Last minute Christmas recipes: Essential sauces and gluten free Yorkshire pudding

The turkey may be the star of the show, but don't neglect the bread sauce (or the Yorkshires)

You've got the turkey, you made and iced the cake and you've wrapped the presents. But have you got enough breadsauce, or forgotten how to make Yorkshire pudding? Our last minute festive recipes will provide the perfect finishing touches to your Christmas dining table – bon appetit.

Bread sauce

The classic sauce is always delicious at Christmas and its rich flavour is a perfect turkey accompaniment. This recipe from Dominic Chapman makes a wonderful side that is fantastic for the winter holidays, as well as for Burns Night. You can make the bread sauce ahead of time, and it can be stored in the freezer a couple of weeks ahead.

250ml of milk
½ onion, studded with one clove
1 bay leaf
​100g white bread, crusts removed
Nutmeg, freshly grated to taste
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp of double cream

Put the milk and clove-studded onion into a pan with the bay leaf, bring gently up to a simmer and then strain over the breadcrumbs. Stir until the bread softens then add cream, nutmeg and seasoning. Cool, then chill (or freeze in a lidded container until needed. Defrost overnight in the fridge). Serve warm with turkey.​

This recipe first appeared on the Great British Chefs

Hollandaise sauce

Hollandaise is an indulgent, buttery sauce that is an essential component of eggs Benedict, but equally heavenly with asparagus, salmon or new potatoes. The sauce is an emulsion of egg yolks and liquid butter flavoured with lemon juice, salt and a little cayenne pepper and is notoriously difficult to get right. The trick is to heat the eggs enough so they thicken but no so much that they curdle. Our easy recipe will help you achieve perfect results every time.

150ml white wine vinegar
1 banana shallot, finely sliced
1 sprig thyme
1 tsp black peppercorns
​2 egg yolks
​200g butter, melted
Salt

Place the vinegar, shallot, thyme and peppercorns in a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce by half. Place a large bowl over a pan of simmering water and add the egg yolks. Whisk until they have double in size and add the vinegar reduction. Remove the bowl from the heat and very gradually add the butter. Season the hollandaise to taste with the salt. Serve immediately. If you prefer it to be more acidic you can add a squeeze of lemon juice.

This recipe first appeared on the Great British Chefs

Yorkshire pudding

Lisa Allen's classic Yorkshire pudding recipe makes a fantastically crispy accompaniment for your Sunday roast. Don't forget to get the oil or dripping smoking hot before cooking – this is the key to any good Yorkshire pudding.

80g plain flour
1 egg​
80ml milk​
60ml water
2 tbsp vegetable oil, or beef dripping
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to make a well in the centre. Break the egg into the well and mix with the flour. Add the milk, water, salt and pepper, whisk until you have a smooth batter and set aside.

Add the vegetable oil or dripping to a 28 x 18cm roasting tray. Place into the oven until the fat gets smoking hot, for around 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the tray from the oven, pour in the batter and return to the oven until crispy and puffed up around the edges – this should take approximately 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe by Lisa Allen first appeared on the Great British Chefs

 

 

​Herby dairy- and gluten-free Yorkshire puddings

Howard Middleton puts a twist on a classic with this recipe for dairy-free and gluten-free Yorkshire puddings. Chives and sun-dried tomatoes really boost the flavour of the batter, but any combination of herbs would work beautifully in this recipe.

2 tbsp rice bran oil
4 eggs
​300ml oat milk
1 pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper
​100g tapioca flour
50g gluten-free oat flour
50g gram flour
50g cornflour
½tsp gluten-free baking powder
Handful of chives, chopped or snipped
6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil and chopped

Preheat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 9. Pour the oil into a 20 x 30cm metal baking tin and place into the oven to heat up. Meanwhile, make the batter by whisking together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add the flours and baking powder and whisk again, then add in the chives and tomatoes and stir well.

Once the oil has become smoking hot remove the tin from the oven and carefully pour in the batter. Return the tray to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the Yorkshire pudding has risen and become golden brown in colour. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.

Recipe taken from Howard Middleton's book Delicious Gluten-Free Baking published by Little, Brown