December thoughts – and what's forgotten

We're so focused on the day that just when you thought it was safe … there are the days leading up to and those in-between too.

Here's a dish that will suit either of the above and it uses your favourite friend – the slow cooker.

Make a chilli but not any old chilli - when I think of chilli I think of minced beef. Another confession – I hate minced beef. What makes this chilli special, nay posh, is it uses diced steak and slow cooks it. The only remaining task is to add the red kidney beans and any garnishes. A word of warning – just in case you've forgotten – do not slow cook the kidney beans.

Posh Chilli

Serves 4

500g diced steak

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder (to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Method up next …

December thoughts – the lemon meringue “pie” photo guide

the piping bag – cut to measure

17cms or 6”½ in old money

the piping bag filled with curd -

snip the end when you're ready

the first layer of biscuit

the curd piped on top

the biscuit and curd layers repeated

topped with crushed meringue

the meringue drizzled with the Lemon, Gin & Tonic

sauce

For non alcoholic alternatives sprinkle with plain chocolate drops or crushed flake if you prefer milk chocolate or add if you like chocolate!

Next, an idea for the “lead up to” or “in-between” days.

December thoughts and your emergency dessert kit … the orange meringue “pie”

For the orange version you may want to try the Clementine Curd from M&S. Your recipe is the same as the lemon. If you want to add alcohol then you can try any of the orange liqueurs – Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec to name but three!

If you are a Cointreau fan there's a Cointreau Noir – the original liqueur with Cognac and a Blood Orange version too.

If you're not bothered about Clementine Curd then use orange curd – Waitrose make an excellent product.

If you wanted to extend your emergency dessert kit then serve either version with a side scoop of vanilla ice cream – home-made, straight from your freezer.

You can scale this dessert up or down to suit your family and guests and taking into account the size of glasses you're using.

If you don't own shot or shooter glasses you could rummage around in the depths of your cupboards trying to locate those Martini glasses you know are in there somewhere. They would do nicely.

There's no skill required for these emergency desserts and the other bonus is that the ingredients are in your pantry ready for whenever the festive mood takes you!

December thoughts and your Emergency dessert kit

- what to do next!

You have two alternatives – a lemon and an orange – retro miniature versions of a Lemon Meringue Pie. You can serve these with or without alcohol.

For the lemon version :

begin with 2 crushed Amaretti biscuits – they

weigh 5g each approx so 10g in total

pipe 50g approx of lemon curd on top of the

biscuit

repeat the biscuit and the curd layers -

another 10g of Amaretti biscuits and 50g of curd

crush two mini meringues and place on top of

the layers

drizzle with lemon, gin and tonic sauce

alternatively, decorate with plain chocolate drops

for the grown-ups or bashed milk chocolate flake for the kiddies

If you want to add alcohol then add 1-2 teaspoons of Limoncello to the lemon curd before piping.

For the orange version …

December thoughts … stress free desserts

and your emergency kit!

I mentioned prawn cocktail shots … here's another use for your shot or shooter glass. You can get different sizes and shapes of said glass. In this instance I'm using an example which is 100ml. It measures 11cms high x 7cms (4½”x 2¾”) in diameter and looks like this :

My suggested essential ingredients for your emergency kit are:

A tub of meringue kisses – available in most supermarkets

Sicilian Lemon Curd - M&S

Clementine Curd – M&S £2.50 and part of the

Christmas Food Range

Lemon, Gin & Tonic Sauce – £2.00 M&S

The Sicilian Lemon Curd is the best shop

bought version and I always keep a jar in my pantry – best

of all it's an all year round product

The Clementine Curd is part of the Christmas Food Range

The Lemon, Gin & Tonic Sauce first appeared as a grown-up

topping for pancakes – it went like hot cakes and is back by

popular demand

For the following emergency desserts you'll need another staple I've mentioned many times – Amaretti biscuits. You will also make life easier if you have disposable piping bags too.

Read on for my speedy antidote to trifle which doesn't contain cream or custard!

December thoughts – when you've made your choices

Some hints and tips ...

Before you place your order a thought or two.

Check the small print – if you're considering ordering on line there may be a minimum spend which could be considerable – I've seen £60. Remember those three little words “book your slot” - early. You can order and collect with no minimum charge from store but bear in mind that's another for the already growing collection list – you can only be in one place at a time!

If you're buying party food check to make sure it all cooks for the same amount of time and at the same temperature – unless of course you want to be tearing backwards and forwards from the kitchen to your guests getting grumpier by the minute. Don't forget to set your timer – preferably a small version that hangs around your neck – it's a strange necklace I grant you – you'll be glad you wore it.

If you can organise it you might like to collect your last minute orders on the 23^rd December – unless of course you enjoy the queuing which begins in the car park and continues at the collection point – even though you will have a specific time slot to collect your goodies nothing ever goes to plan and the result – a wasted morning. Remember your breakfast – low blood sugar makes for a very cranky shopper.

Don't forget the supermarket deals. You'll find that they'll have good offers – a selection of antipasti and smoked salmon is great on two counts - doesn't take up too much space and they should have good dates – don't forget to check.

Consider buying part-baked baguettes. They do not need to be frozen so don't take up valuable space in your freezer, once again check the dates.

My tip to add to your shopping list. It doesn't take long to bake a Camembert to go with the freshly baked baguettes. Note to self, make sure it's in a stapled container not glued – it will not be pretty and you'll be very cross!

Assemble your own prawn cocktail shots. If you've not got shot glasses I might even go so far as to suggest you invest – you don't have to spend a fortune and I've found them so useful for all sorts of stuff, from making individual puds to the prawn cocktail. You could even use them for alcohol!

Your ordering choices may be influenced by elements that you dislike preparing and cooking – desserts as an example – if you reverse “desserts” you get “stressed”.

A few ideas … and more hints and tips

December thoughts – the lists and a little self control

Now you've got the space to store all your goodies … it's time to make the remaining lists – who doesn't love a list? If you've been smart you've made a note of the out of date items from your pantry that you've disposed of that you need to replace.

If you aren't a list maker and you've a house full of guests expected you might want to consider giving it a shot. A list helps you get organised and I should add there'll be more than one – stuff you need to order – stuff you can't get until the last minute, fresh fruit, veggies and salad stuff. It's the little things that guests ask for that tend to fall through the cracks, for example, do you have sauce for the bacon sandwiches?! That example belongs on your previous “pantry and staples” list.

I plan my menus and then make my shopping list(s) from the plan. It's not set in stone but it sure helps. I appreciate that you won't necessarily know whose turning up but you can deal with that eventuality from your freezer and your pantry.

You'll need a note pad, the Christmas food magazines from your supermarket(s) of choice, post it flags and – essential – a glass of wine.

Before we go any further could I just mention - every family has their own traditions and favourites and it matters not, in my experience, how old the kids are – 5 to 25 and beyond - there are certain dishes and treats that are important, nostalgic and stand the test of time so hold hard before you rush out and spend a fortune on fancy dancin' stuff because you think they'll be bored.

Revolutionary I know but you could ask your family what they'd like most.

Now for the self control. I'm a devotee of the browse, browse and browse again method – flag whatever takes your fancy with a post it, leave it be and look again the following day. It all looks delicious and inviting … and expensive! I'm not saying “bah humbug” here – I'm just suggesting you give it some thought.

When you've made your choices …