The Art of Cooking: A Holiday Feast to Remember

As the holiday season approaches, many of us turn to our favorite chefs and cooking shows for inspiration on how to create the perfect feast. In this article, we'll take a look at what it takes to cook up a storm in the kitchen, as captured by a group of friends who gathered to prepare a meal together.

The Key to Success: Timing is Everything

It all starts with timing. As one of the cooks, Jamie, notes, "Five minutes remaining." The clock is ticking, and the pressure is on. With only five minutes left, the team must work efficiently to plate up their dishes. This is where experience and teamwork come into play. Each cook has a specific role to fill, and they must communicate effectively to ensure that everything is ready at the same time.

The Dish: A Lentil Salad with Marmalade and Mustard Oil

Spaff, one of the cooks, decides to throw together a quick lentil salad using lentils, marmalade, mustard oil, salt, pepper, and a little bit of thyme. The result is unexpected, but in a good way. "It's a bit weird to look at it," Spaff notes, describing the dish as if it has just been born. The team is excited to see how it turns out.

The Pressure Mounts: Plate Up and Carve

As the clock ticks down, the pressure builds. Ben, another cook, notes that he still has a plate up with seven dishes to complete. "I need to do a final bit of seasoning on that," he says, emphasizing the importance of finishing touches. The team is counting on each other to deliver.

The Final Moments: A Rush to Completion

With only seconds left, Ebbers finishes up his dish and steps away from the Christmas centerpieces. "It worked," he exclaims, as the team moves to plate up their dishes. The clock has run out, but the meal is finally ready.

A Taste of Success: The Finished Dishes

As the team gathers around the table to taste their creations, the room falls silent in awe. Spaff's lentil salad is a hit, with its unique combination of flavors and textures. Jamie's venison roulade is a masterpiece, with its perfectly carved presentation. Every element of the dish has come together seamlessly.

The Numbers Don't Lie: A Look at the Cost

As they sit down to enjoy their meal, the team can't help but be impressed by the numbers. The total bill comes out to a staggering £250, which works out to £50 per plate. Compare this to two pounds fifty per portion, and it's clear that these dishes are not for the faint of heart.

The Secret to Success: Flavor Bomb Ingredients

One of the key elements that sets these dishes apart is the use of flavor bomb ingredients. Mustard, marmalade, and bread are just a few examples of the ingredients used in creative ways to add depth and complexity to each dish. "For me, when it's conjuring up something like this," says Spaff, "it's a number of flavor bomb ingredients you can then use in multiple places."

The Power of Pan-Steaming

Another secret to success is the use of pan-steaming. By cooking everything in the same pan, the team is able to create dishes that are not only delicious but also cohesive. This technique allows for a rich, flavorful sauce that ties everything together.

A Gift of Cooking: The Sidekick App

As the team finishes up their meal, they can't help but think about how they can share this experience with others. That's why Spaff and his friends are excited to promote the Sidekick app, which not only provides recipes and cooking tips but also allows users to track their progress and learn new skills.

The Verdict: A Holiday Feast to Remember

In the end, it's clear that this holiday feast is one for the books. With its unique combination of flavors and presentation, every dish is a hit. As they sit around the table, enjoying their meal together, it's clear that these cooks have created something truly special – a meal that will be remembered for years to come.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(intense holiday music)- Hello everyone.- I think you are-- You have joined us,- enemy of the entire nation-- In the middle of this video,where today we giveJamie a normal home cook,an unlimited budget to put togethera Christmas centerpiece dish.We've also given Ben, achef, only two pound fiftyper portion to do the same.- And they've not stoppedarguing since we began,- But we're having at a great time.- How much they cost.- You should celebrate this.Not punch this down.- I am, I'm celebrating both,but you make it so easy.(explosion)(bells jingle)- All right boys, youhave two and a half hourson the clock, begin cooking in- 3, 2, 1.- Christmas!(upbeat holiday music)- Straight off, I want toapologize about my shopping.- What have you done?- I only need half of thisbut it was cheaper to buy kilothan it was to buy 500 grams.- So what are you going todo with the rest Ebbers?- Add it to my dry storecupboard for a future occasion.- What type of pasta is that?That's quite long macaroni.- It's just called pasta shape.- This is a shape.- Pasta shape.- This is what happens whenyou take any budget awayfrom a chef.- So he's worrying about that.Whereas I'm using an ingredientthat we've never used before.- Ah, well done.And you chose to do that now.- I'm using meat glue.(record scratch)(crickets chirping)- I don't want to know.- I feel like you've named thatwith your marketing degree- Also you know you'vegot unlimited budgetand you're using- Meat glue.- To glue all of my meat.- Wow, that explains so much.(upbeat music)- So I'm taking theconcept of a pig in blanketbut I'm applying the other conceptof unlimited budget to it.So my pig becomes a venison filet.- It's not a pig is it?- It's Bambi,(laughter)That's Bambi.Or is it Rudolph at Christmas?- Bambi in blankets,and my blanket becomes sausage meatand some very expensive iberico ham.I'm going to roll that up into roulade.I'm then going to poachthat in a water bathat 58 degrees Celsius.I'm gonna serve that with a venison jus,some gratinated potatoes,and a mushroom fricassee.- It's like pig in a Wellington.- It's more of a duvet.- It's Bambi and a hunter.(Jamie laughs)- Ready it, Izzy.Because this is probablygonna happen once.(Upbeat tuba music)- What is he doing?- I really hope there's tubamusic playing right now.(upbeat tuba music continues)- With my budget.I'm being a little bit more creativeand I'm doing a feast of 10 dishes.- Instantly attacking you J?- A little bit more creative.Yes, because this is the fourthtime we've done a venisonroulade on this channel.- And that starts with garlic mushroomand wilted green pasta bake.So I've got some pasta cooking off,some mushrooms sauteingat a nice high heat,to which I will add garlic and thyme.And then greens are going into the pastajust before they're finishedcooking to wilt down.But if you are buying veg,buy carefully because I wanted500 grams of spring greenswhich is what this is sold as.But because cabbage is anatural thing, it turnsout one cabbage is 400 gramsand they can't serve you under.So they gave us two.- Wow.For the same price.I got 800 grams of greens.- Bonus cab!- Only need one of them today.I've got a green pasta bake for tomorrow.- So Ebbers, how are youmaking this Christmasy?- Yeah.- What is Christmas?- It's a celebration- Where you bring friendsand families together and have a feast.This is gonna be so much food on the tablethat you are going to love it.And the decision on thatwas based on the fact thatwithin that budget we couldn'tbuy good enough quality meatand enough other ingredientsto create a feast.So we just created the feast.(upbeat music)- My Bambi is in its blanket.I'm now gonna put it in the bath.It's gonna poach for an hourand then we'll get it outand we're gonna fry itso that we get a nice- Oh man- Crusty brown outside.- There's a lot riding on this,because this sounds amazing.- Another top tip, ifyou're shopping on a budgetsome places do mixed roasting herbs.So this is sold as onerosary, thyme, and sage.It saves you having tobuy a packet of eachand then using up all of each.That actually comes as a triofor the mushroom and wilted green bake.I'm using the thyme to go with the garlic.The pasta had a par boil,like seven minutes, still very al dente,but then the greens go into cook in the same waterto save you from having toheat up two separate pans.Then we'll drain it off andwe'll create a sauce using, soup- As in packet soup?- Oh excellent.I love it when, he hasto do things like this.- The only thing I haven't budgeted for,is plain vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.Everything else is covered.- I thought packet soupsounds like a lovely idea.And then I thought why not actuallyget some more venison trimmingsand use that to get flavor,and then add shallotsand garlic, and some of the similar herbsthat Ben's using but actuallyturn it into a proper jus.- Me jus.- Me jus.- Slight apology, on our online shopthey substituted the packet soup.If it wasn't for thechicken in this packet soup.My entire feast is vegetarianand deliberately so.However, I now have chickensoup going in with my mushrooms.- That seems like apretty cheeky substitute.I'm not sure I believe that story.It's like going, I ordered cabbagebut we're out of cabbage.Here's a chicken.- Yeah- So across all my dishesI need flavor bombs.Things that are gonnado the hard work for me.Packet soup is one of those.It's doubling up as thesauce, the thickener, becauseof the potato starch, theflavor, the seasoning,but also a good dollop of mustard,- Oh yes- On top of what is already in thereas garlic, thyme, andthose golden mushrooms.- Got depth, hasn't mustard?Mustard gives something umpf.(upbeat music)- All of our boil pasta,and all of our greens,and all of our mushroom,garlic, thyme, mustard, and soupall going in.- Look at that butter burning,before it has a chance to melt- It's brown butter, is it J?(Jamie laughing)- Why are you saying that?Into four tablespoons of butter,I'm going to throw my venison in.- That's looks incredible.- Did you hear that boys?- What's that?- Dawn behind the camera justmade an involuntary noiseas I stirred this past bake.- It's all right mate.We've been gagging it as food for ages.(all laughing)- Another fairly cheap ingredientthat I'm gonna do threedifferent thing with.The first of which is make a nice golden,well seasoned breadcrumb mixtureto go over the pasta bake.Roast potatoes.I'm gonna do garlic androsemary smashed potatoes.I'm going back to the pasta waterand the greens waterbecause there's no pointin heating up another panand our potatoes are going into there-- He's saving water.- To par boil for six to seven minutes.- As with Ebbers, I'm goingin with thyme, targon,black peppercorns, and becauseI've got money to throw away, bay leaves.(all laughing)Do they add anything?No, but did it bring my bill up?Yes it did.- I genuinely hate thisrunning joke with bay leavesbecause anybody whocooks a bay leaves knows.- Portobello mushrooms.They like sponges but alsothey had so much umami.- Are they in your sauce?- They're in the sauce.I'm about to open a Gran Reserve,A 2013 Rioja.- That is my kind of pacing.- And pour three quartersof it into my sauce.- Can you leave theother quarter to breathe?I'll love a glass later.- No, no Ebbers, you can't afford it.(all laughing)(cork popping)- Hold up Ebbers,We're going to the oldestport wine house now.- The whole point of thisis not just to chuck money,it's not being limited bymoney and seeing whether or notby spending more on betterquality ingredients,you can get close to achef who is having to makeup for the lack of budget through skill.- So look, this is what I'mdoing, with my jammy onions.Red onions, halved, peeled, cut side down,seasoned salt, pepper, little bit of oil,some of the herbs, rosemary and thyme.And then about a tablespoonof marmalade in a few blobs.So a tablespoon in total,and two teaspoons of gravy granules.- It was sounding really fancy untilthe gravy granules went in.- Then you want abouta hundred ml of water,completely seal it in andthat'll do a slow cookin the oven for about 45 minutes.And then I'll take the tinfoil off for the last 15.Right more veg.- I've got something-- Of the root variety.So we've got a swede, two parsnips,and two carrots all chopped up,and placed in a pan with some water.- So whereas Ben's making a aversion of like mac and cheeseI'm making potato andcheese, gratinated potatoeswith a cheese board thrown on top.Using the offcuts of cheeseis a really nice way of doing it.Obviously for this video weare able to go the step furtherand actually buy specificcheeses to do it with.Plenty of potatoes, cubes,or small bits of potato,which will then fry-- Or small bits of potato ashe cuts them into not cubes.- Which we fried off and then addedto the cheese to create anamazing sauce around them.(upbeat holiday music)- You are hammering the useof that marmalade Ebbers and I like it.- The marmalade is being added to sage,a little bit of garlic, heatedthrough in the microwave,and that'll be smashedinto our smashed roots.- Marmalade.- What's a great idea?- That's brilliant.- Now I'll tell you somethingelse that's Christmasy boys,goose fat.- Ebbers what's your takehere with the potatoes?- I par boiled them,Then I'm gonna let them air dry for a bitbefore crushing them.Increased surface area.Oil, salt, and pepper, roast them off.For the last five minutes of cookingI'm gonna throw rosemary into themand a little bit of garlic.- Skin on roasties.- Yes, lovely.- Our pasta water, which has also hadour wilted greens in it, andhas par boiled our potatoes,is now gonna cook our smashed roots.- So he's not only beingefficient with his budgethe's being efficient with hisenergy usage and water usage.- Love getting steamy in the kitchenwith Ebbers at Christmas.(sultry music)(camera beep)- I think he's over cooked his potatoes.- He's definitelyovercooked his potatoes.- Potatoes are past boiled(all laughing)Cooking's about being agileand being able to adapt tothe environment around you.- But let's be honest,when you're cooking them Christmas day- Yeah.- these things crop up and youdon't have time to go back.- You do have to be ableto roll with the punches.- You're making a friedmound of mashed potato.- With cheese.- 1, 2, 3, 4.This is dish five.- Bloody hell.- The smashes on the hobwill be mashed and kept warm.The sprouts, I'm actually gonna microwave.Once they're shredded, I'mgonna add in raw garlic, salt,pepper, a little bit of water,cling film them and microwave them.- Off the back of ourmicrowave versus oven episode.I will only ever microwavesprouts ever againbecause that makes zero difference.- In the meantime, boys,I'm finishing off my jus,with some quince, anda liter of veal stock.- Jamie, you've used enoughingredients in your stock.- No.- All right boys, lovely part of my dish.Sprout tops, swede,Think he's got somecarrot and some parsnips.- This is a compost bin Ben,- And you could absolutely compost it allor cover it in water, make a veg stock.- Oh.Savvy.- Guanciale, gorgeous cutof meat that we've usedon the channel couple of times recently.It's the traditional meatused in dishes like carbonara.What you'll notice is it'sjust riddled with fat.Like it is more fat than meat.- Is that what's on the label?Riddled with fat.- Riddled with fat.- Sometimes I think it's goodto expand our vocabulary.- Overall I'm pretty healthy exceptfor the fact that I'm riddled with fat.Ebbers, where are you up to?- Just shredding some sprouts over here.Kind of a laborious, nothing to see.- Oh we have, we have-- There we go, we've got color.Great job mate.- Smoked provolone, gouda, comte, morbier,and some sharp cheddar to finish off.- Boys, you have 50 minutes remaining.(upbeat holiday music)- This will now go intoan oven for 30 minutes.Melt all of the cheese.- Are you happy with the potatoes Ebbers?- Not in the slightest.- Oh great.- Oh really?- Why?- Well, they're delicious.They're just a bit morerugged than I was hoping.- It's difficult to getpotatoes right though,isn't it Ebbers?- Is the very reason that I went quietfor about 20 minutes andjust spoke to this camera.I'm gonna try and make a weird takeon like a cranberry sauce.Which is a couple oftablespoons of marmalade.- Yeah- Sounds delicious.- A little bit of veg stock and a packetof raisins and cranberries.Snack pack, that's all I could afford.- If you are enjoyingthis, there are some smallthings you can do that makea big difference to us.Like the video,subscribe if you aren't,click the notificationbell and select all.Thanks.- It's almost like there'sa bit of a distraction.Going on here.- A little bit.- Ebbers's potatoes.- Jamie's potatoes.It's almost like we havean impending live showperformance in front of the theater.- Is that still happening?- In front of thousands andthousands of people this week.There is such an underlying nervous energyin the whole buildingbecause that's what we'reabout to embark upon andwe've still got to goabout with our daily jobs andvideos on top of all of that.- I'd like to point out thoughputting a little bit more effortinto that than I have done this.(Mike laughs)- Ebbers, you should be puttingfull effort into everything.- I have tried for thelast 12 and a half years.I'm exhausted.(all laughing)- What a wonderful segue to sayplease go and buy sometickets and help support us.- Right Baz,I'm making bread sauce.- Yes!- Because I've got some bread.- Do you have any milk?- Nope, but I got packet soup.- What about nutmeg?- Yeah, you haven't got any-- You haven't got any herbs?- Nope, none of those spices that I'd likebut I'm using what I got.- Starting to come together, boys.You have 30 minutes remaining.- Look at these kales.They're expensive.They look amazing.Let's hope they taste great.Mushrooms went into the guanciale.They cooked off for about five minuteswith a good grind of black pepper.And then in with my varied kale.- It's colorful and cool.- Colorful kale and somechestnuts already cooked.They just need to warm through.Let the kale wilt down.We'll pop a lid on it about five minutes.- I'm gonna drain my lentil watera little bit into the gravy.Many legumes in tins,you might drain off and use like aquafaba,which means it's gonna whip upcause it's got proteinsin it, so don't waste it.- Boys, you have 15 minutes remaining.(Jamie panicking)- Ju has been strained,now needs to reduce- For 12 minutes, let's hope.- It hasn't reduced enough?- Hasn't reduced enough.- Wow.- How is this gonna go?- I don't know.- I'm gonna throw togethera quick lentil salad withlentils, marmalade,mustard oil, salt, pepper,and a little bit of thyme- Got to unwrap it.- It's a bit weird to look at it.- It does it, it looks likeit has just been birthed.- Spaff, you need to hurry up.- I'm going.- I'm desperate for you to, tosucceed, so please be quick.Oh wow, look at those.Five minutes remaining.- Jamie that's not a lot of time.And Ben, you've still haveplate up, seven dishes.- I need to do a final abit of seasoning on that.Final bit of seasoning onthe jus and then I'm done.- You've gotta plate it up.Two minutes remaining.- How after two and a half hours,is there a rush at the end?- 20 seconds remaining.- I need to carve this.- Yes, so (censored) do it!- Oh my goodness.Oh my goodness.Oh my goodness.(Ben grunting)- Some sounds from Ebbers.- I think I'm done boys.- Ebbers is done.You've got 15 seconds J.3, 2, 1Step away from the Christmas centerpieces.Let's get these into the sexies.- It worked.(upbeat music)- Spaff, let's start with yoursand then we'll move our wayto the more economical end of the table.- Oh my God, look how it cuts.- Look how look how it stays together.- So I can now see what the glue does.- Yes.- Oh wow, that is-- Au jus.- Your gratin is gratinated.- It's definitely gratinated.- Oh my goodness, Jamie.- Straight off,The way it carved at thetable as a centerpiece,is jaw dropping.- That is fantastic.The jus,it is so over the top.- Yeah,- But in a great way.- Yeah,- Like it's, it'sChristmas times a million.Shall we try the economy version?I'm fascinated by this.The marmalade mash.- Oh my, look at the jammy onions.- Oh boys.- It's a hellof a spread, isn't it.- Um, ooh.- Oh, oh, oh.- And we should sayall of the ingredients,bar salt, pepper, and vegetable oil,came to just under 10 pounds.9.98 at the point of developing.- I'd say those potatoes worked out well.- That's everything I'mlooking for in potato.- Yeah.- Yeah, that's great.Every element tastes and feels different.The onions are unbelievable.I think they're the best bit.- Yeah.- And everything else is excellent,but they are standout.The marmalade in the smashed-- Yeah.- roots is brilliant.- It's knowing thoselittle tips and tricksto take something from beingjust a smashed vegetabledish to the next level.- Come on in.Tell us how much,- Oh no.- your total bill came to.- So this, and I thinkthis would, you knoweasily feed five people, probably more.A total of 250 pounds.- That's a lot.- You are saying-So you're saying five peopleto make yourself look alittle bit better, aren't you?- 50 pounds ahead,- 50 pounds a plate- Of just cost.I mean, compare that totwo pounds fifty a portion.And I hate to blow smoke up your chimney,but that is an amazing job, isn't it?- It's incredible.- It's incredible- For me, when it's conjuringup something like thisit's a number of flavor bomb ingredientsyou can then use in multiple places.The mustard, the marmalade,and in this case the bread.Maybe not the best example.And it's the one pan of waterthat you just keep usingto cook everything inso that even your gravy tastes morethan just gravy granules and water.- If you are lookingfor more festive recipesthen check out our Sidekick app.Not only will it help youget your midweek mealson the table, but it'llteach you how to cook betterand use up every fresh ingredient you buyin the dishes that you cookso you won't waste food or money.- And as 'tis the season to be gifting,You can gift it in three, sixand 12 month increments, gifts.All the links downstairs.Check them out.- Well done Ebbers, good job.- And well done Spaff.- Yeah so, did I beat the chef or-- I want your venisonroulade with my sides,- It's so rich.- You don't want us to draw a conclusion.- Right, by not making a decision,you have made a decision.(intense holiday music)\n"