Mini starred mince pies

Last week I had leftover sweet pastry from making the classic plum tart, and the dutch apple tart, so as a result i decided to put it to good use. These little beggars always go down well, and are not too dissimilar from the apple and cranberry tarts i also made at the same time. They also freeze well, so can be pulled out a couple of hours before your visitors are expected. They're best when warm.

You will need:

Sweet pastry (about 100g worth - ideally use leftover sweet pastry from other projects)
Mincemeat
5cm cutter
star cutter of similar order
small muffin tray

Roll out the pastry till 1/8 in thick. Cut rounds with pastry cutter then layer into greased small muffin tray.
Spoon in mincemeat (1tsp). Cut out star shapes with star cutter and put on top of each. Bake in oven at 180C until star has gone golden brown.

Allow to cool a little and serve warm.

Apple & Mincemeat Crumble Cake

This cake reminds me in appearance, and taste (and in construction) of the favoured Dorset Apple Cake from my own recipe library. After much excitement decided to give this one a go and found i throughly enjoyed it. Its incredibly rich, but beware - its also incredibly moreish. I suppose in some ways it could be a refreshing alternative to the fables xmas cake, and would be a worthy dessert with some custard, or cinnamon and honey creme fraiche on boxing day or similar family oriented gathering.

In true "me" fashion we put half of this cake portioned into the freezer for later use, should visitors drop by.

Ingredients

4 firm apples , peeled, cored and cut into thumb-size pieces
3 tbsp golden caster sugar (or demerera)
1 tsp mixed spice

For the cake mix

250g softened salted butter
250.0g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla essence
5 large eggs
200g self-raising flour (or plain flour - but be sure to add a heaped tbsp of baking powder if using plain)
100g ground almonds
7 tbsp plain flour
6 tbsp mincemeat

The doing bit:

Add pears to a pan with 2tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water. Cook on a moderate heat until just tender, stirring occasionally.

Heat oven to 160C, grease and line cake tin (20cm).

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Beat together until uniform paste and pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then flour gradually.

Remove 90g of the batter and put into a small bowl. Add the 7tbsp plain flour and rub together into a crumble mix.

Spoon half of the cake mix into the lined tin, then add half of the apples and mincemeat. Reapeat with the other half, then top with crumble mix.

Bake for 90 mins approx, then cover the tin with foil and return to oven for a further 30 mins. Check with a small knife - if the knife comes out clean its ready to cool.

Cool throughly before portioning. Devour, with avarice.

Mulled Cranberry & Apple Tartlets

These little beauties were designed soley for using up some sweet pastry which was left over from the dutch apple tart. That said i managed to squeeze some 24 of these little beggars out of it. It was also a good means to use the apples that were lurking The recipe is very festive, extremely simple and goes very well with elevenses, after dinner or with afternoon tea. They'll have a shortlived home on the cakestand I think.

Ingredients

Sweet pastry (about 250g)
2 apples (braeburn)
handful of cranberries
glass of mulled wine
80g sugar

For the apple & cranberry mix

Peel and chop the apple into 1/2 cm cubes.

Place the mulled wine, sugar and cranberries in a pan and bring to the boil. reduce to a simmer and allow liquid to reduce until syrup consistency. Stir in the apple and allow to cool.

Roll out the pastry to 1/8 in thick and use a small pastry cutter to cut out your bases. add them t a small greased muffin tin and press. Add a teaspoon of apple / cranberry mix and bake in oven at 180C until done.

Devour

Amaretti

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Amaretti are probably one of my favourite of the festive biscuits, just because I adore amaretto, and all things almond flavoured. They are remarkably easy to make and if made just before the festive period you can give them away as gifts which will be gratefully recieved. With this in mind you may have to make a double or triple batch, as they may soon vanish after the tasting begins...

Theyre ideal as an after dinner coffee token, or with elevenses or afternoon tea. Or whenever you feel the craving...

Ingredients

340g/12oz ground almonds
340g/12oz caster sugar
4 eggs, whites only
30ml/1fl oz amaretto liquor
butter, for greasing

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
In a large bowl beat the egg whites until firm.I reccomend using a light whisk for this as youll gain more speed and also more activity and air for the whites.

Mix in the almonds and sugar gently one spoonful at a time, with about 30 seconds gentle beating in between.

Add the amaretto in a steady stream, still gently beating.

Place some greaseproof paper on a baking sheet lightly brushed with butter.

You can use a teaspoon to deploy the mixture in small amounts onto the tray, but i reccomend using a small nozled piping bag- youll get a more consistent finish.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool and devour.

Brandy Snaps

Image courtesy of kinbaskitchen.com

This recipe for brandy snaps is a simple one. I've seen some complex ones in my time and often wonder why so much effort and complexity is applied to something so simple - they always taste the same. Granted some have a netter depth of flavour, but in the long run i dont think it matters an awful lot to the home cook. Even professionally, little things like brandy snaps are a "job on the side".

Surprisingly theres no brandy. Theres no means to say you cant add a tabslepoon or two to the mix, just be mindful of the wetness of it when using it. If you want the curled professional "tuile" appearance of these brandy snaps, by all means use a stencil for the paste. If you prefer the more rustic approach, by all means folow the directions below.

Be sure to treat yourself to a brandy whilst making these. It is after all a festive treat.

Ingredients (makes a very generous batch)

250g of Soft butter
250g of Golden syrup or Glucose
250g of Flour
250g of Sugar
Pinch of ground ginger

Melt together the butter, golden syrup and sugar
Blend in the flour bit by bit and ginger

Place a tablespoon full on a silicone mat and bake at 190 C for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. While still warm allow to cool further curled on a rolling pin for a tuile finish. Otherwise just leave flat. Its up to you. If youw ant to go the whole hog, while almost cool but still malleable, by all means roll and mould around a wooden spoon. For top notch presentation on service pipe cinnamon & honey creme fraiche or chantillly cream into them. Oh, and have a glass of brandy also. It would be rude not to.

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Cantucci

image courtesy of shutterstock.com

Cantucci are a wonderful type of biscotti that are good for a variety of occasions, such as elevenses, afternoon tea, to have with the occasional coffee, or as a dipping medium for other "dippy" desserts such as chocolate mousse, lemon posset or ice cream.

These are even more indulgent than regular biscotti, and so are even naughtier. They are however very well suited to this time of year and in particular the festive season, sue to their wonderful sweet indulgent flavours. That said they are enjoyed year round.

500g Sugar
4 Eggs
Vanilla essence
500g Plain flour
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
250g of flaked almonds or Hazelnuts
250g of dried fruit

Whisk eggs and sugar until creamy and form soft peaks

Add all the other ingredients

Form mixture into a large sausage

Place upon a silicone mat, and allow to prove for 20 minutes

Bake for 20 minutes at about 180C

Allow cooling before slicing into biscuits

Rebake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Devour.

Xmas Pudding

Image provided courtesy of 99holidays.com

I have used this xmas pudding recipe several times, and although it may seem extensive and elaborate, every ingredient here has its place in the recipe. It works really well, and provided you make them well enough in advance the flavour will mature just how you need it to.

I apreciate it takes a while to make. but thats the general rule with xmas pudding. The longer it takes... the more flavour and enjoyment youll get out of it.

Ingredients:
Makes two medium puddings

225g of pitted and chopped prunes
225g of raisins
225g of sultanas
225g of dried apricots, chopped
110g of fresh whole-meal breadcrumb
1 medium Bramley apple peeled, cored and grated
1 orange juiced and zested
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of mace
½ teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of allspice
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom (shells discarded)
3 tablespoon of Walnut oil
4 tablespoon of apple juice
2 tablespoon of clear honey
4 eggs beaten
75ml of Brandy
75ml of whisky
150ml of  sherry
100g of marmalade

Preparation:

Put all the dried fruit with the whisky and marinade for 24 hours

Add to this the bread crumbs, nut oil, apple, orange juice and its zest and all the spices in a large bowl and mix thoroughly

Put apple juice, honey, eggs, brandy, sherry and marmalade into a blender and blitz till smooth liquid

Mix with the dry ingredients

Leave for 24 hours , cover in a cool place

Grease two 500ml pudding basin and a disc of grease proof paper on the base of the basins

Divide the mix between the two

Cover the top with grease proof top with a pleat to allow for expansion, tie off and cover with tin foil

Put in a sauce pan or steamer and cook for 5 hours check water levels regularly.

Allow to cool and leave in a cool dry place to mature. You can eat them right away, but best left for a month or two to mature to enjoy properly.

Upon service douse with whisky or brandy and ignite until flames have dispersed. Serve with brandy sauce or similar.

Everlasting syllabub

3 Lemons zested and juiced

100g of caster sugar

300ml of medium dry sherry

Two sprig of rosemary

600ml of double cream

The day before the syllabub is needed: In a bowl put in sherry, juice of the lemons the lemon rind, caster sugar and rosemary Cover and leave overnight to let the flavours develop

Next day strain the liquor On a machine start to beat the cream and gradually add the sherry/lemon liquor until the cream holds its own shape Do not over beat or it will curdle.

Serve into glasses with almond biscuits or on a Pavlova base with lemon curd.