Making the most of your festive roast

TV chef Rick Stein shares his tips and tricks for the ultimate Christmas dinner, with LAUREN TAYLOR

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IN a restaurant kitchen, even pro chefs don’t have to make every element of a three-course meal.

But at Christmas, says Rick Stein: “When you're cooking at home, you have to do everything, therefore your timing has to be really good.”

The popular TV chef has published his first festive cookbook, Rick Stein’s Christmas, including how to organise your time “to do it all painlessly”.

He advises: “Don’t leave everything until Christmas morning, there are many, many things that you think need to be done at the last minute - they really don’t.”

From festive canapes (think mini brioche toasts with whipped feta, fresh figs and pickled walnuts) and starters (Jerusalem artichoke soup with crispy bacon) to impressive desserts - like semifreddo cheesecake with clementine and Campari syrup, or Black Forest trifle, Rick's recipes are designed to be made in the fortnight around Christmas.

Here's his advice for getting the meal right on the big day.

THE BIRD

“Christmas is special in that it is about celebrating the same things every year)” says Rick. “I really like the repetitiveness because it only comes around once a year. So turkey or goose with all the trimmings is what it’s all about.”

What are the main mistakes people make with turkey?

“The biggest mistake is getting too nervous and overcooking it,’ Rick says. “People worry they're going to get food poisoning if it's undercooked which is very, very unlikely.

“Buy a [oven] temperature probe to make sure you don’t overcook it.

“I think the safe temperature for a turkey is something like 70°C.

“Once you start going over that, you get this problem with dry meat.”

THE GRAVY