Advent Salad with Spicy Chicken, Cheese Corner and Winter Vegetables

Salad: Wash and clean the lamb's lettuce. Then quarter and core the apples, then cut into wafer-thin slices and add to the salad. For the dressing: squeeze the orange and mix its juice with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, salt & pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and mix well. Briefly toast the almonds in the pan. Add 50 ml of water and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir constantly while caramelizing the almonds. Then take the pan off the hob, let the almonds cool down briefly and then add them to the salad. Winter vegetables: clean the Brussels sprouts and carrots, cut the carrots into slices. Put the Brussels sprouts in salted water, simmer for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and cook for about another 10 minutes until the vegetables are firm to the bite. Then pour off the water. Finely chop the onion, garlic cloves and sage. Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry the onion, garlic and sage briefly, then add the carrots and Brussels sprouts. Stir well and rub ½ nutmeg onto the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Let the pan stand on the stove on medium heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spicy poultry: Cut the chicken breast fillets into thirds and place in a bowl. Briefly heat the honey in the microwave so that it becomes liquid. Finely chop the fresh chillies and 2 cloves of garlic and cut an onion into small cubes. Prepare a marinade from the honey, ground star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, fresh chillies, garlic, olive oil, tarragon, oregano and onion. Season these with salt and pepper and add to the bowl with the chicken breast fillets. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Cheese triangle: Press the puff pastry into a cake or tart pan. Pre-bake in the oven at 180 ° for 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven, "push back" the puffed puff pastry so that the bulges disappear. Prepare the filling from the eggs, Parmesan, sour cream, diced ham and the Roquefort, stir well and pour onto the pre-baked puff pastry. Bake again at 180 ° for 25 minutes. Then cut the tart into 12 pieces.

Winter vegetables: Clean the Brussels sprouts and carrots, cut the carrots into slices. Put the Brussels sprouts in salted water, simmer for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and cook for about another 10 minutes until the vegetables are firm to the bite. Then pour off the water. Finely chop the onion, garlic cloves and sage. Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry the onion, garlic and sage briefly, then add the carrots and Brussels sprouts. Stir well and rub ½ nutmeg onto the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Let the pan stand on the stove on medium heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

A glass of honey wine goes wonderfully with all of this. We had homemade oranges - mead with it.