Michelle Darmody's guide to sweet treats for Christmas
It is amazing how quick Christmas creeps around every year, how suddenly the shops are filling with tinsel and baubles and the Halloween treats are replaced with lines of red and silver temptations.
It is a good time to make your mince, if you have not done so already.
This recipe allows you to stew the dried fruit slightly, so that they soften and adsorb the lovely rich flavours at a quicker pace than the more traditional “stirring” method.
I make mine and store it in jars until the week before Christmas.
I roll the pastry and cut numerous little circles that sit in a greased bun tray, filling each one with a spoon of the rich mince and then popping a pale star on the top in preparation for Christmas day.
Any leftover mince is put to good use in soft baked apples though out the January months.
They are one of my favourite, comforting, winter desserts.
Scoop out the core from the centre of a large cooking apple and fill it with mince, drizzle with a little honey and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.
If I have the patience, I make a pot of custard to go on the side, otherwise a generous dollop of cream does the trick.
The stout and chocolate buns are a very popular choice in The Cake Café at this time of year.
The dark cake looks great against the pale creamy icing and has an almost malty flavour.
To add festive cheer you can top with some edible glitter.
This “blood and sand” cocktail is a twist on a more traditional Manhattan.
The evening before Christmas once the fire is lit, the tree lights are turned on and the preparation have almost come to an end and it is time to treat yourself to a glass of something, this is a lovely drink to prepare.
It is one that will impress any guests and warm you on a cold winter’s night.
Combine all the ingredients except the muscovado sugar and suet in a large saucepan.
Place over a low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the fruit has plumped up and most of the liquid has evaporated but has not dried out. Set aside to cool, then stir in the sugar and the suet.
Meanwhile, sterilise several jam jars.
To do this preheat the oven to 120 degrees.
Wash both the jars and lids well in hot, soapy water, rinse and place upside down on a baking tray. Place in the hot oven for ten minutes or until dry.
Remove from the oven and use a clean cloth to handle the jars as they will stay hot for a while.
Divide the mincemeat between the hot jars, seal, label and set aside to cool. You can store the jars in a cool place for up to six months.
225g flour
1 pinch of salt
140g of cold butter, cut into small cubes
55g caster sugar
1 egg
Mix the flour and salt. Rub in butter, do not over mix.Stir the sugar into the eggs until it is almost dissolved.
Add the eggs to the flour with a fork and then bring it together with your hands.
Rest the pastry for at least an hour in the fridge or over night.
Grease and flour a bun tin. Cut the pastry into circles and stars. Place each circle into the tin and place a tea spoon of mince in the centre.
Place the star on top.
Bake in an oven heated to 160 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.
2 large Brambly apples, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
350g sultanas
150g currants
350kg raisins
200g mixed chopped peel
50g nuts finally chopped
200 ml dark rum
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges, plus the juice of 4
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
4 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
350g dark muscovado sugar
200g shredded vegetable suet
45 mls Scotch or whiskey
45 mls of cherry liquor
45 mls of sweet vermouth
45 mls of orange juice
2 maraschino cherries
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into two chilled cocktail glasses. Garnish with the cherries.
One separated egg
110g icing sugar
Three tbs brandy
Half-pint of cream
Beat egg yolk with half the sugar. Beat egg white with other half of the sugar. Beat the cream in a separate bowl.
Fold the yolk and cream into egg white.
175ml Guinness
175g of butter, melted
200g of caster sugar
37g of cocoa powder
70g of natural yogurt
1 egg
140g of plain flour
1 1/4 tsp of bread soda
Put 12 bun cases into your tin. Mix the stout, melted butter, cocoa and sugar until completely combined. Mix the yogurt and egg and combine the two mixtures. Gently mix in the flour and bread soda until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into the cases or use an ice-cream scoop.
Bake at 180C for 20 minutes until they are baked through. Set aside to cool.
