Toasted Hazelnut and smoked bacon stuffing

Ingredients

125g hazelnuts
¼tsp cumin seeds
2 star anise
4 cardamom Pods
2 rashers smoked bacon diced
50ml rapeseed oil
4 celery sticks chopped
2 small onions chopped
1 apple (unpeeled), diced
4tbsp sage snatched
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4tsp cracked black pepper
4 sprigs of thyme snatched
150g white breadcrumbs
250g sausage meat
1 egg

Instructions for Preperation

1.    Place the hazelnuts onto a baking sheet and roast at 180°C for 8 minutes, then rub in a tea towel to remove the skins
2.    Heat a large thick bottom pan and add the cumin, star anise and cardamom pods and cook for a few minutes to allow the aromas to be released.
3.    Add the bacon and cook until well coloured
4.    Add the celery, onion, apple, sage and thyme and cook covered for about 6-8 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
5.    Remove from the fire, add the rapeseed oil and garlic and allow to infused, covered for 5-10 minutes.
6.    Remove the cardamom pods and star anise from the celery mixture before combining together with the bread, crushed nuts sausage meat and egg.
7.    The stuffing can be baked in a dish, or rolled into balls that will be crisp on the outside and moist inside. To bake, press the stuffing into a greased ovenproof dish in a layer that is around 4cm thick. Bake at 190° C for about 30 minutes, or until browned and cooked trough
8.    Alternatively, roll into balls that are about 4cm in diameter. Roast the stuffing balls in a hot pan or, they can be placed around the turkey, they will cook in about 15-20 minutes.

You can see Jean-Christophe in action in La Patisserie Peugeot at 1pm, and in the AEG Taste Theatre at 3pm on Sunday 4th December. He will also be hosting a book signing following his demonstration in the AEG Taste Theatre.