Mackerel on toast





Ingredients

•    ½ cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced
•    Salt
•    4 tbsp grated fresh horseradish horseradish
•    2 heaped tablespoon low fat crème fraiche 
•    2 tsp mustard  powder
•    4 fresh mackerel fillets
•    salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

•    4 slices Dukan Bread, toasted
•    1 small red onion, thinly sliced
•    ½ small lemon

Preparation method
1.    For the salted cucumber and horseradish, place the cucumber slices into a colander and sprinkle with plenty of salt. Mix well and leave the contents to drain over the sink for half an hour.
2.    Rinse the salt off the cucumber with cold water, then leave to drain. Gently wring out any excess moisture from the cucumber with your hands, then set aside.
3.    In a clean bowl, mix the horseradish with the crème fraîche and mustard powder, making sure the mustard powder is well combined with no lumps. Set aside.
4.    Season the mackerel fillets on their skin side with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5.    Heat a frying pan then add the fillets skin-side down. Place a heat-proof plate onto the cooking fillets, as this will make sure they stay flat and cook evenly. Cook for 4-5 minutes, To serve, place a small handful of the cucumber onto the toast. Place the cooked mackerel fillets onto the cucumber. Place a dollop of the horseradish sauce on top and garnish with a little of the sliced red onion and a squeeze of lemon.




Scallops with pesto sauce





Ingredients

For the sauce
•    1 tbsp coriander seeds
•    1 garlic clove
•    sea salt
•    2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•    1 large ripe tomato
•    handful fresh tarragon
•    handful fresh basil
•    handful fresh coriander or mint
•    ½ lemon juice only

For the scallops
•    8 large  fresh scallops, roe attached
•    Olive oil, for drizzling
•    salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
•    lemon  quarters

Preparation method

1.    For the sauce dry-fry the coriander seeds in a hot frying pan until they release their aroma. Then crush them.
2.    Peel the garlic clove and mash to a paste and add some sea salt. Add the garlic paste to the pestle and mortar.
3.    Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the garlic and coriander and stir.
4.    Remove the core and seeds of the tomato. Chop the flesh roughly and add to the pestle and mortar.
5.    Roughly chop the herbs and add them to the pestle and mortar. Crush all the ingredients together well to form a sauce. Allow the flavours to infuse while you prepare the scallops.
6.    Trim off any tough, sinewy flesh and remove any black veins from the scallops, but keep the roes intact.
7.    Heat a frying pan or griddle pan until hot. Drizzle some olive oil over the scallops and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8.    Place the scallops on the hot pan or griddle and cook until they're just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on size. They'll feel firm to the touch when cooked. (If the scallops are very large, you can finish them in a preheated oven for a few minutes.)
9.    Finish the sauce by adding the lemon juice. Adjust seasoning and stir well.
10.    To serve, spoon the sauce vierge over the scallops and garnish with the quartered lemons.



Stilton mushrooms





Ingredients

For the mushrooms
•    40 mushrooms 
•    200g stilton cheese , crumbled
•    100g grounded oat bran 
•    3 free-range eggs , beaten
•    A drizzle of olive oil

For the salad
•    80g fresh basil
•    50g chopped fresh chives
•    80g fresh parsley
•    200g spinach
•    3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
•    A drizzle of olive oil
•    salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Cranberries relish
•    2 tsp olive oil
•    1 onion, chopped
•    4 tbsp red wine vinegar
•    6 tbsp granulated sweetener 
•    100g  cranberries  


Preparation method

1.    For the mushrooms, Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and discard. Place a spoonful of crumbled Stilton onto each mushroom on the stalk side.
2.    Place the oat bran, beaten egg into two separate bowls and dip each mushroom into each bowl in turn, shaking off any excess.
3.    Place the mushrooms on a oven proof dish and add a drizzle of olive oil on them. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes.
4.    For the salad, place the basil, chives, parsley and spinach into a large bowl. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and oil, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well to coat the leaves.
5.    For the cranberry relish, heat the oil in a saucepan, place the onion, vinegar, sweetener  and cranberries into the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes.
6.    To serve, place the salad onto a plate with the mushrooms on top and the relish spooned over.



Christmas roasted Turkey



Ingredients

•    1 free-range  turkey  weighing 4kg
•    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•    175g lightly salted  butter
For the bread sauce
•    450ml low fat buttermilk
•    1 small onion
•    4 cloves
•    75-100g brown bread crumbs 
•    freshly grated nutmeg according to taste
•    40g of low fat sour cream
•    Cayenne pepper, for sprinkling

Preparation method
1.    Preheat the oven to 180C. Check that you have not left the plastic bag of giblets lurking inside the bird. Put the turkey in a large, deep roasting tin. Season generously all over with salt and pepper and massage the seasoning into the skin.
2.    Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Fold the muslin in four and lower it into the melted butter, pushing it in so that it soaks up virtually all the butter.
3.    Lift out the butter-soaked muslin and lay it over the turkey, making sure that it completely covers the breast and upper thighs.
4.    Pour about 300ml/½ pint water into the roasting tin and slide it into the oven. Cook for approximately 3 hours 20 minutes, basting the bird approximately every 30 minutes with the pan juices.
5.    Test that the turkey is properly cooked in just the same way as you would a chicken. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. If the juices run clear then the turkey is done. If they are pink, slide it straight back into the oven for a further 15 minutes before testing again and continue to do this until they do run clear.
6.    Once it's done, transfer the turkey to a large serving dish, discard the muslin and leave in a warm place to rest for at least half an hour. Cover with foil to stop the meat going cold.
7.    While the turkey is cooking, make the bread sauce. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Stick the four cloves into the onion, add to the milk and bring very, very slowly up to the boil, so that the milk has plenty of time to absorb the flavours of the onion and the cloves.
8.    Remove the onion and cloves and stir enough breadcrumbs into the milk to give a thick sauce. Season to taste with nutmeg and salt. Stir in the cream, adjust the seasoning, then spoon into a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper and place on the table. If making in advance, leave to cool, then cover with cling film and store in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat thoroughly before serving. Sprinkle with the cayenne pepper just before serving.

>>>>>>>>>>>> For the side dishes, you can have any sort of vegetables. As this Christmas menu is quite rich, try to avoid starchy food such as potatoes or chestnuts for example.



Brussell sprouts and bacon gratin

Ingredients


•    900g Brussel sprouts, trimmed
•    150g low fat bacon  , cut into short strips
•    20g flaked almonds
•    400ml low fat buttermilk
•    2½ tsp lemon  juice
•    4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
•    Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation method
1.    Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2.    Place the sprouts into a saucepan of simmering salted water and cook for 4-5 minutes, until almost, but not quite, cooked. Drain thoroughly, allow to cool slightly, then cut in half.
3.    Place the the bacon and almonds in a sauce pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned.
4.    Add the sprouts and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5.    Add the  butter milk and bring the mixture to the boil. Boil for 2-4 minutes, until the cream has reduced to a rich sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6.    Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and spoon into an ovenproof gratin dish.
7.    sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the sprout mixture.
8.    Place into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and the cream visibly boiling.
9.    Remove from the oven and serve in the gratin dish





Christmas pudding



Here is a traditional recipe not Dukan friendly at all but what would be Christmas without a nice pudding..... So go for a small slice of this delicious and so tempting cake!


The dry ingredients

•    275g soft brown breadcrumbs
•    100g dried, chopped
•    100g dried figs, chopped
•    225g currants 
•    225g seedless raisins
•    225g sultanas
•    50g almond, finely chopped
•    225g granulated sweetener
•    225g/8oz shredded suet
•    ½ tsp salt
•    1 tsp ground mixed spices
•    1 tsp ground cinnamon
•    ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

The wet ingredients

•    1 orange, zest and juice
•    1 lemon, zest and juice
•    1 eating apple
•    3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
•    150ml stout
•    150ml skimmed milk
•    4 tbsp brandy
•    A bit of butter, for greasing pudding bowls

Preparation method
1.    Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly.
2.    Add the wet ingredients and mix together well with your hands Divide the mixture between two greased 1½ litre heatproof pudding bowls, filling almost to the rim, then smooth down the surface.
3.    Cover each bowl with a large square of greaseproof paper, then cover that with a large square of aluminium foil. Tie the two sheets tightly into place under the rim with string, leaving long ends of excess string to make a handle. Loop one of the excess string lengths over the pudding basin and slide underneath the taut string holding the sheets in place on the other side. Bring up the string and firmly knot with the other piece of excess string, to form a secure handle to lift the pudding in and out of the water.
4.    Leave the puddings somewhere cool overnight before cooking.
5.    To cook, stand both puddings on a trivet in a large, deep, heavy-based pan (or each pudding in a separate pan). Pour boiling water into the pan(s), enough to come about halfway up the sides of the bowls.
6.    Cover the pan(s) with a lid or a dome of foil and boil for seven hours. Check the water level regularly, topping it up with more boiling water as necessary to keep the bowls half submerged.
7.    After seven hours, remove the bowls from the pan and leave to cool. Untie and remove the foil and greaseproof sheets and replace with clean, dry sheets of both greaseproof paper and foil.
8.    Store in a cool, dry place (or freeze if you prefer, though they will keep perfectly well for a year or more unfrozen). To reheat at Christmas-time, return to a pan containing a few inches of boiling water, cover and steam for two hours, checking the water levels now and then, until completely heated through.


Christmas panna cotta





Ingredients

•    4 tbsp raisins
•    4 tbsp rum flavouring
•    6  gelatine sheets
•    1 litre/1¾ pints low fat buttermilk
•    120g granulated  sweetener
•    1 tsp ginger ground
•    1 tsp ground  all spices
•    ¼ tsp  nutmeg
•    1 tsp ground cinnamon
•    1 handful berries, such as redcurrants , to serve

Preparation method
1.    Place the raisins into a small bowl and cover with the rum flavouring and some water. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes.
2.    Meanwhile, soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water until softened. Drain and squeeze out any excess liquid using your hands.
3.    In a heavy-based pan, heat the buttermilk, sweetener and ground spices. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking until the sweetener has dissolved.
4.    Remove the cream mixture from the heat and whisk in the drained gelatine until dissolved. Drain the raisins and stir into the cream mixture (discard the soaking liquid).
5.    Pour the mixture into ten moulds or ramekins, filling them to three-quarters full. Set aside to cool completely, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least two hours, or until set.
6.    To serve, scatter over some redcurrants to garnish.