WINTER HUES
Pomegranate is at its peak in December and January. Look out for the deep, ruby-red-skinned type rather than those with paler skin, because the quality of the fruit inside will be much better. The seeds have a sweet, tart flavour, delicious scattered over a salad or rich chocolate cake, or with tender slow-cooked lamb flavoured with Middle Eastern spices. I’ve used mine as part of a cure for a festive gravlax (on page 100). The tart flavour of the fresh pomegranate combined with deep, unctuous molasses makes a lovely sweet and savoury complement to the fish, plus it looks impressive as well as tasting great, so it’s ideal for serving on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve.
Cranberries are traditionally cooked into a sauce over Christmas as part of a roast dinner, or added to a sandwich of leftovers. Here, I’ve paired the classic cranberry sauce with luxuriously rich Spanish croquettes (page 99) – deep-fried balls of
