When toast and advent chocolates just won’t cut it, try your hand at these quick, luxurious dishes to get your Christmas Day off to a great start. They’re super easy to prepare and perfect for the whole family.
Christmassy Cranberry Muffins
These sweet little saviours are the perfect pick-me-up on a busy Christmas morning. Fluffy and bursting with festive flavour (we advise adding a pinch of cinnamon to your flour for an extra Christmassy kick), youngsters and grown-ups with a sweet tooth will love them.
Ingredients
100g bran
300ml milk
300g T55 flour
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 free-range eggs
300ml vegetable oil
245g caster sugar
2 handfuls frozen cranberries
Method
Mix bran and milk together and leave to one side. Whisk oil, sugar and eggs on a medium speed until combined. Mix in flour and raising agents, followed by the oil, sugar and egg mix. Fold in two handfuls of frozen cranberries. Bake at 170C for 22 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tip Dust with icing sugar, or serve with a dollop of brandy cream.
Salmon & scrambled eggs
A fancy favourite that will make Christmas morning feel extra special. Mix it up by swapping smoked salmon for succulent fillets and serve with a celebratory glass of Buck’s Fizz.
Ingredients
2 fresh salmon fillets
6 large free-range eggs
2 slices of wholemeal toast
A pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 lemon
30g butter
Method
Pre-heat oven to 160C. Loosely cover salmon fillets in foil and cook for 18 to 22 minutes. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat until foaming. Whisk eggs in a bowl, before adding to the saucepan. Stir eggs continuously until they reach your desired texture. Toast bread and add lashings of butter. Season eggs to taste and pour over toast. Add plenty of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon before serving.
Tip Add a dash of cream to your eggs before stirring for added indulgence.
Kedgeree & poached eggs
This zingy and slightly spicy dish is guaranteed to warm up your Christmas morning. A great one for grown-ups and adventurous young cooks to try.
Ingredients
4 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
Thumb-sized piece of ginger
Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Half a teaspoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of turmeric
250g basmati rice
120ml of water
150g smoked haddock
1 teaspoon of milk
2 large free-range eggs
Method
Sweat shallots, crushed garlic and ginger in a pan until soft. Add cayenne pepper, nutmeg, turmeric and cook for a further five minutes. Add water to the rice and cook until there is very little liquid left. Add 150g of smoked haddock and the milk, before stirring gently until fully combined. Poach eggs and plate up.
Tip Add 1 small, diced chilli for a kick of spiciness.
Check out Irvins Brasserie’s winter and Christmas menus | irvinsbrasserie.co.uk or call 0191 296 3238
