5x 5 minute festive recipes
Try saying that 5 times!
Lots of us are busier than ever in the run up to Christmas so I thought I’d do a round up of 5x 5 minute festive recipes to whip out when you want something to share with loved ones or to bring a bit of joy to your evening after a long day without spending too much time in the kitchen. When I say “5 minutes”, this refers to the hands-on time; a couple of the recipes require a little longer for setting or cooling but this is completely inactive time so I hope you’ll grant me some creative license here!
As always, please share your tips and tricks for effortless festive cooking in the comments section so we can all read your pearls of wisdom.
All of these recipes serve four as a party (or sofa) snack but can easily be doubled or tripled if you’re feeding a crowd.
Chicory cups with stilton and pomegranate
2 heads of chicory, trimmed at the base and leaves pulled apart
100g stilton, crumbled
A handful of pomegranate seeds
A handful of olives, roughly chopped or torn
Zest of an orange
Black pepper
Simply fill each chicory leaf with a little crumbled stilton, pomegranate seeds and torn olives. Grate over the orange zest and finish with black pepper.
Spiced sticky nuts
40g unsalted butter
4 large handfuls of nuts, roughly chopped
3 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt
Melt the butter in a frying pan and once foaming add the nuts and spices.
Fry for about 3 minutes until lightly golden, stirring every now and then, then add the maple syrup and fry for another minute or so until it forms a sticky coating for the nuts. Spread out on a plate or tray lined with parchment paper and sprinkle over flaky salt. Allow to cool then serve.
Chocolate dipped clementines
2 clementines, peeled and pulled apart into segments
100g dark chocolate
Handful of finely chopped nuts (optional)
Flaky salt
Line a large tray with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie (a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water). Dip the clementine segments into the chocolate and transfer to the parchment lined tray. Sprinkle with the nuts, if using, then set aside in a cool place to set. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt before serving.
Salted ricotta stuffed dates
12 medjool dates
100g ricotta
Handful of toasted walnuts
Sea salt and black pepper
In a small bowl, season the ricotta with sea salt to taste. Gently open up each date, being careful not to tear in half completely, remove the pit then stuff with a little ricotta and a big walnut chunk. Twist over some black pepper then serve.
Festive mocktails
For each drink:
50ml non-alcoholic spirit
100ml tonic water or sparkling water
Sprig of fresh rosemary
Wedge of orange
Squeeze of orange or lime juice
A few ice cubes
Pop a few ice cubes into each glass along with your aromatics - the rosemary, orange wedge and juice.
Pour in the spirit then top with tonic water or sparkling water to serve.
Fabulous ideas 😀