LEADING Irish chef Gareth Mullins has delighted patrons of five-star hotels in Ireland and Australia for over 20 years.
Throughout his career, has garnered extraordinary culinary achievements including being appointed Head of Euro-Toques Ireland - a nurturing community of like-minded chefs, cooks, producers, and educators that celebrates the best of Ireland’s food and drink, founded by the great Myrtle Allen.
Currently, he is the Executive Chef at Forbes Street at Anantara’s The Marker Dublin Hotel.
At the hotel, Mullins, a Dubliner himself, takes pride in celebrating Irish produce when crafting the restaurant’s ever-changing menus.
This week, working with SuperValu stores, he shared his top recipes to make your Christmas eating as flavoursome as possible…
TO START
A selection of tasty starters make the perfect festive foodPrawn Cocktail Bites, Dingle Infused Smoked Salmon, Dill and Black Pepper Salmon with Crème Fraiche Dip
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 2 mins and 10 minutes to cool
Servings: 4-6
Prawn Cocktail
Ingredients
400g Signature Tastes Wild Atlantic prawns
1 Cucumber
12 Signature Taste Piccolo Cherry Vine Tomatoes
2 heads Baby Gem Lettuce
1 lemon
Marie Rose Sauce
1 lemon
20mls Brandy
2 tablespoons SuperValu Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons SuperValu crème fraiche (Great Tastes Award Winner)
1-tablespoon SuperValu Tomato Ketchup
Method:
Prawns – bring a small pan of water with the juice of 1 lemon to the boil, place the prawns in the hot water and turn off the heat, leave in lemon water for 2 minutes then strain, lay out onto a plate to cool
Marie rose sauce – in a clean bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk, season a little salt and pepper to taste
Salad garnish – peel, deseed and dice the cucumber, quarter the cherry tomatoes, separate the baby gem into leaves.
Place the baby gem into the bottom of a small serving glass, add the tomatoes and cucumbers, top with the cooked prawns and spoon over the Marie Rose sauce, finish with some picked dill
Pepper Crème Fraiche
200mls crème fraiche
Salt and lots cracked black pepper
Zest 1 lemon
Method
Mix all ingredients together. Serve in a small bowl.
Serve all on a platter with the Signature Taste Dingle Infused and the Dill & Black Pepper Salmon and Sean’s Brown Soda Bread
MAIN EVENT
The main eventButtermilk Roasted Irish Bronze Turkey crown
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: - 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours - needs to hit 75 degrees
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
4 kg Signature Taste Irish Bronze Turkey Crown
2 litres SuperValu (or other) Buttermilk, 3 bay leaves, 5 springs thyme
Signature Tastes Olive Oil
150g soft butter mixed with 2 tablespoons chopped thyme and sage
1 tbs Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Onions - peeled and roughly chopped
2 Sticks celery - roughly chopped
2 Carrots- roughly chopped
Method
Take your turkey crown out of the packaging and put into a large bowl with the buttermilk, thyme, bay leaf and salt to marinade, pop into the fridge overnight, this can be done on Christmas eve ready for roasting on Christmas day.
Take the Turkey crown out of the fridge an hour before you are ready to cook and place on a rack to drain the buttermilk. Leave it to come up to room temperature before roasting.
Pat it dry with some kitchen paper, making sure you soak up any buttermilk from inside the cavity.
Be sure to give your hands and all surfaces a good wash after handling raw poultry
Mix the soft butter with the herbs and push under the skin of the bird, this will add flavour and help keep the meat moist and succulent.
Drizzle the meat with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and then rub this seasoning all over the bird, making sure you get in to all the nooks and crannies.
Pre heat the oven to 220 °C so it’s nice and hot before we add the bird in to cook.
Cover the turkey with tin foil then put it in the hot oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 180°C.
Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes per kilo.
The 4kg bird in this recipe will take about 2 & 1/2 to three hours.
Check on your turkey every 30 minutes or so and keep it from drying out by basting it with the lovely juices from the bottom of the pan.
After two hours, remove the foil so the skin gets golden and crispy.
When the time is up, take your turkey out of the oven use a thermometer to ensure that the thickest part of the bird has reached 75°C.
Be sure that the juices run clear, if not, pop the turkey back in the oven to cook for a bit longer, then check again.
When you're confident it's cooked, rest the turkey for at least one hour, preferably two hours for bigger birds.
Serve with SuperValu’s Signature Tastes Cranberry, Orange & Apricot Stuffing or Signature Tastes Wild Sage & Red Onion Stuffing.
Honey glazed ham
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 mins gentle simmer – roast 30/40 minutes
Ingredients
1 Irish Signature Taste Hampshire Smoked Ham about 2-3kg
2 Onions diced
2 Carrots
2 Sticks celery
2 Bay leaves
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 tablespoon Peppercorns
Glaze for ham
2 tablespoons Signature Taste Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons SuperValu Honey
30mls Whiskey
15 Cloves
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Method
Place the ham in a snug fitting pot, roughly chop the carrots, celery, and onion and add to the pot with the peppercorns and bay leaf.
Add the zest from the orange and lemon and cover the ham with cold water.
Put on a high heat and bring to the boil, when the water boils lower to a slow simmer and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
When the time is up remove from the heat and allow the ham to cool in the stock for 30 minutes - this will help the ham take on some of the flavours.
Pre heat the oven to 160°C (fan oven).
Place the ham onto a clean board and take off the skin. Scour the fat in a diamond shape.
Spike the ham with cloves, mix the Dijon mustard and whiskey together and brush onto the ham.
Now drizzle with honey and sprinkle with brown sugar, place the ham in a tray with a cup of the cooking stock from the ham and roast.
Cook the ham until the fat becomes golden and the sugar caramelises.
I like to baste the ham every 10 minutes with the honey that runs off into the tray.
Remove from the oven and let to cool for at least one hour before carving, or this can be done the day before.
Tasty Sides
Duck Fat Roast Potatoes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Servings: 6 - 8
2kg of SuperValu Rooster’s potatoes
200g Signature Tastes Duck Fat
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
Salt and Pepper
Peel and cut potatoes into even size pieces.
Place in a pot of boiling water and bring to the boil, let simmer for eight minutes and strain in a colander.
Place on a cooling rack to allow to cool completely.
Preheat a heavy roasting tray in the oven with the duck fat and carefully add the cooked potatoes to the tray and roast in a hot oven 190 degrees for 40 minutes or until super crispy.
Now at this point add the fresh rosemary, salt and pepper and roast for 15 more minutes.
Brussel Sprouts and Leek Gratin with Cranberry, Orange and Apricot stuffing
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8
1kg Brussel sprouts, cut into quarters
1 Leek washed and chopped
50g butter
250mls SuperValu cream
200g SuperValu Cranberry, Orange and Apricot Stuffing (confirm which one was used)
Salt and Pepper
Method
Melt the butter in a medium sized pot and add the leeks.
Sauté on a medium heat for five minutes until soft, add the sprouts and cream, bring the cream up to a boil, season well with salt and pepper.
Now pour the mix into an ovenproof dish and scatter the stuffing on top, bake at 180 degrees F/Fan oven) for 20 minutes until the stuffing is golden and crispy.
Serve hot.
DESSERT
The ultimate showstopperShowstopper Pavlova
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour plus 3 hours to cool
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
4 Eggs
250g SuperValu Caster Sugar
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Cornflour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
150 Signature Taste Blackberries
100g Signature Taste Passionfruit Curd
350ml Double Cream
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
100g Fresh Mint - pick the sprouting tops and store in iced water for garnish
Method
Heat oven to 140C – no fan.
Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking parchment.
Whisk 4 egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in 200g caster sugar, 1 tbsp. at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.
Now mix the cornflour with remaining sugar and add slowly, add in 1 tsp white wine vinegar and 1 tsp vanilla extract, mix until fully combined.
Spread the meringue inside the circle, creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle with a pallet knife.
Bake for 1 hr at 140 degrees, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven.
Whip 350ml double cream with the vanilla, swirl in 2/4 of the passionfruit curd with a whisk, don’t over mix, you want to have a ripple effect, now spread it over the cooled meringue. Place the blackberries on the cream and add some mint for colour.
Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serve with Supervalu's Signature Taste Passionfruit Ice Cream.
See More: Christmas, Garreth Mullins, Recipes
