A snack, a side dish and a cocktail
Home for Christmas #8
Welcome back to Home for Christmas. What day is it? I forget! But one thing I’ve remembered is that I promised you more savory recipes, so today I present you with two savory recipes plus a bonus cocktail suggestion. Expect a savory/sweet side dish from Denmark, an any time snack recipe inspired by the great Ottolenghi and a no-recipe pomegranate spritz cocktail.
Sesame crusted feta with a burnt lime honey sauce
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love is a cookery book that has taken quite the beating in my kitchen and it’s fast becoming one of my favorites! Trust me, you really must get this volume. Not only is the book’s design colorful and functional, but on every page Ottolenghi and Noor Murad present us with creative and achievable recipes as well as a myriad of helpful tips and suggestions. There is even a section below each recipe that encourages you to note your own additions.
That is the brilliance of great chefs like Ottolenghi, his recipes are wonderful without any adaptations at all, but there is also plenty of opportunity for the home cook to modify according to their individual flavor preferences. For example, the honey drizzle is incredibly good all by itself but I decided to add sage and extra brown sugar. Also, I didn’t have any black lime, or lemons for that matter. No problem, I used what I had, extracting the juice of one small lime and cutting a large lime into eighths. I then caramelized the lime segments in the molten honey until blackened. It worked. Divine!
Sage addition - not only good for pork
Sage is a pungent herb that contains hints of citrus and a warm camphoraceous scent of eucalyptus and pine, making it both savory and sweet. Normally associated with rich dishes and Sunday roasts, sage loves meats such as pork, lamb and side dishes such as stuffing. However, sage also works wonderfully with feta.
First, the hot sweet honey packs a punch, then you bite into the sage, and suddenly there is an unexpected emergence of mint and eucalyptus that gives rise to unconscious memories of tender lamb roast on a Sunday afternoon. Isn’t food a wonderful channel for nostalgia?
How should I serve this dish?
Serve this dish in a cast iron skillet and watch everyone melt as quickly as the hot feta. Please note, conversation may die, but it will be replaced with appreciative “Oohs” and “Ahhs.” Take this chorus as a compliment.
What beverage pairing would you suggest?
Serve with white wine, specifically a Sauvignon Blanc. Alternatively, you could serve it with a lime Gin & Tonic.
Sesame crusted feta with a burnt lime honey sauce
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Feta
2 x 200g/7oz blocks of feta
250 ml/8 ½ oz approx. 1 cup canola or sunflower oil (do not use olive oil as it has a low burning point)
60 g/2oz white sesame seeds
50 g/2oz black sesame seeds
70 g/2 ½ oz all-purpose/plain flour
2 large eggs beaten
Sage & Burnt Lime Honey
1 large lime, cut into eighths
1 small lime, juiced
180 g/6oz honey
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
½ tsp of freshly ground pepper
A pinch of salt
A few sprigs of sage
Method
Sesame crusted feta
Set the oven temperature to 200C/ 180C fan/ 400F.
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Cut each feta block in half on a diagonal resulting in 4 triangles. Set aside.
Place the beaten eggs in one shallow bowl, the flour in another and the sesame seeds in a third.
Start by dipping the feta in the flour, then the egg and finally the sesame seeds, ensuring that each feta triangle is evenly coated.
Oven bake the feta for 15-16 minutes.
Tip - Use one hand for wet (egg) and one hand for dry (flour and sesame) Add more sesame seeds to the bowl if needed.
Sage & Burnt Lime & Honey sauce
Method
Place a cast iron skillet on medium heat then add 2 tsps of the honey. When the honey starts to sizzle add the lime wedges and caramelize for 3-5 minutes or until the limes are tinged brown.
Now add the remaining honey, sugar, pepper, salt and lime juice, followed by the sage.
Cook on a low-medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the caramelized sauce bubbles and the scent drives you into a feverish fervor.
Notes
Serve
Either transfer the feta to a serving dish or return to the skillet before pouring over the hot lime sauce. If the lime sauce has cooled too much or become overly thick, simply reheat. Place the serving dish/skillet on a board together with hot pittas or crusty bread accompanied by a green salad and perhaps a bowl of sliced gherkins.
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Danish Caramelized Potatoes
This festive recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. This year we are having duck confit for our Christmas dinner, so these Danish potatoes will be a perfect side dish.
Danish Potatoes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
450g small potatoes, peeled
60g granulated white sugar
45g salted butter
Flaky salt
Method
Boil the potatoes (with skins on) in salted water until just cooked through.
Once cool enough to handle, but still slightly warm, remove the skins. Put the potatoes in the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours to avoid them breaking up.
(You could save time by chilling overnight.)
Place the sugar in a medium-large skillet over low-medium heat and cook for a few minutes, without stirring, until the sugar takes on an amber brown hue.
Now, add the butter and stir. Once the butter has melted, add the cold potatoes and a pinch or two of salt and cook for approx. 10-15 mins, stirring from time to time to repeatedly re-coat the potatoes in the sugar glaze.
Serve immediately and season with flaky salt.
Pomegranate Campari Spritz
This cocktail is a refreshing winter version of an Aperol spritz. To be fair, and somewhat more democratic, for this particular recipe Aperol and Campari are interchangeable, so you choose which it shall be!
In fact, this is hardly a recipe at all, but more a guide to the general proportions that constitute a reasonably balanced spritz. So, let’s start by filling a glass with ice. Then, add two parts pomegranate juice and one part Campari, plus plenty of prosecco to finish. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, cranberries and rosemary. If you wish to make this drink stronger, then add a little gin. You can also add a splash of simple syrup if you like a sweeter cocktail.
Happy Christmas to you and your family and I hope you’ve enjoyed all my festive recipes!
Sarah