Christmas day 1999... when I was in the height of my Delia obsession. "Delia says you should do this... Delia says you should do that"! I had decided that I was going to cook Christmas dinner as Mum was unfortunate enough to be working (one of the downsides of managing a petrol station with slack employees). Armed with all three of
Delia's How to Cook books, I chose
Roast Duck with a Confit of Sour Cherries (book two) followed by
Plums in Marsala (book one).
Not your traditional festive feast, but I thought they were Christmassy enough... And bear in mind I'd never cooked a full roast dinner before. Talk about baptism of fire!
It was a complete success, and probably one of the best Christmas meals we've ever had (although perhaps I'm biassed!). Mum certainly appreciated it, that's for sure. I can't remember whether it was this Christmas that I then spent the evening in A&E with my brother after he'd sliced his hand on one of the food processor blades. Oops!
As Christmas is all about the sharing I thought I'd root out these recipes again and share them here. I don't ever stick strictly to the recipes, but the only tweak I can remember is adding finely sliced red onions to the cherry confit to make it more of a chutney. Delicious.
For the confit of sour cherries:
- 3 oz (75 g) dried sour cherries
7 fl oz (200 ml) dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, for example)
1 oz (25 g) golden granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality red wine vinegar
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C).
You will also need a roasting rack or some kitchen foil, and a roasting tin measuring 9 x 11 inches (23 x 28 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep.
You need to start this recipe the day before you want to serve it by first soaking the cherries for the confit in the red wine overnight.
The next day, prepare the duck by wiping it as dry as possible with kitchen paper. Now, using a small skewer, prick the fatty bits of the duck's skin, particularly between the legs and the breast. Now either place the duck on the roasting rack in the tin or make a rack yourself by crumpling the kitchen foil and placing it in the bottom of the roasting tin. Season with coarse sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, using quite a lot of salt, as this encourages crunchiness. Now place the tin on the centre shelf of the pre-heated oven and roast the duck for 1 hour and 50 minutes. During the cooking time, using an oven glove to protect your hands, remove the tin from the oven and drain the fat from the corner of the tin – do this about 3 times (the fat is brilliant for roast potatoes, so don't throw it away).
Meanwhile, to make the confit, place the soaked cherries and wine in a saucepan, along with the sugar and wine vinegar. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer, give it all a good stir and let it barely simmer, without a lid, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring from time to time. What will happen is that the wine will slowly reduce so there's only about 3 tablespoons of free liquid left.
When the cooking time is up, allow the duck to rest for 20 minutes or so, then carve and serve garnished with the fresh watercress, with the sour-cherry confit poured over each portion and the rest handed round separately in a jug.
3 lb (1.35 kg) fresh firm plums
1 pint (570 ml) Marsala
1 vanilla pod
2 cinnamon sticks
3 oz (75 g) golden caster sugar
2 level teaspoons arrowroot
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).
You will also need a 10 x 8 inch (25.5 x 20 cm) baking dish, 2 inches (5 cm) deep.
First place the plums, vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks in the baking dish, then mix the Marsala with the sugar and pour it over the plums. Now place the dish on the centre shelf of the oven and cook for 40 minutes, uncovered, turning the plums over in the Marsala halfway through the cooking time. Then remove the baking dish from the oven and strain the plums, discarding the vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks, and pour the sauce into a medium-sized saucepan.
Bring it up to simmering point, then let it bubble and reduce for 5 minutes.Now mix the arrowroot with a little water in a cup to make a paste, then whisk this into the liquid. Bring the sauce back to simmering point, whisking all the time, until it has thickened slightly and is glossy – about 5 minutes. Then pour it back over the plums and serve them hot or cold.
