Welcome to the Fall-Winter COTM reporting thread for The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater.
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This is a lovely, lovely book, even if you don’t cook a single thing from it. As trite as the phrase may be, reading The Christmas Chronicles feels like a warm cup of something soothing, while you’re wrapped in a quilt in front of a crackling fire.
I probably won’t buy the book because I am trying to use the books I already have (hundreds of them!)
I do want to say I really like his Christmas cake which is in the Christmas Chronicles, and has also been published in the Guardian. @harters had recommended the recipe.
Harters
(Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? DEMAND ANSWERS)
4
I am a long term fan of Slater. I have all of his books and his recipes guide much of my cooking. In particular, I check the three Kitchen Diaries editions each month for dishes I might look to cook (or cook again). It helps to keep me seasonal to some extent. Next month, Chronicles will join the other three. Apart from the recipes, it’s a lovely read, Slater putting in to context his winter and festive eating, with little stories - like going to buy the Xmas tree and the like.
My use of the book is more limited than the Diaries. That’s because, like most folk, we have our own festive food traditions. And we’re usually away from home in January, sunning ourselves in Tenerife. But we’ve cooked a fair few since the book came out in 2017. Here’s the list:
Leeks, beans and Italian sausage – not a keeper, too soupy
Braised brisket with porcini and onion gravy – excellent
Pork, miso and pickled pears – nice, we had it with Chinese noodles
Black pudding, baked apples and celeriac mash – Good dish
Family Xmas cake – I usually buy a cake but this was good.
Rice with cream, almonds fruits – his standard rice pudding
Roast cauliflower, carrot houmous – OK but not a keeper
Terrine of pork, smoked bacon & cranberries – If you only make one dish, do this
Hot smoked fish & leek pie – good dish
Cumberland sausage, dates & pancetta. OK but not a keeper
Cranberry butterscotch pudding – absolutely delish. Cooked often
Apples, potatoes & bacon – was OK
Bread pudding with ham Comte & Taleggio – comforting
Pork belly with sausage & thyme stuffing – stuffing was best bit
By the by, I’ve just bought his latest book - A Thousand Feasts. Not a cookbook, he describes it as “Small moments of joy …a memoir of sorts”. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for the very thorough review! I think you’re the only person I “know” who regularly cooks from Nigel Slater.
The braised brisket sounds good – I’ll check if my library has a copy of the book or if the recipe is online somewhere.
Also the fish & leek pie (I love fish pie), the terrine (have never thought to make a terrine myself), and the savory bread pudding (which I always bookmark when I see, but have yet to actually make). Stuffed pork belly? Now there’s something to read up on.
It sounds like a lovely read – I might get it for my (English) aunt now, as a precursor to the holidays.
Harters
(Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? DEMAND ANSWERS)
6
Shout or PM me if not and I’ll paraphrase the recipe for you. The terrine is excellent and does freeze well - I chill it overnight in the fridge, under the weight of a couple of tins and then slice into portions and freeze
Guardian – drinks, Figs with maple syrup and anise, Muscat prunes, Leeks, beans and Italian sausage, Marmalade pears with vanilla ice cream, Pot-roast partridge with parsnips and smoked garlic,
EYB Preview has Gnudi, Oxtail with Butterbeans, and Toasted Spelt Porridge
@Harters when you make the braised brisket recipe, about how much boiling water do you use to soak the porcini? Slater says put a kettle on - do you use the entire kettle-full?
1 Like
Harters
(Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? DEMAND ANSWERS)
16
Just enough to generously cover it, Gretchen. I usually soak dried mushrooms in a coffee mug (coz they’re kept nearby). Half filled with water is usually fine. Don’t forget to keep the liquid to add to the dish - bags of flavour in it when it’s dine soaking.
To begin, I used Fontina instead of Taleggio since I didn’t have my list with me at TJ’s. You toast rustic bread in the oven then spread with butter. Put this in a pan then layer the cheeses and ham on it. Sprinkle with thyme and pepper and continue layering. I had two layers. Over this you pour a mixture of egg yolks, parmesan, cream and milk. Grate more parm over top. Cover with foil and bake for 35 min. at 200 C (375 F for me).Uncover and bake another 10 min. Let rest 10 min. before cutting.
This tasted good even though I’m not too crazy about thyme. I used an 8 x 8 in. pan and that was alright except it needed to be deeper. If I had odds and ends of ingredients to use up I would feel good about making this, however I purchased the main ingredients at the store and that makes it a bit pricey for what it is. The cheeses and bread were getting close to $20. I will probably have leftovers for a week.
I had this several days for breakfast. I liked it better reheated. The thyme was not too prominent then. It would be good with a green salad tossed in a vinaigrette dressing to cut the richness a bit.
