Christmas

After a busy term. finally time to sit and update recipes again...but first of all, I want to reference this link from Karen Ehman for turkey leftovers. Great idea.

So...Christmas Cake.  My mother's favourite - and only - recipe for Christmas Cake. She used it to make my wedding cake, too - a magnificent 3 tier, rich dark fruit cake. Amazing.

Here is the recipe: typed out for my mother by my father, distributed to all and sundry.

Line a 8" round or oblong 61/2" x 9" x 3" (meticulously measured, as always) with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. Tie a double layer of brown paper - I used an A4 envelope cut in half lengthways - securely round the outside with string and staples. This prevents burning.

SIFT 8 oz plain flour, 1 teaspoon mixed spice (I even use garam masala if I don't have mixed spice), a quarter of a nutmeg, grated, and a pinch of salt.
BEAT 8oz butter and 8oz sugar together until well mixed and 'fluffy'. SLOWLY add 5 beaten eggs, adding a little flour if  to prevent curdling.
ADD 12 oz currants, 12 oz sultanas, 4oz raisins, 4 oz glace cherries, 6 oz mixed peel, 3 oz chopped almonds, and grated rind of 1 lemon. Mix well, add flour and spices, juice of 1 lemon and up to 2 1/2 fluid oz brandy or milk. (I have also used any other combination of mixed fruit, dried apricots, cranberries etc as long as the total weight of all the dried fruit comes to 38oz. My mother would be horrified but still, with that much fruit, you can't go wrong.)

Put into tin. Smooth top, Bake in centre of oven at 310 degrees for 2 - 4 hours, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
COOL cake in tin upside down on a wire rack. When cool, put away, still in its tin (or wrap in tinfoil).

Cover with MARZIPAN.  Sieve 1lb icing sugar with 1lb ground almonds,sprinkle in 1 tablespoon lemon juice , ADD 2 eggs beaten together. (The recipe says large eggs but I seem to remember medium will do - can always add more lemon juice to moisten.) Work into a stiff paste and knead well. Roll out to at least 1cm thick (our family likes marzipan so the thicker the better) with icing sugar. Brush the cake with apricot jam or crab apple jelly to enable the marzipan to stick, then cover carefully, smoothing the edges.

Ice with royal icing. Use half the quantity, or there is far too much icing.  Or shop bought ready rolled fondant icing, which gives a smooth surface.

However, a gluten-free version is trickier to produce. I found this one from the Gluten-free Alchemist - adding psyllium husk, which I use for seed crackers, and have also made Nigella's Easy Action Christmas cake. I candied my own orange peel, actually chopping up whole oranges very small before boiling until soft and then adding a little sugar, which gave a lovely citrusy taste.

MINCE PIES

Pastry: 14 oz plain flour, 2 oz self-raising flour, 6oz white vegetable fat ('Kimbo' for us Kenyans), 2 oz hard margarine, 4 oz sugar, crumbled together with one beaten egg and 2 eggshells of cold water.

Mincemeat

A combination mixed together very well of:
1lb peeled, cored and finely chopped cooking apples
4 - 6oz grated suet or cooking margarine/fat
12 oz raisins, 8 oz sultanas, 8 oz currants, 8oz chopped peel, 12 oz soft brown sugar, grated rind and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange, half a teaspoon ground mixed spice, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and (optional) 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. 5 fluid ounces brandy or whisky OR 2 fluid ounces orange juice.

Keeps 2 weeks without alcohol, up to 1 year WITH.