Microwave Christmas Pudding - easiest and best ever.

    

Ingredients

• 1 x 500g bag mixed dried fruit
• 1 x 330ml bottle orange juice
• 3 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g plain flour
• 100g suet or butter
• 100g dark brown soft sugar
• 50g breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp medium sweet sherry
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• icing sugar, for dusting

GET AHEAD

Prepare up to the end of step 2 a few hours ahead

1. Put the dried fruit into a pan with the orange juice. Bubble for 5 minutes until the fruit has absorbed almost all the liquid and plumped up.
2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients, except the icing sugar, in a large bowl. Stir in the hot dried fruit. Pour into a lightly greased 2-litre glass (microwave-proof) bowl, base lined with a circle of nonstick baking paper. Cover with a microwave-proof plate.
3. Microwave at 600W for 10 minutes. Remove from the microwave and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Invert the pudding on to a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and serve with brandy butter, rum sauce or Chantilly cream.

 

Mincemeat

Combine together:
1 lb (450 g) Bramley apples, cored and chopped small (no need to peel them)
2 oz (50 g) whole almonds, coarsely grated
4 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
½ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons brandy
8 oz (225 g) shredded suet or butter
12 oz (350 g) raisins
8 oz (225 g) sultanas
8 oz (225 g) currants
8 oz (225 g) whole mixed candied peel, finely chopped

OR EQUIVALENT OF DRIED MIXED FRUIT
12 oz (350 g) soft dark brown sugar

grated zest and juice 2 oranges
grated zest and juice 2 lemons

Mix together and leave overnight. Warm gently until fat is melted and stir well to coat all the ingredients. Leave to cool and put into sterilised jars.

Pepparkakor: Swedish ginger biscuits. For Christmas.Definitely.

Although I have a tried and tested recipe from Sweden, I have also found a great explanation and recipe here.

Ingredients

½ Tbsp		cardamom pods* - seeds removed and crushed
150 g	(1¼ sticks)	butter or margarine
250 g	(1 cup)	sugar (white, brown or a mixture)
50 g	(2½ Tbsp)	golden syrup (light corn syrup)
20 g	(1 Tbsp)	treacle (dark corn syrup)
1 Tbsp		ground ginger
1 Tbsp		ground cinnamon
½ Tbsp		ground cloves
½ Tbsp		bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
100 ml	(6½ Tbsp)	water
450 g	(3½ cups)	plain (all-purpose) flour

*Or 1 tsp of ground cardamom

Mix the butter, sugar, syrup and treacle in a large saucepan. Heat gently until the butter melts, stirring continuously.

4. Turn off the heat, add the spices and mix thoroughly.

5. Add the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and stir again.

6. Add the water and stir once more.

7. Add the flour and stir thoroughly until it is completely mixed in.

8. Empty the mixture into a bowl. When cool cover with cling film (food wrap) and then leave the dough to rest in the fridge overnight or, if you can, even longer (a week is ideal).

9. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas 6, fan 180°C).

10. Take a small portion of the dough for a test bake and return the rest to the fridge. The dough will be very firm and hard to roll initially. Knead it to soften it a bit, but it is easier to work when it is cold and fairly stiff.

11. Roll it out thinly on a lightly floured surface or onto greaseproof paper. Cut into shapes using a biscuit (cookie) cutter.

12. Lift the biscuits on to cold baking trays (cookie sheets), lightly greased if not using greaseproof paper. Bake for 5-8 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on them as they burn very easily, but they should be crisp.

12. If the test batch spreads out and the biscuits lose their shape, add some more flour, and do another test bake.

13. If the test batch is good, remove enough dough for another batch and return the rest to the fridge. Bake in batches until all the dough has been used.

14. Once baked, leave to cool for a minute or two and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing (frosting)

The quantity below should be sufficient to ice a large batch of pepparkakor.

1		egg white
225 g	(1¾ cups)	icing sugar (powder sugar)
1 tsp		lemon juice

Whisk the egg white in a large bowl until frothy. Using a large spoon or a mixer on slow speed, add the icing sugar a tablespoonful at a time. Stir in the lemon juice and beat the icing until it is very stiff and white and stands up in peaks. Cover the surface with a damp cloth if not using immediately.

Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle and pipe away! Icing is harder than it looks so, unless you are a very experienced icer, I recommend keeping the designs really simple! 

White chocolate lemon and coconut truffles

Recipe from Make Do and Mend.

• 200g Fairtrade White Chocolate-I get 200g bars from Waitrose-they are fairtrade, and come in just paper and foil packaging, rather than plastic. And it’s pretty good value too.
• 60ml double cream
• 15g butter
• 35g dessicated coconut + extra for coating
• zest of one unwaxed lemon

Method:

• Break the chocolate up into squares and place in a heatproof bowl with the cream
• Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water
• Stir the chocolate and cream to combine as the chocolate melts
• Once the chocolate has melted and is all mixed in with the cream, carefully remove the bowl from the top of the saucepan, and stir the butter into the chocolate mix
• Add the lemon zest and coconut and stir well
• Place in the fridge for about 30mins to set a bit
• Remove from the fridge and scoop out teaspoons of mix. Roll into balls, and then roll the balls in dessicated coconut to coat the outside
• Plop them into a clean empty jam jar, and store in the fridge ready for gifting (or devouring yourself…!)

Gingerbread house

Several years ago - 12, 13 perhaps - Cat and I made a gingerbread house. Cemented together with royal icing, it sat proudly on top of the cupboard for several years: five in all, I think. I don't think it was the first house we made - I'm fairly sure we ate our first attempt, which we made when we were still in Kenya - but it was the last we made together.
Then Cat asked me for the recipe today. Now she is making it for her little Kiwi nephews (and probably her brothers-in-law as well...)

The gingerbread recipe itself is American, from my dear friend Connie:

Gingerbread

Beat together 1 cup/6oz of melted shortening/butter with 1 cup/8oz sugar (brown/white) and 8 tablespoons / 1 cup of honey or golden syrup, 1/2 cup of water and 1 large egg. 

Beat well and then beat in 3 cups/18oz of plain flour, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons (each) clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Slowly add a further 3 cups of flour. Pat the dough together into a soft wobbly dough and either put in fridge if you want to for a short time, or roll it straight away. It will be very soft, so a light hand is needed and try not to add too much extra flour for rolling. I have had a good deal of success lately by rolling dough/pastry out with a sheet of greaseproof paper between the dough and the rolling pin.

 Cut out the parts of the house:  two gable ends, 2 long rectangles for walls and 2 wider rectangles for the roof.  The roof should not be too sharp an angle or it will be hard to glue it on to the walls, so make the rectangles big enough. You could cut out windows and a door separately, or draw them on with icing/other decorations. Little Christmas trees for the garden, snowmen and the right size gingerbread men (I have a tiny cutter) for the door can also look good.  Use left over dough to cut out cookies.

 Cookies bake at 10-12mins at 350F / 180C, the larger rectangles may take longer. Trim with a sharp knife straight after baking, probably - otherwise with a very sharp paring knife when cool. Assemble the house, 'gluing' the walls and gable ends first with royal icing: wait until these set before adding the roof, or the whole house might collapse!  I seem to remember that toothpicks are extremely useful, too... 

Royal icing: my mother's recipe, which I have written out in her own handwriting. The recipe is now falling apart as I have used it so much.

1 lb icing sugar

1 dessertspoon lemon juice

2 egg whites

Put half the sifted icing sugar into a bowl and add the egg whites. Beat at speed thoroughly until it is very white and smooth, then, add the remaining sugar and the lemon juice. Beat the icing very well until it looks 'dull' and soft peaks form, otherwise it won't set hard enough.

If you're lucky - and skilled - the end result may look like this...

Fruit tree growing on the end wall, Christmas trees delivered on the back of a truck...

Finishing touches

Bird's eye view - where's the seagull?

A front door which actually opens... and a pebbled path round the house

Check out the bushes.

And even a slide!

Christmas dinner

Turkey cooking.

Quinoa gluten free stuffing. Quinoa, softened onion and garlic, apricot, chopped almonds/pine nuts, thyme, rosemary, lemon and orange zest.

Annabel Langbein's cranberry mincemeat. Tart and fruity.

Cranberry and clementine sauce:
100g cranberries
1 - 2 large spoons sugar, to taste: cranberries are tart.
Juice and thinly pared and chopped or grated rind of a clementine
A pinch each of cinnamon, mixed spice and cloves ( optional )
Simmer gently until sauce-like.

And Christmas treats and ideas at Beauty and Bedlam

Christmas

Christmas recipes:

Cassata ice cream

Cranberry Buckle Cake - uses cranberries, crystallized ginger, candied peel, lemon zest. Otherwise an ordinary sponge cake plus a little extra flour and baking powder.

Lovely Annabel Langbein's Orange Lightning Cake

Berry trifle. And cakes.

Tres leches ( three milks ) cake. Pour milk mixture onto warm cake.
.
Wassail.
Ingredients:

1/2 gallon apple juice
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Freshly sliced orange and apple, optional
Whipped cream and caramel sauce, optional
Directions:
Combine the apple juice, orange juice, cinnamon stick,cloves and cranberries into a large slow cooker. Add a few orange and apple slices if desired. Cook on low for 2-3 hours. Turn to the warm setting.

Ladle into cups and top with whipped cream and caramel sauce if desired.

Chocolate crinkle cookies

Different Christmas dinner recipes.

Almond stars

Ingredients 
Makes: 50 biscuits, depending on size

• 4 egg whites
• 250g icing sugar
• 250g ground almonds
• 1/2 lemon, zest grated and juiced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves

---

Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:20min  ›  Extra time:1hr chilling  › Ready in:1hr50min 

1. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in icing sugar, then fold in lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves.
2. Reserve and chill 8 tablespoons of mixture. Fold almonds into the remaining mixture; chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 150 C / Gas 2.
4. Sprinkle sugar on work surface. Roll batches of dough to 1cm thick and cut out stars. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add a little more ground almonds.
5. Place stars onto a greased baking tray and brush with the reserved egg whites.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven.

Gingerbread House

This American recipe is the best for making gingerbread men, a gingerbread house, and so on.

This makes a HUGE amount - I usually make half quantities. It is a very forgiving recipe and is very easy to work with.

Beat together:
1 cup (6oz) melted vegetable shortening
1 cup (8 oz) sugar, mixed brown and white or all white
6 - 8 tablespoons (1 cup) honey or golden syrup
1/2 cup water, 1 large beaten egg

Beat in:
3 cups (18 oz) flour
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg (or equivalent in mixed spices) Quantities may be increased to taste

Slowly add a further 3 cups flour - the dough will be very soft - and pat the dough together. Refrigerate a little if wanted.

Bake 10 - 12 minutes at 180 degrees (350 degrees Fahrenheit) until slightly brown. Cool on a wire rack - the biscuits should usually crispen up.

Candied Orange Peel

So delicious. So easy. So quick. Recipe from here, thank you very much!

Candied Orange and Lemon Peel:

• Peels from two oranges and two lemons, pith removed
• 2 cups of sugar
• Use a paring knife to get as much of the pith removed as possible. In a large microwave safe bowl (with a lid!) cover the peels with water. Cover and microwave for two minutes. Drain and rinse the peels. Repeat this step.

Once the peels are rinsed the second time, put them back into the microwave safe bowl. Cover with one cup of sugar. Pour the cup of water on top. Cover and microwave for 4 minutes.

The house will smell fantastic at this point.
On a large plate, add the final cup of sugar, a little at a time for each batch of peel. In small batches spoon the peels (draining the syrup off) into the sugar bowl. Toss to coat, and then place them on a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat until all peels are coated in sugar. Let them air dry for about an hour.

A lot of people coat the candied peels in chocolate once they’ve dried, but I like them just like this. The perfect combination of bitter, tart, and sweet.

Also, save the syrup from the microwave step. It’s nice for cocktails! I also save the sugar from coating the peels. I’m not sure what I will do with it yet, but I couldn’t throw it away!

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.

Microwave Christmas Pudding!

I love Christmas pudding:not an agape selfless, sharing love but an egocentric desire for a large helping, with brandy butter. If I share, then there is less for me... Actually, no, I am not quite so mean. I love what Christmas pudding represents: the rich fruit reminds me of God's lavish generosity towards me, the dark colour symbolising depth of unfathomable meaning, the brandy butter the sweetness of God's love.  I don't often, these days,make Christmas pudding: I used to, in Kenya, including pineapple and mango instead of apple and vine fruits, adding carrot and marmelade. Then, on returning to England, I discovered the microwave pudding. Now I have found a recipe for it. This is what I made today: 

Microwave Christmas pudding ... adapted from Marguerite Patten's recipe

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

50g Butter

50g plain flour

Half a teaspoon of mixed spice

75g white breadcrumbs

100g soft dark brown sugar

150g sultanas

75g Raisins

25g Currants

50g Dates

50g Cherries

125g currants

25g coarsely chopped peel

50g grated carrot

grated rind and juice of half lemon

2 eggs

2 tablespoon treacle

1 tablespoon golden syrup

50ml Orange Juice

(But I used dried mixed fruit instead of the separate fruits, and no grated rind: too lazy.)

Method:

Sieve all the dry ingredients together and mix well. Stir in all remaining ingredients until completely mixed. Lightly grease a half litre (1 pint) pudding basin and fill with the mixture. Cover with cling film and make a slit in the top to allow steam to escape. Cook on microwave high for 10 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes after cooking. Sprinkle with brandy and serve.  (Or cook on medium for 10 minutes, let stand for 10 minutes and then cook again for 10 minutes.)

If made in advance, reheat for 2 - 3 minutes on medium.

The shortcut -which can be made on the day or up to 10 months in advance...

Ingredients

10 oz good mincemeat - if you're organised you can make your own, if not use a good quality make (I use Marks and Spencers).
8 oz brown sugar (molasses style)
8 oz self-raising flour.
3 well-beaten eggs
5 oz marmalade (the fine shred is best)
1 oz glace cherries
4 tbs whisky
4 oz frozen butter which is grated or chopped to fine pieces.

1. Line a pudding basin (2 pt size)with greaseproof paper.

2. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Spoon the mixture into the greased bowl and cover it with greaseproof paper.
4. Put bowl on plate and cook in microwave on medium power for 20 - 25 minutes.
5. Test it with a skewer of knife - if it is 'done' the skewer will come out clean.
6. Leave to 'rest' for 5 minutes.
7. Carefully turn on to serving plate and decorate with cream and holly.
8. You can serve with other things like Brandy Butter, Rum Sauce, Custard or whatever you prefer.

Or the SLOW COOKER version:

Ingredients
2 oz plain flour, pinch of salt, 2 tsp mixed spice, 4 oz currants, 4 oz sultanas, 4 oz raisins, 4 mixed chopped peel, 4 oz shredded suet, 4 softbrown sugar, 4 oz fine white breadcrumbs, 2 oz chopped blanched almonds, grated rind of 1 lemon, 2 eggs beaten, 2 tbsp black treacle, 1 tbsp brandy, a little stoutale or milk for mixing

Method

sieve together the flour,salt and spice,add all the dry ingredients and stir well. Add the eggs,treacle and brandy
with sufficient liquid to make a soft clinging mixture.
(NB. if the pudding basins are metal or foil, they should be lined with greaseproof paper to prevent the acid in the fruit attaking the metal surface during storage)
divide mixture between the greased containers, leaving about half an inch headspace,cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper or foil.
pe-heat the slow cooker on high for 15 mins. Stand the container in the slow cooker and then pour a pint of boiling water around it, cook on high,then low, or high continuously. cool the pudding and cover with fresh greaseproof paper or foil for storage.
HIGH for 1 hour,then LOW for12 hours
or
HIGH for 7 hours
TO REHEAT, pre-heat the slow cooker on high for 15 mins,stand container in the cooker then pour hot water around it,
heat on HIGH for 3 hours.

A 3pt/1.8l pudding basin sized pudding needs cooking for 10 hours and a further 2 hours on the day.

Royal Icing

My mother's royal icing, only for Christmas cakes. Yet I know that, without the glycerine, this is a marvellous substitute for cement, holding many a gingerbread house together.
The last house we built lasted 200 gingerbread years before needing repair.

1 lb (500g)  icing sugar
1 dessertspoon (10ml) lemon juice
1 dessertspoon (10ml) glycerine (optional, for a soft icing)
2 egg whites

Put half the sifted icing sugar into the mixing bowl and add the egg whites.
Beat (with a mixer)  at SLOW speed thoroughly until very white and smooth
Add the remaining sugar and lemon juice, and glycerine if used
Continue beating until the mixture looks ‘dull’ and very white and peaks form.

Enough to thickly cover a 9 inch diameter cake.