Christmas 2023

Christmas Eve: We decided to head to one of our favourite pubs for our festive meal and fish & chips with cider hit the spot. As we tucked in we sang along to Christmas songs, laughed and chatted before making our way home. 

Christmas Day: Christmas morning was bright and early for us and those infamous lemonade scones and mandarine oranges were served as we toasted Yuletide and Christmas with a round of Bucks Fizz.

 

Christmas Day dinner was a mid-day affair as we had company and gave us not only an opportunity to mix and mingle but an early start meant reasonable time to digest and relax with a walk. Dinner was full of the usual festive culinary delights with all the trimmings, turkey, seasoned garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet glazed carrots, brussels sprouts, with lashing of gravy and cranberry sauce. Glasses of wine flowed as we toasted the seasonal best. 

Boxing Day: We were invited out for the better part of the morning and early afternoon so it was a more paired down late lunchette that saw us grazing on into the dinner hour. There were plenty of nibbles paired with pea hummus dip, mini quiches and cauliflower bites, an abundance of crackers with a selection of cheeses and meats, dried apricots, tangerines and dates, sweet candied apple cinnamon walnuts, sweet and spicy gherkins and onions, a selection of my baking and a tiramisu swiss roll for dessert. 

  

... and of course we had our annual order from Fortnum & Mason. With savoury sables, crackers and biscuits, jams and jellies, tea, hot sauce, honey, condiments, horseradish, fizzy sparkling non alcoholic tea, plenty to share through the coming year. 

The gifted Marks and Spencers order was lovely and full of some of our favourites and and new delights. Crackers, jam, soups, biscuits, Christmas pudding, chocolates, savoury nibbles and a fruit and nut butter, which is absolutely wonderful on toast, definitely the highlight of the gift package.  

Yule ~ Winter Solstice ~ Christmas and Fig and Raisin Tea Loaf

 

Yule - Winter Solstice, typically falls between December 21st and December 22nd, in the Northern Hemisphere and occurs in the Southern Hemisphere between June 21st - 22nd and the Celtic celebrations may vary from year to year depending on when the Sun reaches the southern most point in its yearly cycle. Yule celebrations are believed to be connected to the original celebrations of Yule with the Wild Hunt (the Norse god, Odin) and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Modraniht/Modranicht (Mother's Night) and the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. Yule also marks the longest night of the year.

Winter Solstice is a time for gathering in darkness and honouring and celebrating the return of light and the rebirth of the Sun. It also marks the beginning of Winter with the shortest day and the longest night of the year and because of that the days grow longer. Darkness begins to diminish as the returning light brings hope and promise. As the days become longer think perseverance, transformation and renewal as the increase of daylight will lift your spirit with hope of what lies ahead, Spring.   

Christmas, December 25th to December 27th, is linked with Winter Solstice and most customs, lore, symbols and rituals are similar. 

Other festivals or celebrations that occur in and around this time include: Yuletide (Various/Germanic/Northern European, Dec 21st-Jan 1st), Wren Day/Wren's Day (Irish), Alban Arthan (Celtic/Druidic), Finn's Day, Festival of Sol, Great Day of Cauldron, Festival of Growth, Wassailing, Mari Lwyd (Welsh), Koliada/Koleda (Slavic), Lohri (Punjabi), Julebord or Julebukking (Scandinavian), Yalda Night/Chelle Night (Iranian), Hanukkah (Jewish, Dec 10th -18th), Kwanzaa (African-American Dec 26th-Jan 1st), Las Pasadas (Spanish, Dec 16-24), Soyal (Zuni and Hopi, Dec 20-22) and Saturnalia (Ancient Roman, Dec 17-23). Traditions or customs such as Mummer's play, First-foot, Wishing Tree, Yule Goat, Polaznik, and Jaslickari are also observed and connected to Yule, Winter Solstice, Christmas and or New Years. 

To honour Yule and Winter Solstice celebrations and or Christmas I made a Fig and Raisin Tea Loaf. Lovely with lashing of butter or rum butter, if you prefer and a spirited beverage to toast all things merry and bright. 

Fig and Raisin Tea Loaf

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

makes one 2 lb. loaf

1 2/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon British mixed spice

1/2 cup dried figs, chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

2/3 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup light olive oil

2/3 cup milk, plus extra if needed

Preheat oven to 325ºF (170ºC). Grease and lightly flour a 2 lb loaf tin. Line the bottom with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, British mixed spice and whisk together. Then add the chopped figs, chopped walnuts and golden raisins. Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the oil and milk and stir until just moist. If you notice that the batter is a bit dry just a tablespoon or two more of milk, blending one at a time until the batter becomes a good dropping consistency.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, raisins and a light dusting of vanilla sugar. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in a preheated oven or until firm to the touch and a knife or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving. 

Pine Honey Cookies

 

Although these are a joy to make, they do hold bittersweet memories, as they were one of my mum's favourite cookies and throughout the years steadily becoming one of my favourite festive cookies too. The surprisingly delicate flavour of pine honey adds a touch of yule earthiness to these soft sweet biscuits.   

Pine Honey Cookies

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soft room temperature

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup pine honey

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

walnut pieces for decorating

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Add the flour and baking soda to a medium bowl and whisk together.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the pine honey, eggs and vanilla extract and blend well.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter sugar mixture, stirring until well combined and a soft dough has formed. Do not worry the dough will be soft and a bit sticky. Using floured hands roll the dough into balls the size of a large walnut. Place on the prepared baking sheet and using the bottom of a smooth glass dipped in flour, gently press down each dough ball. You may cover and chill the dough for an hour, if you find the dough too soft to handle however I have never had to do this. Place a walnut piece on top of each. 

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden, no imprint remains when toughed and the bottoms are evenly browned. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool on wire racks. Repeat until all the dough has been used up. 

Florentine Slice

 

Florentine slice is rich, gooey and remarkably chocolatey, brimming with a crisp layer of sticky sweet fruit. An absolute breeze to make and perfect for sharing and giving throughout the festive season... which you may reconsider after your first bite. Moreish in every morsel, you'll definitely want to make... and share again and again.   

Florentine Slice

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12 oz. good quality semisweet chocolate

2 cups mixed dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, currants, citrus peel)

2/3 cup candied cherries or dried cherries

Generous 1 cup of large flaked shredded coconut

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

Line an 8 x 11 inch pan with foil and line the bottom with a piece of baking parchment. Melt the chocolate and spread evenly in the base of the pan. Leave to cool in the refrigerator until set. See notes on how to melt chocolate. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). In a large bowl mix together the dried fruit, candied cherries, coconut, sugar, butter and beaten eggs and spread evenly over the chocolate.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan. When cool, place the pan in the refrigerator until really cold. Cut into oblong slices and turn out of the pan.  

NOTES: FOR MELTING CHOCOLATE  

Double boiler method: fill a medium saucepan with 4 cm of water. Place a heatproof bowl on top of the pan so that it fits snuggly but doesn't touch the water. Lower the heat to a very gentle simmer. Break up the chocolate into pieces and add to the bowl, then leave to melt for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. 

Microwave method: place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds on 50% power level. Stop to stir, then return the bowl to the microwave and continue heating on 50% power, stopping to stir every 20 seconds, timing is estimated approximately at 1 minute for an ounce of chocolate and 3 minutes for 8 ounces. When the chocolate is almost melted, stop microwaving. There may be some bits of partially melted chocolate, that's okay and that is when you know it's done. Any longer and it may burn. The heat will melt the remaining bits.  

Chicken Paprika

 

The vibrancy of this sauce is marvellous and as simple as this is, it's succulent and nourishes the hungriest of souls. This dish comes together quite quickly in one pan and is an excellent recipe when you want a satisfying meal in no time. I've served this with roasted potatoes, pictured above, and mashed potatoes, with a side of green beans, not pictured due to my eagerness in wanting to take a photo. However, you may also serve this with rice, pasta or späetzle.  

Chicken Paprika

----------------------------------------------------------------------

serves 6 

4 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons paprika

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 chicken breasts, cubed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper 

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

3 teaspoons water 

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons sour cream

Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat, then add the butter to melt. Add the paprika to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Next, add the onion to the pan and cook on medium-low for 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender.

Add the chicken to the pan and season it with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken broth while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring this mixture to a quick boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Combine the water and cornstarch in a cup and mix to make a smooth slurry, then immediately whisk it into the sauce. Continue to cook the sauce for 2 to 4 minutes, or until it begins to thicken, then stir in the sour cream and remove it from the heat. 

Mincemeat Galette

Festive mincemeat in a delicate flaky free form dessert that has all the seasonal taste of its traditional counterpart. With the addition of a shortbread crumble topping brings two holiday traditions, mincemeat and shortbread together, in one festive treat. Yuletide scrumptiousness in every blissful slice. 

  

Mincemeat Galette

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pie Crust:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup light olive oil

3 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon white vinegar

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and blend together with a fork until the mixture resembles an oatmeal texture. Sprinkle in the cold water and vinegar and mix together to form a soft dough. You may have to add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if you find the dough some what dry, you want a soft but not sticky dough. Gather the dough and press into a ball. Roll out between sheets of wax paper. Invert the rolled dough onto a parchment lined baking tray and gently remove the wax paper.   

Notes: you may use a ready made pie crust, if you wish, just follow package instructions. 

Shortbread Crumble:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 1/2 cups flour 

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, melted

2 teaspoons almond extract

In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, sugar, butter and almond extract. Beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or alternately blend with wooden spoon or fork, until the mixture is crumbly. 

Notes: you may add grated orange or lemon rind to the crumble mixture for added flavour. 

Mincemeat Filling: Either make your favourite mincemeat filling or use a ready made mincemeat filling, which is what I do, to save time. This year, I used Marks & Spencers Brandy & Clementine Mincemeat although Robertson's Mincemeat is my go to mincemeat filling. Both are vegetarian and suitable for vegans.   

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking tray with parchment paper if using wax paper to roll the pie pastry out. 

Make the Pie Crust (see above recipe): Roll the pastry between pieces of wax paper or you can roll between pieces of parchment paper. If using parchment paper gently glide the rolled pie pastry with the parchment paper underneath onto a baking tray and trim the edges of the parchment paper to fit the baking tray.  

Spread 510 grams (2 1/2 cups) of mincemeat filling over the rolled out pastry, leaving about a 1 - inch gap around the edges. Carefully fold the sides inward to form an edge. Overlapping is fine.

Make an egg wash: mix 1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush the folded edges with the egg wash. 

Make the Shortbread Crumble (see above recipe): Sprinkle the Shortbread Crumble generously over top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crumble is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and while warm, sprinkle with vanilla caster sugar. Allow to cool on the baking tray. Lightly dust with icing sugar before serving. If you do not add grated orange or lemon rind to the crumble mixture you may grate some over top before serving or place pieces of candied orange peel on top will also do nicely too.