Festive Flavours with Alexandra Dudley​

Bring festive flavours to your table with Alexandra Dudley, ‘serial dinner party host’ extraordinaire, who shares her top tips with RW for hosting the perfect celebration and memorable recipes that will take you straight into the Christmas season.   

Love for the wild … in food and life 

I’ve always loved colour. It is such an effective way to bring joy to the way you dress, curate your home, or the way you eat. When cooking, I follow the tune of the seasons and you will always find lots of colour on my table, whether it be wintery platters of pomegranate jewelled tumbling salads of roasted squash and spinach alongside roasted rainbow carrots with pistachio pesto and herb spiked butterbean mash or come summertime, perhaps juicy figs with burrata, honey, hazelnuts and thyme next to a medley of crudités and a vibrant minted pea dip.  

What makes a Wild Christmas for you? 

I like to make my Christmas decorations fun. I love using a heavily natural element for the scents too. I love to buy branches of eucalyptus, spruce and bay and pair them with pops of colour using whole fresh pomegranates and cranberries as well as subtle touches of sparkle. One of my favourite things to do is to place a few baubles on the table.  

Tips for hosting a wonderfully wild seasonal celebration? 

Think about layers. I love to treat my table almost as you would a present. Lots of layers and things to unwrap. It could be as simple as tying a ribbon around the napkins or placing a little chocolate at everyone’s place  setting. Adding height and layers to a table makes it instantly more fabulous and those little surprises make it that more joyful.  

Cranberry, Campari orange and walnut tart recipe

Zesty, sweet with the delicious aromatic bitterness of Campari. This tart is perfect for Christmas. If you want to keep it booze free omit the Campari.

I love it just as it is but it is heaven with some soft whipped sweet cream.

INGREDIENTS:

230g spelt flour

15g icing sugar 

pinch salt

130g butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 egg

1-tbsp ice cold water

zest and juice juice one orange 75 ml

50 ml campari

3tbsp corn flour

150g caster sugar

70g marmalade

70g chopped walnuts or pecans

300g fresh cranberries

Method

Preheat your oven 200° fan setting. 

Combine your flour, icing sugar and salt in a bowl with a whisk. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub everything together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 

Add the yolk and bring the pastry together using a wooden spoon adding the water if the mix is too dry. 

Lightly flour a surface and roll the pastry out until it will cover a 23cm loose bottomed fluted tart tin. Allow the sides to hang over the edge. 

Place in the freezer for 15 mins to chill. 

Then, prick the base with a fork and line the pastry shell with parchment paper and baking beans (or dry rice or lentils). 

Bake for 15 mins. Then, remove parchment and baking beans, trim the edges and bake for a further 5 mins. This is what is known as blind baking. 

In a medium sized bowl combine the orange zest and juice, campari and corn flour. Whisk together to remove any lumps. Add the remaining ingredients and pour into the pastry shell. 

Reduce oven to 180° fan setting and bake for 50 mins. Transfer the tart onto a wire wrack and allow it to cool completely.  Before serving, zest over an orange if you like. Serve with loose whipped sweet cream or custard.

Centre Stage Roast Butternut Squash with Cranberries, Burrata, Hazelnut Sage Pesto and Crispy Sage

II call this a centre stage dish because it really can hold up as star of the show. I love placing vegetables at the heart of the table and for anyone perhaps trying to eat a little less meat this Christmas it makes for a wonderful main course. I love the festive colours of this dish and it never fails to get me into the Christmas mood. Zippy cranberries pair beautifully with naturally sweet squash and the sage and hazelnut pesto brings a delicious richness and crunch to the dish.

The crispy sage looks more impressive than it is. It really takes no time at all but if you’re short of time feel free to leave it out. I have a method for making pesto which I swear by. Not quite the traditional Italian method of making it by hand with a pestle and mortar but a step above simply bunging it in a food processor. I like to whizz my herbs and nuts in the processor and then add the oil slowly  – stirring with a spoon. I find it creates a more dynamic flavour where you can really capture the hazelnut, herb and lemon. Use good extra virgin olive oil for this if you can as it makes all the difference. Any leftover pesto can be stored in a jar and saved for a weekday pasta dish or spread on toast.

SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

2 small or 1 large butternut squash

Olive oil

100g fresh cranberries

1 bunch of sage

100g blanched hazelnuts

1 clove of garlic

1 lemon

Salt and pepper

1-2 balls of burrata

Method

Preheat the oven to 200° fan setting.

Chop your squash in half width ways then cut each half again length ways. Scoop out the seedy centre and cut the squash into even sized wedges – about the width of your thumb.

Arrange on two baking trays, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 mins and check. The squash should be soft and slightly charred. If it is not yet leave it to cook a little longer till it is.

Toss your cranberries in a small mixing bowl with a splash of oil. Sprinkle evenly over the squash and return the squash to the oven for a further ten minutes.

Separate the leaves of the sage from the stems (instead of throwing them away keep them for a stock or add to boiling pasta water for a herby touch). Take about a fifth of the leaves and keep aside.

Roughly chop the remaining leaves and add them to a food processor. Add the hazelnuts, garlic, a good pinch of salt and the zest and juice of your lemon. Pulse until well broken down with a texture similar to bread crumbs. (If you prefer a thinner pesto pulse for longer and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to help it combine).

Transfer the pulsed herb, but mix to the bowl that held the cranberries and slowly add olive oil stirring as you do until you have a spoonable pesto. Taste to season adding more lemon, salt or olive oil as necessary.

To make the crispy sage  first prepare a plate with two sheets of kitchen towel to drain the oil.

Then fill a small saucepan with about a fingerprints height worth of olive oil. Bring it to heat slowly and test it by dropping a little torn leaf in. It should sizzle right away.

When the oil is hot enough drop in your remaining sage leaves and leave them for just 10 seconds. Remove using a fork or slotted spoon and transfer to your paper towel lined plates. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt immediately.

To serve  arrange your roasted squash and cranberries on a serving plate. Tear over the burrata and spoon over the pesto liberally. Finish by scattering or placing the crispy sage leaves on top and enjoy.

WILD PICKS