Recipes

The traditional rich fruit cake seems to be a love it or loathe it affair - personally I wouldn’t be without it, not so much for Christmas itself when there is so much other food around, but to brighten the dark days of January when the recent indulgence is but a distant dream. On a gloomy afternoon, a cup of tea and a slice of darkly juicy fruit cake is just heaven, such a lovely cosy feeling. Bûche de Noel makes a delicious Christmas alternative for those who don’t like rich fruit cake and, although it doesn’t keep like the cake, it makes a great dessert so it could also be offered instead of the plum pudding. From Julie Duff’s book, Cakes From Around the World (Grub Street, paperback stg£14.99), this chocolate roulade is traditional to France and Quebec, to serve on Christmas Day. “Chestnut purée and fresh cream are blended together to fill and ice this delectable cake. It can then be decorated with a sprig of fresh holly and sprinkled with icing sugar 'snow'.”
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Mention lamb to most people and it is likely to summon up images of spring - green fields and daffodils, with fluffy lambs gambolling around – but, tasty as tender young lowland lamb may be in spring and summer, there’s a completely different and more characterful variety that comes into season later in the year: mountain lamb.
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Serving fondue in a baked pumpkin shell is not just about fun presentation – the sweet, tender squash is wonderful with the salty, sharp richness of the cheese. Either use a whole, large pumpkin for everyone to dip into or small individual squashes.
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Squash, corn and chilli form the holy trinity of southern States cooking. And here they are added to a beef stew that’s packed with spicy flavour and given added richness by the last-minute addition of dark chocolate. You could serve this in a hollowed-out pumpkin shell for real impact.
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Squash and leeks share a similar vegetable sweetness that makes them very good bedfellows. The comforting feather mattress here is the earthy nuttiness of barley, but you could also cook spelt grains (farro) in the same way. All it needs is a green salad in a mustardy soured cream dressing, with a few toasted walnuts tossed through.
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