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With only 12 days left to go, we wanted to share some exquisite recipe ideas from our culinary team to help inspire you and give you all something extra special to enjoy this Christmas.
Our first recipe is perfect as a starter on special occasions such as Christmas, and our Scallop and Pancetta recipe will delight your guests; with a lovely combination of flavours and textures before your main course meal.
Ingredients for this recipe (serves 6)
- 18 diver-caught scallops
- 6 slices of Pancetta
- 1000g of frozen peas
- 3 diced shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 500 ml of double cream
- 300 ml of milk
- 6 teaspoons of butter
- Dash of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chive stalks to garnish x 6
- 24 crayfish in brine
Ingredients For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp Lobster glace
- 60g Chopped dill
- 100g finely shredded leek
- 600ml Double cream
- 200ml white wine
- 50g butter
Method
- To start, Pre-heat your oven to 180'C.
- Heat a pan on the gas and add 3 teaspoons of butter, your shallots and the garlic, carefully sweating them off.
- Next add the milk and the cream and slowly bring to the boil.
- Pop in the peas just to defrost. Once the peas are soft, take the contents of the pan and pour into a blender. Liquidize the mixture adding salt and pepper to taste. This is going to be for the base of the starter, so we don’t want it too liquidized, it should have a semi liquid texture to it with substance. Put this to one side once done.
- Next, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and lay out the Pancetta slices. Add another sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the Pancetta and place a second baking tray over the top to keep the slices flat whilst cooking. Bake the pancetta for 8-10 minutes until crispy and coloured. Take out and set aside and leave to cool.
- For the sauce, place a sauce pan on the hob and add the butter. Went melted add the shredded leek and sweat down on a low heat and do not colour. When the leeks are lovely and soft add the white wine and reduce by half. Next, stir in the lobster glace then add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes, finishing with chopped dill. Taste and check seasoning to your liking then set aside.
- Finally, get a non stick pan and heat until hot. Add your scallops and fry each side for approximately 30 seconds, adding a teaspoon of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice at the last moment.
- Now to prepare your dish. In a warm starter plate, spoon some of the pea puree down the centre for the base, and carefully add 3 scallops on top. Next, spoon over some of the lobster sauce, garnish with 2 slices of Pancetta and 4 of the cray fish and finish with chive stalks. There you have it, a fantastic scallop and pancetta starter perfect for Christmas day.
From Chef Glynne Lawrence,
“Christmas is a time to indulge and push the boat out, this scallop and pancetta recipe is a great way to kick off a special lunch on Christmas day. My family loved this when I did it last year and was well received as a nice change. During Christmas we all spend a lot of time in the kitchen so why not push the boat out and create something new! It’s easy and the end result is so worth it.”