Tag: #Festive

The Broad Palate – Dec ’25

Two hearty cold-weather recipes to round off 2025. Wishing you a merry, peaceful and healthy Christmas! A xx


Tartiflette – serves 4

A simple, slightly decadent treat. Serve with crusty bread, plus a green salad if desired.

  • 1kg waxy potatoes;
  • 3 bay leaves;
  • 1 large onion, sliced into half moons;
  • 1tbsp olive oil;
  • 250g smoked bacon or lardons;
  • 1 large clove garlic, crushed;
  • 75ml white wine;
  • 100g Emmental or Gruyère cheese, grated;
  • 1 x 250g round of Camembert;
  • 1 x 300ml tub crème frâiche or double cream;
  • salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
Cook the potatoes in boiling, well-salted water along with the bay leaves until just cooked. Set aside to cool a little, then slice into thick rounds.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan then add the onion and cook until softened but not browned (around 10 minutes).
Add the bacon and continue to cook over a medium heat until the bacon is starting to turn golden.
Drain off some of the fat (to taste), add the wine and allow to bubble for a minute, then the garlic.
Take off the heat. Add the potatoes and gently fold through the bacon/onion mixture, then add most of the grated cheese and the crème frâiche or double cream.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Butter a medium ovenproof dish and pour in the mixture.
Level the surface and cover with the remainder of the grated cheese.
Slice the Camembert into 5-6 thick slices and arrange over the top.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the tartiflette is golden, bubbling and has started to catch a little on top.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Christmas Crumble – serves 5-6

Great for dispatching any leftover mincemeat and marzipan – even good enough as a substitute for Christmas pudding, I reckon. Serve with custard, ice cream, cream or all three 🥳.

  • 250g mincemeat;
  • 3 apples and 3 pears;
  • 125g marzipan;
  • a good squeeze of lemon juice;
  • 70g caster sugar;
  • juice and rind of 1 orange;
  • 40g dried cranberries;
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice.

For the crumble topping:-

  • 240g plain flour;
  • 60g butter;
  • 50g caster sugar;
  • 50g flaked almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4.
Peel, core and roughly chop the fruit and place in a bowl of water with the lemon juice.
Chop or tear the marzipan into grape-sized nuggets.
In another bowl, place the mincemeat, 70g caster sugar, juice and rind of orange, cranberries, marzipan and mixed spice, and mix well.
Drain the fruit well and add to the mincemeat mixture.
Stir well to combine and place into your favourite ovenproof crumble dish.
For the crumble, rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb consistency, mix in the 50g caster sugar and flaked almonds. Scatter this mixture over the fruit mixture and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Bon appetit!

Ann’s previous recipes:

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The Broad Palate – Nov ’25

A couple of Italian recipes this month. Thank you for reading – I hope you enjoy ☺️ – Ann

Caramelised Fennel Linguine with Orange & Pine Nuts – serves 4

A long-winded name for a simple dish with not too many ingredients. This works well on its own or as a side.

  • 40g pine nuts;
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil;
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds;
  • 4 bulbs fennel, thinly sliced and fronds reserved;
  • ½ teaspoon salt;
  • 1 teaspoon sugar;
  • 20g butter;
  • 400g dried linguine;
  • zest and juice of 1 orange;
  • 1tsp white wine vinegar;
  • ½ pack dill, chopped;
  • salt and pepper to season.

Equipment –

  • 1 large frying pan;
  • 1 large saucepan for the pasta.

Method:

Heat a large frying pan and dry-toast the pine nuts until golden brown. Tip into a bowl and reserve.
Add the oil to the pan and when at a medium heat, add the fennel and fennel seeds.
Add ½ teaspoon of salt, cover and cook gently for 15 minutes until softened.
Add sugar and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until the fennel is golden and has started to caramelise.
Add the knob of butter and keep warm.
Cook linguine until al dente, removing a small mugful of the cooking water prior to draining.
Add the linguine to the fennel and stir in the vinegar, the orange zest and a little of the juice.
Add in enough of the reserved cooking water to create a light sauce and coat all the linguine.
Add ¾ of the dill and toss well to combine.
Check for seasoning and add further salt plus pepper if desired.
Scatter over the remaining dill, fennel fronds and pine nuts.

Festive Biscotti

This is adapted from a James Martin recipe. Normally, biscotti are fairly plain, but this more glitzy version makes a good gift idea and is quite more-ish. Just pile into a Kilner-type jar and add some ribbon. Nice with coffee or a liqueur. Vary the nuts and dried fruit to suit your taste, as long as the quantities remain the same. This should give 3 medium-sized jars.

  • 250g plain flour;
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder;
  • a pinch of bicarbonate of soda;
  • 1 teaspoon salt;
  • 250g caster sugar;
  • 2 lightly-beaten medium eggs;
  • 100g dark chocolate, chopped;
  • 50g dried cranberries or cherries;
  • 50g blanched almonds;
  • 80g pistachios (weight after shelling);
  • 40g hazelnuts;
  • 2 whole star anise blitzed until fairly powder-like;
  • zest of 1 orange.

Equipment –

  • 1 large mixing bowl;
  • 2 oven trays lined with baking parchment.

Method:

Heat oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/ Gas 4.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Add half the beaten egg, then the remainder in small amounts until you have a fairly stiff dough.
Add all the other ingredients (no need to chop the nuts) and combine as evenly as possible using your hands.
Wet your hands, then divide the dough into 4 sausage shapes and transfer to the baking trays, leaving ample space in between each piece.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and risen, then remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Cut into thin slices, across each piece (roughly 5mm thick).
Spread the slices out over the baking trays and reduce the oven to 130°C/Fan 120°C/ Gas ½ .
Return the trays to the oven to allow the biscotti to dry out in the oven for around 20-25 minutes, or until dried out and hardened.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Bon appetit!

Ann’s previous recipes:

#Broadwindsor #Blackdown #Burstock #Drimpton #Hursey #Kittwhistle #Seaborough #Dorset #WestDorset #Community #Village #Biscotti #Christmas #Festive #CaramelisedFennelLinguine #Orange #PineNuts #TheBroadPalate #Recipe #November #Food #HomeCooking #YumYum #FeedMe #BeTempted #CookWithKids #Enjoy #BeSafe #StaySafe #BeKind