menu.
Matt’s pal Olly Smith ’s cocktail to kick things off
Parmesan fritters with roquefort spinach
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KNOW- HOW
Buy simple syrup or make it – combine equal weights of caster sugar and hot water, stir to dissolve, then leave to cool.
Brandy crusta
Every course is covered here, with more options besides. Serve the parmesan fritters or the salad to start; serve the salad on its own as a light lunch or as part of a buffet on Boxing Day; choose to go light for pudding with a zesty granita or more substantial with a chocolate torte… TV presenter and chef Matt’s wonderful menu ideas will help clear the decks of festive leftovers, too
Serves 2
The starter or lunch to share
• Lemon wedge & twists to decorate
American-style cobb salad
• 105ml brandy
Serves 4 Hands-on time 40 min
• 15ml orange curaçao (or Cointreau)
For the dressing
• 15ml maraschino cherry liqueur (or kirsch or cherry brandy)
• 60g roquefort cheese, crumbled
• 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3½ tbsp buttermilk, plus extra if needed (use greek yogurt if you can’t get buttermilk)
• 15ml simple syrup (see Know-how)
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• Pinch ground cumin
For the salad
For the sugar rims, push a lemon wedge onto the rim of a glass, run it all the way around, then dip the rim of the glass in a saucer of sugar.