Chef Avisek Chand shares recipes to cook up a royal Christmas spread at home

Raspberry Linzer torte

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter (cold and diced)
• 1 large egg (cold and beaten)
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 ¼ cups raspberry preserves
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Egg wash (to glaze)

Instructions

Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

• Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and then stir in the beaten egg until a dough is formed.
• Divide the dough in half, flatten it into two discs, wrap well and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
• Once the dough is cold, preheat the oven to 180°C.
• On a floured surface, roll out one half of the dough to an 11-inch (28cm) circle (keep the other half in the refrigerator) and line a 9-inch (23cm) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with it. Trim away any scraps and add the scraps to the dough in the refrigerator.
• In a small bowl, combine the raspberry preserves with the lemon juice and then spread evenly into the tart shell.
• Working quickly, remove the second crust from the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured surface into a 10-inch (25cm) square.
• Cut the dough into 10 equal strips and lay 5 strips across your tart. Weave the remaining 5 strips in the opposite direction to create a lattice pattern. Press the top crust into the bottom crust to seal and trim away any overhang.
• Brush all over with the egg wash and bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
• Let it cool for 15 minutes and then carefully remove the outer ring of the tart pan (if the jam has spilled out it will be hard to remove later) and let cool completely.
• Dust with powdered sugar if you wish before serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Crispy beer batter fish

Preparation time:15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. white fish, like Bhetki or Basa
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups beer
• Oil For Frying

Instructions

• Add oil to a large, heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer until it is about 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat oil to 180°C.
• Meanwhile, cut fish into stick shapes, about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• To make the beer batter, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, paprika and seasoned salt. Stir in the lightly beaten egg, then gradually whisk in the beer until the batter forms and is no longer lumpy.
• Quickly dip the fish one piece at a time into the batter, then place in the hot oil.
• Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the fish is a nice golden brown. Drain on a wire rack and enjoy while hot!

Bouillabaisse

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 60 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For Sauce Rouille:

• 1 tablespoon hot fish stock or clam broth
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 small red hot pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup soft white bread, shred
• ½ cup olive oil

For Bouillabaisse:

• 3 pounds of at least 3 different kinds of fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound mussels or clams
• 1 pound squid or crab
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1/4 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 long, wide strip orange zest
• 1 cup clam juice or fish stock
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Sliced rustic French bread, plain or toasted

Method

For the sauce rouille:

• Put the hot fish stock or clam broth into the bottom of a blender. Add the garlic and red hot pepper, salt and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the blender still running, add olive oil slowly and stop the blending as soon as the oil disappears. Set aside.
• Cook the onions, leeks, and fennel.
• Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a large (6-8 quart) pot on medium high heat.
• When the oil is hot, add the onions, leeks, and fennel. Stir to coat the vegetables with the olive oil. Cook on medium heat until softened but not browned, about 10-15 minutes.
• Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt, and aromatics:
• Add the crushed garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, salt, and orange zest.
• Cook until the tomatoes are soft and broken down, about 10 more minutes.
• Add the fish.
• Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Lay the fish pieces over the vegetable mixture and pour over with 2 cups of boiling water. Add clam juice or fish stock. Bring everything to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
• Add the shellfish.
• Add the Octopus, squid, and/or crab, pushing aside the fish so that the shellfish is now covered in liquid, and simmer for 10 minutes more, uncovered.
• Add freshly ground black pepper, and more salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and orange zest from the broth.
• Serve with bread and rouille.
• To serve, remove the fish and shellfish to a platter to keep warm. Place a thick slice of crusty French bread (plain or lightly toasted) in each bowl and put a dollop of the rouille sauce on top of the bread.
• Ladle the soup broth over the bread, and then portion out fish and shellfish onto the bowls.

Watermelon salad with feta & mint

Preparation time:15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

For the salad

• 5 cups cubed watermelon
• 1 heaping cup diced English cucumber
• ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
• cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 avocado, cubed
• cup torn mint or basil leaves
• ½ jalapeño or serrano pepper, thinly sliced, optional
• Sea salt

Instructions

• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic and salt.
• Arrange the watermelon, cucumber, and red onions on a large plate or platter.
• Drizzle with half the dressing. Top with the feta, avocado, mint, and serrano pepper, if using, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Season to taste and serve.