Favourite Christmas Recipes

[dexterdoglancashire]

Christmas is coming. What are your favourite recipes? I thought it would be nice to share them with each other so we could perhaps use them too.

[smallblueplanet]

I'm a fan of cheese straws and these are a great alternative.

Garlic Bites Recipe

These garlic bites are a simple variation on the traditional cheese straws. If you can make pastry then these are very easy.

This recipe makes about 64 garlic bites. That sounds a lot but they disappear quicker than a vampire on midsummer's day!

4oz (120gm) Self-Raising Flour
2 oz (60gm) Butter
2 oz (60gm) Cheese, grated Use any strong, sharp cheese. Mature cheddar works very well
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed As always, adjust garlic according to taste
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard Powder
1 Tbsp Cold Water Use a little more or less as needed
Salt, ground

Sift the flour into a bowl. Mix in the mustard powder and the crushed garlic. Cut the butter and slowly rub into the flour. Add a little cheese now again as you go along.

Continue to combine the ingredients, adding a little cold water at the end if necessary to get a nice lump of pastry dough.

Place the pastry in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes or so. Meanwhile heat the oven to 200 C (400 F).

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to form a square about 8 inches (16 cm) each side. With a sharp knife divide the pastry into eighths in each direction to give 64 small squares.

Transfer the squares to a greased baking tray, arranging the garlic bites with a little space between them. Grind a little salt across the tops.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool. Transfer the garlic bites to an airtight container, they'll keep for a day or two.

[JanetKent]

Tangerines in brandy syrup

Well l'm thinking of trying the tangerines/clementines whatever in brandy syrup this year. As far as l can remember you put your citrus slices in a jar filled to the top and then make your sugar and water syrup boiling until it is darkening and going thick...then add the brandy when it's cooled a little. Mix it up and pour it over the fruits in the jar - and seal it up.
l should imagine you can add any sort of alcohol you like - cointreau should be a good one.
IF l get around to it l'll let you know how it turns out !!
Has anyone tried this before ?? l'd like to know if l've remembered it properly !!

[ginger ninger]

I love a mug or 3 of mulled wine it doesn't have to be expensive and its not hard to make, we go to friends on Christmas day evening and I always make some and take it with us..it goes down a treat.

Christmas Mulled Wine

2 bottles of red wine (you don't have to buy expensive wine)
2 ounces of brandy
4 cinnamon sticks
A handful of cloves
A dash of nutmeg
2 lemons
2 oranges
¼ cup sugar

Wash and cut the lemons and oranges into slices, leaving the peel on.

Place the wine in a large pan and slowly simmer. Do not bring to a boil.

Add the lemons, oranges, brandy, spices and sugar. Leave to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks and simmer for a few minutes more.

Serve warm in mugs or heat proof glasses.

[Two_Sheds]

1) Sloe Gin

and
er
2) Sloe Gin

[Two_Sheds]

I've had a bad day

[Jeanied]

I have to put forward my best cake attempts recently have been this one of Nigella's - it does not last long - before it is gobbled up! No fat, no flour - a gazillion calories!
Nigella's Clementine Cake. Ta da!
WELCOME TO NIGELLA'S WEBSITE

[Flummery]

I like to make some mince pies with cooked minced beef. Real mince pies - no spices or fruit. They make a lovely savoury snack with a glass of wine. You do have to make sure you don't mix them up with the sweet ones though!

[Glutton4...]

Now they sound yummy Flum. I hate 'mincemeat' (fruitcake/crimbo pudding) so my Mum used to make jam-filled ones for me. But your savoury ones sound much better - any special ingredients?

[Jeanied]

I have an old recipe for curry puffs using minced beef - a base of chopped onion, garlic, fresh ginger, fried for a bit then curry paste added - a little water, minced beef, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice - add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and pickling spice and simmer for a long time - at least an hour (add water if it gets dry) - fish out whole spices and use to make little mini samosa shapes with puff pastry and bake in the oven till pastry is risen and crisp. Might work in mince pie format?

[weekendwellies]

Shortbread
250g (9 oz) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
225g (8 oz) butter
100g (4 oz) caster sugar
Preheat oven to 170 C / Gas mark 3.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Chill until dough is easy to handle, about 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface roll dough out to 5cm (1/4 in) thick.
Cut into desired shapes and place on ungreased baking trays.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

[Flummery]

Now they sound yummy Flum. I hate 'mincemeat' (fruitcake/crimbo pudding) so my Mum used to make jam-filled ones for me. But your savoury ones sound much better - any special ingredients?

No - short crust pastry, make like mince pies but add cooled cooked minced beef. I fry it in a little oil, strain off any excess fat that comes from the mince, then add some gravy mix and water till I like the consistency. Cool it down then make the pies. They are gorgeous when warm so I warm them up to serve. I made a batch yesterday to put in the freezer. (PS, I don't put onion or garlic in these because they upset Mum-in-law's system. They're better with the additions!)

I also do cheese and onion ones. You need a bit of left-over mashed potato (hard to come by in this spud-loving household!) Add grated cheese and finely chopped onion and a little milk or cream to get a softish consistency. Fill the cases with this. Fantastic!

[Pumpkin Becki]

A lovely big Gammon ham, boiled on the stove top as per instructions. Peel off the rind and a bit of the fat if its very thick. Score the remaining layer of fat in crosses. Put joint in a roasting tray (I line mine with baking parchment as the next bit is v.messy). Mix runny honey and wholegrain mustard together and pour over the top of the ham. Put in oven (approx 200 degrees) for about half an hour, recoating with the honey/mustard mix occasionally.

Allow to cool a bit before carving, but eat as much of it as you can before serving to everyone else!!!!

[Hilary B]

I like to make some mince pies with cooked minced beef. Real mince pies - no spices or fruit. They make a lovely savoury snack with a glass of wine. You do have to make sure you don't mix them up with the sweet ones though!

The original Mince Pies did include meat (and a lot of mincemeat does still include some suet, although these days often veggie type). The fruit was preservative as well as flavouring.....

[Two_Sheds]

Chilli Cheese Bites

I'm a fan of cheese straws and these are a great alternative: Garlic Bites

I've just made these (lush, they go all puffy, esp. if you cut them fairly thick) and then made some more, substituting the garlic for 2 tsp of smoked paprika (pink pastry).

Still not enough of a kick for me, so it'll be ground chillies in the next batch.