I recently read that the renaissance of goose as the gourmet choice for Christmas has resulted in complete sell-outs of fresh geese in many areas in recent years. Part of the appeal of goose stems from the fact that it's a seasonal treat, only available from September to December, which makes it distinctly different from its rivals for Christmas.

Duck is also more readily available today, while goose has been overtaken by turkey as the traditional Christmas bird. Roasted carefully, duck and goose are delicious, and this month's recipe for orange stuffing goes equally well with either. But if the traditional turkey is your choice, we have a delicious stuffing to go with your bird, which, I'm sure you will agree, is a winner with the whisky peppercorn gravy.


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ORANGE STUFFING FOR DUCK

Ingredients:
2 medium sized onions, finely chopped. 2 celery sticks, cleaned and chopped. 50g butter. 50g fresh brown bread-crumbs. 2 lemons. 3 oranges. Salt and freshly ground black pepper. 1 large egg.

Method: Melt butter over a low heat. Add onions and celery and cook lightly for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add breadcrumbs. Grate zest from lemons and extract juice, then add to bowl. Grate zest and extract juice from 1 orange – add to bowl. Skin and divide the other oranges into segments. Chop the flesh and add to bowl. Add salt and pepper. Beat egg separately and mix in to bind the stuffing. To stuff goose increase the ingredients by half.

TURKEY STUFFING

Ingredients: 450g minced pork. 4 chicken livers, chopped. 1 large tin of chestnuts (approx. 439g) chopped. 110g fresh brown bread-crumbs. 2 celery sticks, chopped. 1 onion grated. 1 clove garlic, crushed. 25g butter. Grated rind of 1 lemon. 4 tablespoons chopped parsley. 3 medium eggs. 4-5 tablespoons brandy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Fry chopped chicken livers and mix with the other ingredients. Stir in the brandy and eggs and season well. Stuff turkey in the usual way, or make into small balls and place around the turkey, or in a separate dish to cook for about 25 minutes, basting well.

WHISKY PEPPERCORN GRAVY

Ingredients: Giblets from turkey. 2 litres (3½ pints) of water. 1 onion, 1 carrot. Few peppercorns. Bunch of mixed herbs. Small wine glass whisky. 25g flour. 150ml (¼ pint) single cream.

Method: Place giblets in large pan, add water, onion, carrot, peppercorns and herbs. Bring to the boil, then simmer for one hour. Skim off scum that rises to the surface. You should end up with approximately 600-800ml (1-1½ pints) of stock. Use tin that turkey has been cooked in, straining off the fat, and pour in whisky and stir. Boil for 2 minutes,
stir in flour. Gradually add the strained stock, stirring well. Then pour in the cream, stirring to give a smooth gravy. Strain into a gravy boat.

LET'S HAVE A PARTY!

With Christmas only weeks away, now is a good time to start planning your menus for the day itself. Some of you may also be having buffet parties, and here are some ideas to help your party go with a swing.


CHEESY BITES

Serve these tasty morsels with drinks when unexpected friends arrive.

Ingredients: 110g margarine. 80g Cheddar cheese. 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan. 110g plain flour. ¾ teaspoon salt. ½ teaspoon ground cumin. 1 teaspoon chilli powder. 1 beaten egg. Sesame seeds (or your choice).

Method: Blend margarine, Cheddar and Parmesan in a food processor or by hand in a bowl with a large fork. Sift flour, salt, ground cumin and chilli powder and sprinkle over cheese mixture. Work together quickly until the mixture forms a ball, then use your hands to knead. Wrap in a plastic bag and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface into about ¼ inch thickness, cut into triangles or fingers, place bites on a lined baking tray and chill for 30 minutes. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in preheated oven 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden. Cool on tray and store in an airtight container.

TASTY SAUSAGE ROLLS

I make these sausage rolls with short crust pastry instead of flaky, and find they taste just as good and are very popular at Christmas time, they freeze well too.

Makes 24.

Ingredients: 225g self-raising flour. 150g margarine and lard mixed. 1 tablespoon water. Filling: 450g pork sausage meat. 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion. 2 teaspoons chopped sage (use 1 teaspoon if using dried sage). A little marmite or vegetable stock.

Method: Make short crust pastry and roll out to about 20.5cm x 25.5cm (8 inches x 10 inches) and cut into two pieces. Mix sausage meat with chopped onion and sage and moisten with stock. Make two long sausages of meat mixture and place each roll on right-hand side of each piece of pastry. Fold over left-hand side and press damp edges together. Cut into required sausage roll size to make approximately 24, beginning in the middle, score diagonally. Place on an ungreased tray, brush with beaten egg or milk, and bake in preheated oven 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6 for 25-30 minutes.

Taken and adapted from my cookbook 'Step Into My Kitchen Through the Year'.


SWISS PIZZA

Another useful recipe to make at Christmas time. If you have time it's a good idea to make several and freeze them until needed; the pizza can be eaten hot or cold. You can also vary the topping according to your taste. To make a more robust pizza, try using wholemeal flour instead of the more traditional kind.

Ingredients: 225g self-raising flour. 50g lard. 50g butter. 4 tablespoons very cold milk. Pinch salt. Filling: 450g Emmenthal cheese. 1 medium onion, tomatoes and anchovy fillets.

Method: Make pastry in the usual way and line a 6-8 inch greased shallow fireproof baking dish or tin with it – prick pastry well. Add cheese, grated and cover with a layer of thick slices of onion, then a layer of tomatoes. Finally top with crossed anchovy fillets to form a lattice pattern. Bake in preheated oven 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6 for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Two pizzas will serve approximately 10 people,

AMERICAN FRUIT SALAD

When an American friend gave me this recipe some years ago, I thought it sounded ghastly, but I now make it every Christmas, it tastes super and guests come back for seconds. Be brave and try it!

Ingredients: 1 large tin pineapple cubes with juice. 1 large beaten egg. 175-225g (6-8 ozs) caster sugar. Pinch of salt. 2 tablespoons cornflour. Put all these ingredients into a saucepan and stir the mixture until it boils for 2 minutes. Cook for a further 2 minutes then add 300ml (½ pint) whipped evaporated milk or cream, 110g seedless grapes, small packet marshmallows (chopped) 175g bananas (cut up), 75g chopped walnuts. Keep in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving. Serves approximately 6-8 people.

APPLE FRUIT JELLY MOULD

A light, fruity dessert, which looks attractive when set out on a buffet table for a supper party over the festive season. This recipe is for 4 people, but can easily be doubled up for 8 – 10 servings.

Ingredients: 1 packet lemon jelly. Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon. 2 eating apples, coarsely grated. Glacé cherries. 300ml hot water. 150ml double cream, whipped. Whipped cream to decorate.

Method: Dissolve jelly in hot water, add lemon juice and grated rind. Be sure to set a little jelly in the bottom of a mould. Stir lightly whipped cream into the remaining jelly when it has reached the thick and syrupy stage. Now add the grated apple and pour into a mould when the first layer of jelly has set. Turn out when set firm and decorate with whipped cream and glace cherries.

LUXURY CHEESE CAKE MINCE PIES

I like my pastry to be thin and crisp, and I nearly always make short crust as I find puff pastry too rich for these pies, especially if you top with a mixture of cream cheese and sugar as I've suggest in this recipe.

Makes 20-24


Ingredients: 300g plain flour. 175g butter. 75g caster sugar. Grated rind of half an orange. 1 egg yolk and 3 tablespoons milk. 1 tablespoon ground rice or ground almonds.
For the filling: 400g jar of good quality mincemeat, preferably homemade. 2 tablespoons brandy.

Method: In a large mixing bowl mix the flour and ground rice, or almonds, add the butter in small pieces, and rub into mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, orange rind, egg and milk and mix to a dough. On a lightly floured surface knead to a smooth dough, then cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Beat 175g of cream cheese and 60g caster sugar together and set aside. Roll out pastry very thinly and cut out 24 tops and bottoms with a 5cm (2 inch) pastry cutter to line pie tins. Stir brandy into mincemeat and spoon 1 medium teaspoon into each pie, but do not overfill, and top with a teaspoon of the sweetened cream cheese. Dampen the edges with water, seal the tops and make a slit in each one. (Can be frozen at this stage for up to 6 weeks). To finish brush pies with egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in preheated oven 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6 for 15-20 minutes. Delicious!

CHRISTMAS CAKE WITH A DIFFERENCE

I've written about the traditional Christmas Cake so many times in the past I thought I'd include one that makes a change, and will be welcomed by those who do not enjoy the usual rich fruit and marzipan version.

Makes 1 x 8 inch (20 cm) cake.

Ingredients: 225g dried chopped apricots. 110g seedless raisins. 150ml (¼ pint) unsweetened orange juice. 150ml (¼ pint) brandy. 175g self-raising flour. 2 teaspoons baking powder. 175g butter. 4 tablespoons honey. 4 large eggs separated. Icing sugar.

Method: Put apricots and raisins in a saucepan, pour in brandy and orange juice. Bring to the boil, stirring well, remove from heat and leave to cool for 1 hour. Sift the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, cream the butter and honey, then beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Stir in one tablespoon of flour and the apricot mixture, and then add remaining flour. Whisk egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the mixture a little at a time. Place the mixture in a greased and lined 20cm (8 inch) cake tin and bake in preheated oven 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour, test with a skewer and when cooked leave in the tin for 10-15 minutes before turning out, allow to cool completely and then sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

To round off this month's Christmas recipes here is a good festive drink to get your party going. It's made to an old French recipe and keeps well, so that you can make it in advance and always have a bottle ready in the fridge.

Ingredients: ½ litre (1 pint) good quality rum. ½ kg (1lb 2oz) caster sugar. Juice of 5 lemons. 3 litres (5 ¼ pints) good dry white table wine or Alsace wine. Then simply mix ingredients altogether, and join me in raising your glass for a very Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful party.