In today’s Wine ‘n Dine post, I share with you what we ate on New Year’s Eve, but please feel free to make these recipes anytime as they are delicious!

white onion and truffle soup (inspired by a recipe from ‘christmas at highclere’)

Ingredients (for 6)

100 grams of unsalted butter, 4 large onions (sliced), 3 celery stalks (chopped), 1 leek (white part only – sliced), 1 liter of vegetable stock, 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced), 5 sprigs of thyme, 300 ml of double cream, salt & pepper, truffle oil, parsley (finely chopped)

How to make?

1. Melt the butter over a medium heat.
2. Add the onions, celery and leek and sweat for 5 minutes (keep stirring until softened).
3. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves, garlic and thyme.
4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Blitz the soup until completely smooth.
6. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.
7. If the soup is too thick, add a little more cream or stock.
8. To serve, add a drizzle of truffle oil and garnish with the chopped parsly.

rack of lamb with madeira sauce, creamy snap beans and chicory

Ingredients (for 6)

• Rack of lamb with madeira sauce: 1 kilo of rack of lamb, olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic (peeled, chopped in half) salt and pepper, knob of unsalted butter, 3 shallots (finely chopped), 3 sprigs of rosemary, 3 sprigs of thyme, good splash of madeira, 3/4 liter beef stock
• Creamy snap beans: check out this Wine ‘n Dine post
• Creamy chicory: 6 pieces of chicory (coarsly chopped), knob of unsalted butter, cooking cream (250 ml), salt, pepper and nutmeg

How to make?

• Rack of lamb with madeira sauce
  
  • Rub the meat with the halved cloves of garlic and season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the olive oil, seal the meat until brown on all sides.
  • Transfer the meat into an oven dish and put in the preheated oven (180°C) for 8 minutes.
  • Meanwhile make the sauce: melt a knob of unsalted butter in the pan you sealed the meat in.
  • Fry the shallots for a couple of minutes before adding the rosemary and thyme.
  • Add the Madeira and let it simmer until reduced to half.
  • Add the beefstock and let the sauce simmer until the liquid is reduced by a third.
  • Sieve the sauce before serving.
  • Your meat probably will be ready before your sauce is. If so, get it out of the oven and cover it in aluminum folie until your sauce is ready.

• Creamy chicory
  • Melt the butter in a pan.
  • Fry the chicory for a couple of minutes. Keep stirring.
  • Add the cream and let it thicken until the chicory is completely cooked.
  • Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

We ate this dish with potato croquettes as requested by the kids. I prefer eating this with gratin potatoes or with oven roasted rosemary potatoes though.

I hope I have given you some cooking inspiration! Bon appétit…

Love, Kathleen