Christmas Kitchen - Vanilla Shortbread

There is something about freshly baked shortbread which feels distinctly in tune with Christmas.  I'm not sure whether it's the lovely smell which escapes from the kitchen and through the house, or maybe the thought of curling up in front of the fire with a couple of pieces and a hot drink.  This particular recipe has been a favorite in our house for a number of years and produces delicious results while still being simple to make.  We often make it as presents for the children's teachers at Christmas time, which makes a lovely gift, but the best bit is always eating it ourselves.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients

200g Chilled salted butter

325g Plain flour

125g Caster sugar (Golden preferably, but normal is just fine)

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 large Egg yolks

This makes around 24 pieces of shortbread

1.  Chop the butter into small pieces and place in a large bowl with the flour.  Rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  You can use a food processor for this stage, but it doesn't take long with your hands.

2.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix into a dough.  I normally start this off with a knife and then get my hands in the bowl to make a nice pliable dough.

3.  Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a sausage shape, about 9 or 10 inches long, then wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge to chill for an hour.  (You can freeze the dough at this stage for up to 6 weeks.  Thaw out at room temperature for about an hour before slicing).

4.  Preheat the oven to 180'C/160'C (fan)/Gas 4 and grease two large baking trays.  Remove the dough from the fridge and slice into 24 pieces, about 5mm thick, place them on the prepared trays and bake for 20 minutes, by which time the edges of the slices should be lightly golden.

5.  Cool on a rack, then dust lightly with icing sugar and enjoy.

If you don't finish the shortbread in a day, it should keep for about a week in an airtight container.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Drew

x











Christmas Kitchen - Christmas Cake

Good aftermoon, a bit delayed today as I've been to watch my sons play rugby.  Unfortunately they both lost but thankfully came home without major injuries.  I find it scarier the older they get to watch them as it just seems so dangerous.  Anyway back to business and todays Christmas Kitchen post! I know Christmas cake is a little bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it and I absolutley love it.  As a child I remember helping my mum mix in the fruit and making a wish and have made my own Christmas cake for the past fifteen years. Ohh I now feel old!! I did try a different recipe a couple of years ago but was disappointed with the result so stick to Mary Berry's Classic Rich Christmas Cake.  Yet I do vary the ingredients slightly as she has seperate weights for differents dried fruits, including apricots, which I don't like, so I just buy a good quality mixed dried fruit and still add the mixed peel and glace cherries. I guess you could also add a different spirit instead of brandy, I know Contrieau makes for a delicious tasting cake. The important thing with Christmas cake is to make it early so it has time to sit and that you can feed it more brandy in the run up to Christmas!  Also be prepared with the length of time the cake requires in the oven. 

Right aprons on and let's make a cake!


Ingredients

725g of good quality mixed dried fruit
100g  glace cherries
50g mixed candied peel
3 tablespoons brandy
225g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
225g softened margerine or softened butter
225g dark muscavado sugar
4 extra large eggs
50g whole blanched almonds
1 scant tbsp black treacle
grated rind of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 orange

These ingredients are to make an eight inch (20cm) cake.

1. This cake needs to be started the night before you want to bake it.  Place all the dried fruit, including glace cherries and peel in to a large bowl, mix in the brandy, cover and leave overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1.  Grease and line an 8" (20cm) deep round cake tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. 

3. Measure the flour, spice, margerine or butter, sugar, eggs, amonds, treacle and lemon and orange rinds in a large bowl. 

4. Beat together to mix thoroughly.

5. Fold in the soaked fruits a couple of spoonfuls at a time, making sure everybody in your home/family has a turn and makes a wish.

6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread out evenly using  the back of a spoon.  Cover the top of the cake loosely with a double layer of greaseproof paper.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 hours or until the cak feels firm to the touch and if you insert a skewer into the centre and it should come out clean when the cake is cooked.  I always write the time the cake went into the oven, the first check time at 4 1/2 hours and final time of 4 3/4hours and stick it on the fridge so I don't forget when to check the cake!

8. When the cake has cooled pierce a few tiny holes in to it and pour a little more brandy onto it. 

9. I now leave my cake in it's greaseproof paper that it baked in and wrap in a layer of foil and store in a box in a cool place.  The cake will be fine stored for up to three months.  Make sure you feed it at intervals with a little more brandy.

I will share a recipe for marzipan in the next cuple of weeks and icing and decorating ideas before Christmas.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Zoe
x


PS If you want to make a bigger cake send me an email or tweet me and I'll give you the ingredients weights as they vary depending on the size of your cake!

Christmas Kitchen - Mince Pies

Good Morning and welcome to my first Christmas Kitchen post.  Earlier this week I discovered a jar of mincemeat in the cupboard and as it was now November I thought it seemed only right to make a batch of mince pies. Obviously they didn't last long in my house but mince pies can be frozen once they are cooked and cooled, so are perfect for a make ahead Christmas staple. 

Over the years I have developed my own sweet pastry recipe, which I will share with you today.  However you can use ready to roll pastry available in the fridge and freezer sections at the supermarket, infact I think you can even buy sweet pastry these days!   So grab an apron and your rolling pin and lets's make mince pies.

Ingredients

250g Self Raising Flour (and extra for dusting your board & rolling pin)

125g Butter

2 tbsp Light Muscavado Sugar

2tbsp Cold Water

Jar of Mincemeat

Utensils

Mixing Bowl

Palette Knife

Tablespoon

Kitchen Scales

Bun Tin (like you would use for fairy cakes)

Round Pastry Cutter (or a small plastic cup would work)

Small Holly Leaf Cutter (or other christmas shapes or smaller round cutter)

Rolling Pin

Mat or Board to roll our your pastry

This recipe makes about 12 mince pies

1. Put your flour and butter into your mixing bowl and rub together to make fine breadcrumbs.  I'm     always telling my children you just need your fingertips not your whole hands to make a breadcrumb mixture!  Once you think you're done give the bowl a little shake and any large lumps will rise to the top so you can rub these in too.

2. Using your fingers stir the sugar in to the breadcumb mixture.  Muscavado sugar does tend to be a little lumpy so will need to be rubbed in to your breadcrumbs.  For a lighter pastry try using icing sugar instead.

3. Now add one tbsp of cold water and stir into the breadcrumb mixture using a palette knife.  I guess you could use a metal spoon but I have always used a metal pallette knife.  Add the second tablespoon of cold water and stir in to your mixture.  It may now be necessary to bring the mixture together with your hands.  If the mixture is a little too crumbly add a few drops of cold water, but only add tiny amounts as this can make a big difference in the texture of your pastry. 

4. Sprinkle some flour on your mat or board and your rolling pin.  Take half of your pastry and roll out to about 5mm (1/2cm) thickness.  Cut out as many circles as you can and put these in to your bun tray.  Pop the bits of pastry back into a ball and roll out again and cut out circles again. 

5. Once you have filled your bun tray with pie bases add roughly a teaspoon of mincemeat to each pie.  The trick is not to overload your pie bases!

6. Roll out some more pastry and cut your pie tops.  I prefer to have little christmas shapes, like bells, christmas trees or holly leaves and found my tiny cutters in a kitchen shop for about 50p each.  However you can make smaller circle tops for your mince pies if you prefer.  Pop your pie tops on top of the mincemeat filled pie bases.

7. Put the tray of mince pies into the oven for about 15-20 mins on 160 degrees C (that's for a fan oven), so 180 for a normal electric oven and gas mark 4.  The pastry should be a golden brown colour when cooked. 

(these were golden brown honest!)

8. Leave the mince pies to cool in their tray for a short while, about 10 minutes is fine, then remove from the tray and pop on a cooling tray.  Don't worry if one accidentaly breaks as you get it out of hte tim and you have to eat it! 

Once cooled the mince pies should be stored in an airtight container and will last for at least a week.  Alternatively you can freeze them in a box or bag for a month or two. 

These mince pies are delicious warm and served with brandy butter or cream. 


Other ideas for your mince pies

When you have made your breadcrumbs keep a small amount aside and use these as a crumble topping instead of a pie top.

Add a small ball of marzipan to your mince pies before putting their tops on.

Add extra cherries and/or nuts to your jar of mincemeat. 

Bake your mince pies open then add a circle of fondant icing as a top when the pies have cooled.

To make a bigger batch the general rules for pastry are half fat to flour, a tbsp of sugar for each 125g of flour and a tablespoon of cold water for each 125g of flour.

I hope you have fun making these, they really are delicious.  I'm off now to prepare the dried fruit and nuts for our Christmas Cake and leave them to soak in brandy over night ready to make the cake tomorrow.

Have a fab Saturday,
Zoe
x 

It's Beginning to Feel Alot Like Christmas

Well Halloween is finally over, for me it has seemed like it was going on forever as I wrote some articles back in September! The clocks have gone back, November has arrived and now I know it's getting closer to christmas.  I've been waiting for today as the first of November really is for me the start of the build up for the festive season.  At last I can bake the Christmas cake, relax with several homes magazines planning our decorations, bake mince pies and plan presents. 

image source

I really want to spend some time making gifts for my daughters this year, I know how much Kitty would love the reindeer in Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle.  There is a very cute fabric mouse to make in a Christmas magazine that all of my daughters would want. Sadly I don't think there is much I could make for the boys, although funky phone cases maybe appreciated!  I am planning on sitting down and having a good look through some of my craft books for ideas to make this year.  Are you planning on making presents this year? Aswell as saving money I think handmade gifts can be treasured for years to come.  I still remember the little grey felt mouse my grandmother made for me that lived in a matchbox.  This idea is now readily available from Cottontails Baby and Sisters Guild.

image source

Baking and cooking are a huge part of our life so there will lots of delicious smells from our kitchen over the coming weeks.  Drew and I will be sharing ideas for Christmas baking, parties and meals every Saturday in our new Christmas Kitchen posts here on the blog!  We've already had a request for vegetarian ideas and I am sure you will all share your ideas and requests here and on twitter.

For now I'm off to test a mince pie that I just had to make, well it is November and check how mcuh paint we have left. Yes we still have miles of glossing to do!

Take care
Zoe
x