This recipe makes for a great starter for your festive table or as one of many sharing plates.
Ingredients (serves 6)
For the feta cream
- 200g feta
- 100g cream cheese
- 100g Greek yogurt
- 100g double cream
- 50ml milk
- 1 orange, zest of
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of white pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
For the caramelized tangerine
- 2 tangerines
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
For the quick pickled vegetables
- A small bunch of asparagus spears
- 3 radishes
- 2 beetroot
- 100ml water
- 100ml cider vinegar
- 50g sugar
For the maple and rosemary pecans
- 40g pecan nuts
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
- ½ tsp salt flakes
To serve
Rocket leaves, dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice
Method
Start by making the quick pickles.
Put the water, cider vinegar and sugar in a pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Leave the liquid to cool. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the radishes and beetroot after peeling and trimming. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus spears, keeping the tips whole. Drop all the vegetables into the cool picking liquor and leave for 10-15 minutes somewhere cool before serving.
To make the feta cream, put all the ingredients apart from the double cream in a bowl and use a stick blender to cream. Use an electric whisk to beat the cream to a Greek yogurt consistency and with a spatula fold into the feta cream. Season with some salt, white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
To caramelise the tangerines, peel them and using a sharp knife cut whole slices horizontally. Pat dry to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle with the sugar and use a blow torch to caramelise it and give it a lovely smoky flavour. Alternatively place under a very hot grill for 30-60 seconds, until the sugar bubbles.
For the maple pecans, put the maple syrup in a frying pan and bring to a medium heat. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring continuously until the nuts caramelise. Drop in the chopped rosemary and salt flakes, mix well and empty out onto a piece of baking paper. Leave to cool and harden and use a knife to chop into smaller pieces.
To serve, spoon some of the feta cream into the plates, add the caramelised tangerine slices and the dressed rocket leaves beside it, dot with pickled vegetable pieces and sprinkle with the chopped maple and rosemary pecans.