Christmas is the best excuse to go a little bit extra in the kitchen, but never fussy. The Barra Bites is summer fine dining done effortlessly. Then, this year, for the centrepiece, Emma Dean shares her “nail-it-every-time” Jolly Good Turkey. It’s golden, juicy and brushed with a honey-herb glaze. Serve it with the Fancy Pants Potato Salad that you can make ahead and dress to impress.

Fancy Pants Potato Salad

Gluten Free

There’s nothing more Christmas than a good old potato salad. This one is super easy and looks fancy without any fuss — winning! I like to cook a few extra potatoes and eggs and keep a little extra sauce on the side so I can quickly pull it out again and again over the Christmas break. It’s a winner every time as a side or main event.

Serves: 4-6

• 1 red shallot, thinly sliced into rings
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp salt
• 750g kipfler potatoes
• 3 eggs, at room temperature

Dressing

• 100g Kewpie mayonnaise
• 100g natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Gourmet Garden Garlic
• Cold Blended Paste
• 1 tsp capers, roughly chopped
• Juice ½ lemon
• 4 sprigs dill, chopped
• White pepper, to taste

To serve

• 10 thin slices Puopolo
• Cacciatore Mild Salami
• 10 thin slices Puopolo Hungarian
• Mild Smoked Salami
• ½ Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 cornichons, sliced into discs
• 2 sprigs dill
• Edible flowers (optional)

1. Place the shallot rings in the lemon juice to pickle while you prepare everything else.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients except white pepper and mix well.
3. Season the dressing with white pepper, then pour it into a jar or bowl and set it aside.
4. Boil a large pot of water and add the salt.
5. Remove any eyes or icky bits from the spuds and boil whole for approx. 20 mins or until soft. Allow to cool, then slice into 2cm thick coins.
6. Bring another pot of water to a rapid boil.
7. Cook eggs for 7 mins. Prepare a bowl of ice water and immediately after eggs are done cooking, place them gently into the ice water.
8. When eggs are cool, peel them, cut in half and set aside.
9. Plate up! Dollop half of the dressing on the Onni Speckle White Bowl by Maxwell & Williams to allow the ingredients to “stick” to the platter. Arrange the spuds, boiled eggs, Puopolo Cacciatore Mild Salami and Puopolo Hungarian Mild Smoked Salami on top.
10. Garnish with the pickled shallot, cucumber, radishes, cornichons, big dill fronds and, if you have them, edible flowers.
11. Drizzle some more dressing onto the potato salad. You don’t want the potatoes swimming in sauce, just enough to cover them. Reserve the remaining dressing in a cute jar so family and guests can help themselves to extra.

Barra Bites

Dairy Free | Gluten Free

To me, summer means good food done simply, and this barramundi is exactly that — a dish you can whip up quickly that tastes like summer fine dining. My “bake and flake” technique makes this dish effortless, bright and utterly delicious. Get the freshest cut of barramundi and it will do the rest.

Serves 6-8 as a starter

• 100mL lime juice
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 whole Australian Farmed Barramundi fillet, skinless, approx. 500g
• 3 cucumbers, cut into thick slices
• Lemon wedges, for garnish
• Dill sprigs, for garnish
• Jolly Good Salt (see page 25)

1. Combine the lime juice, coconut milk, caster sugar, salt and lemon juice.
2. Place the Australian Farmed Barramundi in the mixture and marinate for 5 mins.
3. Preheat the Falcon Classic FX Induction range cooker to 185°C. Line a baking tray with GLAD Bake & Cooking® Paper.
4. Gently remove the barramundi from the marinade, place it on the tray and then into the Falcon oven.
5. Bake for 25 mins or until the barramundi is just cooked through and opaque.
6. Using a fork, gently flake the barramundi into pieces.
7. Place a nicely sized piece of barramundi on top of each cucumber slice.
8. Garnish with dill, lemon wedges and a generous sprinkle of Jolly Good Salt.

Emma’s Jolly Good Turkey

Gluten Free

This year is a big deal. It’s our fifth Christmas special! What better time to finally tackle the classic Chrissy centrepiece, a traditional Chrissy turkey? Here is my easy, no-fail, nail- nail-it-every-time recipe for Jolly Good Turkey.

Serves: 6–8

• 3kg Ingham’s Whole Frozen Turkey
• 2 cups water
• 200g FLORA Block Salted
• 2 tbsp table salt
• 6 tbsp My Dad’s Honey Organic Honey
• 1 tsp Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Parsley
• 1 tsp Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Chives

Note: Store Ingham’s Whole Frozen Turkey frozen at or below -18°C. To thaw the turkey before cooking, place it in the refrigerator until fully thawed, approximately 13 hrs per kilogram. Once thawed, do not refreeze. Ingham’s Whole Frozen Turkey must be fully cooked before eating. Cooking times are a guide and may vary depending on your appliance. I suggest using a meat thermometer. Turkey should be fully cooked when pierced and juices run clear and when the internal temperature reaches 82°C. Please ensure the thermometer is placed in the deepest part of the turkey.

1. Preheat the Falcon Classic FX Induction range cooker to 160°C (180°C conventional oven).
2. Remove Ingham’s Whole Frozen Turkey from packaging and dispose of bone guard pad.
3. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a GreenPan Reserve rectangular cakepan. Pour the water into the base of the dish and cover the ends of the wings with foil.
4. Melt 100g of the FLORA Block Salted (in the microwave is fine). Using a pastry brush, brush the breasts and legs of the turkey with the melted FLORA Block Salted. Then season generously with the salt.
5. Place into the Falcon oven and cook for approximately. 40 mins per kg or until cooked through (see note at start of recipe)
6. 30 mins before the turkey is cooked, remove foil and pierce the skin several times with a skewer to allow self-basting and browning.
7. Warm the My Dad’s Honey Organic Honey and the remaining FLORA Block Salted until the honey is runny and the mixture has melted.
8. Add the Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Parsley and Chives and stir to combine.
9. With 10 mins to go, spoon half the honey and herb mix over the breast and legs of the turkey.
10. Repeat 5 mins later so the honey and herb mix is all bubbly and golden.
11. Remove the turkey from the Falcon oven and allow 20 minutes to rest before carving