WEEKEND KITCHEN RECIPE SHEET 29Th November 2015 Hannah
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WEEKEND KITCHEN RECIPE SHEET 29th November 2015 Hannah Miles My Great Grandma’s Christmas Pudding Recipe Making Christmas Puddings is one of my family traditions – as I am sure it is in many other families. When the whole family is together in September or October, we make the Christmas Puddings in my Great Grandma’s crock pot, each of us taking a turn to stir three times with eyes closed and make a wish. Christmas Pudding wishes always come true! There are many traditions surrounding Christmas puddings. They are meant to be made on Advent Sunday, four weeks before Christmas, which is often given the name “stir up Sunday”, a reference to stirring the puddings. In times gone by, families would return from Church that day, all stir the pudding (from East to West in honour of the Three Wise Men!) and children would sing “Stir up, we beseech thee, The pudding in the pot; And when we get home We'll eat the lot.” A coin was hidden in the pudding before cooking and its finder when the pudding was eaten would supposedly receive great wealth. In my family, we still put silver threepenny bits in our pudding that have been passed down through the generations. Other traditional additions to the pudding include a ring to foretell a marriage, a thimble for a lucky life (or that the finder would remain a spinster or bachelor forever depending on which tradition you believe), a wishbone to bring good luck and a small anchor for safe passage. Make sure that any items you place in your pudding are pure silver as alloy metals can react with the brandy and fruit and will ruin the pudding! We use the same recipe now that my Great Grandma used. My Grandma and I were talking about the pudding recently and she remembers eating it as a girl, made to this recipe. It is lovely to think of generations of our family all eating the same pudding on Christmas day over the years. I know that many of you will already have your own family Christmas Pudding recipes, all equally delicious, but I hope that perhaps a few of you will have a change this year and try this recipe. We will be thinking of you all as we tuck into ours. Preparation time 30 minutes, plus stirring and steaming Makes 2 puddings ½ lb/225g suet (vegetarian suet for those who prefer it) ½ lb/225g currants Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 1 ½ lb/225g granulated sugar ½ lb/225g sultanas ¾lb/340g raisins 3oz/85g breadcrumbs 5oz/140g self raising flour 1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and grated 1 large carrot, peeled and grated 3 large eggs Zest and juice of 1 large lemon A good rub of grated nutmeg ½ tsp mixed spice A pinch of salt ½ pint/300ml strong beer – I use Old Speckled Hen 3 tbsp brandy Mixing the pudding is best done in a very large bowl. Something like a jam pan would be ideal as you need plenty of room to stir everything in. Place all the ingredients in the bowl and mix, making sure that everyone in the house has a stir and makes a wish. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours to allow the flavours to develop. Spoon the mixture into two pudding basins and cover the top with a double layer of greaseproof paper and foil, folded tightly to seal. Tie string round the top rim of the basin and over the top to make a handle so that the pudding can be lifted out of the pan easily. The puddings will need to be boiled for at least 7 hours each but this can be done in stages, whenever you have time. Just keep the pudding in the fridge in between cooking sessions. Place the pudding in a saucepan quarter filled with water or in a sealed steamer above a pan of water. Remember to put your kitchen timer on to remind you to check the level of water in the pan every half hour so that the water doesn’t run out and the pudding burn as this would be a waste of all your hard work. The pudding should be a dark brown colour when cooked. Puddings will keep for at least a year in a fridge so you can save one for next year. When you are ready to eat the pudding, heat in a pan of water (as above) for an hour to ensure that the pudding is warmed through. To serve, remove the greaseproof paper and foil cover and slide a knife around the edge of the bowl. Place a plate on top of the bowl and invert holding both the plate and the bowl tightly. Decorate the pudding with a sprig of holly. To flambé, heat 1 tbsp of brandy in an old spoon over a flame. It will ignite so be ready to quickly tip over the pudding when it does and rush to the table so that your guests will see. Serve with brandy butter and brandy sauce! Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 2 Gluten–free Spiced Christmas Stollen Stollen is a deliciously rich and buttery fruit bread, which is said to have originated in 14th- century Germany. Traditionally stollen are cooked in special pans, which give the loaves their classic shape, but if you haven’t got a stollen pan you can just shape the dough into a slightly triangular loaf on the baking sheet with your hands. 250 g gluten-free self-raising flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 3 eggs, beaten 75 g butter, melted and cooled 285 ml soured cream 100 g caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 50 g pistachios, chopped 50 g pecans, chopped grated zest of 1 large orange 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon mixed spice 200 g marzipan, cut into small pieces 80 g sultanas 80 g raisins icing sugar, for dusting a 38 x 13-cm stollen pan, greased and lined, or a greased and lined baking tray Makes 1 large loaf Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) Gas 4. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs with 31⁄2 tablespoons of the melted butter, sour cream and sugar. Stir in the vanilla extract, pistachios, pecans, orange zest, spices, marzipan, sultanas and raisins. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and then invert onto a baking sheet so that the dough is covered by the pan. If you do not have a stollen pan, shape the dough into a long oval loaf, about 35 x 20 cm, dusting your hands with flour as you work. Bake in the preheated oven for 40–50 minutes, until the top of the stollen is golden, gently lifting away the pan (if using) to see if it is cooked. Brush the cooked loaf with the remaining melted butter and dust with icing sugar, which will be absorbed by the butter to give the loaf a sugary coating. This stollen will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 3 White Chocolate Egg nog My friend Lucy loves eggnog – such an old fashioned drink but a truly festive one. This is my hot chocolate version which I love to make for Lucy at Christmas served with classic German iced gingerbread Lebkuchen. Serves 2 3 egg yolks 2 tbsp caster sugar 500ml milk 100g white chocolate, chopped 1 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch of grated nutmeg 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract 60ml – 80ml rum (or more if you prefer!) Equipment: 2 heatproof glasses, whisk In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until thick and creamy. Place the milk and white chocolate in a saucepan with the cinnamon, a good grate of nutmeg and the vanilla and heat until the chocolate has melted, whisking all the time. Bring the milk to the boil and then pour over the egg yolk mixture whisking all the time. It is easiest to have someone help you whilst you do this. Return the mixture to the pan and simmer until the drink starts to thicken then remove from the heat and pour in the rum. Serve straight away in glasses or alternatively you can chill this drink and drink cold for equally delicious results. Russell Bateman Ox Cheek, Chorizo & Chestnut Stew This is a great way of making a meal go a long way. The ox cheeks work perfectly here and are extremely good value from your butcher. The balance of flavours and textures is just lovely. If you don’t fancy them, you can use any stewing cut of beef. 1 ox cheek 4 chorizo sausages 4 carrots 2 onions Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 4 4 cloves of garlic 1 bag vac pac chestnuts 2 tablespoons plain flour 4 teaspoon smoked paprika ¼ bunch of thyme 1 bay leaf 375ml red wine 1 litres chicken stock Mix the flour with the paprika and use it to dust the Ox cheek. Season the ox cheek with salt and colour it in a heavy bottom oven proof pan with a little oil.