Forget the toastie, Canberra's top chefs share their best Christmas leftovers recipe

Not to diss the humble ham and cheese toasted sandwich, or my other go-to, Jill Dupleix's spaghetti hamonara, or even the humble fritter where you throw in any leftover vegetable, or even salad, you have tucked in the back of the fridge, alongside some finely chopped protein, but isn't it time we elevated our leftovers?

I asked two of Canberra's best chefs how they reuse Christmas dinner and who better to go to for dessert than the bakery team from Three Mills. Renowned chef Matt Moran was also kind enough to answer some questions.

Time to pimp those leftovers.

What's usually on the Christmas menu at your place?

Now everyone is grown up it's more of a pot-luck dinner type of deal, everyone is assigned a different course to bring. There is massive variety, it's certainly non-traditional but we have definitely had dal and carbonara on the table at Christmas before.

What's one on your favourite Christmas food memories?

My grandma makes these little tarts with a biscuit base and marshmallow filling that she dusts in toasted coconut. They are my favorite and she always makes me a few extras to take home.

Are leftovers underrated?

Absolutely underrated. I really like being able to work out how to use everything up after Christmas. Fortunately both restaurants are closed for a little while this year but to be honest when I'm not on holidays I eat so few meals at home that I really try to never end up with leftovers because they get wasted.

Tell us a little about your dish?

This year I really wanted to focus on learning more and becoming confident with laminated doughs and pastry work. This is my favorite croissant recipe at the moment and I thought it would be a good idea to turn it into a savory escargot. I always try to do a ham and pineapple dish at Pilot during the summer, for the nostalgia and as a bit of a tongue-in-cheek poke to the Hawaiian pizza haters of the world.

Start minimum 1 day before.

400g high-quality, thinly sliced leftover ham, cut into 3cm strips

1 small jar tomato paste

200g tinned pineapple, chopped, without liquid

350g high quality honey

bunch thyme

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

20g fermented chilli

Croissant dough:

100g strong flour, chilled

55ml milk, chilled

5g brown sugar, chilled

2.5g salt, chilled

5g fresh yeast, chilled

20g unsalted butter, softened

935g strong flour, chilled

550ml milk, chilled

60g brown sugar, chilled

15g salt, chilled

35g fresh yeast, chilled

500g unsalted butter, extra, for laminating, chilled

Glaze method:

Place all ingredients in a pot, reduce over medium heat until it is the consistency of room temperature honey. Allow to cool to room temperature and carefully pick out the whole thyme twigs. Check seasoning and add more chilli if you like, it should be reasonably spicy.

Ferment method:

To make the ferment, put all ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and mix together, on low speed for around three minutes or until a smooth elastic dough is formed. Leave at room temperature for two hours, then chill in fridge overnight or for up to three days.

Dough method:

To mix croissant dough, place all ingredients, including the ferment, in the bowl of an electric mixer and process on a low speed for three to four minutes, then increase speed to high for two minutes. You should have a smooth elastic dough. Refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Lamination butter method:

Remove butter from fridge, allow to soften slightly. Place between two sheets of baking paper and use a rolling pin to roll into a 20cm flat square around 1cm thick. Let chill completely in the fridge.

Lamination method:

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle 20x40cm. Place the butter in the centre and fold the dough over the top, squeeze the edges together. Carefully roll the dough into a rectangle, about 20x90cm. Fold the rectangle from one long end by a third. Fold the other long end over so the short edges meet in the middle. The dough should now be 20x60cm.

Fold the dough in half so the dough is now 20x30cm. Refrigerate for around 20 minutes. Repeat this process twice more. Once the dough has had its final rest it is ready to shape.

Shaping method:

Roll dough into a 2cm thick rectangle and cut into long 3cm strips. Add a even covering of tomato paste and ham. Roll into escargot, being careful not to rip the pastry. Place into well-oiled 11cm springform baking tins, leaving around 1cm gap to the tin.

Proving/cooking method:

Prove for one hour in a warm room (around 22C) under a lightly damp tea towel. Apply a good layer of egg wash. Preheat the oven to 220C. Reduce heat to 190C and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.

Glazing method:

Take escargot out of mould and allow to cool off slightly on a cake rack, generously glaze while still warm. Season with salt.

Makes 12.

What's usually on the Christmas menu at your place?

My family likes to embrace both our Eurocentric traditions such as pies and buns and casseroles but since we celebrate Christmas in the United States after Thanksgiving these foods can get a bit redundant so we dip into our Mesoamerican side and make three or four kinds of tamales. Tamales take a team of people to make so it's a good family and friend activity.

What's one of your favourite Christmas food memories?

Last year my partner and I held our first "orphans' Christmas" for all our friends who couldn't see their families and combined all their cultural traditions in one big feast from barbecued shrimp, to roasted duck and braised lamb. It was incredibly special to make somebody feel at home wherever you are. This is one the most powerful impacts of food traditions.

Are leftovers underrated?

No, I think they get their fair share of love. We designed the Three Mills "ham buns" specifically for leftover Christmas Ham. Proof and bake the next day to lounge around the house or the beach while you're hungover. No fuss.

Tell us a little about your dish?

I love ice cream sandwiches and any opportunity to make one, I'll take! I made the sandwich using our Three Mills Bakery Christmas pudding as the sweet bread. At home, people can choose any ice cream they love. I wanted to keep it Australiana but couldn't choose so I made two sandwiches. One is filled with macadamia ice cream with mango swirl and the other a smoked gum-infused chocolate ice cream (inspired by Bodalla dairy's Bushfire ice cream that I love). The outside is glazed in mountain pepper cherry syrup and dusted with strawberry gum candied pistachios. Since the ice cream sandwich was invented in the 1890s I thought it would be fun to plate it up in the 1980s nouvelle cuisine style by swirling the syrup and cherries around the humble little sando and adding a couple of fresh berries to garnish.

Preparation:

Slice off rounds from the widest part of your leftover Christmas pudding and place in the freezer for about an hour to firm up slightly (they'll always be a little soft because of the amount of sugar in them). These slices should be approximately the same size as they form the sides of the sandwich.

If you have a ring mould or cookie cutter that's a similar size to the slices of pudding then press your favourite ice cream in to fill the ring and place that on a tray next to the pudding rounds. If you don't have a ring then simply spread your ice cream thickly onto one side of your pudding round. Let it reset for about an hour in the freezer to firm up.

Meanwhile:

250g sugar

50ml water

150g sherry or red wine vinegar

1 punnet of cherries, halved with the pips removed

8 whole mountain pepper berries

1/2 stick of cinnamon

1 sliver of orange peel

Method

Combine water and sugar in a pan and boil on high until a light caramel forms. Add cinnamon and pepper berries to toast until fragrant (about 15-30 seconds or before sugar turns dark). Then deglaze with vinegar. Place in your cherry halves and orange peel. Simmer until a syrup forms. Remove from heat and chill immediately. If the chilled syrup is too thick to drizzle while cold then add a few drops of water to thin it out.

50g pistachios (about a handful)

1/2 cup sugar

50ml water

pinch of salt

Method

Toast pistachios over medium heat until crunchy through to the centre. Add your sugar, water and salt. Boil on medium high heat. While the water evaporates, stir your mixture vigorously (chaotically!) with a wooden spoon in order to help them aerate and separate the sugar so it ends up looking like the pistachios are covered in hard snow. Cool down on the tray then crush with the back of a pot. Reserve in an airtight container.

1 brush

2 spoons

1 plate

berries, halved

Remove the ice cream from the ring and simply sandwich your ice cream between the slices of frozen Christmas pudding. Slice the sando in half with a bread knife and brush the round edge with your cherry sauce. Then press the edge of the sando into your candied nut mix. Place cut side of the sando down on the plate. Drizzle cherry sauce around the plate. Garnish with fresh berries.

Makes 1, serves 2.

What's usually on the Christmas menu at your place?

When I come home from work on Christmas, it's all family time from then on in. We keep it casual, lots of fresh salad and veggies. I love seafood, so prawns are a hero, along with some classics like Aussie smoked ham and turkey cooked on the Weber. We graze from lunchtime until dinner, as the kids run around and play; it's such a great day.

What's one of your favourite Christmas food memories?

The overindulgence of food. We always did the traditional Christmas dinners, they were a sight to behold, and included everything you can imagine. I spent the first 15 years of my life in the United Kingdom and Christmas was always special.

Are leftovers underrated?

Absolutely. What you can do with leftovers is really creative and you can add your own personal flair. I am very passionate about sustainability and food wastage, so using leftovers is a great place to start working on that philosophy.

Tell us a little about your dish?

I've done a fresh take on the classic bubble and squeak, a simple and delicious dish that uses Christmas leftovers and transforms them into a totally new creation. Leftover veggies like potatoes and Brussels sprouts are often forgotten, but this dish brings them new life. It's a quick, easy dish and great to make together with the kids.

200g leftover roasted potatoes (skin on is best)

200g leftover roasted veg, be it fried Brussel sprouts with pecorino, tarragon glazed carrots or sauteed garlic kale

2 sprigs of thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

2 free range eggs

chilli crunch - Umami Papi crispy chilli oil is a personal favourite

shaved ham leftovers/cold cuts of shaved turkey

pecorino or parmesan cheese

1. In a large mixing bowl, and using a potato masher or ricer, crush the roasted potato. This is the base of the fritter.

2. Put the remaining vegetables though the masher/ricer or chop finely and add to bowl. Once combined, season generously, and add the chopped thyme and rosemary. Portion into 200g patties and shape.

3. Preheat air fryer to 180C. Add the patties for 15 minutes, check half way for crispiness - this is key!

4. When patties are finished, and nice and crisp, place a pan on a medium heat, and fry off the eggs, sunny side up, you want that yolk.

5. Place each fritter on a serving plate, top with the fried egg, and then add the chilli crunch on top. Microplane pecorino over the top.

6. Add the shaved leg ham or roasted turkey if you feel like it.

Serves 2-4.

What's usually on the Christmas menu at your place?

Christmas would have to be my favourite time of year. It's all about spending time with family and friends and cooking up a big feast. It's always a big day at home. I start cooking the night before, and I love it. Then I wake up early Christmas morning before everyone else and cook all day. I do a ham, a goose, a turkey, and usually a bit of roast pork. There's always seafood - some prawns, a whole fish and oysters. You can't forget about all the trimmings and a good selection of salads - recently, I have been making a great baby gem, tiger prawn mango salad and a raw broccoli salad with a macadamia dressing and a roasted cauliflower raisins and anchovy dish - all fantastic dishes to serve on Christmas Day.

What's one of your favourite Christmas food memories?

That's a tough one; every year, Christmas has been at my place for as long as I can remember. Everyone knows I love to cook and entertain; it's been that way for years and years. My favourite part of Christmas is always planning the menu, I love preparing a massive feast for everyone. I like to plan and prep well; then I can sit back and enjoy the day with my guests.

Are leftovers underrated?

When preparing the menu for Christmas day I always plan to make excess. Boxing day, I'll usually make a late brunch for the family, fried eggs from the farm and fried ham with some crusty bread. Everyone loves a toastie; use your leftover turkey and cheese (use a Camembert or a good melting cheese) and cranberry sauce. I like to make excess dressings such as macadamia pesto, which can be served with most meats and seafood and is an easy dressing to add to your salads. You can't go wrong with a great quiche for any leftover veggies.

Tell us a little about your dish?

An excellent mushroom dish I have loved making recently is a braised field mushroom on a bed of cabbage and macadamia creme. It's a simple dish with beautiful produce as the hero. Grilling mushrooms brings out the flavour, then serving them on a bed of macadamia crème elevates the dish into something special. I like finishing the dish by topping the mushrooms with some crushed roasted macadamia. It's a dish I like to serve as a side; it goes really well with a beautiful piece of meat, or the dish that is great as a main.

4x large flat mushrooms

100g Shiro koji (you can find at the Asian supermarket)

100ml olive oil

20g chopped thyme

200g raw macadamias

100ml water

50g olive oil

10g sea salt

20ml lemon juice

1/4 cabbage

50g toasted macadamias

20ml lemon juice

20ml olive oil

20g chopped parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. For the mushrooms, place the flat mushrooms gill side up in a tray, drizzle olive oil over the top and cover with koji and chopped thyme, place in oven for 30 minutes or until soft and roasted. Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray before placing in the fridge to dry. We like to keep the mushrooms in the fridge, uncovered for 3 hours, this allows them to dry slightly so when reheated they get crispy.

3. To prepare the macadamia cream, place raw macadamias, water, olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice in the stand-up blender, blend on high until smooth, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

4. For the roasted cabbage, preheat oven to 240C, peel cabbage layers away from the core, place on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil and salt, roast in the oven until slightly coloured - roughly 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place into a mixing bowl, add toasted macadamias, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley, mix and set aside.

5. To serve, reheat the mushrooms in the oven at 240C for five to eight minutes, place four spoonfuls of macadamia cream on a serving plate, place four roasted mushrooms on top of each, followed by roasted cabbage.

Serves 4.