''This is the food that makes me and my family about as happy as can be.''
He says the book is the culmination of 17 years' work fine-tuning recipes and he hopes it will become part of people's festive routine ''holding your hand'' through the festive season.
''Timing, organisation and lists, while perhaps a little boring, are really important. There is no such thing as luck when it comes to a really well done Christmas meal.''
With sections on the main event - meat, vegetarian mains and vegetable sides as well as edible gifts and festive puddings - there is plenty for everyone.
''It's got all my old favourites over the years, plus loads of new ideas.''
As Oliver is British the book has a winter Christmas feel, but there is plenty that translates for a Kiwi summer Christmas.
Here he has provided another way to eat Christmas leftovers, from the cheese to the turkey.
It is also important to note this book doesn't follow Oliver's more recent healthy eating philosophy with the calorie count quite high on many recipes. So check his handy nutrition boxes if you are watching your weight.
Photos by David Loftus.
Baked camembert tear 'n share spongy rosemary rolls
These are loads of fun to make, look pretty, taste great and normally everyone's got a camembert or similar-style cheese hanging around at Christmas, so this is a fantastic way to enjoy it. Gooey, creamy, tempting and packed with flavour.
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus proving
Serves 15
Ingredients
400g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
400g strong wholemeal bread flour
7g sachet of dried yeast
unsalted butter
80g stale breadcrumbs
3 250g round camembert cheeses
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 small cloves of garlic
12 fresh red chillies
olive oil
Method
Put the flours, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sea salt into a large bowl.
Make a well in the middle and gradually pour in 550ml of tepid water, stirring and bringing in the flour from the outside to form a rough dough.
Knead on a clean flour-dusted surface for 10 minutes, or until smooth and springy.
Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean damp tea towel and prove in a warm place for 2 hours.
Grease a large nice-shaped ovenproof tray with butter, then evenly scatter over the breadcrumbs. Leaving a 1cm rim around the edge, cut the rind off the top of each Camembert.
Pick the tip off each rosemary sprig and poke into the soft cheeses, then peel the garlic, finely slice with the chillies, and poke those in, too.
Sprinkle each cheese with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then place one cheese in the centre of the tray. Divide the dough into three pieces, then each of those into 10, giving you 30 in total.
One by one, roll each piece into a ball and place on the tray, building out from the Camembert in a circular motion, as in the picture. Leave to prove for another hour, again covered with a damp tea towel.
Preheat the oven to 180degC. Strip the rest of the rosemary leaves into a little pile, toss with a little oil, and scatter over the dough.
Sprinkle with a good pinch of sea salt from a height, then bomb over tiny bits of butter, which will melt into the bread as it cooks.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the Camembert is gooey and the bread is risen and cooked through. Bang the tray in the middle of the table, and dive in elbows at the ready.
This one's hard to resist. And what's great is that you know you've got two cheeses in reserve, ready to bake.
As soon as you serve the first Camembert, bake the second one in its box on a tray for about 20 minutes, then decant on to the bread tray, repeating again with the remaining cheese, as and when needed. Guaranteed happy customers, all round.
Turkey risotto sweet leeks, parmesan, prosecco, crispy turkey skin & gravy
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to one of the very nicest risottos on planet earth - it's oozy, delicate and super-comforting, with wafer-thin crispy turkey skin, and a well in the middle for your steaming leftover gravy. Amen.
Time: 35 minutes
Serves 4 or 8 as a starter
Ingredients
leftover cooked higher-welfare turkey skin
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 onion
1 leek
2 sticks of celery
olive oil
1.4 litres organic chicken or veg stock
300g Arborio risotto rice
125ml prosecco
300g leftover cooked white higher-welfare turkey meat
100ml leftover higher-welfare turkey gravy
50g Parmesan cheese
25g unsalted butter
1 Tbsp mascarpone cheese
new season extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Method
I like to place any leftover turkey skin from the bottom of the carcass into a cold casserole pan, then put it on a medium heat so the fat naturally renders out and it becomes super-crisp, like crackling, turning halfway.
When it's golden, strip in the thyme leaves to crisp up for just 10 seconds, then scoop the crispy skin and thyme on to a plate, keeping the pan of flavoursome fat to one side.
Peel the onion, wash the leek and trim with the celery, then finely chop it all. Return the pan of fat to a medium heat, then add the veg and fry for 10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally, and adding a splash of oil, if needed.
Pour the stock into a separate pan and bring to a simmer on a low heat. Stir the rice into the veg for a couple of minutes, then pour in the prosecco.
Let it cook away, then start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, letting each one cook away before adding more. Keep a close eye on it and stir constantly for 17 minutes, or until the rice is cooked but still retains its shape.
Meanwhile, finely chop the turkey meat, stirring it into the pan halfway through the 17 minutes. Reheat your gravy, then sieve it into a warmed jug ready to pour at the table.
When the risotto is done, add enough extra stock to make it oozy, then remove from the heat. Finely grate over most of the parmesan and beat it in with the butter and mascarpone, then taste and season to perfection.
Put the lid on and take to the table. Divide between your hot plates, make a well in the middle of each portion and flamboyantly pour in the hot gravy, then crack and crumble the crispy skin and thyme over the top.
Finish with a tiny extra grating of parmesan, and a thimble of new season extra virgin olive oil, if you've got it.
Jamie’s last-minute tips
- With only a few days to go, get into that pre-Christmas homework
- Plan your meals not only for the big day, but for Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year and the days in between
- Stock up on the basics i.e. breakfast supplies, rubbish bags, tinfoil, containers for leftovers
- Look out for seasonal offers on cupboard staples, dry goods and booze
- Use your freezer: freeze batches of pies or sausage rolls, biscotti or curry sauce
- Make sure you have the equipment you need, i.e. a tray big enough for the turkey
- Work out what you can make ahead of time
- Remember to take the turkey out of the fridge in time to come up to room temperature before cooking
- Delegate jobs, such as setting the table or washing up or doing some prep work
- Love your leftovers. Turn them into salads, pies, curries or stews
