Welcome to the beginning of a 12-month series celebrating the seasons! Throughout this series I'll be highlighting my favorite seasonal produce and offering recipe (scroll for the Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad), snack and cocktail suggestions.
Given the short, dark days and biting cold winds, the post-Christmas atmosphere in the UK can be quite dull and gloomy, especially once the jolly festive Christmas lights and decorations have been dismantled. January, to me, is a month that could use some extra attention—a touch of romance.
Following the blur of Christmas hosting, I now want to cook slowly, leaning against the heat of the oven whilst I sip on a hot, spiced drink, holding the mug up against my cheek until it glows a rosy red.
In winter, I feel a deep internal need for comfort and sustenance. For me, the kitchen is a warm retreat.
a place to hunker down.
a place to be wholly centered.
As for winter cravings, for breakfast I hungrily produce either a steaming bowl of hot rice pudding with blood orange caramel or honeyed baked persimmons resplendent in their sugary decay.
For the evening, the hearty comfort of a slow-cooked stew becomes greater than the sum of its parts. And, if I don’t crave meat, vegetables, once snugly nestled in the earth, are transformed into rich, rustic soups.
For a light supper, aromatic brown-butter savory porridge with buttered leeks, chili flakes and boiled eggs provides an appetite satisfying bowlful of deliciousness. Likewise, crisp Bramley apples dunked in molten alpine cheese, paired with fragrant mulled wine that has been gently simmering on the stove, is an any time option, either for yourself or a crowd.
Yes, it’s true, these moments of joy and nourishment sustain me through the cold dark months of winter. In cooking as in life, slow is the best way. Maybe January isn’t so bad.
My favorite January produce
Seasonal produce & selected recipe ideas
Fruits
Blood orange - to create a straightforward blood orange caramel simmer the juice of a blood orange in a small pot over medium heat together with a touch of sugar and glug of heavy cream. This delightful creation complements porridge or rice pudding beautifully.
Orange - have you considered making an upside down spiced orange caramel cake?
Grapefruit - grapefruit + brown sugar + a kitchen blow torch = grapefruit brûlée.
Clementine - Clementine Posset Brûlée recipe below.
Lemon
Medjool dates - mouth-watering stuffed with brie and wrapped in bacon!
Pomegranate - how about a pomegranate fizz cocktail to welcome in the new year? Recipe here.
Passion fruit - incredibly delicious with yoghurt and honey as a light breakfast. Or, discover my passion fruit posset brûlée recipe below.
Kumquats
Apple - make spiced apple butter! Recipe here
Vegetables
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts - brussels sprout caesar salad recipe below.
Cabbage - char cabbage then drizzle with a whipped tahini and lemon sauce for a lovely light lunch.
Parsnips
Beets - a favorite winter warmer of mine is Borscht (beetroot soup) topped with crème fraîche. I also like to make a simple condiment of chopped parsley, olive oil, shallots, salt, pepper and a little vinegar.
Leeks - try my brown butter porridge with charred leeks. Recipe here.
Celeriac - maple celeriac soup topped with 'nduja has an incredibly complex flavor profile yet is simple to create.
Sweet potato
Winter squash - how about roasted acorn squash with brown butter and parmesan?
Potato - try my pommes aligot recipe here. This is just about the best way to cook potatoes if you are looking for an indulgent side dish.
Avocado
Shallots - have you ever made shallot tarte tatin?
Fennel
Nuts
Walnut - a great addition to any loaf cake.
If you like the sound of any of these recipes, comment below and I will try to develop one just for you! Or, if you have any recipe suggestions, I would love to hear from you.
The Recipes
Brussel Sprout Caesar Salad
This easy recipe is highly customizable. If you are too exhausted following the busy Christmas season and prefer not to make Caesar salad dressing, you can opt for a high-quality version available at the store. Additionally, you have the option to include crispy bacon or pancetta. Whatever you do, ensure you don't skimp on the extra parmesan to top the salad before serving.
Serves 4-6 as a side.
500g Brussel sprouts, finely sliced
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (to serve)
Caesar dressing
Note: I very slightly adapted the renowned Anthony Bordain’s recipe for Caesar salad dressing.
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, (use a little more if needed.)
4 oil-packed anchovies, drained
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
A few dashes of Tabasco sauce
2-3 egg yolks *see note below
Method
Place anchovies, cheese, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and egg yolks in a food processor and puree. Then, slowly drizzle in the oil until it is completely incorporated. Taste and season with salt and pepper or perhaps a few extra dashes of Tabasco. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Addition: I have a little secret. On rare occasions when I’m feeling rebellious, I add a tablespoon of honey to my dressing. The subtle sweetness balances out the salt. Don’t tell anyone!
Note: *If you don’t like the idea of using raw egg yolk, you could always sub for good quality Mayonnaise. Use approx. ½ cup.
Anchovy Crouton Crumb
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (or a little more if needed)
2 anchovy fillets
½ large stale baguette or focaccia
1 tbsp of dried parsley
Salt & pepper
Method
Roughly chop the stale bread and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat then add the anchovies and let them cook until dissolved.
Add the bread, toss to coat, then fry until deeply golden brown. Finally, stir in the dried parsley.
Transfer the bread to a paper towel-lined plate and season.
Once cool, either chop (with a sharp knife), crush with a rolling pin), or pulse the bread in a food processor until you have very fine breadcrumbs.
Serve
Place the caesar dressing in a large bowl then add the sprouts and toss until coated. Then, place a third of the sprouts on a serving plate and sprinkle with parmesan. Repeat this layering until all the sprouts and parmesan have been used. Finally, top with the crouton crumb.
Passion fruit posset brûlée
Passion fruits are currently particularly sweet, so I couldn’t resist creating this new version of my easy, yet elegant dessert.
The full recipe is here.
Clementine Posset Brûlée
Simple and exquisitely delicious, a mouthful of these zingy, sweet clementine possets feels like a breath of fresh air on a cold gray day.
Clementine Posset Brûlée Cups
400 ml double cream
125g caster sugar + extra for caramelizing (vanilla infused if possible)
9 clementines (8 for the clementine possets + 1 for the zest)*
Lemon, a squeeze
½ tsp vanilla paste (optional)
Note*
There will be enough posset mixture to fill the hollowed-out shells of 8 clementines. The extra clementine is needed for the zest.
As the recipe only requires 80ml of juice, to avoid waste, reserve the spare juice from all 9 clementines for cocktails, a breakfast beverage or zingy addition to any number of recipes.
Method
Remove the zest of 1 clementine and set aside. Cut this fruit in half and squeeze the juice into a measuring jug/bowl.
Cut off the top ¼ or ⅓ of the other 8 clementines and keep these sections as lids ( I like to freeze the ‘lids’ for the final presentation)
Then, using a paring knife, carefully remove the flesh from the clementines, and place in a sieve. Use the back of a wooden spoon to strain this juice into the measuring jug or bowl, which will now contain the juice of all 9 clementines. Now, measure out 80ml of the juice for the posset mixture and set aside. (Any remaining juice can be kept for other purposes.)
Place the cream and caster sugar in a small-medium saucepan over low heat. Stir gently until the sugar has melted and the mixture is warm. Turn off the heat then add the 80ml clementine juice, zest and a squeeze of lemon + any additions you prefer.
Allow the mixture to rest for a few moments then stir before straining the posset mixture into a jug/bowl. Divide the posset mixture between the cut clementine cases and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Tips
Serving
When nearly ready to serve, sprinkle a little sugar on top of the posset mixture and then brûlée with a kitchen blow torch. Place the posset filled clementines back in the refrigerator for a further ten minutes before artfully arranging in individual bowls together with their frozen decorative lids.
Make it even easier
Use small ramekins or a cupcake tin as a way to stabilize the clementine cases.
If you don’t feel like fiddling with clementine cases, you could always serve the possets in little tea cups or ramekins with small shortbread biscuits on the side.
If you can’t get hold of clementines, simply substitute the clementine juice for 80 ml of organic orange juice or any citrus juice you prefer.
After a brief break, I will be back in the kitchen cooking up brand new recipes for the new year! Happy new year and see you soon.
Sarah