Donal Skehan: Home Cook Episode 8 Recipes

Glazed Sticky Spiced Festive Loaves 

You can divide the roll into 4 and make 4 smaller loaves for gifts if you want. These will keep for 2-3 days (warm through before serving) or you can freeze them.  

Makes: 2 loaves 

Time: 3 hours  

Ingredients: 

500ml whole milk 

110g butter 

75g caster sugar 

800g strong bread flour 

12g fine sea salt 

2 x 7g sachets of instant yeast 

2 tsp ground cardamom 

1 egg, beaten 

4 tbsp of pearl sugar (demerara sugar will work too) 

For the filling: 

125g soft butter 

90g soft light brown sugar 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

40g pecans, quite finely chopped 

For the syrup: 

45g caster sugar 

45ml water 

1 tsp ground cardamom 

Method: 

1. Warm the milk, butter and sugar together in a pan over a medium heat until the butter and sugar are melted.  

2. Mix the flour, salt, yeast and cardamom in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour the wet ingredients in. Using a wooden spoon or your hands mix until you have a rough dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic (or alternatively knead in an electric stand mixer). The dough will start off shaggy and sticky but will come together as you knead and you shouldn’t need to add any more flour.  

3. Transfer the dough to a floured bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm dark place. 

4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Beat the butter, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until light and fluffy. 

5. When the dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a large rectangle about 5mm thick, spreading the filling all over and scattering with the pecans. 

6. Then, from the long side, roll the dough so you end up with a long cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 2 pieces and roll each one out lightly to form 2 long rectangles about 10cm wide.  

7. Use a sharp knife to cut each rectangle into 3 long strips (leaving about 2 cm at the top uncut to keep them together). Plait the strips and seal together at the ends.  

8. Transfer to two 900g loaf tins. Leave to rise again, covered, for 45 minutes-1 hour in a warm place.  

9. Preheat the oven to 190˚C/170˚C fan/350˚F/Gas Mark 5. 

10.  Brush the plaits with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until it turns golden brown and is nicely risen.  

11. To make the syrup, melt the sugar in the water over a low heat then add the cardamom and bubble until you have a light but sticky syrup.  

12. Remove the loaves from the oven, brush all over with the syrup then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.  

Mulled Cider 

Makes: 800ml syrup 

Time: 20 minutes + infusing time 

Ingredients: 

600g caster sugar 

800ml water 

Zest & juice of 1 lemon 

2 long cinnamon stick 

3 star anise 

12 cloves 

1 vanilla pod, split 

8 cardamom pods, cracked 

To serve: 

1 litre medium sweet cider or apple juice 

Lemon slices 

Method: 

1. For the syrup, put the sugar, water, lemon zest, lemon juice and spices into a large pan, set over a gentle heat and allow the sugar to slowly dissolve.  

2. Increase the heat and bubble for 10-15 minutes then allow to cool and infuse (overnight if you have time). Strain into clean sterilised bottles for gifts or to keep you going through the festive period.  

3. When ready to serve, add 200ml of the syrup to 1 litre of cider or apple juice and a sliced lemon and heat together before serving.  

Sticky Whiskey & Plum Glazed Ham 

If you don’t have a pot big enough for the whole ham then you can do this in the oven. Line a large roasting tin with foil and a wire rack and place the ham on top. Put the aromatics and cider under the ham and cover with a large tent of foil . Bring to the boil over a hob then transfer to a low oven (120˚C/100˚C fan/250˚F/Gas Mark ½) and roast overnight for about 12 hours. Allow to cool before stripping the skin. Keep the juices to make ham soup later in the Christmas period! 

Serves: 8-10 

Time: 5 & ½ hours + cooling time 

Ingredients: 

1 x 6-7 kg cured smoked ham, on the bone 

1 large onion, halved 

3 fresh bay leaves 

5 star anise 

1 tsp black peppercorns 

1 tsp allspice berries 

1l dry cider 

Small handful of cloves, to stud  

1 tsp mustard powder  

1 tbsp demerara sugar 

For the glaze: 

150g plum jam 

40g soft light brown sugar 

75ml whisky 

2 star anise 

Method: 

1. Place the ham into a very large preserving pan/large saucepan with the onion, bay leaves, star anise, berries and cider. Top up with enough water to just about cover the ham. Cover and bring to the boil then reduce to a bare simmer and cook gently for 40 minutes per kg (4-5 hours). Leave until cool enough to handle, at this point you can leave the ham to finish the next day if you like.  

2. When ready to serve, strip the skin from the ham with a very sharp knife, leaving as much of the fat behind as you can and score it in a criss cross pattern.  

3. Heat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6.  

4. In a small pan over a medium heat the plum jam, sugar, whisky and star anise together until smooth and glossy.  

5. Push a clove into all the crosses on the ham then dust the fat all over with the mustard powder. Spread with the jam mixture and scatter with the demerara sugar. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes (or if cooled from the day before 45 minutes to 1 hour), until sticky and golden. Serve immediately. 

Saltimbocca Parsnips 

Serves: 8-10 

Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

800g parsnips, peeled and quartered, lengthways 

2 x 70g pack slices prosciutto, halved 

Large bunch of sage leaves 

1 tbsp olive oil  

50g butter 

1 tbsp honey 

2 tsp apple  cider vinegar or a splash of white wine 

Method: 

1. Put the parsnips strips into a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until just tender then drain and leave until cool enough to handle. You can chill overnight if you don’t want to finish cooking till the next day. 

2. Place two pieces of prosciutto flat on a chopping board, add three of the parsnip strips to one end of the prosciutto pieces with a sage leaf and wrap into a bundle. Repeat until all parsnips have been used up. 

3. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium high heat and fry any remaining sage leaves until golden and crisp, pick out and set aside. Add the butter into the pan before adding the parsnip bundles and cook all over until golden and crispy.  

4. Add the honey and cider vinegar, tossing it all together then serve with the crispy sage leaves scattered on top. 

Celeriac Remoulade 

You can buy really nifty julienne peelers that make this a doddle without the need of a mandolin or crazy knife skill! 

Serves: 8-10 

Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients: 

1 large celeriac 

1 large apple (such as braeburn)  

1 stick celery 

150g brussel sprouts 

2 tbsp mayonnaise 

3 tbsp greek yoghurt  

2 tsp dijon mustard 

Good squeeze lemon juice 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

Large handful celery leaves or flat leaf parsley, chopped 

Flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Method: 

1. Peel and julienne the celeriac and place into a bowl. Coarsely grate the apple (skin on) down to the core and add to the same bowl. Very finely, slice the celery and sprouts and add in. 

2. Add in the remaining wet ingredients, toss together and serve. 

Spiced Pear Sticky Toffee Cake with Rum and Maple Drizzle 

If you like a darker flavour to your sticky toffee, use dark muscovado sugar for an extra richness.  

Serves: 12 

Time: 2 hours + cooling  

Ingredients: 

For the spiced pears: 

4 pears, firm & just ripe  

850ml water 

250g caster sugar 

1 star anise 

1 cinnamon stick 

Pared zest of a lemon 

For the cake: 

150g dates, pitted and chopped 

150ml boiling water 

150g unsalted butter, softened 

180g light or dark brown muscovado sugar 

2 tbsp golden syrup  

3 large free range eggs 

250g self raising flour 

1 tsp mixed spice 

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

To serve: 

120ml maple syrup 

120ml dark rum 

Method: 

1. To poach the pears, peel them and place them into a pan with the water, sugar, spices and lemon zest. Bring slowly to the boil to dissolve the sugar, before reducing to a bare simmer and cooking for 15 minutes until just tender. Leave to cool in the liquid.  

2. For the cake, grease and line a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin. Halve the pears and use a small spoon to scoop out the core. Place the halves in the bottom of the cake tin, cut side down. Set aside the remaining poaching liquid for the drizzle later. 

3. Peat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. 

4. Soak the dates in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.  

5. Beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the golden syrup. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time before folding in the self raising flour and mixed spice.  

6. Mash the dates with their water and the bicarbonate of soda and add to the batter. Pour the batter over the pears in the tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour.  

7. To make the drizzle, heat the maple syrup and reserved poaching liquid from the pears together in a small pan over a medium heat. Bubble for 10 minutes then reduce the heat. 

8. Once the cake is baked, allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a plate. You can leave it now for as long as you like but I recommend serving it warm, with the syrup drizzled over. 

9. Warm the rum in a small pan, over a medium heat. Once ready to serve, scoop out a large ladleful, light on fire and pour over the cake.