Christmas recipes from The Europe Hotel & Resort

This Christmas, The Europe Hotel & Resort invites you to bring amazing cooking into your home

This Christmas, The Europe Hotel & Resort brings a touch of its culinary excellence to the festive season. Executive Chef Alex Nahke and his team share a selection of their seasonal favourites, each dish reflecting the warmth and flavours of the season.

The menu begins with Dingle Goat’s Cheese with Crispy Brioche and Beetroot, a delicate composition balancing creamy and earthy notes. This is followed by Braised Irish Lamb Shank, slow cooked to perfection for a rich and comforting main course. To conclude, a traditional Christmas Pudding provides a classic and indulgent finale to a memorable festive feast.

Dingle Goat’s Cheese with Crispy Brioche and Beetroot

Ingredients for Goat’s Cheese & Beetroot Topping:

• 220g Dingle goat’s cheese
• 30ml pouring cream
• 4g garlic puree
• 1x bunch of baby beetroot or 500g whole large beetroot
• 30g walnuts
• Pinch of carraway seeds
• Salt and pepper

Ingredients for Brioche (makes 2 bread loaves):

• 150ml whole milk
• 40g yeast
• 400g baker’s flour
• 60g sugar
• 10g salt
• 160g butter (softened)
• 80ml egg yolk
• Zest from 1 lemon

Method for Brioche:

•  Mix yeast with the milk
•  Add in remaining ingredients
•  Chill in fridge for 12 hours
•  Portion and proof in buttered and floured moulds
•  Proof to around double the original size
•  Bake at 175°C/180°C until golden brown

Method for the Goat’s cheese and Beetroot topping:

•  Cook the beetroot in salted water with some carraway seeds until tender
•  Remove from the water and peel the beetroots
•  Slice the baby beetroot in halves or quarters, the large beetroot can be cut into any shape you like to present.
•  Blend goat’s cheese in a blender until smooth or simply, mix it with the cream & garlic with a spoon until smooth.
•  Season with salt & pepper
•  Refrigerate

Serving:

• Slice the brioche into your desired shape and toast until crispy on all sides.
• Roast some walnuts in a dry frying pan

Arrange the items on a plate, piping or spooning the softened goat’s cheese onto the brioche. Surround or accompany it with the beetroot textures and finish with a sprinkle of toasted nuts.

Braised Irish Lamb Shank

Ingredients:
 4 lamb shanks
 2 tbsp olive oil (for browning the lamb)
 2 onions roughly chopped
 4 garlic cloves minced
 2 carrots roughly chopped
 2 celery sticks roughly chopped
 400ml red wine
 400ml beef or lamb stock
 2 tbsp tomato paste
 2 bay leaves
 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
 Salt and pepper

Equipment needed:

•  Large ovenproof casserole dish or Dutch oven
•  Slow cooking tongs
•  Sharp knife
•  Cutting board
•  Wooden spoon

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 160°C / 140°C fan.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.
• Brown the lamb shanks on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Once browned, remove the shanks from the pan and set them aside.
• In the same dish, add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for 5- 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and turn golden brown.
• Add tomato paste and roast it off alongside the vegetables. Ensure it does not burn, but if it does, add a dash of water.
• Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the dish with a wooden spoon.
• Let the wine simmer for 3-4 minutes to reduce slightly.
• Stir in the stock, bay leaves, and rosemary.
• Return lamb shanks to the casserole dish or Dutch oven, ensuring they are partially submerged in the liquid.
• Cover the casserole dish with a lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Cook the lamb shanks for 2 ½ to 3 hours, turning them halfway through. The lamb is ready when its tender and easily falls off the bone.

Suggestion if you’d like a thicker sauce:

Remove the lamb shanks from the casserole dish and cover them to keep warm. Strain the vegetables out of the sauce, then place the dish on the stovetop over medium heat and simmer the sauce to reduce it by half until it thickens slightly. Alternatively, you can use a cornflower and water mixture to add to the sauce to thicken it slightly, be careful it does thicken very fast!

Serving Suggestion:
Serve the lamb shanks with the rich sauce poured over the top. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and pair with mashed potatoes, polenta, or your favourite side dish.

Christmas Pudding

Ingredients for fruit mix:

• 200g sultanas
• 200g raisins
• 100g currants
• 75g chopped dried apricots
• 50g chopped glace cherries
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 100ml whiskey
• 30ml honey

Ingredients for pudding mix:

• 125g butter
• 125g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 75g plain flour
• 5g mixed spice
• 5g cinnamon
• 100g grated apple
• 15g treacle

Day 1: Fruit Mix

• Combine all fruit mix ingredients together.
• Cover and leave to soak overnight

Day 2: Pudding mix:

• Cream the butter and sugar, adding eggs one at a time.
• Stir in the breadcrumbs, flour, spices, nuts, grated apple and treacle.
• Add in the fruit mix including all the liquid.
• Grease a 1.2L pudding bowl and add the mixture. Leave a 2cm space at the top.
• Cover.
• Put the pudding bowl into a pot of boiling water. The water should come halfway up the sides of the pudding bowl.
• Steam for 5-6 hours topping up the water when needed.

Serving Suggestion:
Serve warm with brandy butter, custard, or fresh cream for a true taste of festive indulgence.

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