No more turkey

I really don't like turkey, and this year, after cooking about 10 full Christmas dinners already for print and TV advertising, I am fed up with the sight and smell of it.

I have been basting these massive birds with their own hot fat from the back of removal vans on suburban London streets, in photo studios and in my own kitchen for testing, for the past three months. I have roasted at least 15 kilos of spuds in 5 litres of goose fat and peeled a small mountain of brussel sprouts. I have learnt how to make perfect parsnips (par boil them before roasting) and perfected the art of a golden finish to the turkey, without resorting to painting it with Marmite (food stylist trick here) - as natural is the new fake in advertising.

So, enough.

I am taking a break this week, catching up on this blog, getting my new website up, relishing in some new tunes I bought as Christmas presents but cracked and have claimed for myself (Alt J, Tinariwen, Ben Howard) and keeping up with the many spidery scribbles on the calender: 2.30 Wednesday, River's class party (take treats), Tuesday pm, Phoebe choir (pack dinner), Thursday - Phoebe bulb planting (pack wellies), Friday - toy day (nothing precious) etc.

And eating biscuits with coffee at 10.30am.

Despite myself, I baked this weekend. My first ever raging success with chocolate chip cookies. An excess of top-quality vanilla extract and 80-something percent dark chocolate bashed randomly are the winning elements I think.

Best-ever chocolate chip cookies
(Why not wrap them up in brown paper and twine and give to those school-run parents you always love chatting to but never see outside the gates, or work-mates you spend half your life with but don't know what their lounge-room looks like or those friendly local shop-keepers who make you feel part of a community - as a DIY Chrissy pressie. Cheap, easy, personal, delicious. Makes @18)

150g unsalted butter, melted
150g golden castor sugar
1tbsp golden syrup
1 egg
2 tsp best-quality vanilla extract
300g organic plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g high-grade dark chocolate, bashed into little chunks

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 190 Celsius. Line two greased baking trays with grease-proof paper.

Whisk the butter and sugar together until creamy and thick, then add the golden syrup, vanilla and egg.

Now, using a wooden spoon, stir in half the flour and then the chocolate chunks until fully combined. Then add the rest of the flour.

The mix can now be kept in the fridge for up to a day or you can spoon dessert spoon dollops onto one of the baking trays - only put one in the oven at a time. These cookies don't really spread, so leave some space between them, but don't worry too much - they stay put.

Cook for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden - or you can open the oven after about 7 minutes and squash them to flatten if you like those thin, big cookies. (I leave mine a bit fat and chewy).

Cool on a wire tray - give, eat, enjoy.

****NB: I have anew website and as a part of the change, this blog is moving with my site, I will post full details of the change and hope you can join me in my new, sexier format.

Merry Christmas friends

Nicole  xxxx