Serving up the surplus food

With the fridge still full of left overs and things you forgot to use over Christmas, Darina Allen advises on how to use them up

It seems to be extraordinarily difficult to decide how much food one needs to have in for Christmas, despite my best efforts I never seem to get it right. Even my most meticulous plans change – late invitations mean that food is relegated to the back of the fridge and the best laid plans are cheerfully ditched for the sake of spontaneous conviviality.

I've just been sorting through the miscellaneous items still in the fridge and pantry after the festive season, making futile new year resolutions to use up the yummy bits of leftovers that have been chucked into the freezer in a desperate effort to reduce waste when plans changed.

So what did I find? Several bags of cranberries – they at least freeze brilliantly and can of course be made into cranberry sauce to accompany a juicy roast pheasant, guinea fowl or chicken at any time of the year, however you may want to try something a little less predictable. Throw a fistful into the dry ingredients when you are making scones, or add them to a muffin mix, the bittersweet flavour is a delicious surprise. We have also been putting cranberries into ice-cubes to use in drinks over the festive season. They look pretty and taste good, particularly if you have time to prick them with a needle and soak the berries in a little simple sugar syrup beforehand. A bittersweet cranberry sauce is delicious as a filling in a meringue roulade or in a feather light sponge with some softly whipped cream.

Many houses will have a pot or two of mincemeat left over also. Most mincemeat recipes keep well, sometimes even for years, so there's no great urgency to use it up, but when you begin to feel peckish again try making this mincemeat, pear and frangipane tart. It's so delectable that it's almost worth making mincemeat specially to try it. A layer of mincemeat is also delicious on the base of a Bramley apple tart or in an apple crumble.

This Christmas I got a present of not one, but two beautiful Pannetone. The rich, featherlight yeasted Italian cake wrapped in gold paper and silk ribbon, makes an irresistible nibble over Christmas and leftovers make the best bread and butter pudding. It's certainly no hardship eating these leftovers.

Leftover plum puddings can seem totally unappealing after an overindulgent Christmas – don't dream of chucking it in the bin, just cut it into thickish slices and cook in foaming butter in a frying pan over a gentle heat – divine topped with the remains of the rum or brandy butter. Even Christmas cake responds to that treatment, its even better made into a sort of Marie Antoinette type Bread and Butter Pudding.

Left over sprouts are great blanched and refreshed and then simmered for a few minutes in some coconut milk and Thai green curry paste – even ardent sprout haters will be happy to try this. Scraps of leftover turkey and ham if they are still around are delicious chopped up and folded through a bubbly macaroni or cauliflower cheese.

Now that we've emptied the fridge it's time to move on and consider some new year resolutions.

Shortcrust Pastry

› 200g (7oz) flour; 110g (4oz) cold butter; 1 egg yolk, preferably free range and organic; pinch of salt; 3-4 tablespoons cold water

Frangipane

› 100g (31/2oz) butter; 75g (3oz) caster sugar; 1 egg, beaten; 1 egg yolk, preferably free range and organic; 110g (4oz) whole blanched almonds, ground or 1/2 ground almonds and 1/2 blanched and ground; 25g (1oz) flour; 4-5 tablespoons of good quality Mincemeat. To Finish: 150ml (1/4pint) approx. apricot glaze; 23cm (9inch) diameter flan ring or tart tin with a removable base

Take a fork and add just enough liquid to bring the pastry together, then discard the fork and collect the pastry into a ball with your hands. Add a few more drops of liquid if needed. Although slightly damp pastry is easier to handle and roll out, the drier and more difficult-to-handle pastry will give a crisper, shorter crust. Cover the pastry with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge at least 15 minutes or better still 30. This will make the pastry less elastic and easier to roll.

Next, poach the pears and allow to get cold: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry, line the tart tin with it, prick lightly with a fork, flute the edges and chill again until firm. Bake blind for 15-20 minutes.

Next make the frangipane: Cream the butter, gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and soft. Gradually add the egg and egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the ground almonds and flour and spread the mincemeat evenly over the pastry base. Pour the frangipane into the pastry case spreading it evenly. Drain the pears well and when they are cold cut them crosswise into very thin slices, then lift the sliced pears intact and arrange them around the tart on the frangipane pointed ends towards the centre. Arrange a final half pear in the centre.

Turn the oven up to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Bake the tart for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is beginning to brown. Turn down the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the frangipane is set in the centre and nicely golden. Meanwhile make the apricot glaze. When the tart is fully cooked, paint generously with apricot glaze, remove from the tin and serve warm or cold with a bowl of softly whipped cream.

› 6 pears; 225g (8oz) sugar; 600ml (1 pint) water; a couple of strips of lemon peel and juice of 1/2 lemon