Ingredients:
(makes 32)
1/2 seedless (hothouse) long cucumber, cut into 32 slices
2/3 cup roasted red pepper hummus, store-bought
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/4 cup finely chopped red capsicum
Method:
1. Lay cucumber slices on a serving platter.
2. Top each slice with about 1 tsp hummus.
3. Sprinkle with chives, capsicums and serve.
One of the easiest recipes!
(recipe from Woman’s Day)
Ingredients:
(serves 6)
1 bottle inexpensive, medium-bodied red wine
6 tablespoons unflavoured Schnapps, vodka or brandy (optional but good)
1-inch piece whole dried ginger (or fresh ginger, peeled and bruised)
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cardamom pods, bruised
6 cloves
1 long strip dried orange peel (or fresh, if you can’t find it)
6 tablespoons brown sugar, or to taste
6 tablespoons raisins
6 tablespoons almonds, blanched, peeled and left whole
Method:
1. Place the wine, Schnapps/ vodka/ brandy, all the spices and orange peel in a non-metallic saucepan or bowl. Leave to marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
2. When you are ready to serve, divide the almonds and raisins between 6 mugs.
3. Add sugar to the wine mixture, and heat it gently until it is almost boiling. Do not let it boil, or the alcohol will evaporate. Use a cooking thermometer if you want to be accurate.
4. Taste the hot wine to ensure that it has the right amount of sugar and spice for your taste; then dilute the wine with water, or add more alcohol or sugar if you wish. Pour the wine through a small sieve into individual glasses. Serve immediately.
Note: This potent drink is the Swedish version of mulled wine or gluhwein. It is served in small glasses at festive parties, alongside saffron and raisin buns or gingerbread with blue cheese. Water is not normally used to dilute it, but you can add a cup if you wish. For a non-alcoholic version, follow the recipe using blackcurrant or red grape juice.
(By Eric Lanlard)
Ingredients:
1. 55g butter, plus extra for greasing
2. 70g plain flour, sifted
3. 2 medium eggs
4. 250g caster sugar
5. Edible silver leaf, to decorate (from squires-shop.com, optional)
For the pastry cream filling-
1. 300ml full-fat milk
2. 25g plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
3. 2 large egg yolks
4. 55g caster sugar
5. 30g plain flour
6. Icing sugar, for dusting
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan160°C/gas 4. For the choux pastry, put the butter and 150ml water in a large pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted and the water is simmering, quickly add the flour and mix to a thick paste. Mix over the heat for 1 minute, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well before adding the second egg. You should get a thick, glossy, dropping-consistency mixture. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5cm nozzle. Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with a little water, then pipe on 25 golf-ball-size blobs, spaced apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until well risen and golden.
3. Carefully make a hole in the base of each bun with a sharp knife. Pop back in the turned off oven for 5 minutes to crisp up the centres. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the milk and chocolate in a pan over a medium heat, stirring to melt. When just simmering, remove from the heat. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together, until pale and creamy, then mix in the flour. Slowly mix in the chocolate mixture, then pour it all back into the pan. Return to a medium-low heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes, until thick and glossy. Cool, dust the surface with a little icing sugar to prevent a skin forming.
5. Spoon the pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain 5mm nozzle. Fill each bun, pushing the nozzle through the base-hole.
6. For the caramel, put the sugar and 2 tablespoons cold water in a wide, stainless-steel pan over a low heat. Melt gently, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Increase the temperature and simmer, without stirring, until a golden amber colour – be careful as it will easily burn. Cool slightly.
7. Carefully dip a little of each bun into the caramel, allow the excess to drip off and stack the buns up into a pyramid shape. Leave to firm up.
8. To make the spun sugar, return the caramel to the heat to melt again. Dip in a fork and flick back-and-forth over the croquembouche, repeating until you have lots of fine strands of hardened caramel all over the buns. Decorate with flecks of silver leaf, if you like, to serve.
Ingredients:
(Serves 8 )
* 8 oven-ready partridges
* 75g goose fat or butter
* 4 tbsp cacao (100%), finely grated (or good cacao powder)
* 4 shallots, peeled and sliced
* Olive oil
* 24 slices pancetta
* Thyme sprigs
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Place the goose fat and cacao in a small pan and heat until the goose fat has melted, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and fry until soft.
4. Season the partridges then add them to the pan, along with the shallots. Fry the birds until golden brown then remove from the pan. Leave to cool slightly, reserving the shallots and cooking juices for gravy.
5. Use a pastry brush to paint the birds with the chocolate goose fat. Wrap 3 slices of pancetta around each partridge, sprinkle over the thyme and roast for 25-30 minutes. Leave the birds to rest before serving with gravy and roast vegetables.
Note: Chocolate and partridge may sound like an odd couple, but they’re a match made in heaven. Fairly simple but ideal recipe for impressing guests during festive season.
(recipe by Willie Harcourt-Cooze)
Ingredients:
(Yields about 6 dozen 3-5 cm triangles)
For the crust-
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. table salt
12 Tbs cold, unsalted butter,cut into 10 pieces, more for the pan
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For the filling-
500g semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, broken into squares or very coarsely chopped
3/4 cup whole or 2% milk
8 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
4 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. Kahlúa
Method:
Make the crust-
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 180°C. Line the bottom and sides of a baking pan with foil, allowing foil to overhang the long sides of the pan to act as handles for removing the cookie later. Lightly butter the foil.
In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Process the ingredients briefly to combine, about 15 seconds. Scatter the cold butter pieces and the vanilla over the flour mixture and process, using short pulses, until the dough begins to form small clumps, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan in a smooth, even layer. Bake until pale golden, especially around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake or the crust will be hard and crispy. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and lower the oven temperature to 160°C.
Make the filling-
In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate, milk, and butter together over a pot of barely simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and Kahlúa on medium-high speed until foamy and lighter in color, 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the chocolate mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 30 seconds.
Pour the chocolate batter over the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out wet and gooey but not liquid, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack. As it cools, the center may sink a bit, leaving the edges slightly elevated. While the filling is still warm, use your fingertips to gently press the edges down to the level of the center, if necessary.
When completely cool, cover with plastic and refrigerate until very cold, at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, using the foil as handles, lift the rectangle from the pan and set it on a cutting board. Tipping the rectangle, carefully peel away the foil. Using a hot knife, cut the rectangle lengthwise into 3cm strips, wiping the blade clean before each cut. Cut each strip on alternating diagonals to make small triangles. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
Note: You can bake these up to 1 month ahead: Wrap the cooled baking pan in heavy duty plastic wrap and freeze (no need to cut them into triangles first).The baked truffles can also be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 days.
(recipe by Abigail Johnson Dodge)
Ingredients:
(serves 12)
* 1-1/2 cups orange juice
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 200g dried apricots, chopped
* 1/2 cup dried cherries
* 1/2 cup golden raisins
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
* 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* DUCK:
* 12 duck breasts with skin
* 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* ORANGE SAUCE:
* 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/2 cup marsala wine
* 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* 1/3 cup chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
* 3 tablespoons cold butter
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Method:
* For chutney, in a saucepan, combine orange juice and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Add the apricots, cherries, raisins, ginger, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook for 10 minutes or until apricots are tender. Transfer to a bowl; stir in lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
* Season both sides of duck with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute duck, skin side down, in oil until skin is browned; turn and cook for 1 minute. Set aside 1 tablespoon drippings.
* Place duck on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium, a meat thermometer should read 165°; well-done 180°).
* For orange sauce, saute garlic in reserved drippings for 1 minute. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until reduced by half. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice, broth and orange peel until blended. Stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add butter and basil; whisk until smooth. Remove skin from duck if desired before slicing. Serve with orange sauce and chutney.
Note: It can be served as an entree, or as part of a buffet or as main with roasted seasonal vegetables.
Ingredients:
(serves 12)
* 1,5 kg butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3cm pieces
* 2 large rutabagas (swedes), peeled and cut into 1-2cm pieces
* 2 large fennel bulbs, cut into 1-2cm pieces
* 2 small turnips, peeled and cut into 1-2cm pieces
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Method:
* Place the squash, rutabagas, fennel and turnips in two smaller or one large baking pan. Combine the remaining ingredients; drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 220°C for 55-60 minutes or until tender, stirring twice.
Ingredients:
For pastry-
3 eggs
4 tbs honey
2 tbs oil
750 g flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs oil
For filling-
1 l milk
80 g custard powder
3 tbs flour
200 g sugar
375 g unsalted butter (1 ½ package)
Chocolate shavings or powder for decoration
Method:
1. Eggs, honey and 2 tbs oil mix together and cook on a low heat until darkens a little bit. Cool it down by mixing, then add the remaining ingredients. Make a soft dough, and if it is too tough than add some milk to get the right consistency for rolling the pastry sheets.
2. Divide dough onto four equal parts. Roll it on a baking paper and bake on inverted side of wide oven tray. Make sure all four pastries are of the same dimensions. Bake in the oven on 180 degrees C for 5 min only (not longer!).
3. In a separate jug mix some of the milk with custard powder, sugar and flour until smooth. Bring the remaining milk to the boil and stirr the custard mix in. Cook by constant stirring for couple of minutes (until thickens), then cool it of by occasional mixing. When cooled mix in well beaten butter to get smooth cream.
4. Fill in pastry with cream and finish with cream as top layer.
5. Grate the chocolate shaving or sprinkle the chocolate powder on top. Let it rest overnight, then cut into slices for serving.
Ingredients:
- 500 g white or brown beans soaked overnight
- 300-500 g smoked dry pork meat (neck, ribs, hogs or similar, with some fat on it)
- 1 slice smoked bacon
- 2 smaller or 1 big onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 1 bay leave
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp dry basil
- 1tsp dry thyme
- 1 carrot sliced
- ½ celery stalk sliced
- 1 small parsnip root sliced
- 1-2 tbs finely chopped Italian parsley
- salt
- 5 black peppercorns
- olive oil
- 1 tbs flour
- 1tsp ground paprika
Method:
* Put soaked beans into cold water, bring it to the boil, cook shortly and then discard water and rinse the beans.
* Put beans into fesh water and add onion, garlic, smoked meat, carrots, celery, parsnip, bay leaves, herbs and peppercorns.
* Bring it to the boil, add salt, parsley and some olive oil.
* Cook until beans are completely cooked, but still firm (aprox. 1-11/2 h).
* Fry in the pan flour on the oil to become golden, add ground paprika, then some water from the beans and stir into smooth cream, then add to the beans. Cook for additional few minutes until sauce thickens. Check for salt and season to taste if needed.
By Corbin Tomaszeski
Ingredients:
(serves 4)
* 500g spinach, cleaned and dried
* 1/2 cup bean sprouts
* 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
* 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds lightly toasted and cooled
* 1/2 cup mandarin oranges, segmented
* 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped into thin slices
* 1 apple Granny Smith, sliced into match stick sized pieces
* yogurt dressing (see recipe)
Method:
Add spinach to bowl, add rest of ingredients and lightly toss. Add yogurt dressing and toss again.
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