#FestiveEdition Traditional Christmas Recipes

In this last part of our series, we reached out to Rudy's Bar and Grill, Goa, and JW Marriott, Bengaluru. And it's safe to say we've got the best of the best.

Pumpkin and Thyme Soup
by Chef Archit, Head Chef at Rudy's Bar and Grill, Goa

150gm yellow pumpkin  

10 gm onion 

10 gm garlic 

15 gm coriander seeds

2 gm star anise 

1/2 inch cinnamon stick 

15 gm thyme 

500 ml orange juice 

2-3ml oil 

5 ml white wine(optional)

Method

In a pan heat the oil. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick and coriander seeds, sauté for a minute. Add the thyme and continue to stir. Add the chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Add the chopped onion and saute till translucent. Add the sweet pumpkin and make sure you dice the pumpkin into medium size pieces. Add salt. Once the pumpkin is slightly saut&eacuteed add the orange juice. Let it come to a boil and then reduce the flame to a simmer, and cook the pumpkin till it is completely soft. Takes about 15-20 mins for the pumpkin to get soft. Take out the star anise, cinnamon stick and thyme leaves once the pumpkin has cooked fully. Blend mixture into smooth pur&eacutee. While assembling, heat the puree with a ladle of vegetable stock and 5ml white wine and bring to a slow boil, check the seasoning and turn the gas off.

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Plate it in a soup bowl. Garnish with few drops of extra virgin olive oil and few sprigs of microgreens such as peashoot, and voila

Ginger Soy Chicken with Mash Potato 
by Chef Archit, Head Chef at Rudy's Bar and Grill, Goa

Ingredients 

Chicken thigh boneless 120-150 gm

Bird eye chili 5 gm

Ginger 10gm

Dark soya sauce (preferably the brand Kikkoman) 10ml 

Refined oil 15ml 

For the mash 

Potato  2 large 

Parmesan cheese 10gm

Cream 10ml

Butter 15 gm 

Salt to taste

Crushed black pepper 2 gm

Procedure 

Finely chop the ginger and the bird eye chili and add to a mixing bowl. Add the soya sauce to this bowl, and then the chicken and mix well. Marinate it for atleast 1 hour. Take a fry pan and add the refined oil, make sure it reaches smoking temperature and then place the marinated chicken. Sear the chicken on both sides for 3 mins, and then put it in the oven for another 2 mins.

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For the mash 

Peel potatoes and cut it into cubes. Cook the potatoes in salted water till they become soft. Drain the water and then pass the potatoes through a strainer, or using a masher, mash the potatoes. To finish the mash, in a sauce pan add the potatoes, butter, cream and mix well on medium flame uptil you get a smooth mixture. Add parmesan cheese and mix well. Finish with a touch of crushed black pepper. 

Plating 

Spoon the mash according to your preference, and place the cooked chicken and garnish with microgreens

Christmas Turkey
by&nbspChef Vishal Thakva's, Chef De Cuisine, Alba, JW Marriott, Bengaluru

Ingredients

Turkey whole 3kg

Maris piper potato 1kg

Haricot beans 500gm

Carrot 500gm

Brussels sprouts 500gm

Bread sauce

Cranberry sauce

Turkey gravy

Braised red cabbage

Method
Blanch, roast vegetables in oven for 10 minutes at 180 degree celsius. Removing the Leg bone and breast bone from a whole turkey makes it cook faster. Insert the knife between the breasts from top and go along the carcass of the breast. Snap the shoulder joint from the turkey. Take the breast, put it in sous vide bag with herbs, seasoning, butter and cook it in water bath for 1 hour at 65 degree celsius. Before service take it out from the bag and sear it from skin side only. Insert your knife horizontally along the top side of the thigh. Slowly separate the meat from the bone. Once the thigh is deboned, start stuffing with turkey mince, dried fruit, seasoning, give round shape to the leg with the help of food plastic wrap and put it in sous vide bag along with butter. Cook it in water bath for 1 hour at 65 degree celsius. Before service take it out from the bag and sear the roll from the skin side only.

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Bread Sauce

600ml milk
50g butter
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves
6 peppercorns
2 garlic cloves

Method

Simmer the milk, butter, onion, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and herbs in a pan for 20 mins. Strain and return the liquid to the pan. Add the bread crumb, simmer for 3-4 mins and stir in cream. Add nutmeg, season and serve.

Cranberry Sauce

200 gm sugar
250 ml orange juice
800 gm frozen cranberries
Optional orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg

Method 

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Turkey Gravy

Turkey drippings from the roasting pan
All-purpose flour
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Unsalted butter

Method
When turkey and bone roasting is done, pour all the drippings in a pan and keep it aside. Start making roux in a sauce pan by adding flour and butter. Cook until the flour turns brown slightly. When the roux is ready, add all the dripping to the sauce pan and stir constantly. Once the gravy gets thicken pass it through sieve and finish with butter.

Braised Cabbage
1kg cabbage
25gm butter
1 orange juice and zest
150ml red wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
50gm brown sugar
150ml port wine

Method
Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage, then cut into quarters and slice out the core. Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the cabbage. Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shredded cabbage, then pour over the port, red wine vinegar, orange juice. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 45 mins-1 hr, until the cabbage is softened. Add the orange zest to the pan along with the cinnamon stick, then cook for 1 min more. 

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