'THANKSGIVING INSPIRED' AUTUMNAL ROAST DINNER

I think it's easy for everyone to guess which season is my favourite (Those who have me on Instagram will know!). I love everything about Autumn from the warm autumnal coffee flavours of pumpkin spice and pecan latte's to the beautiful auburn brown colours of trees shedding their leaves.

Most girls would just flick through their latest issue of Vogue. But being the big food enthusiast that I am, instead I'm sat there looking at Country Living articles on lifestyle and food. One of the things I came across was Thanksgiving which is mostly celebrated in America and Canada. It is a holiday which was originally celebrated by early pilgrims having a harvest meal (which dates back to the 1600's- I'm not about to give you a history lesson dont worry!)

But it's mainly a holiday which brings families together at the dinner table to enjoy a roast turkey feast filled with vegetable trimmings. It fulfils the purpose of being with family and loved ones and brings the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness. I personally love the concept of this holiday so that really appealed to me, but it was most certainly the vast variety and spread of flavour across a beautiful Autumn roast which is what intrigued me. So I ended up taking some inspiration from classic Thanksgiving dishes.

The traditional Thanksgiving consists of a big roasted turkey with trimmings such as cranberry sauce, cornbread, green beans, mashed potato, sweet potato with marshmallow toppings, turkey gravy and pumpkin pie. So I decided to take a little inspiration from classic dishes and put my own twist on them and do my own version of an Autumnal Roast Dinner. (Yes, I didn't go with the turkey because I'm not a massive fan of meat that tastes dry).

MENU

Main

Roasted Lamb Necks

Sides

Creamy Mashed Potato

French Green Beans with garlicky Almond Breadcrumbs

Oven Roasted Parsnips and Carrots in Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and Italian Herbs

Brussel Sprouts in a balsamic dressing

Rosemary and Lamb Gravy

Desserts

Toffee Crunch Cake

Chocolate Chip and Pecan Tarts

You can find the recipes and ideas for these dishes below!

Disclaimer: All recipes have been inspired and adapted by Country Living USA

TOFFEE CRUNCH CAKE

INGREDIENTS

Cake Batter

- 2 1/2 Cups + 2tbsp of Self-Raising Flour

- 1/2 teaspoon Salt

- 1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter (Equivalent to 113 grams)

- 1 1/2 Cups of granulated white sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1tbsp of of Toffee syrup or Salted caramel sauce (You can even use Maple Syrup)

- 1 Cup of Buttermilk

- 1 tsp of white distilled vinegar

- 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

Toffee Crunch Frosting

- 1 Packet of Chocolate Chips or a bar of cooking milk chocolate

- 1 Cup of Double Cream

- 1/2 Cup of Butter

- 2 Cups of Icing Sugar

- 1 Cup of crushed toffee crisp chocolate bars

- 1/2 cup of whole pecans

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 and butter 3 small 6-inch round cake tins and line the bottom and around the edges with baking paper, then set to aside.

2. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour and salt, then set aside.

3. In an electric mixer beat the butter until soft and then add the sugar until it is light and fluffy.

4. Beat the eggs separately in a small bowl and then add it in slowly to the butter mixture one at a time.

5. Then whisk into the mixture a tablespoon of toffee syrup (Other options: caramel sauce/maple syrup)

6. Setting the mixer on a low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

(So first add a little of the flour mixture and whisk, then add some buttermilk and whisk, then add a second set of flour mixture into it- then add the remaining buttermilk and finally end with the addition of the flour mixture and mix all together)

7. In a small cup add in the baking soda and then add to this the distilled vinegar, as soon as this fizzes pour this into the cake mixture immediately and fold it into the mixture using a spatula. Make sure you use an aerated folding technique as this will create texture to the cake sponge.

8. Then evenly divide the cake batter between 3 6-inch cake tins and then place into the oven for 25-30 minutes until it is cooked perfectly. To check if your sponge is cooked- place a metal cake tester (or a wooden toothpick) into the middle of the cake. If there is so liquid batter that comes out then it is done. If there is still some liquid cake batter then let it bake for a further 5 10 minutes.

9. Once the cakes are baked- place them on a cooking rack for a good 15-20 minutes.

FROSTING

1. Firstly melt the milk chocolate a 1/2 cup of double cream (I do this in the microwave in a big bowl)

2. Using an electric mixer beat the butter until soft and gradually add 2 cups of sifted icing sugar. Then add to this the remaining 1/2 cup of double cream.

3. Then fold into this the chocolate and cream mixture using a spatula

4. Using a palette knife (or a regular knife or spatula) spread the frosting between each layer, on the top and sides of the cake.

5. Garnish the cake with crushed toffee crisp and whole pecans

CHOCOLATE CHIP & PECAN PIE TARTS

INGREDIENTS

Piecrust/Tart:

- 150g Plain Flour

- 1medium egg yolk

- pinch of salt

- A few drops of vanilla extract

- 100g unsalted butter

- 50g caster sugar

Pecan Filling:

- 1 Cup Brown Sugar

- 1 tbsp Plain Flour

- 1 cup of maple syrup

- 1tbsp Butter

- 1 cup of chopped pecans

- 1 cup of chocolate chips

- A few whole pecans

METHOD

Pastry

1. To make the pastry mix together the sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg yolk.

2. Then add in the flour until the mixture binds together.

3. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and tip it out onto a sheet of cling film to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes wrapped in the cling film.

4. Afterwards roll out the pastry onto the worktop having sprinkled over the surface some flour before rolling out. Roll the pastry out until it is 5mm (1/4 inch thick).

5. Then use the mini tart tins to mould pastry into each tin and pat down using your hands and use a fork to create small holes at the base. Alternatively you can use round cutters and use them to line in a bun cake tray.

6. Set the oven to gas mark 6 and line each tart tin or the bun tray tin with parchment paper over each pastry tart. Place on top of the parchment paper for each some baking beans. Then place this into the oven for 10-12 minutes.

7. Remove the parchment paper and baking beans and place tarts into the oven for a further 2-3 minutes to allow it to bake in the centre until the pastry is a pale golden colour.

Filling

1. In a large bowl mix together the brown sugar and flour.

2. Whisk in eggs, maple syrup and butter until combined.

3. Mix in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

4. Divide the mixture evenly among the tartlet tins OR bun cake baking tray.

5. Arrange the whole pecan halves by placing one in the centre of the tart for each tartlet.

6. Bake the tartlets until golden on the edges and set in the centre for about 25 minutes on gas mark 3.

AUTUMNAL ROAST IDEAS

OVEN ROASTED PARSNIPS AND CARROTS

Chop parsnips and carrots into long sticks and coat in olive oil, salt, pepper and italian herbs. Place on a foiled baking tray and cook in the oven at gas mark 7 until the vegetables have softened and have a roasted glaze to them. I cooked them at gas mark 7 for 30 minutes and gas mark 3 for a further 15 minutes to ensure they were soft textured on the inside with a slight crunch.

FRENCH GREEN BEANS IN GARLICKY ALMOND BREADCRUMBS

First place a handful of flaked almond and breadcrumbs in a pan and stir on a high heat for 2mins then add in 3 cloves of finely diced garlic and stir until golden and aromatic, then set aside. Add 3tbsp of butter to the pan and place in fresh green beans with a sprinkle of some salt and pepper, turn to a low flame and cover with a lid and allow the green beans to steam on a very low flame for a good 5-10 minutes, constantly stirring. Steam these until you feel they have softened and then stir the green beans constantly on a high flame. Place the green beans in a serving bowl and then sprinkle on top the garlicky almond breadcrumbs as a garnish.

ROASTED LAMB NECKS

There is most certainly an art to cooking lamb- and in order to cook a beautiful tray of lamb, you need to perfect the art of time.

For my roast, I chose to get lamb necks. I'm a big lover of lamb however I do find it to be very heavy and I find that the most tender lamb is the lamb that falls straight off the bone. It so happens to be that lamb neck is one of the most tender ones I have tried.

I don't use exact amounts when it comes to marinating meat- I just throw a load of ingredients into a bowl and try and test until I feel the taste is what I want it to be before I add in the meat. For my lamb marinade I simply add into a bowl some salt, pepper, paprika, some soya sauce and dried red chilli flakes and then I add in the lamb and make sure that it is all mixed and incorporated together. I chill this in the fridge overnight.

I place the lamb necks into an oven tray (I use glass oven trays for roasted lamb meat) then add to the lamb necks diced spring onions (depends on how much you would like, I use lots!), add in halved cherry tomatoes and peeled garlic cloves in between (I use about 2 garlics for one big tray of lamb necks).

Before placing in the oven, I put the lamb necks evenly into an oven tray. I use one big oven tray and make sure all lamb pieces are spread across evenly (DO NOT put pieces of meat on top of one another as this will not cook properly and you will end up with dry uncooked meat).

Make sure that the tray is sealed properly with two layers of foil- this will allow the water to retain inside the meat in the tray and it will create moisture and tenderness to the meat and allow it to fall off the bone.

Place the tray into the oven at gas mark 7 for 1 hour. After this set the oven to gas mark 2 for a further 2 hours. Then take your tray of meat out of the oven and check to see if it is cooked. An indication should be that it is not tough and the meat is easy to place a fork through and can break off the bone easily. If it does not, then place into the oven for further time and keep checking this until you feel confident the lamb is cooked to perfection.

This is the art of cooking lamb- making sure that you have given it enough time to slow cook in the oven.

IMPORTANT TIPS: DO NOT overcook the lamb as an indication of this can often be that the foil you have placed is not air tight enough and the water has evaporated from the tray- this gives tough lamb that does not break off easily. The more airtight you keep the foil on the tray- this allows the meat to give out its water and this give moisture and allows it to cook beautifully.

The perfect piece of lamb is the type that falls off the bone beautifully when you place your fork through it.

I have made my fair share of mistakes through trial and error before perfecting a tray of beautifully cooked lamb.

How to achieve a creamy mashed potato?

I think its pretty obvious the key to making mashed potatoes- you simply boil the potatoes until they have softened until you mash them up and add in the milk.

However the key to really creamy mashed potatoes are using Marabel potatoes (I love these simply due to the beautiful buttery texture of the potato). The technique of mashing them up is important to ensure there are no lumps of potato and it is finely pressed together.I also add in a little butter, cheese and some whole milk to create that creamy texture.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS IN A BALSAMIC DRESSING

Place brussel sprouts in a ban of boiling water and allow them to boil until the brussel sprouts are completely soft and moist from the inside, an indication of this will be how easy it is to use the end of your fork to break and brussel sprout in half very smoothly.

After this, place the brussel sprouts on a foiled oven tray with a sprinkle of balsamic dressing and place in the oven on gas mark 7 for a good 10-15 minutes until the outer exterior of the brussel sprouts are roasted.

ROSEMARY AND LAMB GRAVY

The key to the best gravy is making stock from the bone. I used a packet of lamb ribs which I placed in a pan of boiling water and added to this a little olive oil, tomato, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and I let this boil on a high heat for about 1-2 hours until I had lamb stock.

I then drained the fat from this lamb stock using a sieve. I then placed the stock on a high heat in a pan and gradually whisked in slowly 2-3 tbsp of plain flour, depending on how thick I wanted the gravy. I only added in 2tbsp of plain flour and got a perfect consistency which wasn't too runny or thick either. It also depends on how much meat stock that you have, so I recommend whisking in plain flour in teaspoon amounts until you reach a consistency that you're happy with.

I hope that's given you some tips and ideas for a nice autumn roast!