Here are a few well-tried and delicious recipes to help you along. I haven't included anything for turkey, these recipes seem to be two-a-penny just now, so have a browse and watch out for more as I add them. Do let me know what you think, too.
Have a blessed Christmas with those you know and love, Rachel x
Apricot & Cashew Nut Stuffing
Here is a fresh and companionable stuffing which will accompany turkey, capon, goose, chicken & pork and is as good in the bird as it is cooked separately! The stuffing is delicious with the meat at Christmas dinner and is equally tasty on the buffet table, on a sharing board or in a sandwich...
It has succulent apricots and can also be tweaked to have cranberries instead. It works well with the crunch of the cashew nuts and with rustic sage leaves...
Why not go to the extra effort and make your own stuffing this year? It really is not difficult!
This recipe will give enough for 8 servings.
Olive oil
1 brown onion ~ finely diced
2 garlic cloves ~ pressed
500g good quality sausagemeat ~ if you are in doubt of the meat content, buy sausages with at least 95% meat. (97% pork Sainsbury's Taste the Difference 2for £5 or 3 for £6)
75g day-old breadcrumbs
125g dried, ready-to-eat apricots ~ chopped
100g unsalted cashew nuts ~ roughly chopped
handful sage leaves ~ chopped ~ why not overwinter cuttings in greenhouse/polytunnel?
1 large free-range egg
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
METHOD
Place good glug of oil in frying pan; cook onion until transparent, then add garlic. Be careful not to colour either of them..we don't want any bitter flavours in the stuffing.
Stand aside to cool. Place sausagemeat into large mixing bowl, if using sausages, skin them and place these into bowl instead.
Add breadcrumbs, apricots, cashews and sage to onion & garlic. Stir mixture carefully, then add egg and mix until you can all is evenly combined. Season mixture well store in fridge until required.
nb If desired, substitute apricots with 100g cranberries, the most competitive price for these I have found, is at Home Bargains!
Mrs Claridge's Christmas Puddings
This recipe was handed to me by the mother of a dear, dear friend. It had originated in her son-in law's mother's cook book! I use it year after year; it is delicious, reliable and you can set it alight with brandy if you like!
Our children, when young, were not at all keen on dark treacle-bound Christmas puddings which adorn our shops, delicatessens and many recipe books at this time of year. This recipe has none of the gloopyness of dark treacle yet all the jewels of Christmas fruits and so much flavour from butter, spices and long steaming....I don't believe you will find a better pudding! Thank you Nancy x
Makes 2 x 2lb Puddings
As this is the original recipe, I have kept the ingredients in Imperial measurements, I just feel that Nancy would prefer it that way.
4oz plain flour ~ sifted ~ I use Marriages Organic
2oz day-old breadcrumbs
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4oz softened butter
4oz soft brown sugar
4oz grated apple ~ I use Cox's Orange Pippin
4oz grated carrot
4oz glacé cherries ~ washed & halved (the original has mixed peel, but I can't bear it)
8oz raisins ~ I use Suma Dark Flame Raisins - large and succulent
4oz currants
4oz sultanas
2oz chopped almonds
Grated rind & juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange
1 tblsp golden syrup
2 large free range eggs ~ beaten
1/4 pt milk (if necessary)
METHOD
Begin by greasing two Pyrex® basins with softened butter, stand aside. You can use plastic pudding basins (with snap-on lids for storage, but not boiling) if you prefer.
Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add eggs, being careful to make sure that mixture does not curdle. If this begins to happen, add a little of the sifted flour and carry on with the eggs until all is incorporated.
Fold in flour and spices.
Carefully stir in all remaining ingredients making sure that you don't knock out all that precious air you have just worked so hard to beat in! Mixture should just fall from your spoon when ready, if not quite soft enough, add a little of the milk until you have required consistency.
Divide mixture between basins, taking care to keep top rim and edges clean. Then steam on the hob:
Follow these step-by-step instructions and you will be fine!
Take a large sheet of foil and a piece of baking parchment the same size. Make a pleat in the centre of both.
Turn parchment over so foil is on top and press around bowl with fold on top. Tie foil tightly around bowl using a long piece of string.
Trim away excess foil and parchment. Leave about 2" foil & parchment around sides of bowl.
Tuck the parchment in and fold foil around it to totally encase & give pudding a water-tight seal. (you don't want foil or parchment dipping in the water)
Make a handle for bowl by threading double length of string through string already tied around pudding. Pull it through to opposite side and make sure this is secure.
Complete procedure again with second pudding.
The puddings are now ready to cook.
Place the puddings into a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water, or use a large saucepan with thick scrunched-up foil/up-turned saucer in the bottom.
Steam for approx 4 hours.
YOU MUST KEEP STEAMER/PAN TOPPED UP WITH WATER..DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL DRY...AT LEAST HALFWAY UP THE SIDE OF THE BOWL
When the puddings are steamed, cut strings around the bowls. After about an hour, gently remove parchment and foil and destroy.
Before storing, recover with a fresh sheet of foil & parchment, just as you did before. If you tie a handle around again, it will make removing the pudding from the steamer so much easier... let me know what you think of these delicious puddings.
Reheating: I recommend popping the pudding/s into your microwave. There is no laborious steaming on Christmas Day when all the rings on your hob are full anyway.... So, remove the foil and loosen the parchment; set the timer for 5 minutes on HIGH power and press go! Serve with fresh custard or brandy/rum butter.
Fresh Custard
4 free-range egg yolks (save whites to make meringues - write '4' on container)
100g/3½oz golden caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour, optional
300ml/1 pint double cream
300ml/½ pint full-fat milk
1 vanilla pod
METHOD
Place egg yolks in large bowl
Add the sugar to egg yolks and whisk until pale and thick (use electric hand mixer if you like)
Add cornflour and whisk well into egg yolks
Place cream and milk into medium non-stick saucepan
Cut vanilla pod open lengthways, scrape out seeds with back of a knife, then add to milk and cream
Heat cream mixture to just below boiling point. Take vanilla pod out and set aside (it can be dried out & popped in your sugar canister to make vanilla sugar)
Slowly pour hot cream and milk onto eggs and sugar, keep whisking (use silicon whisk now)
Transfer the custard to clean pan, and turn heat right down. This is to prevent mixture from curdling
Stir custard constantly with wooden spoon, until it has thickened slightly. You should be able to leave a clear line across custard, when ready. This can take up to 10 minutes.
Enjoy,
Rachel x
IF YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A RICH ADAPTABLE PASTRY RECIPE, THEN LOOK NO FURTHER. HERE IT IS! I HAVE BEEN USING THIS FOR MY MINCE PIES, LARGE TARTS, QUICHES etc etc... THE GOLDEN RULE....YOU MUST, MUST, MUST...CHILL IT IN YOUR FREEZER FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE YOU USE IT AND PREFERABLY AN HOUR, IF YOU CAN. GIVE IT A TRY, HANDLE IT LIGHTLY AND WITH RESPECT...IT WILL REPAY YOU WITH DIVIDENDS.
Rich Shortcrust Pastry
You will see that this shortcrust pastry is not the typical half fat to flour recipe, therefore it makes the most melt-in-the-mouth mince pies, tarts, flans and all that you could wish it to make! The downside is that it is not easy to handle! You need time, patience and it must rest in the freezer for at least thirty minutes, once mixed.
12oz Marriages Organic Plain Flour ~ sifted
pinch salt
8oz Flora/Vitalite Sunflower margarine ~ chilled
1tblsp iced water
METHOD
Tip sifted flour and salt into food processor, add margarine and pulse several times until mixed.
Add tablespoon of water and mix again.
Remove pastry from processor bowl and wrap in greaseproof paper; place in freezer for at least thirty minutes then use as desired.
If using for mince pies or small tartlets, it is a good idea to use cake cases as the pastry is extremely short and this will prevent any mishaps when taking mince pies etc from the patty tins.
If making large tarts, i.e. Bakewell Tart, don't be afraid to press pastry into the tin from a ball with your hand. Be careful to try and get an even thickness. It is possible to roll the pastry out as long as you flour the surface well and keep everything very cool.
Go on, you will love it!
Cranberry White Chocolate Tiffin
Makes 16 slices
Time to dream up something delightfully decadent for Christmas for those of us who love chocolate and also want to impress our guests....this one is for you!
When you look at the pictures, you will think, this one looks as though it could be expensive to make....well, it could be if you don't make the right choices about where you shop... I bought Basics custard creams..Cranberries from Home Bargains, Basics butter, Syrup & White chocolate....all made for £2.36/16 squares!
Line an 8" x 8" tin with baking parchment...making sure you go right into the corners
I've marked each ingredient with the cost on this recipe. When you have made it, you will see, it looks quite lovely; if you are someone who goes out for coffee and has a piece of something to nibble too, then you will understand that it really is possible to make something fabulous for a competitive price... If you buy carefully, as I do, then this works out at under 15p a slice.
400g Basics custard creams - 44p
1 handful dried cranberries - 25p
125g Basics salted butter - 44p
3 tbsp Sainsbury's golden syrup - 20p
2 tbsp caster sugar -10p
200g Basics white chocolate, coarsely chopped - 68p
2nd handful dried cranberries - 25p
Method:
Place the custard creams into food processor and blitz for short bursts..until nearly all broken. You don't want totally fine crumb, so leave some larger pieces
Melt butter, golden syrup and sugar in microwave on High, when melted, add handful of dried cranberries
Let the butter mixture simmer for about 30 sec (simmer not boil) before removing from microwave
Quickly pour butter mixture over broken biscuits and mix well
Pour the mixture into tin, spread out evenly, right into corners. Chill in fridge for 30 mins
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, (is more controllable over pan)
If using microwave method, watch carefully, as chocolate can burn: place chopped white chocolate in a microwavable bowl and heat for 20 sec intervals on Medium, stirring well after each time
Pour the white chocolate evenly over the biscuit layer, scatter with remaining cranberries.
Chill in fridge until set. Remove from fridge for 30 mins before cutting into 16 squares, store in fridge.
Call some friends, light the fire and kick back.....x
So yummy. Rashell made this and was greatly complimented. Several demanded, quite rudely, the recipe!
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