Recipes

Pork loin with rhubarb and balsamic vinegar
An elegant, quick roast from Fran Warde's New Bistro that makes the best of in-season rhubarb. You could even serve it on Valentine's night.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 40–45 minutes
Serves: 4
1 tbsp olive oil
25g (1oz) butter
600g (1lb 5oz) pork loin
200g (7oz) rhubarb
100ml (3.5 fl oz) chicken stock
50g (2oz) sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof pan and, when foaming, add the pork and brown on all sides. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim the ends of the rhubarb and cut the stems on a diagonal into 4cm (1.5-inch) lengths.
Remove the pork from the oven and lift out of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, stir, then place the pork on top and return to the oven for a further 15–20 minutes, or until cooked through.
To serve, slice the pork and serve with the rhubarb sauce.
Wine suggestion: Sweet and sour flavours always cause a bit of a problem for wine but I quite like the idea of partnering this dish with a fruity rosé. A dry Alsace Riesling or Pinot Gris might also work but could be a little more hit and miss.
From New Bistro by Fran Warde, published by Mitchell Beazley. Photograph © Jason Lowe

Spiced Venison with Wild Mushroom and Truffle Sauce
An elegant main course recipe* from one of my favourite food writers Sue Lawrence's A Cook’s Tour of Scotland that would be a great option for a haggis-free Burns' Night supper.
Sue writes: "This is a really tasty dish that can be prepared in advance – apart from the actual cooking of the meat. The weight of fillet from red deer can vary from around 250 – 400g/9 – 14 oz, but if you use a roe fillet, it will weigh only about 100g / 3 1/2 oz and so you must reduce the cooking time drastically (and use a fillet per person) Whichever type of venison you use, remember always to undercook and allow to rest for a perfect even pinkness and tender meat. Serve with pappardelle or soft polenta."
serves 3-4
1 level tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 level tbsp whole juniper berries
1 whole venison fillet , trimmed (about 350g / 12 oz)
2 tbsp olive oil
Truffle oil
Seasalt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
40g / 1 1/2 oz dried porcini ( ceps), rinsed
200 ml / 7 fl oz/ 1/3 pint dry white wine
40g / 1 1/2 oz butter
2 shallots or half a small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
200g / 7 oz fresh mushrooms, wiped and chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
150 ml / 5 fl oz/ 1/4 pint double cream
Toast the peppercorns and juniper in a dry frying pan over a high heat for about 3 minutes, shaking often, until a strong spicy smell emerges. Tip into an electric grinder - or use a mortar and pestle —and grind until coarsely ground. Brush the venison with 1 tbsp oil then press in the spices. Leave on a plate somewhere cool for a couple of hours.
To make the sauce, soak the dried mushrooms in the wine for at least 20 minutes then strain, reserving the wine. Heat the butter in a pan and gently fry the shallots/onion and garlic for 2 – 3 minutes then add the mushrooms (soaked and fresh) and stir. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
Increase the heat and sprinkle over the flour, . Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the reserved wine and the cream, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil then simmer, uncovered, for 5 – 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Season to taste and set aside.
To cook the meat, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan (preferably one that can go into the oven) and, once hot, add the venison and brown all over : this takes 4 – 5 minutes. Season with sea salt as you brown it. Then transfer the pan to a preheated oven ( 220°C/425°F/Gas7) and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Remove the meat and place on a warm plate. Cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Carve the rested meat and serve with some of the sauce and a few shakes of truffle oil on top
What to drink:
This is a dish that is hugely wine friendly so you could drink almost any medium bodied red you enjoy. My own choice would be a Western Australia Cabernet-Merlot (Cullen’s or Cape Mentelle) or a Pinot Noir
* Note this picture is not exactly that of Sue Lawrence's recipe but similar to it. Photo © Marina Grau - Fotolia.com

Key Lime Pie
This was the dessert I raved about at Blackfoot in Exmouth market the other day and which I was thrilled to see was in their consultant chef Allegra McEvedy's terrific new book Big Table, Busy Kitchen. I know we're not supposed to be eating puds in January but make an exception for this one.
Allegra writes: "I conducted some fairly extensive research on this American classic to determine what actually defines a key lime pie, and came to the conclusion that really, it can be anything limey, which in any Yank’s book, we most certainly are. Think of this version as a roughly non-cheesy cheesecake, with a top that’s ballsy with lime zest and lighter than angel farts, anchored down by a ginger nutty base.
Will make 8–10 people very happy
120g digestive biscuits
120g ginger nuts
80g butter, melted
3 eggs, separated
zest and juice of 5 limes (see footnote*)
1 x 400ml tin condensed milk
½ tsp cream of tartar
60g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140ºC/Gas 3 and butter a 20cm springform tin that’s about 7cm deep.
Bust up your biscuits until fairly well ground, either in a food processor or the old-fashioned way (by bashing them in a bag with a rolling pin). Tip into a bowl and stir in the melted butter, then dump into the tin and use the backs of your curled-up fingers to press it down and make sure it’s well compacted. Stick it in the fridge to firm up.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk with the lime zest, lime juice and condensed milk to just combine.
Either in another bowl using an electric hand whisk, or in an upright mixer, or by hand, whisk the whites until they start to go frothy. Doing it the old fashioned way with muscle is weirdly satisfying and only takes (me) about 4 minutes. Stir the cream of tartar into the sugar, and gradually add to the whites while they’re still moving until you have a bowlful of stiff meringue. Fold the whites into the limey mix in two batches, then pour this on to your base.
Pop the tin on a baking tray, put in the oven straightaway and bake for about 25–35 minutes, until it’s just set – firm around the outside with the faintest of wobbles in the middle.
Leave to cool completely – the pie is best served totally chilled, so once it’s cooled to room temperature, stick it in the fridge for an hour at least. The top will crack a little as it contracts, but that’s never bothered me, or anyone else that’s ever been wowed by it. The longer you leave it, the limier it gets.
* The only imponderable in the recipe. How juicy are your limes? My guess is that Allegra will use good ones so you'd be looking at 2 tbsp juice per lime so 10 tbsp in all. Use untreated limes if you can get hold of them otherwise scrub them before you zest them. FB
What to drink: With an airy pie like this I'd go for a Moscato d'Asti
Big Table, Busy Kitchen by Allegra McEvedy (Quercus) is out now and is available for £15 from www.quercusbooks.co.uk. Photograph © Chris Terry.

Blue cheese and preserved plums
A lovely serving suggestion from Trine Hahnemann's inviting book Scandinavian Christmas. The preserved plums couldn't be simpler.
Trine says: "The perfect end to a lovely meal. You simply have to drink port with it! Choose plums with sweetness and tender flesh."
Serves 8
For the preserved plums
500g plums
1 vanilla pod
200g caster sugar
50ml dark rum
To serve
250g Danish Blue, or any blue cheese (I would serve them with Stilton FB)
rye wafers (see picture)
Rinse and halve the plums and remove their stones. Divide them between sterilised jars.
Divide the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds.
Mix 500ml of water, the sugar, vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, then add the rum and pour over the plums. Each jar must be filled to the top. Seal the jars immediately.
The plums will be best after four or five days. (Stored in the fridge or a dark, cool place, they will keep for two or three months.) Before you serve them, bring them to room temperature.
Place the cheese on a platter with a jar of preserved plums and provide plenty of rye wafers. Serve with port. (I would choose a Late Bottled Vintage port with this)
This recipe comes from Scandinavian Christmas by Trine Hahnemann, published by Quadrille Publishing. RRP £16.99 Photography by Lars Ranek

Beetroot latkes: the perfect recipe for Thanksgivukkah
The idea of Thanksgivukkah - a once-in-a-lifetime simultaneous celebration of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah - has really caught on. Caterer Elly Curshen of Bristol's Pear Café comes up with her perfect starter.
Elly writes: "This year, the first day of Hanukkah and the American holiday of Thanksgiving fall on the same day.
Because the Gregorian and Jewish calendars are worked out in different ways, and have slightly different average year lengths, over time they drift out of sync with each other. Thanksgiving Day will not fall entirely within the eight days of Hanukkah again in any of our lifetimes (It has been calculated that, if the Jewish calendar is not revised, Thursday, November 28 will not fall during Hanukkah again for another 77,798 years!).
Both these holidays are basically incredibly food-centred so for a once in a lifetime event, what do you serve?
North American/Thanksgiving favourites such as pumpkin, cranberries, sweet potatoes and turkey can happily appear on Thanksgivukkah menus alongside the Hanukkah essentials.
According to my grandma Angela, for a traditional Hanukkah dinner latkes [think of them as Jewish hash browns!] and doughnuts are a must. Anything else is up to you'. Basically the Jewish festival of lights calls for fried stuff. Suits me.
Due to it being such a rare occasion, celebrating Thanksgivukkah is a chance to create new 'classics' - there's no right or wrong here. Doughnuts with a spiced pumpkin filling? Sweet potato latkes with apple sauce? Turkey with challah stuffing? YES to all of it!
Here are a couple of ideas if you fancy celebrating. Any excuse for fried things and booze, in my opinion.
Beetroot latkes with horseradish sour cream, smoked salmon, red onion and rocket
Makes 12 canapé-sized latkes, or 6 bigger starter-sized ones.
Peel and grate a largish raw beetroot and a largish raw potato using a food processor or by hand.
Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. When you think you're done, squeeze the rest out. You want the mixture as dry as possible.
Put into a large bowl and add salt, pepper, one beaten egg and enough cornflour so that you have a stiffish mixture. About half a cup as a guide.
Leave for 10 to 20 minutes and then using a spoon, dollop piles of the mixture into hot oil, 1cm deep. You can make them mini, canapé sized or larger - don't go bigger than the size of your palm though or they won't cook through.
Flatten them down in the pan and flip over when well browned. Cook on both sides then drain on kitchen roll. Serve hot, topped with horseradish flavoured sour cream, smoked salmon, very finely sliced red onion and a bit of rocket.
Variations:
* Use sweet potato instead of the beetroot/potato mix. This won't need to be squeezed as much as it is naturally a lot drier. Add some very finely diced red onion to tone down the sweetness and season very well with salt and black pepper.
* Try topping with apple sauce (chopped Bramley apple, a little water, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, a little sugar, slowly cooked down over a low heat) and sour cream.
And how about making doughnuts and dusting them with granulated sugar and the traditional pumpkin pie spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice) while still hot? My friend Sig (aka Signe Johansen of Scandilicious) has a great recipe. Just make up your own spiced sugar mix to taste.
What to drink with the latkes: Fried stuff calls for chilled fino sherry in Elly's and my book but I know that's not to everyone's taste. A sparkling wine like cava or prosecco or even champagne would be great as would a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or the Barkan Fusion White 2012, a zesty blend of Sauvignon, Colombard and Chardonnay from Israel (£9.49 Marks & Spencer) FB
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