Fisher And Paykel – No? Don’t worry, I’d never heard of them either ’til recently!

I was invited to their nearby H.Q. a couple of weeks ago to celebrate all things Christmas and have a feast prepared by the lovely Clover Hutson and I was introduced to a whole new world of sexy stuff that I need for my kitchen.

First off, it was great to have a feast of a dinner made for us, in the midst of a crazy period in the run up to Christmas, so that was enough of a treat in itself.

The by-product of going along to this event was a new found obsession with sleek, chic appliances that I had no idea I wanted before, but I sure do now! Fridge freezers that dreams are made of and wine fridges that make me weak at the knees, cool drawers, dish drawers, the lust list goes on and on!

Whilst we ate I was mentally re-arranging my kitchen at home and planning on knocking down walls to accommodate all this high-tech, super spec gadgetry!

We had such a lovely traditional festive meal and a pudding so large and fluffy we could barely cut through it, then we got a chance to have a little play with the goodies around the showroom.

 

 

Here’s a little taster of what we got up to!

 

Now if you are wondering how to spruce up your bird this Christmas Day I will divulge the recipe Clover used, to help you produce a turkey triumph!

Roast Turkey with Cider Pears & Apples 

1 roasting turkey – allow half a kilo per person 
Half litre good quality cider or Perry 
4 apples such as Cox’s and 4 conference pears quartered 
Salted butter 
4 banana shallots cut in half lengthways  
Bunch of sage – half chopped 
Bulb of garlic 
Bunch thyme – some picked 
 
Heat a large roasting tin briefly on the hob and add some rapeseed oil and the cut 
shallots – remove from the heat and place the turkey in the tray add the cider,  
apples, pears, and some sprigs of thyme. 
 
Remove any giblets from the bird and rub some softened butter, picked thyme 
leaves and a handful of chopped sage into the skin. Sprinkle some sea salt and 
fresh black pepper. Place a square of greaseproof paper or baking parchment over 
the top of the bird – this will stop the salt dissolving the tin foil. 
 
Fill the cavity with half a bulb of garlic and some of the apple and pear quarters. 
Cover loosely with tin foil and place in the middle shelf of a pre-heated 170°C oven 
allow about 20 minutes per 1lb or use a temperature probe placed in the thigh of 
the turkey – it should reach a minimum of 65°C. Rotate the tray after half the  
cooking time. 
 
Once the bird is cooked place on a board to rest with some fresh tin foil and a tea 
towel covering it. Drain the juices from the tray and reduce by half. 
 
To serve: 
 
Add the chopped sage to the tray of apples/pears, discard the garlic from the cavity, 
carve the turkey and pour the cider juices over the meat. Serve with your favourite 
sides.  
I love also that the company have a conscience and whilst they don’t like to shout about it, I found out that they recently kitted out a kitchen for this fabulous project, one of the locations for the Winter Night Shelter in Milton Keynes. The spirit of Christmas is well and truly alive!
Oh, so about that dessert in my pictures! I know you will be itching to recreate that so yes, here you go, the recipe! Enjoy xxxx

Panettone orange cream 

 
1 whole panettone 
300ml double cream 
4 seedless oranges – 1 for zest 
50ml cointreau or grand marnier – optional 
Icing sugar 
Vanilla extract 
 
For the dried orange slices: 
 
Using a very sharp thin bladed knife or a mini bacon slicer if you have one slice the 
oranges as thin as you are able. The colder the oranges the easier this will be. 
 
Place the slices on a baking tray lined with baking parchment or a silicone matt and place 
in the oven with the pilot light on overnight or on the lowest oven setting with the door ajar 
if your oven does not have a pilot light. 
 
For the orange cream:  
 
Place the cream, 2 tablespoons of icing sugar, the alcohol if using the zest of one orange 
and a dash of vanilla in a large metal or glass bowl and whisk until stiff. 
 
Cut the panettone horizontally into four or five slices. Layer the cream and slices and top 
with the remaining cream, place the dried orange slices into the cream topping and 
sprinkle generously with icing sugar. 
*This post is written in a paid partnership with Fisher&Paykel but only because I love their big sexy products and had a fab time at the Christmas bash. All opinions are as always, honest and all mine.*