My Favourite Christmas Desserts

This is the last installment of my Favourite Christmas Things series and I have had fun sharing all of my holiday indulgences with you. Maybe next year I will turn it into a food blogging event and find out what all of YOUR favourite Christmas recipes are, who knows?

When it comes to Christmas desserts I have never been one for the traditional heavy Christmas cake or puddings. It may have something to do with the warmer climate around here, although a lot of people in Australia do enjoy the traditional Christmas desserts, but lighter, cooler desserts are always welcome on my plate at this time of year. Of course, another favourite is Pavlova, serve it with whipped cream, red berries and sliced starfruit for a particularly festive look!

Berries in Champagne Jelly (Serves 8)

This grown-ups version of a children's favourite takes advantage of Summer berries at the height of their season. The recipe and photo are taken from Cool Food, Murdoch Books, 2002.

Pour 500ml Champagne (or Sparkling white wine) into a bowl and let the bubbles subside. Sprinkle 1 1/2Tbsp powdered gelatine over the Champagne in an even layer and leave, without stirring, until the gelatine is spongy. Place another 500ml Champagne in a large saucepan with 1C sugar, 4 strips lemon zest & 4 strips orange zest, and heat gently, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the gelatine mixture and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool completely, then remove the lemon and orange zest. Divide 250g small strawberries, hulled and halved & 255g blueberries among eight 125ml stemmed wine glasses and gently pour the jelly over the top. Refigerate for 6 hours or overnight, or until the jelly has fully set. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

Crunchy Maltesers Ice-cream Terrine (Serves 6)

This is a great cold dessert for hot Summer days, it also has a lot of 'wow' factor for very little effort (just some mixing and refreezing really). Maltesers are balls of malt covered in chocolate, you could use any similar type of chocolate or confectionery. The recipe and photo are taken from the December 2006 issue of Australian Good Taste Magazine.

Line a 750ml capacity metal terrine dish with plastic wrap. Transfer 1/2L good quality vanilla ice-cream to a bowl and stir with a metal spoon until soft and creamy. Add 90g crushed maltesers and mix until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the terrine dish and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C and spread 100g hazelnuts over a baking dish. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until roasted. Place in a clean tea towel and rub to remove skins. Coarsely chop.

Transfer 1/2L good quality chocolate ice-cream to a bowl and stir with a metal spoon until soft and creamy. Stir in the hazelnuts and spread over the vanilla ice cream in the terrine dish. Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.

Repeat with another 1/2L good quality vanilla ice-cream & 90g crushed maltesers and freeze for 2-3 hours or until completely firm. To serve, turn terrine out onto serving platter and top with another 90g crushed maltesers.

Christmas Cupcakes (Makes 12)

These cute little cupcakes look so festive!... and they taste delicious too. They are probably about as close to Christmas cake or pudding that I get - but there isn't any fruit in them. The gingerbread/chocolate creativity (and photo) is attributed to Nigella Lawson from How to be a Domestic Goddess, Chatto & Windus, 2003.

Preheat your oven to 200C, line 12 muffin tins with papers. In a large bowl, mix together 150g plain flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1tsp ground mixed spice & a pinch of salt. In another bowl, cream 100g soft unsalted butter & 160g dark brown sugar with an electric mixer. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and then beat in a third of the flour mixture, followed by 1Tbsp sour cream, repeating until all the flour is used up and you have used a total of 3Tbsp sour cream.

Put 125ml boiling water, 75g dark chocolate, broken into pieces & 1tsp instant coffee in a pan and heat gently, just until the chocolate has melted. Fold this into the cake batter, being careful not to overbeat. The mixture will be very thin, but don't worry about that: just pour carefully into the waiting muffin cases and put in the oven for 20 minutes. The cakes should be dense and damp. Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then slip out the cakes in their papers and sit on a wire rack until completely cold.

Ice using 250g instant royal icing made up according to packet directions, covering tops thickly. Cut holly leaves out of 1 packet green ready to roll icing and use to decorate tops of cupcakes, along with 30 cranberries or small, round, red lollies.

I'm Daring Again... with a Yule Log

It has been a couple of months since I participated in my last Daring Bakers challenge, with University exams and wisdom teeth extraction getting in the way. But now I'm back and just as daring as ever, so I present you with my Yule Log, the December DB challenge which is hosted by the founders of our wonderful (and ever growing!) gang, Ivonne & Lisa.

The challenge consisted of 3 main elements: Genoise cake, buttercream frosting and meringue or marzipan mushrooms. Although it was time consuming, mostly because I had to make a couple of the ingredients myself due to their lack of availability around here (corn syrup & almond paste), this challenge went pretty smoothly and was actually quite fun! ... and I finally got a chance to use my candy thermometer for the first time (I've had it for a couple of years!).

The modifications that I made were to flavour the cake & frosting with chocolate and fill the log with plain whipped cream sprinkled with peppermint crisp shards.

Chocolate Genoise Cake

Preheat your oven to 200C and set a rack in the middle. Butter a 25 x 38cm baking sheet, line with baking paper and butter again. Half fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. In the bowl of an electric mixer whisk together 3 large eggs, 3 large egg yolks, 3/4C sugar & a pinch of salt. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is lukewarm (around 100C).

Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the egg mixture has cooled and tripled in volume. The mixture should be thick and slowly dissolve back into itself when the whisk is lifted. While the eggs are whipping sift together 1/3C cake flour, 1/3C cornflour & 1/4C cocoa powder.

Sift one third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs and use a rubber spatula to fold it in. Make sure you scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl to avoid the flour clumping up there. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally the remainder. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes, making sure not to overcook or it won't roll properly. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Buttercream

Whisk together 4 large egg whites & 1C sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk attachment on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in 1 1/2C softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Melt 70g dark chocolate and mix in 2Tbsp brandy, add to the bowl and beat until mixed through.

Marzipan Mushrooms

Combine 225g almond paste (recipe follows) & 1C icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until the sugar is absorbed. Add another 1C icing sugar and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 2Tbsp light corn syrup (recipe follows) and continue mixing until a bit of the marzipan holds together (add more corn syrup 1Tbsp at a time until it gets to the right consistency.

Transfer the marzipan to a clean work surface and knead until smooth. Roll one third of the marzipan into a cylinder 15cm long and cut into 2.5cm lengths. Roll half the lengths into balls and press the remaining lengths into them to form mushrooms. Smudge with cocoa powder to colour.

Almond Paste

Make a sugar syrup by heating 1C water, 140g sugar & 1/4C corn syrup in a saucepan. Bring to the boil for a few minutes and then cool. Place 285g blanched almonds in a food processor and process to a fine powder. Add 285g icing sugar and process to combine. With the food processor running, slowly add the sugar syrup until the mixture forms a paste (you may not need all of the syrup). Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

'Corn' Syrup (Makes 2C)

Combine 2C sugar, 3/4C water, 1/4tsp cream of tartar & a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 3 minutes . Uncover and simmer, stirring often, until you reach soft ball stage (118-120C). Cool and store in a covered conatiner at room temperature for up to 2 months.

Assembly

Douse genoise cake with a few tablespoons of brandy and sprinkle with chopped peppermint crisp bars. Spread with whipped cream, roll up to form a log and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Trim both ends on the diagonal, starting about 5cm from the ends. Position the larger peice about 2/3 of the way across the top. Cover the entire log with chocolate buttercream and streak to resemble bark. Transfer to a platter and decorate with marzipan mushrooms.

I'm taking my log along to our family Christmas Day celebrations, so hopefully it keeps well. I'll let you know how it actually tastes in a couple of days! Make sure you check out some of the other beautiful Yule Logs by following the link to the Daring Bakers Blogroll in my sidebar.

My final Favourite Christmas things post will be up tomorrow too, I hope you enjoy all the desserts that are staples amongst my family at this time of year.

My Favourite Christmas Sides & Salads

Well I am being much more successful with this than I was for NaBloPoMo! I’m very happy with myself for sticking to this series of posts. It’s probably because Christmas time makes me happy and there are just so many of my Christmas favourites to share with you all. I was originally going to post sides and salads separately, but I’m going to be busy over this weekend and I have my first Daring Bakers post in 3 months to share with you as well, so I am combining them.

Growing up as a vegetarian, my Christmas plate was filled with the sides and salads. One favourite that is lacking below is roast potatoes. I could live on them. I do make rather good roast potatoes (If I do say so myself), but it is one of those things I have made so many times without a recipe that it becomes very difficult to explain it to others. Next time I make them I will be sure to keep track of cooking times and quantities, but for now they have to be missing from this list.

Other favourites of mine growing up were of course roast vegetables and stuffing. Sometimes, if I was lucky, whoever was cooking the Christmas dinner would cook the stuffing separate from the meat. My aunty used to make me stuffing balls that were really delicious. But most of the time it was just cooked with the meat and I had to turn a blind eye to it being pulled from the bird. Either way, it was one of my favourites.

The recipes below are my favourite Christmas sides and salads from recent years. All of them could be enjoyed at any time of year, but they have graced our table during the festive season so they have become my Christmas favourites. Other recipes that could easily fit this post, but which I have already posted about previously are Ratatouille and Red Capsicum Relish.

Keep a look out for that Daring Bakers post mayhem over the weekend and my final Christmas favourites post (desserts!) sometime before Christmas day. I hope you all have your Christmas shopping finished (I’m doing mine tonight) and aren’t too stressed.

Baked Ricotta (Makes 6 large or 12 mini)

This is not only one of my favourites for Christmas due to the red capsicum and green pesto combination of colours, but it is also one of my favourites for Catering. Just make them in mini muffin moulds instead of the larger ones and they make great finger food for any occasion. You can use store bought pesto if you are pressed for time and if you are really short on it you can use grilled capsicum from a jar. The stuff you make yourself will always taste better and fresher though. The recipe and photo are taken from Cool Food, Murdoch Books, 2002.

Seed 1 large red capsicum and cut into quarters. Grill, skin side up, under a hot grill for 5-6 minutes or until the skin blackens and blisters. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cook. Peel off the skin and slice the flesh into 2cm wide strips.

While the capsicum is cooling you can make the pesto by placing 2Tbsp pine nuts, 100g (2C) basil leaves & 2 peeled garlic cloves in a food processor and processing for 15 seconds, or until finely chopped. While the processor is running, add 2Tbsp olive oil in a continuous thin stream, and then season with salt & pepper. Stir through 2Tbsp Parmesan cheese. It would be wise to double (or triple) the pesto part of this recipe because once you taste it you are going to want more of it. It keeps well in sealed jars in the fridge for at least a week, if you can keep your hands off it for that long.

Preheat your oven to 180C and grease 6 large muffin holes (or 12 mini ones). Mix together 750g low fat ricotta cheese &1 egg until well combined. Season lightly with salt & pepper. Divide capsicum strips among the muffin holes, top with a dollop of pesto (not too much, you will probably have some left over) and fill with ricotta mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes (less for mini ones), or until the ricotta is firm and golden. Cool, then unmould carefully using a blunt knife.

Peas with Ham & Garlic (Serves 6)

This recipe, photo and nutritional information are taken from the December 2006 issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine. It’s just a tasty and not too unhealthy side that would be great at any time of year.

Heat 2tsp olive oil in a non stick frying pan and fry 1 diced brown onion, 1 crushed garlic clove & 30g diced reduced fat ham on a low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1/4C reduced salt chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated.

Meanwhile, cook 200g frozen baby peas according to packet directions. Stir through onion mix and serve.

Nutritional Information: (per serve)

Energy 199kJ, Protein 3.2g, Fat (Total) 1.9g (Saturated) 0.3g, Carbohydrates (Total) 3.4g (Sugars) 1.2g, Dietary Fibre 2.2g, Sodium 107mg. 0.4 serves of Vegetables.

Christmas Salad (Serves 6)

This is another one taken from the December 2006 issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine. The colour combination makes it look very festive and the dressing is delicious without adding too much fat. We used baby spinach in place of rocket because none of us like the taste of it.

Steam 100g trimmed green beans in the microwave on high for 3 minutes or until tender. Plunge into cold water and drain. Arrange 100g washed baby spinach, 1 punnet red grape tomatoes, halved, 1 punnet yellow grape tomatoes, halved & green beans in layers on a white platter.

In a small jug whisk together juice of 1 lemon, 1Tbsp olive oil, 1tsp seeded mustard, 1tsp honey, salt & pepper to taste. Pour over salad just before serving and sprinkle with 1/4C toasted pine nuts.

Nutritional Information: (per serve)

Energy 450kJ, Protein 2.3g, Fat (Total) 8.6g (Saturated) 0.7g, Carbohydrate (Total) 4.1g (Sugas) 3.7g, Dietary Fibre 2.4g, Sodium 21mg. 1.3 serves of Vegetables.

Caramelised Onion & Potato Salad (Serves 10)

This is my favourite potato salad recipe of all time. It takes a little longer than usual, but the sweetness of the caramelised onions is well worth it, and bacon – well it makes anything taste better doesn’t it? Be warned though, this one is definitely not good for your waist! This is another one adapted from (photo taken from) Cool Food, Murdoch Books, 2002.

Heat 2Tbsp olive oil in a large heavy based frying pan and add 6 thinly sliced red onions. Cook over medium-low heat for 40 minutes, or until soft and caramelised.

Meanwhile, cut 1kg Kipfler or new potatoes into large chunks, without peeling them. If they are very small leave them whole. Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes, or until just tender, being careful not to overcook them or they will fall apart in the salad. Grill 6 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, until crisp and drain on paper towels. Cool slightly before coarsely chopping.

Snip 30g chives and put most of them in a large bowl with the potatoes and onions, reserving some for a garnish. Whisk together 250g whole-egg mayonnaise, 1Tbsp Dijon mustard, juice of 1 lemon & 2Tbsp sour cream, pour over potatoes and toss to coat. When ready to serve sprinkle with bacon pieces and garnish with reserved chives.

Avocado & Grapefruit Salad (Serves 4)

This recipe is adapted from (and photo taken from) Bbq Food, Murdoch Books, 2003. It has an interesting combination of flavours and textures with the contrast of grapefruit and smooth avocado. Lovely on a warm Summer day.

Peel and segment 2 ruby grapefruit, working over a bowl to save any juice for the dressing. Cut 1 ripe avocado into 2cm wedges and put in a bowl with the grapefruit, 200g watercress (or mixed salad leaves) & 1 finely sliced French shallot.

To make the dressing put 1Tbsp of reserved grapefruit juice, 1Tbsp sherry vinegar, 1/4C olive oil, salt & pepper in a screw top jar and shake to mix. Pour over the salad, toss gently and serve.

Printable Recipes:

Baked Ricotta

Peas with Ham & Garlic

Christmas Salad

Caramelised Onion & Potato Salad

Avocado & Grapefruit Salad

My Favourite Christmas Meats

Sweet Mustard Glazed Ham (Serves 12 with leftovers)

This recipe and photo are taken from the December 2006 issue of Super Food Ideas magazine.

Place oven shelf in the lowest position and preheat oven to 150C. Line a large roasting pan with 2 sheets of baking paper. Remove rind from an 8kg leg ham and, using a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern no deeper than 5mm. Place ham in roasting pan.

Mix together 1/2C orange marmalade, 215g dijon mustard & 2/3C brown sugar and spoon 2/3 of this over the ham, spreading to cover completely. Cook for 1 ½ hours and then spoon the remaining mustard mixture over the ham. Raise temperature to 200C and cook for a further 45-60 minutes or until golden and crisp. Slice and serve.

Roast Turkey Breast with Pistachio & Parsley Stuffing (Serves 6)

This is the best turkey I have ever tasted, the spices add a touch of exotic that is different to any other turkey I have tasted. Absolutely delicious, and it (and the photo and nutritional information) is from Healthy Food Guide magazine (December 2006 Issue), so it is a healthier alternative to the usual Christmas turkey.

Heat 1Tbsp olive oil in a large non stick frypan and fry 1 diced brown onion, 1 diced rasher rindless bacon & 1 finely diced celery stick on low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1tsp ground cumin, 1/2tsp ground cinnamon & 1tsp sumac or paprika and fry for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2C shelled pistachio nuts, chopped & 2C fresh breadcrumbs (preferably made from grainy bread).

Heat 1/2C reduced salt chicken stock and pour over breadcrumb mixture. Add 1/4C chopped parsley leaves and season to taste. Stir thoroughly to combine and cool for 5 minutes. Using cling wrap, shape stuffing into a sausage and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Open a 1.5kg boned and skinned turkey breast fillet, butterflied side up and season with salt and pepper. Remove cling wrap from stuffing and place in the centre of the turkey breast. Roll up, tucking in the sides to enclose the stuffing. Tie tightly with cooking string and 2cm intervals.

In a small jug whisk together 1/2C dry white wine, 1/2C freshly squeezed orange juice & 1 crushed garlic clove. Coat turkey roll with marinade, cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Heat oven to 180C and line a medium roasting dish with baking paper. Remove turkey roll from marinade, place on roasting dish and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked and golden. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes before carving.

While the turkey is resting, heat 275g cranberry sauce, 1/2C orange juice & 1/2C salt reduced chicken stock in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir and serve warm with carved turkey.

Nutritional Information: (per serve)

Energy 2172kJ, Protein 51.8g, Fat (Total) 12.6g (Saturated) 2.7g, Carbohydrates (Total) 44.9g (Sugars) 25.5g, Dietary Fibre 2.8g, Sodium 1500mg.

Mediterranean Chicken Skewers (Makes 8 Skewers)

These are a great addition to an Aussie Christmas barbecue, but would be just as delicious at any time of year. The recipe is adapted from (and photo taken from) Bbq food, Murdoch Books, 2003. We added some green capsicum to make them a little more Christmassy.

Soak 8 wooden skewers in water to prevent scorching. Cut 2 large chicken breast fillets into cubes and thread onto skewers alternating with 24 cherry tomatoes, 6 quartered mushrooms & 1 green capsicum, cut into wedges. Place finished skewers in a shallow, non metallic dish.

Combine 2 crushed garlic cloves, the grated zest of 1 lemon, 2Tbsp lemon juice, 2Tbsp olive oil & 1Tbsp chopped oregano leaves and pour over the skewers. Marinate overnight (or at least 2 hours).

Cook the skewers on a hot, lightly oiled barbecue for 4 minutes each side, basting with marinade occasionally, until the chicken is cooked.

Barbecued Chermoula Prawns (Serves 6)

Ok, so I haven’t actually tried these myself. As many of you know, I used to be a vegetarian, and the thought of eating seafood still makes my skin crawl. I think I must have been a sea creature in my last life or something! Anyway, everyone seemed to enjoy these when we made them, so I’ll share them with you too. This recipe (and photo) is also taken from ) Bbq food, Murdoch Books, 2003.

Peel and de-vein 1kg raw medium prawns, leaving the tails intact and place in a large bowl. Dry fry 3tsp hot paprika & 2tsp ground cumin in a hot frying pan for 1 minute or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and process with 30g parsley, 15g coriander, 100ml lemon juice & 125ml olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and pour over prawns. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat barbecue to high. Cook prawns for 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through, turning and brushing with extra marinade while cooking. Be careful not to overcook them.

Printable Recipes:

Sweet Mustard Glazed Ham

Roast Turkey Breast with Pistachio & Parsley Stuffing

Mediterranean Chicken Skewers

Chermoula Prawns

My Favourite Edible Gifts for Christmas

This is the first in a series of Christmas related posts that I will be doing leading up to Christmas day. Since this is my first Christmas with my blog I thought it would be a great chance to share all of my favourite holiday recipes and the ones that I have tried in the last few years around this time. We aren’t hosting a meal for the extended family this year so I am lucky enough to have the chance to enjoy a meal (or meals!) that other people are slaving over, but since I will miss the Christmas cooking I think I am going to make some holiday food over the next couple of weeks just for our family.

Before Christmas day I hope to cover everything from the traditional meat, to sides and salads and of course desserts (my favourite). I won’t promise anything because we all know how I went for NaBloPoMo!! So today I am going to kick it off with some edible gifts and hopefully we will make it all the way to desserts by Christmas day.

Our extended family has a tradition of making edible gifts for each other at Christmas time. There are a few of us that put together hampers for the other families around this time of year. It is great to give handmade items, especially those that can be used up, rather than giving bits and pieces that just collect over time and become clutter. Just make a few different items and put them together in a basket or box with some store bought delicacies and maybe a nice tea towel and you have a beautiful gift that the recipient will be using in no time. The following are a few of our family’s favourite things to make.

Cream Cheese Truffles (Makes 60)

Well I promised you this recipe when I made their chocolate covered cousins for Christmas in July. The original recipe is from the All Recipes website, but I have come up with a few variations that are even more delicious. As with the chocolate coated ones, the flavours are limited only by your imagination, but my favourites are listed below.

Beat 225g softened light cream cheese until smooth and gradually add 2C sifted icing sugar until blended. Melt 500g chocolate (milk, dark or white according to flavourings) with 2-3tsp liquid flavouring (such as alcohol or essence) and stir into cheese mixture until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour or until firm and then roll into balls and cover in chosen coatings (nuts, coconut, crushed lollies, etc). These are best kept in the refrigerator as much as possible, but will keep at room temperature for a few days.

Suggested combinations:

Coconut – Use white chocolate, flavour with Malibu liqueur or coconut essence and roll in desiccated coconut.
Fairy – Use milk chocolate, flavour with vanilla essence and roll in sprinkles/hundreds and thousands.
Christmas – Use dark chocolate, flavour with peppermint essence and roll in crushed candy canes.

Grapefruit marmalade

This one is going in our hampers this year, but shhh, don’t tell anyone in my family! The house we are renting at the moment has a grapefruit tree in the backyard, so I am sure we will be making more of this for ourselves soon.

Wash 2 grapefruits & 2 lemons and boil whole in 2L water. Shred fruits finely and return to remaining water, bring back to the boil and add 2kg sugar and boil until it sets. Pour into sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Red capsicum relish (Makes 3C)

I haven’t made this one in a few years, but just reading the recipe and looking at the photo makes me want to have it spread thick on some toast – right now! I think I may have to make a batch of it all for myself. The recipe and photo below are taken from Bbq Food, Murdoch Books, 2003.

Seed and thinly slice 1kg red capsicums (or a mix of red and yellow). Place 1tsp black peppercorns in a piece of muslin and tie up to secure. In a large pan combine the capsicum & peppercorns along with 2tsp mustard seeds, 2 thinly sliced red onions, 4 chopped garlic cloves, 375ml red wine vinegar, 2 peeled, cored and grated apples & 1tsp grated fresh ginger. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the capsicum is soft.

Add 1C brown sugar and stir over low heat until it is completely dissolved. Cover and simmer for 1 ¼ hours, stirring occasionally, until the relish is reduced and thickened. Remove muslin bag.

Rinse three 1C capacity jars with boiling water and dry in a warm oven. Spoon relish into hot jars and seal, turn the jars upside down for 2 minutes and then turn right way up to cool. Label, date and leave for a few weeks to allow flavours to develop. The relish will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

Keep your eyes peeled for some more Christmas recipes in the next few days!

Printable Recipes:

Cream Cheese Truffles

Grapefruit Marmalade

Red Capsicum Relish

Catering Update

I’m finally back in the real world, where there are no catalogues or newspapers in sight (except for the ones I still need to recycle because I never got around to delivering them!), and let me tell you I am very glad to be here. I think I have learnt an important lesson in that I shouldn’t take on too much and should learn to enjoy some down time… but who am I kidding? I’ll probably forget that lesson just as quickly as I learnt it; I just have a tendency to fill every possible hour (and minute… and second) of the day. Hopefully I can learn to fill them with something a little more enjoyable though!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had been asked to cater the salad and dessert side of a spit roast dinner for a wedding reception that one of mum’s friends was holding. Well I took that on as well (amongst all the catalogues – how could I say no to a wedding reception?) and I have to say it went off without a hitch. The reception was for 90 guests, so I am glad I only had to worry about the salads and some of the desserts. I have a great catering book which I use to estimate quantities and it suggested that I needed 135 servings of salad – woah, I probably don’t need to tell you that is a LOT of salad. The bride was already making a large green salad so I only needed to make 90 serves, but that is still heaps.

I made three different salads – Ratatouille, Coleslaw and an Asian rice salad, and I had to mix and transport them in big storage containers (15L ones!). The coleslaw tub was so full that I had trouble mixing in the dressing without the coleslaw flying all over the kitchen bench – It was crazy. Everything went really well though and there was a nice spread of different meats and roast potatoes that complimented the salads. Unfortunately I was too busy cooking and serving to remember to take photos, plus that may have looked slightly crazy! So you will have to be happy with the photos from the cookbooks instead. I’ve left the quantities as they were written, I obviously multiplied these to make up the masses of salads I needed, but I am sure you don’t need that much salad. If you do, I feel you pain!

Coleslaw (Serves 8 - 10)

Recipe adapted from (and photo taken from) Cool Food, Murdoch Books, 2002.

Remove the hard core from ½ green cabbage & ¼ red cabbage and finely shred the leaves with a sharp knife. Using the coarse grater attachment on a food processor, grate 3 carrots & 6 radishes and add to the bowl. Slice 4 spring onions & chop 15g parsley and add these to the bowl as well. At this stage you can cover and refrigerate the coleslaw for up to 3 hours. When ready to serve add 1C light mayonnaise, season with salt & pepper and toss until well combined. Serve immediately.

Asian Rice Salad (Serves 8)

Recipe adapted from (and photo taken from) Bbq Food, Murdoch Books, 2003.

Bring 5C water to the boil in a large saucepan, add 2C basmati rice and cook, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes over low heat, or until grains are tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water and transfer to a large bowl.

While rice is cooking, heat 2Tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 large red onion, finely chopped, 4 garlic cloves, crushed, 1Tbsp finely chopped ginger & 1 long red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced (I substituted 1 small red capsicum, seeded and diced, because I didn’t want the chilli to put people off). Cook for 5-6 minutes or until onion is softened, but not browned and then add 4 spring onions, finely sliced and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and add to drained rice.

To make the dressing, mix together 2Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2tsp sesame oil, 2tsp black vinegar (available from Asian grocery stores), 1Tbsp lime juice & 50g coriander leaves, roughly chopped. Add to rice and toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, the flavours will actually be better if you make this the day before you need it.

For dessert I made my Mini cheesecakes with strawberries and cream, which are always really well received, and a large fruit salad to go alongside some beautiful chocolate mud cupcakes that were ordered from another lady at mum’s work. I won’t give a recipe for the fruit salad because it wasn’t anything fancy, I just cut up lots of fruit (bananas, apples, pineapple, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries…) and tossed them together.

The last thing I made was a non-alcoholic fruit punch, which I’ve made a few times before including for my brother’s 21st. It’s lovely and refreshing and I offered to make it so that the non-drinkers and designated drivers had something to drink. I may have slightly over catered on this though, as most of the guests arrived when it was close to getting dark and therefore I had to bring about half of it home. Oh well, it is still my favourite punch recipe so I will share it with you guys. Just keep in mind that it is suited to warm Summer days!

Fruit Juice Punch (Serves 10)

Recipe adapted from (and photo taken from) The Bartender's Guide by Peter Bohrmann, Salamandar Books Limited, 2001.

Up to one hour before serving, mix together 3 bananas, peeled and diced, 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and diced, 2 1/2C banana juice (I usually use Banana & Mango juice as I can never find just plain banana juice), 2 1/2C orange juice, 2 1/2C pineapple juice & 100ml lemon juice. Refrigerate until needed and add 1L sparkling mineral water just before serving.

Watch out for some Christmas themed posts I am going to start in the next few days. I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season!

Printable Recipes:

Coleslaw

Asian Rice Salad

Fruit Juice Punch

Why I Have Been AWOL...

OK, so I screwed up NaBloPoMo and trust me I am feeling ashamed about that. But hopefully this photo will explain why I have been missing in action for the last month or so, a picture does tell a thousand words after all...

This is my study as of this moment... the only floorspace that isn't covered in these awful things is a bum sized spot near my couch (where I sit and roll them) and a 1m long slot where my desk chair glides. Yep. I am insane... and I'm pretty sure I am in the middle of a mental breakdown. So anyone in my area who hasn't got their catalogues and newspapers yet, please accept my apologies... I am sure you can live without them, can't you??

I've never been fired from a job before... you know? I am starting to think that sounds like it would be fun... Hopefully I will have time to get back in the kitchen from next week ;)