Christmas Eats 2012

On Christmas Eve we enjoyed an English fry up for dinner. Eggs, baked beans, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, and fried bread. The eggs I mixed up as if I were making scrabbled eggs... added some seasoning and then pour the mixture into buttered muffin tins. A very traditional way to start the holiday. 

On Christmas Day we started with a round of Bucks fizz and then for brunch I made scones. Classic and candied. Jam and sweet butter were on hand. All were enjoyed by everyone!

Christmas dinner was turkey with oven roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips. A side of kale salad and the rounds of Bucks fizz were still flowing! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas as I did!  

Ginger Shortbread

I always make shortbread every year and I do try and make different variations. Using corn flour or rice flour. Currants, lavender, citrus, poppyseeds and crystallized ginger. It adds a great twist to a classic biscuit. These are the ones I made with chopped crystallized ginger. They still have that buttery shortbread taste with sweet smoldering hints of ginger. Very complimentary.  How do you dress your shortbread? - JW     

Rum Balls

I was never really fond of rum balls, probably because of the artifical rum flavouring used in the majority of the ones I tried. They tasted overly sweet and the chocolate was bland. Last year I got on with making rum balls and I haven't looked back since. They are now part of my regular Christmas baking. Running a close second to my shortbread.         

The ones I made, pictured here, have a good quality chocolate and rum. The flavour is deep and rich and as for the rum... you can never have enough rum in them. These are great to give as a gift or a festive thank you treat when dashing off to one place or another over the holiday season. - JW    

Plum Pudding Pie

This cookbook reminds me of a present. With it's shiny gold dust jacket to it's top, side and bottom edge gold gilt and even the Christmas pud evoke all the brightest and warm things of the season. It's hard not to stare in wonder of Plum Pudding Pie: a Cook's Book of Christmas and be marveled at what delicious recipes that are inside. This cookbook has over 200 classic Christmas recipes. Everything to make your holiday breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or dessert traditional for years to come.

The five chapters are simply broken down into Starters, Mains, Sides, Sauces and Stuffings, Drinks and Desserts. Each chapter offers many delights that will tantalize all the  sweet and savoury flavours of Christmas.

One recipe I have my eye on is the Chocolate Rum Mousse. I won't be making it for Christmas however I will be making this dessert for New Years Eve. Christmas will be enjoyed with my mincemeat tarts, rum balls... with real rum!, shortbread and of coarse Fortnum's King George Cake. The recipe seems very straight forward and I will share it with you now. - JW 


Chocolate Rum Mousse   
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250 g (9 oz or 1 and 2/3 cups) chopped dark chocolate
3 eggs
60 g (2 1/4 oz or 1/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 teaspoons dark rum
250 ml (9 fl oz or 1 cup) cream (whipping), softly whipped

1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Half fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and place the bowl over the pan, making sure it is not touching the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar in a small bowl for 5 minutes, or until thick, pale and increased in volume.

3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Using a metal spoon, fold in the melted chocolate with the rum, leave the mixture to cool, then fold in the whipped cream until just combined.

4. Spoon into four 250 ml (9 fl oz or 1 cup) ramekins or dessert glasses.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set. 

Candied Fruit Scones

Yesterday morning I made these scrumptious scones. A good scone recipe is one you can make in no time. Use whatever scone recipe you prefer. And add about 1/2 cup of candied fruit peel. Top with an icing sugar drizzle or sift the icing sugar over top of each scone. They were moist, sweet with little hints of citrus flavour. There were plenty of thumbs up and happy faces. I will be making these on Christmas Day for brunch. - JW   

Kale

This is what I have been eating a lot of these days... kale. My salad just isn't the same without it. Kale is packed with vitamins and is very rich in calcium. Just like broccoli it contains sulforaphane which has potent anti cancer properties. You can steam, boil, sauté and bake this mighty green. I prefer it as is to absorb all it benefits. 

How do you go green? - JW   

My Rose Water Cake

I bought a bottle of rosewater and was inspired to make a rosewater cake. It turned out well however I still feel that the recipe needs to be tweaked here and there. I started with a standard one egg cake recipe. Added some red food colouring, to give the cake a pale pink colour and some rosewater flavouring. The flavour was, I think, right on. A light delicate flavour like a fine turkish delight. The texture was dense but airy. And the basic icing sugar drizzle added just the right amount of sweetness. Until I feel that the recipe is just right I won't post it. Hope you all had a good weekend. - JW