Have a sweet & tasty Christmas
As the nights draw in and the days shorten, thoughts turn to planning our festive celebrations.
There is something about this time of year that draws you into the warmth and glow of the kitchen. Baking is an inherent part of the festivities and the familiar scents of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg wafting round our homes are as much a part of Christmas as the giving of gifts and lighting of candles.
For most of us, Christmas is steeped in tradition and annual rituals. Yet for a festival that has its roots in medieval times, its common celebrations actually developed fairly recently. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularised many of the traditions we observe today.
Cards, crackers, decorated trees and the giving of elaborate gifts all emerged over the course of the 19th century thanks to the pair’s enthusiasm for Christmas, and much of the dinner we consider ‘traditional’ took shape during their reign. Wealthy Victorian families started to reject beef and goose in favour of fatted turkeys; while the Victorian love of all things sweet also saw the mince pie’s meat filling replaced by today’s fruity offering.
Christmas can transport you to another time. It is a season that is all about getting your loved ones together for a generous dose of merriment, eating and drinking. A chance to embrace the quintessential family Christmas captured by Charles Dickens in his much-loved story, A Christmas Carol.
The Great British Bake Off Christmas, by Lizzie Kamenetzky, with recipes from Bake Off judges and contestants. Photography by Laura Edwards (BBC Books, £20).
STAINED GLASS TREE BISCUITS
Makes 30-35
Ingredients
Method
Put the sweets into freezer bags, keeping each colour in a separate bag, and bash with a rolling pin until they break into little pebbles of sugar. Set aside.
Using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl, until pale and creamy. Sift in the flour, then add the orange extract and the milk. Use your hands to mix everything together into a ball of dough. Wrap in cling lm and chill for 1015 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with nonstick baking paper.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out half the dough to about 5mm thick. Using the biscuit cutters, cut out shapes and use the smaller decorative cutters to stamp out shapes from the middle of each biscuit. Carefully transfer the biscuits to the lined baking sheets, using a spatula. Repeat with the remaining dough, and reroll the trimmings to make more biscuits.
Put one good pinch of the crushed sweet pebbles into the middle of each biscuit hole. Place in the heated oven and bake for 1518 minutes, until the biscuits are just golden and the sweets have melted and filled the cutout areas. While still warm, use a skewer to make holes in the top of each biscuit so you can thread them with string or ribbon to hang on your tree.
Leave to cool on the baking sheets until the sweets have set hard, then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cool, thread with a string or fine ribbon and hang on your tree.
Serves 12-16
Ingredients
Method
Heat the oven to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼. Line three baking sheets with baking paper, then draw a 27cm circle on one sheet and a 22cm circle and an 18cm circle on the other sheets.
Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk, until they form stiff peaks. Still whisking, add the sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Spoon half the mixture over the largest circle, and divide the rest between the smaller two, putting slightly more on the middlesized circle. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture to the edges of your circles and make pretty swirls and peaks. Transfer to the heated oven and cook for 5 hours, then turn off the heat and leave in the oven to cool completely.
To assemble, stir the passion fruit juice and sugar into the double cream – the mixture will thicken with the acid from the juice. Stir in the Cointreau and curds to make a luscious thick cream. If it is not thick enough (some passion fruit are juicier than others), whisk a little; if too thick, add a splash more cream.
Place the largest meringue on a flat serving plate and spoon over onethird of the cream. Scatter with some pomegranate seeds and lime zest. Top with the secondlargest meringue and spoon over another third of cream and more seeds and zest. Top with the smallest meringue and finish with the rest of the cream, seeds and zest. Drizzle all over with the honey and serve.
Serves 10, with leftovers – you need to start this recipe at least the day before you want to eat it
Ingredients
Method
Heat the oven to 120C/250F/gas mark ½. Put the onion, carrots, bay leaves, herbs, peppercorns and allspice in the roasting tin. Pour the cider over, then put the rack on top.
Sit the soaked and drained ham on the rack and cover with a large tent of foil, sealing it well. Put on the hob over a high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the warm oven and bake for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Using a sharp knife, carefully peel the skin away from the ham, leaving behind as much fat as you can.
Mix the syrup and treacle with the ginger, mustard powder and orange juice and smear all over the ham. Sprinkle with the sugar, place in the heated oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until sticky and piping hot throughout.
THINKING AHEAD You can bake the ham and leave it in a cool place (such as a cellar, unheated porch or secure garage, if the weather is nice and cold) for up to 24 hours before you want to nish it in the hot oven. Leave the skin on and make sure it is wrapped well in foil.
There is something about this time of year that draws you into the warmth and glow of the kitchen. Baking is an inherent part of the festivities and the familiar scents of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg wafting round our homes are as much a part of Christmas as the giving of gifts and lighting of candles.
For most of us, Christmas is steeped in tradition and annual rituals. Yet for a festival that has its roots in medieval times, its common celebrations actually developed fairly recently. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularised many of the traditions we observe today.
Cards, crackers, decorated trees and the giving of elaborate gifts all emerged over the course of the 19th century thanks to the pair’s enthusiasm for Christmas, and much of the dinner we consider ‘traditional’ took shape during their reign. Wealthy Victorian families started to reject beef and goose in favour of fatted turkeys; while the Victorian love of all things sweet also saw the mince pie’s meat filling replaced by today’s fruity offering.
Christmas can transport you to another time. It is a season that is all about getting your loved ones together for a generous dose of merriment, eating and drinking. A chance to embrace the quintessential family Christmas captured by Charles Dickens in his much-loved story, A Christmas Carol.
The Great British Bake Off Christmas, by Lizzie Kamenetzky, with recipes from Bake Off judges and contestants. Photography by Laura Edwards (BBC Books, £20).
STAINED GLASS TREE BISCUITS
Makes 30-35 Ingredients
- 12 coloured boiled sweets
- 125g butter, softened
- 60g caster sugar
- 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 1 tbsp milk
- Christmas biscuit cutters, about 8cm
- smaller decorative biscuit cutters
Method
Put the sweets into freezer bags, keeping each colour in a separate bag, and bash with a rolling pin until they break into little pebbles of sugar. Set aside.
Using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl, until pale and creamy. Sift in the flour, then add the orange extract and the milk. Use your hands to mix everything together into a ball of dough. Wrap in cling lm and chill for 1015 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with nonstick baking paper.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out half the dough to about 5mm thick. Using the biscuit cutters, cut out shapes and use the smaller decorative cutters to stamp out shapes from the middle of each biscuit. Carefully transfer the biscuits to the lined baking sheets, using a spatula. Repeat with the remaining dough, and reroll the trimmings to make more biscuits.
Put one good pinch of the crushed sweet pebbles into the middle of each biscuit hole. Place in the heated oven and bake for 1518 minutes, until the biscuits are just golden and the sweets have melted and filled the cutout areas. While still warm, use a skewer to make holes in the top of each biscuit so you can thread them with string or ribbon to hang on your tree.
Leave to cool on the baking sheets until the sweets have set hard, then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cool, thread with a string or fine ribbon and hang on your tree.
PASSION FRUIT AND POMEGRANATE PAVLOVA LAYER CAKE
Serves 12-16
Ingredients
- 10 medium egg whites
- 525g caster sugar
- 4 passion fruit, scooped out and sieved, seeds discarded
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 750ml double cream
- 2 tbsp Cointreau
- 3 tbsp orange curd
- 3 tbsp lemon curd
- zest of 2 limes, thinly pared
- seeds of 2 pomegranates
- runny honey, for drizzling
Method
Heat the oven to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼. Line three baking sheets with baking paper, then draw a 27cm circle on one sheet and a 22cm circle and an 18cm circle on the other sheets.
Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk, until they form stiff peaks. Still whisking, add the sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Spoon half the mixture over the largest circle, and divide the rest between the smaller two, putting slightly more on the middlesized circle. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture to the edges of your circles and make pretty swirls and peaks. Transfer to the heated oven and cook for 5 hours, then turn off the heat and leave in the oven to cool completely.
To assemble, stir the passion fruit juice and sugar into the double cream – the mixture will thicken with the acid from the juice. Stir in the Cointreau and curds to make a luscious thick cream. If it is not thick enough (some passion fruit are juicier than others), whisk a little; if too thick, add a splash more cream.
Place the largest meringue on a flat serving plate and spoon over onethird of the cream. Scatter with some pomegranate seeds and lime zest. Top with the secondlargest meringue and spoon over another third of cream and more seeds and zest. Top with the smallest meringue and finish with the rest of the cream, seeds and zest. Drizzle all over with the honey and serve.
BAKED CHRISTMAS HAM
Serves 10, with leftovers – you need to start this recipe at least the day before you want to eat it
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- a handful of fresh parsley stalks
- a handful of fresh thyme sprigs
- 8 black peppercorns
- 6 allspice berries, lightly crushed
- 1.5 litres medium dry cider
- 910kg whole unsmoked ham on the bone, soaked for 8 hours in cold water, changing the water regularly
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- a good pinch of English mustard powder
- juice of ½ orange
- 23 tbsp demerara sugar
- A deep roasting tin (with a rack) big enough to hold the ham
Method
Heat the oven to 120C/250F/gas mark ½. Put the onion, carrots, bay leaves, herbs, peppercorns and allspice in the roasting tin. Pour the cider over, then put the rack on top.
Sit the soaked and drained ham on the rack and cover with a large tent of foil, sealing it well. Put on the hob over a high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the warm oven and bake for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Using a sharp knife, carefully peel the skin away from the ham, leaving behind as much fat as you can.
Mix the syrup and treacle with the ginger, mustard powder and orange juice and smear all over the ham. Sprinkle with the sugar, place in the heated oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until sticky and piping hot throughout.
THINKING AHEAD You can bake the ham and leave it in a cool place (such as a cellar, unheated porch or secure garage, if the weather is nice and cold) for up to 24 hours before you want to nish it in the hot oven. Leave the skin on and make sure it is wrapped well in foil.