Host with the Most: Festive Cooking & Hosting with ProWare + Emma Britton

Make festive hosting easy, with these three delicious dinner party recipes courtesy of our friends at ProWare. Emma is a self-confessed host with the most, so the festive season is naturally her time to shine! Pair these crowd-pleasing dishes with Emma’s hosting tips below, and you’re sure to become everyone’s favourite entertainer. 

ProWare is an independent, family-run cookware brand that crafts beautiful and professional-quality pans built to last a lifetime. They’re the perfect addition to any kitchen (alongside an Emma Britton splashback, of course), and make great gifts for hosts and hostesses too. We caught up with them to learn more about their fabulous cookware in this previous journal post. 

Emma’s Hosting Tip:

Set the scene with a welcome drink for guests, to start the party before they’ve even sat down. Mulled wine is a definite crowd pleaser at this time of year, but you could go for a lighter option like a mocktail too. Batch make these and have them ready to serve on a pretty tray with gleaming glassware.

New Tastes to Try this Christmas:

Festive Hosting Recipe: Whole Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 large cauliflower (about 1kg)
• 600ml whole milk
• ½ onion
• 6 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• 2 tsp English mustard
• 170g mature cheddar
• Pinch of salt and white pepper

Equipment

• ProWare Stainless Steel Base Milk Pan, Stainless Steel Base Saucepan & Stainless Steel Base Non-Stick Frying Pan 

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Pull any large leaves off the cauliflower and cook in the boiling water for 15 mins. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
3. Gently heat the milk in the pan along with the half onion studded with cloves and the bay leaf, but do not boil.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 mins.
5. Gradually add the warm milk, stirring until you have a smooth sauce, and then mix in the mustard.
6. Next, add two-thirds of the cheese and whisk until the cheese has melted. Season to taste.
7. Put the cauliflower in the middle of a deep baking dish, pour over the cheese sauce & sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Finally, bake for 30-35 mins until it is golden brown and bubbling.

Emma’s Tip:

It’s all in the preparation. So many little jobs can be done the day/s before your guests arrive, so you can actually enjoy your own party too! Choose dishes that you can chop, bake or chill ahead to minimise your time in the kitchen on the day. For the recipe below, you could parboil your potatoes the day before then roast just before serving.

Recipe: The Perfect Roast Potatoes

Serves: 8
Ingredients:

• 75ml sunflower oil
• 2kg floury potatoes
• 2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
• Good pinch of sea salt

Equipment

• ProWare Stainless Steel Base Saucepan & Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Roasting Pan

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Pour the oil into a large roasting tin and then put in the oven to heat up.
2. Peel the potatoes and chop them into large even chunks (about 5cm). Place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season with a generous pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the potatoes are just tender around the edges.
3. Drain the potatoes when ready and return to the pan. Cover with the lid and give the pan a good shake to rough up the edges.
4. Take the roasting tin out of the oven, and then carefully transfer the potatoes one by one to the hot oil, and turn each one to coat it on all sides as you go.
5. Roast for 45-55 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking, then season with salt and rosemary to serve.

Emma’s Hosting Tip:

Get creative with your tablescape, for a dinner party to remember! It’s a great excuse to get out your favourite tableware, try mixing vintage and antiques with newer modern pieces for a magazine-worthy table. You could stick to a theme (I’m going for an alpine ski look, this year!), but an eclectic mix of old and new is really effective.

Recipe: Charred Hispi Cabbage with Hazelnut & Stilton Crumb

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large hispi cabbage
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 60g hazelnuts, blanched and chopped
• 25g butter
• 40g breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 50g stilton

Equipment

• ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Non-Stick Frying Pan & Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Interior Frying Pan 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
2. Remove any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage and cut it into four to six wedges, but keeping the core intact so the leaves stay together.
3. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the oil over the wedges and massage into the leaves before sprinkling over a pinch of sea salt.
4. Add some oil to the non stick frying pan and heat over medium heat until it’s hot, but not smoking. Sear the wedges, cut-side down, for 6-8 mins until blackened and charred, and then turn and cook on the other side for another 6-8 mins.
5. Transfer to a baking tray, cut-side up, and roast for 10-15 mins until the stalks are tender when pierced with a knife.
6. Meanwhile, heat the butter in the steel frying pan. Fry the-hazelnuts and breadcrumbs for 2-3 mins.
7. Stir in the parsley, then sprinkle the mix over the cabbage and dot with the Stilton. Return to the oven for 5 mins until the Stilton has melted.

Thanks so much to the team at ProWare Kitchen for these delicious recipes, perfect for festive hosting. We’d love to know if you try them, share with us on Instagram or Facebook.

W: proware-kitchen.co.uk

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