaining sugar and vinegar to the cherry juice and continue to reduce until the liquid becomes a thick syrup. Remove syrup from the heat, stir in the cherries and reserve to one side. Preheat oven to 200degC. Trim excess fat from duck's bum and remove neck, leg and wing bones. Season skin lightly with a little salt and pepper. Place duck in a roasting dish and roast for 1½ hours or until tender.
Remove duck from oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and saute the new potatoes until hot and golden. Place the pickled cabbage in a bowl with the cherries, the cherry syrup, parsley and pinenuts and toss to combine.
Carve the legs and breast from the duck carcass. Divide potatoes between four plates along with two-thirds of the cabbage salad. Place a piece of duck on top and finish with a little of the remaining salad. Serve immediately.
Summer berry panettone pudding
Serves 6
Ingredients
500g panettone
600g fresh mixed berries
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
6 free-range eggs
1L cream
250g caster sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 160degC. Cut panettone in half, then trim off the ends. Cut into slices, 10mm to 15mm thick and lightly grill or toast. (Be careful, as it browns very quickly.) Scatter half the berries on the bottom of a 20cm x 30cm roasting dish (5cm deep). Layer panettone slices evenly on top before scattering with remaining berries.
Place scraped seeds, vanilla bean pod and cream into a heavy-based pot and bring gently to the boil over a medium heat. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until pale and creamy. Once cream has come to the boil, remove from heat and whisk into the eggs and sugar. Remove vanilla pod and pour over the panettone and berries.
Place baking dish in a large roasting tin. Pour 600ml boiling water into the roasting tin and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes or until just set. Serve at room temperature with zabaglione or vanilla bean ice-cream.
