Christmas All The Way.... X'mas Recipes

It's mid November and people have already started Christmas shopping and getting ready for Christmas. Christmas is time to merry and care for others as well as to enjoy life to the fullest. Not only Catholics and Christians but all others around the world celebrate Christmas and enjoy the snow in December with a delight. So we thought of presenting a series of Christmas Get Ready ideas for you. Today we will start from the most important stuff of Christmas; Christmas Dinner Table.

Christmas Cake Recipe

Ingredients

225g plain flour

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

200g butter

200g dark brown sugar

2 tbsp black treacle

1 tbsp marmalade

¼ tsp vanilla essence

4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

800g mixed dried fruits

100g chopped mixed peel

150g glacé cherries, halved

100g blanched almonds, chopped

brandy

200g marzipan

1-2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed

For royal icing

3 free-range egg whites

600g icing sugar, sieved

1½ tsp liquid glycerine - optional

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2. Grease a 20cm round or an 18cm square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment. Sieve the flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl.
Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the sugar, treacle, marmalade and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Mix the eggs a little at a time into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last amount. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed and then mix in the dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries and the almonds.
Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre. Bake in the oven for 3 hours and then test with a skewer. If not ready bake for up to another hour testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
Once cool, make a few holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tbsp of brandy. Let the brandy soak into the cake. Store the cake wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin or plastic container, holes side up.
To decorate the cake, place the cake on a foil board or cake plate. Dust your hands and the work surface with a little icing sugar and knead the marzipan until soft. Roll out half the marzipan to fit the top of the cake and roll out the rest in strips to fit around the sides of the cake.
Brush the cake all over with the warmed apricot jam and then place the marzipan on top and around the cake. Cover the cake with a clean tea towel and then leave in a cool place for at least one day.
To make the icing, lightly whisk the egg whites adding the sugar at intervals. Beat well until the icing reaches soft peaks. Add the glycerine if using and the lemon juice. Spread icing all over cake either flat iced using a clean ruler or by forming soft peaks. Decorate with Christmas ornaments.

Gingerbread Bears Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup corn syrup

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

In a medium saucepan, Stir together the margarine, brown sugar, and molasses over medium heat until dissolved. Pour into a large mixing bowl, and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir the egg and vanilla into the melted mixture until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the wet mixture. Cover and chill dough for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F ( 165 degrees C ).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into bear shapes with a cookie cutter, and place onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, cookies should be firm.

Chocolate Yule Log Recipe

Ingredients

5 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup cake flour

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For cream filling-

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

For butter cream frosting-

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup baking cocoa

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon brewed coffee

2 tablespoons milk

Method

Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with parchment paper; grease the paper. Place egg whites in a small mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks on high until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg yolk mixture until blended.
Beat egg whites on medium until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Stir a fourth into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back. Cool for 5 minutes; invert onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off parchment paper. Roll up in the towel, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack. In a mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and coffee granules. Beat until stiff peaks form; chill. Unroll cooled cake; spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Place on serving platter; chill.
In a mixing bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cake. Using a fork, make lines resembling tree bark.

Herb-Glazed Roasted Turkey Recipe

Ingredients

1 (16 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 cup honey

1/2 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons dried sage leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Rinse the turkey, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Brush the turkey with olive oil, inside and out.
Mix 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and the thyme in a small bowl, and sprinkle the turkey with the mixture.
Place the turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan, and roast in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
In a bowl, stir together the honey, melted butter, sage, parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Brush the turkey with the honey glaze, and return to the oven.
Roast the turkey until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 2 more hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Continue to brush the turkey with the honey glaze frequently as it roasts. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Roast Pork with Maple and Mustard Glaze Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

1 cup real maple syrup

4 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard

2 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Stir together the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Place pork roast in a shallow roasting pan. Spread glaze evenly over pork roast.
Roast pork in the preheated oven uncovered, until internal temperature measured with a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 1 hour. Remove from oven, and let rest about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Homemade Wine Recipe

Ingredients

.25 oz package active dry yeast

4 cups sugar

12 fluid oz can frozen juice concentrate - any flavor except citrus, thawed

3 1/2 quarts cold water, or as needed

Method

Combine the yeast, sugar and juice concentrate in a gallon jug. Fill the jug the rest of the way with cold water. Rinse out a large balloon, and fit it over the opening of the jug. Secure the balloon with a rubber band.
Place jug in a cool dark place. Within a day you will notice the balloon starting to expand. As the sugar turns to alcohol the gasses released will fill up the balloon. When the balloon is deflated back to size the wine is ready to drink. It takes about 6 weeks total.

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