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Tuesday 3rd Dec 2013 with Allison Sawyer

ChristmasCooking

Makes 36

Ingredients:275g plain flour75g icing sugar1 tsp ground cinnamon175g butter50g ground almonds1 egg yolk45ml milk450g jar mincemeat15ml brandy or rum

For the Lemon Sponge Filling:115g butter 115g caster sugar175g self-raising flour2 large eggsFinely grated rind of 1 large lemon

For the Lemon Icing:115g icing sugar15ml lemon juice

1. For the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and cinnamon into a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the ground almonds and bind with the egg yolk and milk to a soft dough. Knead the dough until smooth, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 190oC. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out 36 fluted rounds with a pastry cutter, to line the tins. Mix the mincemeat with the brandy or rum and put a teaspoonful in each pastry case. Chill in the fridge.

3. For the lemon sponge filling, beat the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and lemon rind together until smooth. Spoon on top of the mincemeat, dividing it evenly, and level the tops. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.

4. For the lemon icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix with the lemon juice to form a smooth, thick, coating consistency. Spoon into a piping bag and drizzle a zigzag pattern over each of the tartlets. Alternatively, if you’re very short of time, simply dust the tartlets with sifted icing sugar before serving.

Almond Mincemeat Tartlet

Recipes

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Serves 6

Ingredients:275g filo pastry, thawed if frozen50g unsalted butter, meltedIcing sugar, cocoa powder and ground cinnamon, for dusting

For the filling:75g unsalted butter115g plain chocolate, broken into squares115g ground almonds115g chopped dates75g icing sugar10ml rose water2.5ml ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC. Grease a 22cm round cake tin. Make the chocolate, date and almond filling. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, then remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in all the remaining ingredients to make a thick paste. Set the pan aside to cool.

2. Lay one sheet of the filo pastry on a clean work surface. Brush the filo with melted butter and then lay a second sheet of filo on top and brush again with butter.

3. Roll a handful of the chocolate almond mixture into a long sausage shape and place along one edge of the filo. Roll the pastry tightly round.

4. Place the roll around the outside of the tin. Make enough rolls to fill the tin.

5. Brush the coil with the remaining melted butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Remove the coil from the tin; place it on a plate. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar, cocoa and cinnamon.

Chocolate, Date and Almond Filo Coil

Makes about 12

Ingredients:75g butter50g icing sugarFinely grated rind of 1 small lemon1 egg yolk175g plain flourPinch of salt

To Decorate:2 egg yolksRed and green edible food colourings

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon rind together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and then sift in the flour and the salt. Knead together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 190oC. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 3mm thick. Using a 6cm fluted cutter, stamp out as many biscuits as you can, with the cutter dipped in flour to prevent it sticking to the dough.

3. Transfer the biscuits on to lightly greased baking trays. Mark the tops lightly with a 2.5cm holly leaf cutter and use a 5mm plain piping nozzle for the berries. Chill for 10 minutes, until firm.

4. Meanwhile, put each egg yolk into a small cup. Mix red food colouring into one and green food colouring into the other. Using a small, clean paintbrush, carefully paint the colours onto the biscuits. Bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes, or until they begin to colour around the edges. Let them cool slightly on the baking trays, and then transfer them to a wire tack to cool completely.

Christmas Biscuits

Recipes

Makes 1.75kg

Ingredients:450g plums, stoned450g pears, peeled and cored225g cooking apples, peeled and cored225g celery450g onions, sliced450g tomatoes, skinned115g raisins15ml grated fresh root ginger30ml pickling spice850ml cider vinegar450g granulated sugar

1. Chop the plums, pears, apples, celery and onions and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Place all the ingredients with the raisins and ginger into a very large saucepan.

2. Place the pickling spice into a square of clean, fine muslinand tie with string to secure. Add to the saucepan of fruit and vegetables with half the vinegar and bring to the boil, stirring. Cook for 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, sterilize the jars and lids you will need to fill. When all the ingredients are tender, stir in the remaining vinegar and the sugar. Boil until thick, remove the bag of spices and fill each jar with chutney. Cover with a wax paper disc and plastic lid, and label when cold.

Christmas Chutney

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Serves 6

Ingredients:350g cooked turkey, chopped75g smoked bacon, finely chopped25g butter1 medium onion, chopped75g mushrooms, quartered25g plain flour350ml turkey stock2 tablespoons brandy75ml cream – single or double1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsleySalt and freshly milled black pepper350g frozen puff pastry, thawedBeaten egg to glaze

Creamed Turkey en Croûte

Recipes1. Preheat the fan oven to 200oC. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently sauté the onion in it for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and let these soften a bit, keeping them on the move for a further 5 minutes.

2. Remove the onion and mushrooms to a plate with a draining spoon. Next add the bacon to the pan and fry until it turns a pale gold at the edges, at which point return the mushrooms and onion (and any juices) then sprinkle in the flour. Stir till the flour has soaked up all the buttery juices.

3. Add the stock, little by little, still stirring until you have a smooth thick sauce. Lastly add the parsley, cream and brandy. Season to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.

4. When you’re ready to cook the pie, roll out the pastry to a 30cm square, trimming if necessary. Lift the square on to a greased baking sheet.

5. Mix the turkey pieces into the cold sauce, and then place this mixture in the centre of the pastry. Glaze round the edge of the pastry with beaten egg, then pull the opposite corners of the pastry to the centre and pinch all the edges firmly together, so you have a square with pinched edges in the shape of an X.

6. Glaze all over with beaten egg and decorate with any pastry trimming. Glaze these too and then bake the pie for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden. Serve the pie cut into squares with a green salad.

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Ingredients:150ml milk50g caster sugar2 level teaspoons dried yeast350g strong white bread flour¼ teaspoon salt110g softened butter1 egg, beaten40g currants50g sultanas25g mixed candied peel, finely diced40g no soak apricots, chopped25g glacé cherries, rinsed, dried & quartered25g almonds, chopped The grated zest of ½ lemon175g marzipan

For the Glaze:110g icing sugar, sifted1 tablespoon lemon juice

Stollen1. Preheat the oven to 190oC. Warm the milk, till you can just still dip your little finger in it and pour it into a glass jug. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar along with the dried yeast and leave it until it forms a frothy head of about 2.5cm.

2. Sift 300g of the flour together with the salt and remaining sugar into a mixing bowl, and make a well in the centre. Pour the milk and yeast mixture into this, then add the softened butter and beaten egg. Mix everything together – either with your hands or with a wooden spoon – until the mixture is well blended and leaves the side of the bowl cleanly.

3. Work in the fruits, peel, nuts and lemon zest, distributing them as evenly as possible. Knead the dough on a working surface for 5 minutes until it is springy and elastic.

4. Leave the dough in a warm place, covered with cling film, until it has doubled in size. After that, turn the risen dough out on to a board floured with the reserved 25g of flour, and knock the air out of it and knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic.

5. Roll or press out the dough to an oblong (25cm x 20cm). Using your hands, roll out the marzipan to form a sausage-shape and place this along the centre of the dough, finishing just short of the edges.

6. Fold the dough over the marzipan and carefully place the whole thing on a baking sheet, allowing plenty of room for expansion. Leave it to prove in a warm place until it has doubled in size again, then bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Allow it to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before lifting it on to a wire rack to finish cooling.

7. Meanwhile make the glaze by mixing the sifted icing sugar with the lemon juice, then use a small palette knife to spread this all over the top surface of the stolen (while it’s still warm). Serve as fresh as possible, cut into thick slices, with or without butter.

Gaggenau Appliance: Teppan Yaki Temperature: 220°C Serves: 4-6 Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:175g (6oz) buckwheat flour10ml (2teasp) baking powder10ml (2teasp) mustard powdersalt and freshly ground black pepper300ml (10fl oz) full fat milk150g (5oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated30ml (2tbsp) fresh chives, chopped4 egg whiteslittle groundnut oil

To serve150ml (5fl oz) soured cream125g (4oz) smoked salmon piecesfresh dill or chives

1. Pre-heat the Teppan Yaki at 220°C. Mix together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, mustard powder, pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the milk and blend to make a smooth batter. Add the cheese and chives and mix until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Carefully fold the whisked egg whites into the batter mixture using a metal spoon.

3. Brush a little groundnut oil onto the pre-heated Teppan Yaki and spoon heaped teaspoons of the batter mixture onto the Teppan Yaki and cook for about 1 minute until golden brown, turn blinis over and cook for a further minute again until golden brown. Remove and keep warm. Continue until all the mixture has been used.

4. To serve spoon a little soured cream on top of each blini, top with a piece of smoked salmon and garnish with either a sprig of dill or a few chopped chives.

Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon

Recipes

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Gaggenau Appliance: Combination Steam OvenTemperature: 200°C/60% humidityCooking Time: 15 minutesPreparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:For about 20 whirls250g pkt puff pastry1 jar pesto25g parmesan cheese, grated1 egg white beaten with 1tbsp water

Pre-heat the combination steam oven at 200°C/30% humidity. Roll pastry into a rectangle and spread with pesto and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Roll in from the wide side to the middle and then roll in the opposite side towards the middle. Cut the roll into approximately 1cm wide slices. Line the cooking inserts or a baking tray with baking paper and place the pastry whirls areasonable distance apart to allow for spreading during cooking. Brush with the egg white glaze and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Alternative Fillings:Honey & Mustard

1tbsp Dijon mustard2tbsp runny honey75g proscuttio ham3tbsp grated parmesan cheese1 egg white beaten with1tbsp water

Mix the mustard and honey together and spread onto the rolled out puff pastry. Place the proscuttio slices on top and sprinkle with 2tbsp parmesan cheese, roll pastry as above. Sprinkle with the remaining 1tbsp of parmesan once cooked.

Puff Pastry Whirls