Miscellaneous Recipes

 
     
  MINCE PIES

200g cake flour
85g ground almonds
finely grated rind of 1 orange
30g caster sugar
salt
150g chilled, cubed butter
1 large egg beaten
55g fruit mince
115g brandy butter (recipe below)
2 tsp milk
1 large egg white

1. Sift flour, and add almonds, rind, sugar and salt to a bowl
2. Rub in butter till breadcrumb texture
3. Add the beaten egg, and mix dough into a ball with your hands
4. Knead dough till smooth
5. Cover in cling wrap, and chill for 30 minutes
6. Roll out as thinly as possible and cut out 20 x 6cm rounds
7. Gather the trimmings and roll again
8. Cut out 20 x 7.5cm rounds
9. Line 20 muffin tins with the larger rounds and spoon in mincemeat to fill pie
10. Put a tsp of brandy butter on top of the mincemeat
11. Brush the edges with milk and top with smaller rounds, pressing to seal
12. Bake for 25min at 200 C until golden brown
13. Leave to cool for 5 min then remove from tins and cool for further 10 min
14. Whisk the egg white till frothy and add icing sugar.
15. Spread the icing sugar over the pies and bake on a baking sheet for 5 - 10 min at 200 C

BRANDY BUTTER
60g unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
finely grated rind of 1/2 orange
3-4 tsp brandy
1. Beat butter, sugar and orange rind until light and fluffy
2. Gradually add the brandy, a little at a time, beating well after each addition
3. If you add the brandy too quickly the butter will curdle
4. When smooth and creamy, spoon into a dish, cover and chill till required
 
 
     
  STRAWBERRY-AVOCADO SALAD

6 cups trimmed and torn curly endives
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 avocado, sliced
DRESSING
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp poppy seed

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss endive, strawberries and avocado and set aside
2. Combine dressing ingredients and microwave on high for 1 minute until hot
3. Pour over endive mixture and toss to coat, serve immediately
 
 
     
  ENGLISH STYLE MULLED WINE

1 pinch nutmeg
15 sugar lumps
2 lemons, 1 for decorative purposes
400ml water
800ml red port

1. Wash and dry 1 lemon
2. Rub the lumps on the skin of one the lemons before squeezing to extract the juice
3. Place the sugar lumps in a saucepan, then add the lemon juice
4. Add the port, water and nutmeg
5. Continue to heat, and remove before it boils
6. Serve in glasses decorated with lemon peel twirls, made by peeling the rind of the second lemon with a potato peeler
 
 
     
  PINEAPPLE PUNCH

1 ½ litres white rum
4 slices fresh pineapple
2 oranges
2 lemons
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
¾ cup fresh orange juice

1. Peel the pineapple, oranges and lemons and dice the fruit
2. In a bowl mix the fruit, rum, ginger and orange juice
3. Macerate 24 hours in the fridge before serving
 
 
     
  BLUE CHEESE BOUCHÉE

SHELLS
¾ cup flour
25g butter
5 eggs
1 cup water
pinch salt
FILLING
250g Roquefort or blue cheese
25g butter
1 Tbsp thick cream

1. Boil the water with the butter and salt, then mix in the sifted flour
2. Stir until the dough does not stick to the saucepan or spatula anymore
3. Turn off the heat and work the dough for 1 minute
4. Add the first egg, mixing thoroughly and working the dough well
5. The success of this dish depends on the first mixture
6. Add the other eggs one at a time, mixing carefully each time.
7. If the eggs are large, add only part or none of the fifth egg.
8. The dough, very soft, must not collapse if arranged in small lumps, if it does, work it again for 1 minute to give it the right consistency
9. Use a pastry bag with a large tube to squeeze out the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet, making small round lumps or long sausages shapes
10. Bake at 180°C for a few minutes until golden, then turn off the heat and open the oven door, allowing 2 - 3 minutes to cool before taking out
11. When cool, slice the shells with a knife and fill with the filling which has been mixed together, making a cheese-butter-cream mixture
12. These appetisers can be eaten warm or cold
 
 
     
  PAPRIKA SALAD

1 lettuce, leaves rinsed and dried
500g mushrooms
juice of 2 lemons
500g tomatoes, quartered
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 can tuna in water, drained
250g peeled shrimp
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
salt, pepper

1. Cook the shrimp in very salty, boiling water for 3 minutes
2. Slice the mushrooms into a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice
3. Cut the lettuce with a scissors into thin strips
4. Stir the paprika into the mayonnaise
5. Place all the ingredients into a bowl, except the eggs and mayonnaise
6. Sprinkle with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss
7. Stir in half of the mayonnaise
8. Decorate with thin slices of egg and serve the rest of the mayonnaise in a sauce boat
 
 
     
  SWEET PEPPER SALAD

2 red peppers
2 green peppers
3 tomatoes
2 dsp olive oil
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
salt, pepper

1. Grill the peppers in the oven, turning from time to time
2. Fold them in foil for 5 - 10 minutes to make then easy to peel
3. Scald the tomatoes, then place in iced water to peel them
4. Cut the peppers and tomatoes into small cubes
5. Very lightly fry in an oiled pan for 20 minutes
6. Add the chopped parsley and sprinkle with salt and pepper
7. Serve in a salad bowl
 
 
     
  SPARKLING WINE PUNCH
WITH FRUIT ICE RING
60ml Brandy
60ml Curacao
1 x 750ml Sparkling Wine
Soda Water

FRUIT ICE RING
2 cups crushed ice
Fresh or Tinned Fruit
500ml Fruit Juice

1. Mix brandy, curacao and wine together in a punch bowl
2. Just before serving add the following:-
3. Ice and as much soda water as desired (the more you add, the weaker the punch)
4. For the fruit ring, place the ice in a 1.5L ring mould
5. Arrange the fruit over ice in a colourful display (Choose your fruit carefully)
6. Pour fruit juice over and freeze till solid (Preferably overnight)
7. Dip mould in warm water to loosen ring
8. Place carefully in punch bowl, fruit side up and serve immediately

 
 
     
  CHRISTMAS MINCE PIES

Ingredients
350 g cake or all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
125 g castor sugar
175 g butter, cut into cubes
6 egg yolks, beaten
250 ml good-quality fruit mincemeat
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 each orange and lemon, grated rind
splash of brandy or rum

Method:
Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Add the butter and work it in, using your fingertips.
Mix in the egg yolks briefly, just until the dough holds together.
Knead into a ball and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface.
Cut out rounds, using a 5 cm diameter cookie cutter, and stamp out small star shapes from the leftover pastry.
Press the pastry rounds into the hollows of tartlet tins.
Mix mincemeat, apple, rind and brandy or rum.
Drop 5 ml filling into each pastry case and top with a star shape.
Bake at 190 °C for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.
Cool on wire racks.
Tips
Serve warm, with a dollop of brandy butter or a dusting of icing sugar.
Make the pies in advance and freeze them.
When grating citrus peel or ginger, cover the side of the grater with cling film and grate over it. It's easier to lift off and you'll have a clean grater.
 
     
  FESTIVE EGG NOG

Ingredients
6 large eggs, separated
150 g sugar
250 ml rum
1 l cream milk
250 ml fresh cream
125 ml brandy

Method:
1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together well. Gradually beat in the rum and milk. 2. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Add cream and brandy gently. 3. Serve in glasses and sprinkle lightly with a mixture of ground cinnamon and chocolate drinking powder. 4. Serve mid-morning with Christmas fruit cake.