There are some things that should never change at Christmas. Our towering pine tree will always bend as it touches the ceiling, dripping with mismatched baubles, tinsel and lights, and a plump handmade fairy sitting on top. Lunch will always be served later than planned and everyone will share their terrible cracker jokes while wearing a paper crown. For me these are part of the immutable rituals of Christmas, but our meal is something that has changed.

We’ve moved on from turkey to a rich savoury duck sitting proud with its crisp skin and blush flesh. Bowls of steaming lentils sticky with dates are punctuated with bitter deep purple radicchio. This works as a perfect pairing and I no longer miss roast potatoes, although they would still eat well with this meal. Creamed horseradish and pickled walnuts still play an important role at our table keeping at least some of the traditionalists’ content.

Crab, samphire and chilli

Succulent samphire coated in rich crab mayonnaise is a wonderful way to begin the meal.

For 4
samphire 90g
good quality mayonnaise 40g
dijon mustard ½ tsp
brown crab meat 100g, picked
lemon juice of 1 small
Tabasco to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
baby spinach leaves 150g, washed
chives 1 small bunch, finely chopped
tarragon 8 sprigs, picked and roughly chopped
red chillies 2, deseeded and finely diced
white crab meat 200g, picked

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Once boiling, add the samphire and cook for 2 minutes or until tender with a little bite. Drain and refresh in ice-cold water.

In a large bowl mix together the mayonnaise with the mustard, brown crab and lemon juice. Stir in a couple of drops of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to taste.

Drain the samphire, removing all excess water. Gently fold it into the spinach, herbs, chilli and white crab meat, and then into the bowl of mayonnaise in two turns so as not to overwork the mixture. Divide it evenly between plates and arrange in piles.

Parsnip, orange and hazelnut

Nothing says indulgence like a classic butter sauce.

For 4
shallots 2, roughly chopped
white wine vinegar 60ml
dry white wine 60ml
black peppercorns 3
orange peel of ½ (use the peel from one of the oranges below)
double cream 3 tbsp
unsalted butter 250g, cut into small cubes
salt to taste
parsnips 3 large, peeled and cut into 12cm x 2cm batons
oranges 3 large, zested, juiced and segmented
dijon mustard 1 tsp
extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
salt a good pinch
rocket 1 bunch, about 50g
whole hazelnuts 60g, toasted and chopped

Place the shallots, vinegar, wine, peppercorns and the peel of ½ orange into a small saucepan. Set this over a high heat to come to the boil and reduce the liquid down to 1 teaspoon.

Once reduced add the double cream to the saucepan. Lower the heat and slowly whisk in the butter cubes, allowing each piece to melt and combine before adding the next. The sauce will become pale and almost custard-like in consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and a little orange juice.

Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, cover with a lid and set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, and, once it is boiling, add the parsnip batons.

Cook for 5 minutes, or until the batons are soft but still hold their shape.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mixture together the zest and juice of ½ orange with the mustard, olive oil and salt to make the dressing.

Over a low heat, warm through the butter sauce, stirring non-stop.

Drain the parsnips and lay a couple of pieces on each plate and pour over the warm butter sauce. Gently fold the rocket and orange segments through the dressing. Place on top of the parsnips and scatter over the hazelnuts.

Chestnut fazzoletti, sage and butter

These freeform fine squares of pasta should fall like fabric on to a plate once cooked, hence the name fazzoletti – the Italian word for handkerchiefs.

You don’t have to have a pasta machine to make the dough, but it will speed up the process.

For 4
chestnut flour 250g
00 flour 250g
eggs 4 whole
egg yolks 3
semolina flour 100g
unsalted butter 100g
sage 1 bunch, picked
chestnuts 180g, cooked, roughly chopped
dried chilli to taste
parmesan 200g, plus extra to serve
lemon juice to taste
salt and black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl or food processor combine or pulse the flours together. Add the eggs and additional yolks and combine till the dough forms a ball.

Turn the mixture out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, about 10-15 minutes. Lightly dust the dough with semolina. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Dust a clean work surface with semolina flour and grab a rolling pin and large baking tray. Divide the dough in half, keeping one half covered. Roll the dough to the thickness of heavy paper and cut it into large squares of roughly similar sizes, so they cook evenly. Dust any excess semolina flour off, lay them on the prepared baking tray and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat and add the sage leaves.

Place a large pot of salted water over a high heat and wait until it comes to a roiling boil. Once the water begins to boil add the pasta. Cook it for 1 minute until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water.

Stir the chestnuts, dried chilli and parmesan into the buttery sage sauce with a ladleful of pasta water.

Add the pasta to the sage butter pan and adjust the sauce thickness by adding more pasta water if needed. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil, as needed. Swirl around the pan until glossy for a minute or so before dividing between plates and scattering over more parmesan.

Duck, lentils, dates and radicchio

The radicchio provides a welcome note of bitterness alongside the richness of the duck and sweet dates. Cotechino is a rich pork sausage that can be found in Italian delis and comes in a bag. It’s well worth the extra time to find, but if you can’t find it the meat from sausages will be fine.

Remove the whole duck from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking and check the cavity for giblets. If the bird comes with these, they can be made into a stock or simply freeze them for another day. To make a stock, cover the giblets with cold water, half an onion, a couple of peppercorns and plenty of herbs, bring to the boil, then simmer for a few hours.

For 4
whole duck 1.5 kg, giblets removed
sea salt 1 tbsp
oranges 3 large, quartered
garlic 1 head, halved
thyme 1 bunch
cotechino 1, about 500g, or 500g of good-quality sausages
puy lentils 300g, rinsed
white onion 1 large, peeled and diced
olive oil 3 tbsp
salt a pinch
garlic 1 clove, crushed
chilli flakes a pinch
chicken stock 750ml
sherry vinegar 2 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp
salt and black pepper to taste
bon bon dates 200g, or best quality dates you can find, stones removed and roughly chopped
radicchio 1, cut into 8 pieces
parsley a handful, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4.

Place the duck on a rack and set over a roasting tin. Prick the surface of the skin with a skewer or cocktail stick, making sure to do extra around the join of the legs.

Boil the kettle and pour 200ml of hot water over the bird. Pat the skin dry with kitchen paper and rub the sea salt all over. The water can remain in the bottom of the roasting tin as it evaporates while cooking.

Place the orange quarters, garlic head and thyme in the cavity of the duck. Put the duck in the hot oven and cook for 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the cotechino, still in the vacuum bag it came in, into a large pot and cover with cold water. Set this over a medium heat, bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the hot bag of cotechino and set aside to cool in a bowl. Open the bag and slit down the length of the sausage, removing and discarding the skin. Mash the sausage meat with the fat and set side. If you’re using sausages, simmer them gently until cooked, then remove the meat from the skin and mash.

Bring a pot of water to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, add the lentils and cook them for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse them under cold running water.

In a large pan, soften the onion in the oil with a pinch of salt over a low heat. Cover it with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, until soft and without colour. Stir the crushed garlic and chilli flakes through and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the lentils. Then pour over the chicken stock or your homemade stock and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer over a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Once cooked, add the sherry vinegar and olive oil, and season to taste.

Turn up the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7 and cook the duck for a further 20-25 minutes or until the duck skin is crisp and golden.

Carefully remove the duck and rest for 15 minutes. Heat the lentils and fold through the cotechino, dates, radicchio and parsley until hot and the radicchio leaves are wilted.

Carve the duck and serve with a good spoonful of lentils and radicchio.

Quince and almond tart

Quince are best cooked low and slow to retain their shape and deepen in colour. This is best done a few days ahead of time as they will last, ruby red in syrup, for a couple of days covered in the fridge.

The spare quince poaching liquor can be added to champagne to make a perfect festive tipple. Leftover quince make a welcome addition to creamy porridge, or squish them over hot buttery toast in the morning.

For best results, use a pot or roasting tray that the quince fit in snugly, to ensure they are submerged while cooking.

For the quince
lemons juice of 2
caster sugar 1kg
quince 4, weighing 1.140kg in total

For the almond paste
ground almonds 100g
light soft brown sugar 25g
egg 1, beaten

For the pastry
plain flour 100g
ground almonds 25g
butter 50g, cold
caster sugar 10g
salt a pinch
cold water 1 tbsp

To serve
double cream 450ml
brandy to taste

Fill a deep bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice, this will help stop the quince from discolouring. Peel and quarter the quince, putting each one in the lemony water straight after while continuing with the rest. Wrap all the peelings in a square of muslin cloth and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 100C fan/gas mark ½.

For the quince, place the sugar and 1 litre of water, the drained quince and the muslin cloth of peelings in a deep roasting tray or casserole dish. Set this over a high heat to come to the boil. It’s important the quince are submerged – if they’re not, add equal parts water to sugar to top up. Once the syrup is boiling remove it from the heat, cover the surface with baking paper and tightly wrap with tin foil. Place in the oven for 6-8 hours, or until soft and deep crimson in colour.

Once soft, remove from the oven and set aside until cold, then place in the fridge, still submerged if you are not using them immediately.

Increase the oven temperature to 180C fan/gas mark 6.

For the almond paste, combine the ground almonds and soft brown sugar with just enough egg to form a stiff but not sticky dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth, then cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

Meanwhile, make the pastry. Combine the flour, ground almonds, butter, sugar and salt in a bowl or food processor and work or pulse until it has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and mix or pulse until it forms a ball. Wrap the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Now drain the cold quince, remove the cores and slice each quarter into 1cm wedges.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to a 32cm circle, 2mm thick, between two sheets of greaseproof paper. Return the circular sheet of dough, flattened between the paper, to the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up. Repeat this method with the almond paste, rolling it out to a smaller 22cm circle, 2mm thick, and put it in the fridge to firm up for 10 minutes.

Place the pastry on a large tray and peel back the top sheet of greaseproof paper. Use a sharp knife to trim and discard the rough edges of the pastry to make a 30cm circle.

Remove the almond paste from the fridge, peel the top sheet of the greaseproof paper off and cut the paste into a 20cm disc. Flip this over on to the centre of the pastry, peel back and discard the greaseproof paper from the top. Now arrange the quince pieces over the almond paste into a fan and, working fast, fold up the pastry edges into pleats. You may have a few quince pieces left over.

Place in the hot oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 150C fan/gas mark 3½ and cook for a further 25-30 minutes or until golden and crisp.

While the tart is cooking, reduce the quince poaching liquor by half over a medium heat until glossy. Allow the tart to cool for 10 minutes before brushing over a little of the quince syrup (save the rest).

Whip the cream and brandy in a bowl until it begins to hold its shape. Portion the tart into four and add a spoonful of brandy cream to each piece.
Florence Knight is head chef at Sessions Arts Club, London EC1