Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Golden Sugar.....and All Things Nice

Lets talk about, bake for, make for, wallow in, dress up in silly clothes for....

Christmas

(humor me, I can't help it)
SO this is what I have been making and freezing for pressies!
Christmas Fruity Biscotti

• 350g plain flour , plus extra for rolling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs , beaten
• coarsely grated zest 1 orange
• 85g raisins
• 85g dried cherries
• 50g blanched almonds
• 50g shelled pistachio

*I used dried cranberries and raisins for my fruit and 100g of mixed nuts.*

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
In your favourite Christmas mixing bowl, sling in the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and (with a gratuitous *sniff* and arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Christmas moment) the wonderful Mixed Spice, all the while humming Walking in a WinterWonderland.

Mixed in the eggs and when it starts to come together a bit, get your hands in (great for kids!) and mould into a ball. Trust that it will come together, even if looks dry, it gets quite sticky. (start singing Silver Bells, with gusto)

Throw in your lovely, colourful fruit and nuts and distribute evenly through dough.

Half the dough and half those again to give you four even balls of dough. Roll out into sausages of approx 30 cm long. Place two rolls perbaking tray. Cook in oven, till spread out and firm to the touch, but still pale.
Take out and cool on wire rack, just long enough to handle. Turn down oven to 140 C. Then slice diagonally, making little biscotti about 1cm wide. At this point you can place the slices in freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to two months and when needed carry out next step. Place side down on tray and place back in the now cooler oven for a further 10-15 minutes to dry out. (Biscotti means twice baked...it is what Italian Mamas and Nonnas did with their stale bread)
When cooled, plop your lovely little biscotti into gift boxes or in my case kilner jars and tie with a Christmassy ribbon and bells! They will keep for a month in an airtight container (in a house where there are no nibblers....big and small!!)

Be proud! So cute, so clever!
Gorgeous with your Christmas morning cup of coffee! x (and finish with your best rendition of Santa Baby!)

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8022/fruity-christmas-biscotti

Christmas Cookery...

When i say "i love Christmas" i don't mean i love all the consummerism and commercialism - i think it is really the 'preparations' of Christmas i love. It isn't really about a build up to 'the big day' even... it is just about cooking and baking and sewing and 'being' in the Christmas colours. This Christmas Cranberry Chutney (of sorts) was made a few weeks ago, at the end of the warm Summery days, when the wasps were still menacing my apple store.... and i thought it only right and proper that i play my Christmas Music CD (see picture above, which is the cute CD sleeve) whilst merrily at work.

Of course, the puddings to hang from my ears were a little un-neccesary and, for some, a step too far?

SO: CRANBERRY and RED ONION RELISH

250g Red Onions

250g fresh or frozen Cranberries (red currants would be a suitable substitute)

125g light brown sugar

120ml red wine vinegar

120ml red wine

1tsp ground ginger

1tblsp mustard seeds

Port or Orange Liquer

recipe is from my all time favourite book below.... this makes about 1lb of relish so, if you have a larger family you could double this quantity. It isn't a 'cheap' recipe but that is why it's for a special occasion in my mind.

Thinly slice and chop the onions - into a size you are happy with for a chutney / relish. I like my pieces quite small. Use a smaller sweating pan for this = NOT your bigger chutney pot.

Sweat them through slowly in 2 tblspoons of olive oil - about 15mins with the occasional stir.

Add 2 large spoons of the brown sugar and stir to caramelize the onions, maybe takes 5 mins. Then keep off the heat till needed.

Step outside the back door and cry whilst the onions are stinging your eyes (my eyes are watering at the mere memory)

Then find the bigger chutney pan: add CRANBERRIES into the pan with - remaining brown sugar - Red wine - Red wine vinegar - mustard seeds - ginger.

Heat that lot of mulchy fruit SLOWly until all the sugar has dissolved. Then cover the pan and bring it up to the boil. Once at the boil, turn down and simmer for about 15mins. You want the berries to burst and become very tender... this is why you need the LID on the pan,,,, the hot cranberries have been known to fly out of the pan when bursting and these are HOT wee devils!

ADD ONIONS: you can now stir in the caramelised onions. Take the lid off and keep off whilst you cook for a further 12mins. Season with salt and pepper as it brings out the flavours of the fruit and spices.

JARS: i always sterilize mine fully. Wash them in hot soapy water and leave to drain. Pop them in a hot-ish oven (120-ish) for about 20mins till they are hot.

I also sterilize more than i need as you never really know what yield you might get, even if a recipe tells you "this makes 1lb" you never know...

When your relish is cooled off a bit - spoon it into the warm jars - careful not to touch the inside of the jars or the rims. This is why i use one of those JAM FUNNELS / jar filling thingys (see past posts) to avoid any mess or touching the jars at all. It is quick and clean.

Then, pour yourself and nice glass of the red you opened for this recipe... and DESPAIR as you realise one of those pesky wasps has had the cheek to take a dip in the wine bottle!!

Not content with my apples, they're after the rouge nectar.... luckily he came out as i poured.

OH for sniff-a-vision (as a friend said) this smells superb and it is 'oh so christmassy'. Glossy, shiny, fruity red. It looks so good and bright.

IDEAL RELISH FOR:

Stirring into the rich gravy for Christmas Dinner.

As an additional table sauce for your Christmas dinner - with Turkey, Duck, Goose or Beef.

As a chutney / relish for meaty meals after the day. Sandwiches and salads.

Also easy with cheese but it needs a good strong cheese to make a match for this tart and fruity relish.

Any good relish or chutney, vinegar or vodka, makes a lovely gift for someone. Just label the jar with the date made and 'use by' and what the relish is for. This was made 02/09/09 and it stores for 6 months before use, but this is coming out on Christmas day.

You can keep it in the fridge once opened, for up to 3 weeks.

To serve: ideally plonked on the table, as it is, in the attractive Kilner Jar with a Chutney Spoon inside... the relish keeps better if diners are encouraged NOT to to pop their own cutlery into the jar. Saliva and other foods can contaminate the relish so it goes off before it would naturally.

Any Christmas Cookery to share yet MrsB?? xxx