Impressive starters: Baked Camembert, smoked salmon pate and cucumber salad

IN THE RUN UP to Christmas day, I find there’s a real problem getting fed. The fridge is usually full of “do not touch until Christmas day” food, which means we survive on pesto pasta (because of an incoming tribe of Italians), and one big dish of shepherd’s pie. But every year I get accused (by my husband) of making a shepherd’s pie that is “too cheffy”. Needless to say, my eyebrows manage to break all previous raised eyebrow records in response and the matter is then swiftly dropped.

You see, a shepherd’s pie is one of those things that people don’t really want you to mess with, because it’s usually a dish that mums made for us when we were kids, so it holds a special place in our culinary hearts. No fusion fuss and nonsense, in other words. So, with apologies to mums everywhere, this one is very definitely a bit cheffy. However, it’s also very tasty. It’s a brilliant thing to have ready to go as it feeds an endless stream of hungry visitors, and besides, there’s only so much pesto pasta anyone can take (unless you’re aged 12 or under).

Other recipe ideas that suit emergency Christmas catering include this recipe for baked Camembert (brie would also work) into which you can dip endless crackers and bits of bread. The salmon pate is lovely with the cucumber salad on top and perfect spooned on to some toast or brown bread.

Baked Camembert

We could not stop eating this as soon as it came out of the oven. Flaked almonds would also be delicious with it. If you decide to use them, don’t bother dry roasting them first, just mix them with the sugar and salt, sprinkle on the Camembert and proceed from there. This would easily feed 12-15 people.

200g chopped walnuts

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

Good pinch salt

1kg wheel of Camembert

Few tbsp honey

Bread or crackers to serve

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas four. Put the walnuts and sugar in a non-stick saucepan and heat for a few minutes, being careful to keep shaking them around so the sugar doesn’t start to burn. This will only take a minute or so. Season well and set aside.

Trim the rind from the top of the Camembert, as though you were trimming salmon. You just want to remove the top. The sides and bottom rinds need to stay in place.

I baked this in a spring-form cake tin as it was a good fit and made it easy to transfer on to a chopping board. But you could also wrap it in parchment paper and bake on a baking tray. You just need to be able to transport it once it’s hot.

Sprinkle the nuts on to the Camembert and bake it for about 20 minutes, until it looks gooey but not an oozing river of cheese. Heat up a few tablespoons of honey with a tiny splash of water. Transfer the cheese on to a board and when the honey is runny, spoon some on to the cheese. Dig in straight away.

Smoked salmon pate

Serve 12-15 as canapes or eight as a starter

Use trimmings, good stuff, or any combination of smoked fish. Don’t get hung up on exact quantities for the cream cheese or salmon. It’s a rough recipe and 50g here or there won’t make too much difference.

500g smoked salmon

400g cream cheese

100ml crème fraîche

Zest and juice of two lemons

Good pinch cayenne pepper

Big bunch dill, finely chopped

Lots of black pepper and a pinch of salt

Whiz the salmon in a food processor, on pulse, with the cream cheese. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Chill until ready to serve on hot toast or brown bread, with the cucumber salad. This keeps well in the fridge for a few days, covered.

Cucumber salad

Serves 12-15 as canapés, eight as a starter

Pickled cucumber’s a bit too strong for my liking. This hits the spot nicely.

2 cucumbers, peeled and finely sliced

1 red onion, peeled and very finely sliced

Bunch flat leaf parsley

Dressing

Salt

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar

2 tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

Big knob ginger, peeled and very finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

Mix the ingredients for the dressing together by shaking in a jar. Mix the salad together, add the dressing and leave to sit for an hour. Season well and serve.

Cheffy shepherd’s pie

Serves 6-8

A few good splashes of olive oil

2 onions, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

Big knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 red chilli, very thinly sliced

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

1 kg mince meat

1 x 130g tube tomato puree

1 heaped tsp brown sugar

1 stock cube

200ml water

Good few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

250g frozen peas

Topping

500g spuds, (approximately four spuds) peeled and chopped into chunks

1kg parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks

50ml cream

50g Parmesan, finely grated

100g strong cheddar, finely grated

Few dots of butter

Use a gratin dish that’s 25cm x 33cm in size. Sweat the onion in the olive oil until it is soft. Turn up the heat and add the garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin. Let the onions start to brown. Season them just a little. Add the mince meat, break it up with a spoon and mix it in well so the spices and flavours get hold of the meat. Add the tomato puree and brown sugar.

When the meat’s cooked out, dissolve the stock cube (you may only need half) in the water (which is better if it’s hot) and add this to the mince, along with the Worcestershire sauce. Cook over a moderate heat. Let it bubble, simmer and reduce, but give it a stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, get the topping on the go. Cook the spuds and parsnips in boiling water until they are very tender. Drain them and put back in the saucepan over a very low heat with a tea towel on top to absorb the heat and keep them warm. Add the cheeses and cream, season very well and set aside. When the mince is cooked and very tasty, spoon it into the gratin dish. Top with the parsnip topping and dot with butter. Bake at 180 degrees/gas four, for about 30 minutes until it is bubbling and golden brown.

If you want to do this in advance, let the mince and parsnips cool separately (because they will cool down faster that way) and then layer them up. When they hit room temperature, they can be refrigerated for a couple of days. Bake at 180 degrees/gas four for 40 minutes, but be careful it doesn’t burn; you may have to cover the topping with foil.

DOMINI'S DIGEST: A few things we won't be serving this Christmas? Mojitos, foie gras, cupcakes and caviar. Things we should be serving? Nice wine (but less of it), good smoked salmon, Brussels sprouts, and stuffing that vegetarians can eat.