Christmas baking/cooking thread.

ace_irl wrote:

I'm going to be making the pudding this week! I've never made one before so it will be a bit of an experiment but I can't wait to try out some of the recipes here.

They're not hard to make but your arm will fall off from the stirring. Don't do what I did one year and double the recipe and stick it in the Kenwood anyway. The motor nearly burnt out.

Yeah no, I reverted to the basin. It is a god send for some things. Must go and see if I have any pudding bowls left. I have been giving them as presents the last few years. Bought about 15 nice red ones for Christmas gifts, think they may all be gone!

I love my Kenwood ace, it is one of the best things I ever bought. And they last forever.

washiskin wrote: »

Just looking through Nigel Slater's The Christmas Chronicles at the moment.....he has a recipe for mascarpone mince pies. Can't wait to try them.

Me too!!fabulous book isn't it? I was so excited to begin reading it.

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

I’d highly recommend Nigella’s chilli jam. It’s great as gifts in little jars (Ikea has great ones) and delicious with Christmas leftovers in a sandwich or with a cheese board. Plus you can make it a month in advance so it’s out of the way before the madness.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chilli-jam

is it hard to buy the jam sugar in Ireland?

So I made this recently and it got absolutely rave reviews - probably the most successful jam/relish I've ever made. Even more popular than Nigella's, so I thought I would post the recipe. It's from an amazing book called 'The Modern Preserver'. It comes out looking more like a relish (i.e. like Ballymaloe) than a clear jam like Nigella's. Pro tip: get a pair of plastic gloves in the chemist and use them for deseeding the chillies, my fingers were burning for about 5 hours after making this.

Dr Ben’s Chilli Jam
From ‘The Modern Preserver’ by Kylee Newton

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 500g ripe plum or vine tomatoes
• 3 large garlic cloves
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper
• 50g fresh ginger
• 6 red bird’s eye chillies
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 100ml red wine vinegar
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
Makes: 4 to 5 x 350ml jars

Method:
• Preheat the oven to 220/200 (fan), gas 7.
• Measure the olive oil into a roasting pan and heat in the hot oven until smoking
• Halve the tomatoes and toss them and the unpeeled garlic cloves in the hot oil. Season generously then roast for 20-25 minutes until caramelised.
• Remove the tomatoes and garlic from the oven and remove the skins from the garlic cloves.
• Peel and roughly chop the ginger, deseed and chop the chillies, then blend with the tomatoes, garlic and fish sauce in a blender or food processor until you have a rough paste
• In a heavy bottomed pan, mix the paste with the vinegar, sugar and five space and bring to the boil
• Simmer and reduce for about 30-40 minutes, stirring intermittently, then use the trail test to check when it is ready.
• Ladle into warm, sterilised jars and seal.
• Store in a cool, dark cupboard for at least 4 weeks to mature.
• Keeps for up to 6 months to a year unopened. Once opened refrigerate and eat within 4 months.

Jude13 wrote: »

I think I will do a Gluten Free pudding this year and get my folks to stir the ingredients when they are here. Anyone have any tips? I have never done a pudding.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/gluten-free-christmas-pudding/

That's a funny recipe for pudding. That's like one you would start Christmas Eve and cook from scratch on Christmas Day. I don't know what your house is like on Christmas day but a pudding steaming for 8 hours on Christmas day and taking up a precious cooker ring would not go down well in ours. The steaming is the worst part, the walls will be running in condensation from it and it takes a lot of babysitting to keep the water level right.

Normally you make a Christmas pudding in 3 parts:

1. Assemble the fruit and let macerate in booze overnight. All your neighbours will think you are alcoholics from the fumes coming out the front door.
2. The next day you put in your pudding bowl and steam for about 3 hours. This cooks it enough so that it will not go off until actually needed. Store it somewhere cool.
3. Steam it again for 3 hours on Christmas day.

There are other recipes for gluten free puddings around that would probably make your life a lot easier than that one.

The Stork All-in-one Light Christmas Cake is quick, easy, and damn near foolproof.
A little bland, but add some booze and walnuts and it perks right up.

CheerLough, you can buy ready to roll out, and even rolls or already rolled marzipan and royal icing. Could.nt be easier. Or for the
Royal Icing, go for the prickly finish some of us were reared on..... Couple of small figures on top, and you have your masterpiece.....

The earlier the better, gives it time to mature. My mam used always make hers on 08th of December. I know there have been
some years, that due to lack of time, I have made them about a week before Christmas, and the cakes were absolutely fine.
I think one of the problems with Christmas, we feel everything has to be prefect. We put awful pressure on ourselves.
Go on CheerLouth...give it a bash. If you dont like the result, you can always eat it sooner.
One essential thing with a Christmas cake is the lining of the tin. I always triple line it. Parchment first, then a layer of brown,
then a layer of parchment. Takes about 20 mins to do that, but you can do that at any time, and put tin away till you are ready to use it.
Then a folded up sheet of newspaper underneath tin in oven, and a sheet of brown or parchment over the top of the tin, and
take your time. Baking is like raising children...everybody has an opiniion on how to do it right....but you have to do it your way.

I remember years ago, when my Mam had a Christmas cake in the oven, you would have to tip toe around the house, afraid
to bang a door...LOL..... Dont know what a door being banged would do to the poor cake....

Just mixed up the fruit for my Christmas Cake

Did you put some whiskey on it afterwards.....