Christmas Sauces Recipe

This delicious set of sauces means you've always got the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas meal at hand, as Dominic Chapman has all the bases covered; apple sauce for pork, mint for lamb, bread sauce for poultry, and cranberry for the main event. Packaged in jars and decorated, they also make fantastic gifts for friends and family.

Ingredients

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Apple sauce

5 Bramley apples
50g of butter
75g of Demerara sugar
1 dash of water
1 lemon for juice
2 pinches of cinnamon

Mint sauce

2 bunches of mint, large
150g of sugar
150ml of white wine vinegar
150ml of water
1 pinch of salt

Cranberry sauce

1000g of cranberries
2 oranges, zested
400ml of orange juice
1 pinch of ground ginger
1 pinch of mixed spice
1 pinch of cinnamon
400g of brown sugar

Bread sauce

250ml of milk
1/2 onion
1 clove
1 bay leaf
100g of white bread, crusts removed
nutmeg, freshly grated to taste
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp of double cream

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For the apple sauce, peel and core the apples, then slice as thinly as possible

5 Bramley apples

Melt butter in a pan over a low-medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and water and cook gently until soft and puréed. Finish with the cinnamon and lemon juice. Store in a jar in the fridge

50g of butter
75g of Demerara sugar
1 dash of water
75g of Demerara sugar
2 pinches of cinnamon
1 lemon for juice

For the mint sauce, pick the mint leaves and reserve the stalks. Blanch the mint leaves for a few seconds in boiling water. Then, refresh in ice water, drain and squeeze dry before finely chopping

2 bunches of mint, large

Add the sugar, water, vinegar and mint stalks to a pan and bring to the boil, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, remove from the heat and leave to cool

150g of sugar
150ml of water
150ml of white wine vinegar
1 pinch of salt

Once cool, pour over the chopped mint. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge

For the cranberry sauce, combine the orange juice, zest and spices in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half

2 oranges, zested
400ml of orange juice
1 pinch of ground ginger
1 pinch of mixed spice
1 pinch of cinnamon

Add the cranberries and cook over a low heat to slowly stew the fruit - do not allow the cranberries to burn

1000g of cranberries

Once the cranberry mixture has a loose, jam-like consistency, add the sugar and bring back to the boil

400g of brown sugar

Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

Once warm, taste for sweetness and add sugar, if necessary - you are looking for a balance between sweet and sour. Transfer to a jar and freeze (if storing for more than 3 days) or refrigerate

For the bread sauce, blitz the bread in a blender until you are left with chunky breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use your hands to tear up the bread

100g of white bread, crusts removed

Stud the onion with a clove and add to a pan along with the milk and bay leaf. Bring up to a gentle simmer and then strain into a bowl

1/2 onion
1 clove
250ml of milk
1 bay leaf

Add the breadcrumbs and stir until the bread softens. Add the cream, nutmeg and seasoning. Cool, then chill before use (or freeze in an airtight container until needed)

First published in 2015

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