The Cook Book » Festive Cooking

Easy Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe

Clair — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:43:16 +0000

This is a great traditional Christmas pudding recipe, and is quite quick and easy to make (although steaming the Christmas pudding will take some time), with no fiddly steps involved.

It has been adapted from Stephanie Alexander’s grandmother’s (Emily Bell) recipe, and is absolutely delicious. I find that the fruit content is just right, and the grated apple and almonds balance the richness in the finished Christmas pudding.

Makes enough mixture to fill a 2 litre pudding basin (I use 1 x 1 litre, 1 x 500ml and 2 x 250ml pudding basins, as I give some for gifts), which should serve around 8-12 people.

Easy Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe Ingredients

135g plain flour
135g brown sugar
135g fresh breadcrumbs
270g raisins
270g currants
135g sultanas
100g candied peel (also marketed as mixed peel)
250g butter, grated
Grated zest 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Large pinch salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup brandy
450ml milk
1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
1/3 cup slivered almonds (or roughly chopped macadamias)

Easy Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe Method

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and brown sugar together. Add breadcrumbs, raisins, currants, sultanas and candied peel. Stir thoroughly to coat fruit in flour mixture (this will help stop it sinking to the bottom of the pudding).

Add all remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly to distribute evenly. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and stand overnight in the fridge to allow the fruit to absorb the liquid and plump up.

Taste the pudding mixture and adjust the flavourings if necessary; if you prefer a ‘spicier’ pudding, add more cinnamon/nutmeg etc.

Trace the top rim of each pudding basin onto baking/greaseproof paper, and cut out the circles (slightly smaller than your tracing). Grease the pudding basins well with butter, then pack the Christmas pudding mixture into the pudding basins and fill almost to the top. Top the puddings with the circles of baking/greaseproof paper, ensuring the paper fits quite snuggly on top of the pudding mixture.

Cover the tops of the pudding basins with foil, then trim the excess foil using scissors (don’t use your best kitchen scissors for this, as cutting foil will blunt the scissor edge). Tie the foil securely around the rim of the pudding basins with kitchen twine/string/wool.

Place the pudding basins in a large saucepan/stockpot (with a lid) and fill with enough water to come 2/3 of the way up the sides of the pudding basins. Place on the heat and bring to the boil with the lid on. Allow to simmer for 4-6 hours, topping up the water level every hour or so. You might like to place an old small tea towel or something similar under the pudding basins while they are cooking in the saucepan/stockpot, as they can make a rattling sound.

Once cooked, remove from the saucepan/stockpot and allow to cool. Refrigerate until Christmas. These puddings keep very well, I usually make the 4-8 weeks in advance, but I have even had one after about 8 months in the fridge and it was fine!

One Christmas day (or whenever you serve it), boil again, following the steps above, for about 1 hour or so until hot. Turn out onto a serving plate and flame with brandy. To ensure that the brandy flames, warm it gently first, pour quickly onto the pudding, then light.

Serve with brandy butter, icecream or (my personal favourite) white sauce spiked with brandy.

Easy Pecan Pie Recipe – A Perfect Way to Finish Thanksgiving Dinner

Clair — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:09:13 +0000

Thanksgiving is not traditionally celebrated in Australia, however we certainly enjoy this simple desert. A crisp pie base with a delicious sweet and nutty pecan filling… just makes you want to celebrate! This recipe doesn’t contain any corn or glucose syrups, as I find these make the finished pie too sweet and overpowering.

Pecan Pie Pastry Recipe Ingredients

240g plain flour
Pinch salt
180g butter, grated
3 tbsp water

Pecan Pie Filling Recipe Ingredients

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
2 tbsp cornflour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
60g butter, melted
2 tbsp cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup pecans, extra
2 tbsp apricot or raspberry jam, warmed and sieved

Pecan Pie Recipe Method

Sift the flour and salt together onto a clean bench. Add the grated butter and lightly rub the flour and butter together between your finger tips and thumb tips (you don’t want it to be completely combined at this stage, it should be quite messy).

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add water. Using a butter knife cut the water into the flour so that it is partially combined. If it looks too crumbly, add another tablespoon of water and cut the water into the mixture again.

Quickly knead the mixture a couple of times to bring all ingredients together (just a few times – don’t over work the pastry). Wrap pastry in cling wrap and then refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. You could also put the pastry in the freezer if you want to make it in advance; it will last a couple of weeks (just make sure it is well wrapped in cling wrap).

Preheat oven to 200°C. Thoroughly grease a 28cm diametre pie dish with butter.

Pull your pastry out of the fridge and roll out onto a well floured surface (to stop it sticking) to 1/2 cm thick. Roll the pastry around your rolling pin, then gently unroll over the greased pie dish. Smooth down the pastry in the dish, removing any air bubbles trapped under the surface.

Place a piece of non stick baking paper over the top of the pastry and fill with pie weights, rice or beans (you can keep approx 1kg rice or beans for this purpose in your cupboard and reuse every time a recipe calls for ‘blind baking’ pastry; just make sure you label the rice/beans clearly as you can’t cook them after they have been blind baked).

Blind bake pastry in oven for approx 10-15 minutes until top edge of pastry starts to colour. Once top edge of pastry has started to colour, remove rice/beans and baking paper and bake pastry for a further 5-10 minutes until golden all over. Turn down the oven to 160°C.

Combine chopped nuts and cornflour in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, butter, cream, extract and eggs; stir until combined. Pour the mixture into pastry shell, sprinkle with extra nuts.

Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. Allow the pie to cool, then brush the top with the warmed jam.

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 2nd Monday of October in Canada and the 4th Thursday of November in the USA.

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Spooky Halloween Cookies (Biscuits) Recipe

Clair — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:49:36 +0000

With halloween just around the corner, what better excuse than to involve the kids in making some fun halloween cookies using this great recipe. The cookie base recipe is not too sweet, but quite shortbread-y, making it a perfect match for the icing.

Get pumpkin, witch and ghost cookie cutters from your local craft shop or home wares store, and away you go! You will only ever be limited by your imagination (and the kids will have fun too).

Spooky Halloween Cookies (Biscuits) Ingredients

240g plain flour
Pinch salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
180g butter, grated or cut into small cubes
3 tbsp water
2 cups icing sugar
Lemon juice
1 tspn butter
Food colouring
Hundreds and thousands/sprinkles or cachous for decoration

Spooky Halloween Cookies (Biscuits) Method

To make the cookies, sift the flour, sugar and salt together onto a clean bench. Add the grated butter and lightly rub the flour and butter together between your finger tips and thumb tips (you don’t want it to be completely combined at this stage, it should be quite messy).

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the water. Using a butter knife ‘cut’ the water into the flour so that it is partially combined. If it looks too crumbly, add another tablespoon of water and cut the water into the mixture again.
Quickly knead the mixture a couple of times to bring all ingredients together (just a few times – don’t over work the pastry). Wrap pastry in cling wrap and then refrigerate for 30 mins to an hour. You could also put the pastry in the freezer if you want to make it in advance; it will last a couple of weeks (just make sure it is well wrapped in cling wrap).

Roll the pastry out onto a well floured board to 1/2cm thick, then cut out spooky halloween shapes (you can buy Halloween shape cutters from any good home wares or cooking supply shop, sometimes even supermarkets stock them).

Place the shapes on a greased baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 220° for approximately 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly on the tray, then transfer to a wire tray to cool completely before icing.

To Decorate Spooky Pumpkin Halloween Cookies

Halve the plain icing and tint one bowl with orange (a few drops of red, and a few drops of yellow) food colouring and the other with green (a few drops of blue, and a few drops of yellow) food colouring. If you want to be really fancy, purchase flat strips of black licorice and cut into shapes to make spooky eyes and a mouth.

Spread the orange food colouring over the surface of the biscuit with a little green for the stalk of the pumpkin. Cut out a spooky looking mouth and diamond eyes and place on top of the icing. Allow icing to set.

To Decorate Spooky Witch Halloween Cookies

Halve the icing and tint one bowl with purple (a few drops of red, and a few drops of blue) food colouring and the other with green (a few drops of blue, and a few drops of yellow) food colouring.

Spread the purple icing over the witches dress and hat, and the green icing over the witches face. Cut out strips of licorice for eyes, mouth and hair and place on the cookie. Allow icing to set.

To Decorate Ghost Halloween Cookies

Reserve a very small amount of icing and tint with blue food colouring. Spread the cookies with white icing and allow to set. Place the blue tinted icing in a small sandwich/plastic bag and snip off one corner of the bag to form a very small nozzle. Pipe blue eyes on the ghosts (over the white icing) and allow to set.

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Quick & Easy Lebanese Style Garlic Dip Recipe

Clair — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:51:36 +0000

This is a great easy dip recipe, that goes really well with hot or cold veggies (raw carrot, steamed broccoli/cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, raw celery sticks, baby radishes etc), and can be made in minutes.

Quick & Easy Lebanese Style Garlic Dip Recipe Ingredients

1 small tub plain natural/greek style yoghurt
1/2 clove garlic, very finely chopped or pressed through a garlic press
1 tsp finely chopped mint
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Juice 1/4 small lemon
Olive oil and paprika to garnish

Quick & Easy Lebanese Style Garlic Dip Recipe Method

Mix yoghurt, garlic, mint, parsley, paprika, cumin and lemon juice together until smooth. Pour into a small serving dish or ramekin, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika, and serve with chopped hot or cold vegetables.

Mediterranean Style Whole Baked Snapper Recipe

Clair — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:59:49 +0000

This is quite quick to whip up and makes a very impressive (yet very easy) table centre piece for a dinner party. I made this for lunch on Fathers Day recently, and everyone said it was delicious!

Mediterranean Style Whole Baked Snapper Recipe Ingredients

1 x 2kg whole fresh snapper, gutted, cleaned and scaled (your fishmonger should be able to do this for you)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed through a garlic press
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 large bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pepper to taste
400g tin chopped tomatoes, sieved to remove juice (freeze the juice to use in another recipe)
Spice roasted carrot and chick pea salad, to serve
Roast potatoes, to serve

Mediterranean Style Whole Baked Snapper Recipe Method

Line a baking tray, large enough to fit the snapper, with foil and spray lightly with olive oil spray. Dry the fish, inside and out with paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Slash three slits across the thickest paste of the fish flesh on both sides using a sharp knife.

In a food processor quickly blend the butter, oil, garlic, paprika, parsley, salt, lemon juice, pepper and sieved tomatoes until a rough paste is formed (it will be a bit sloppy). Rub the paste all over the fish (inside and out), and push into the slits.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the fish in the oven and roast for 15-25 minutes. Check the thickest part of the fish flesh with a fork. It should flake gently and be just cooked (almost white). If it isn’t, return to the oven for a further few minutes. Remove from the oven when cooked, cover with a piece of foil and rest for 5 minutes. Place fish on a large serving dish, and serve straight on the table with the salad and roast potatoes (just watch out for bones!).

Quick & Easy Orange Cupcake Recipe

Clair — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:43:34 +0000

This has got to be the quickest, easiest cupcake recipe ever! Use a food processor or large blender and you can literally have these cupcakes in the oven in 5 minutes, perfect if you want to play the domestic god/goddess, without the hassle.

I have made these cupcakes for birthdays, baby showers and Easter celebrations (with different cupcake decorations), and they always go down a treat. See below for cupcake decorating ideas. The below recipe will make approximately 12-15 standard size cupcakes, however the recipe doubles/triples quite well.

Quick & Easy Orange Cupcake Recipe Ingredients

1 large orange, zested and juiced
125g butter, softened
120g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
2 large eggs

Quick & Easy Orange Cupcake Recipe Method

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases/liners (you can order some lovely cupcake cases for many different types of occasions from cake decorating suppliers).

Place butter, eggs, sugar, flour, orange juice and zest into a food processor. Process together for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Spoon mixture into cupcake cases/liners, they should be two thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until golden, rotating the tin once during cooking. When tested with a skewer, the skewer should come out clean.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Quick & Easy Orange Icing Recipe Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp butter
1 small orange, zested and juiced

Quick & Easy Orange Icing Recipe Method

Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add the butter and the orange zest, and ‘smoosh’ the butter and zest into the icing sugar with the back of a spoon (doesn’t need to be perfect). Add the orange juice, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition, until the icing is a spreadable consistency (you may not need all of the orange juice). Spread icing onto cooled cupcakes and allow a few minutes to dry.

Cupcake Decoration Ideas

Easter Cupcakes

Ice the cupcakes as per instructions above and then place a small fluffy chicken (available from most craft suppliers and newsagencies) on top. Alternatively decorate the cupcakes with small pastel coloured chocolate easter eggs.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

Make the icing as per above, leaving out the orange zest. Tint the icing with a few drops of food colouring; baby blue, soft pink, mint green and baby yellow all look lovely. Top each cupcake with a small edible silver ball (called dragees in America and cachous in Australia) and place on an attractive platter.

Wedding Party Cupcakes

Make the icing as per above, leaving out the orange zest. Tint the icing with a few drops of food colouring in the theme colours of the wedding (very pale pink/yellow looks great). Arrange the cupcakes on a two or three tiered cake board (you can hire or purchase these from cake decorating suppliers), then decorate with a few fresh flower buds in between each cupcake and a larger posy in the centre of the top tier.

Simple and Authentic French Beef (Boeuf) Bourguignon Recipe

Clair — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:26:08 +0000

Celebrate Bastille Day (14 July), the French national holiday, with this authentic French dish. Enjoy with a lovely French red, some good crusty bread, a light salad and good friends for a wonderful dinner.

Beef Bourguignon Recipe Ingredients

1kg chuck steak, cut into 3-4cm dice
Olive oil
1 large brown onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 small leek, rinsed to remove grit, diced
4 eschallots, papery skin removed and diced
2 sticks celery (tender inside stalks), diced
Small handful fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
200g speck, chopped into lardons
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 bottles good quality red wine (I use Australian Shiraz or Shiraz/Merlot blend)
100g small button mushrooms, cut in half
2 carrots (additional), peeled and cut into large dice
Large handful fresh parsley, chopped

Beef Bourguignon Recipe Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C. Heat a good few glugs of olive oil in an oven proof large saucepan, crock pot or casserole and quickly saute the meat until well browned, but not cooked through. You may need to do this in a few batches to ensure the meat browns evenly and doesn’t stew. Remove the meat from the pan and place on a plate.

Drain off some of the fat from the saucepan/crock pot/casserole and bring back to heat. Add the onions, carrots, leek, eschallots and celery and saute for a few minutes until golden brown. Whilst the vegetables are browning, pour the wine into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the vegetables have browned, add the meat and any juices that have been collected on the plate, thyme, bay leaves, speck and pour over the hot wine. Season with salt and pepper, then stir quickly and place in the preheated oven and cook for 40 minutes to an hour until the meat is tender.

When the meat is nearly done, steam the remaining diced carrot until tender, then puree in a blender or with a hand blender. Pull the casserole out of the oven and add the pureed carrots to thicken the sauce slightly. Add button mushrooms and then return to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, add parsley and serve with a generous spoonful of rich potato mash.

Simple, Easy Chocolate Rocky Road Recipe (Perfect for Mother’s Day)

Clair — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:18:57 +0000

With Mother’s Day fast approaching (the second Sunday of May in most countries), now is the time to make a personalised gift. Chocolate Rocky Road is delicious, simple and cheap to make and looks stunning; the perfect recipe for all the Dads out there to give their kids a hand to make this delicious treat for mum on Mother’s Day.

I have written recipes for both a white chocolate and milk/dark chocolate version. I particularly like the white chocolate rocky road, the green of the pistachios looks great against the pink marshmallows and red cranberries. You could make one, or both versions and wrap them in clear cellophane, then tie with a ribbon; it will make the perfect gift and mum will appreciate the extra effort you have gone to.

White Chocolate Rocky Road Recipe Ingredients

400g white chocolate (I use Lindt), roughly chopped
1/2 cup shelled pistachios (unsalted), roughly chopped
1 cup pink marshmallows (I use Pascall raspberry flavour), chopped into quarters
1/2 cup dried cranberries (commonly sold under the brand ‘craisins’), roughly chopped

White Chocolate Rocky Road Recipe Method

Line a 10cm x 20cm x 4cm (or similar size tin) lamington tin with foil. Lightly spray the foil with vegetable oil spray. Place the pistachios on a microwave proof plate and cook on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between bursts until the pistachios are lightly toasted.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave proof bowl on low/medium heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between bursts until the chocolate is melted (don’t be tempted to melt the chocolate on high, as the chocolate may burn and seize, becoming unworkable). Add the remaining ingredients to the chocolate and stir to distribute evenly through the chocolate.

Pour into the prepared tin and tap the tin on the bench a few times to release any trapped air bubbles and smooth the top. Place in the fridge for a few hours to firm up. Once firm, remove from the fridge and release the foil from the tin. Cut the edges off the Rocky Road, then cut into squares using a warm knife (you can dip the knife in hot water and dry it before cutting, this will make cutting easier).

Milk/Dark Chocolate Rocky Road Recipe Ingredients

400g milk or dark chocolate (I use Lindt), roughly chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup white marshmallows (I use Pascall Vanilla flavour), chopped into quarters
100g rose water Turkish delight, roughly chopped

Milk/Dark Chocolate Rocky Road Recipe Method

Line a 10cm x 20cm x 4cm (or similar size tin) lamington tin with foil. Lightly spray the foil with vegetable oil spray. Place the almonds on a microwave proof plate and cook on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between bursts until the almonds are lightly toasted.

Easter Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Clair — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:14:23 +0000

Hot cross buns are a favourite in our house at Easter. They are traditionally served on Good Friday, although these days, they are eaten for weeks either side of the Easter holidays.

This simple recipe is perfect to do with the kids to celebrate Easter, and are delicious served warm out of the oven or toasted with butter. The traditional decoration is to put a cross on the top of the buns, but for something fun, get the kids to decorate the hot cross buns with their initial.

Easter Hot Cross Buns Recipe Ingredients

1/3 cup caster sugar
2 sachets (7g per sachet) dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm milk
600g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp mixed spice
60g butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup currants
2/3 cup sultanas

Easter Hot Cross Bun Cross Mixture Ingredients

1/2 cup plain flour
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp caster sugar

Easter Hot Cross Bun Glaze Mixture Ingredients

1 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp powdered gelatine

Easter Hot Cross Buns Recipe Method

Combine sugar, warm milk and yeast in a bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until frothy. If it is particularly cool/cold in your kitchen, turn your oven on at 50ºC for two minutes then turn it off again and leave for a few minutes before you place the bowl in the oven; the residual heat in the oven will be enough to kick start the yeast.

Note that yeast will start to react at temperatures of approximately 35ºC, so ensure that your milk is warm enough to begin with. A quick test to check the milk temperature is right is to dip your finger in the water, it shouldn’t feel hot or cold and should be about the same temperature as your body. Also note that yeast will die (and your mixture will become un-useable) in temperatures above 45-50ºC, so definitely don’t use boiling milk.

Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour mixture using your thumbs and fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour with the egg, currants and sultanas and mix to combine well. The mixture should come together and will feel soft and dough like. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and rest in a warm place for 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size (again, follow the instructions above if your kitchen is not warm enough).

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead well for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide into 12 even balls and place on a greased lamington tray (20cm x 10cm x 3cm) lined with baking paper so that the balls are touching each other slightly. Cover with a clean tea towel and rest in a warm place for a further 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Mix the flour, sugar and water together to form a paste for the crosses (or initials). Spoon the paste into a small plastic bag (I use a zip lock bag but you could use any sandwich bag) and snip off a corner of the bag to make a small nozzle to pipe the crosses. Pipe crosses or initials on top of the buns and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Whilst baking, place the boiling water into a small bowl and briskly stir in the caster sugar and gelatine taking care to dissolve any lumps. Once cooked, remove the buns from the oven and brush the hot buns with the glaze. Allow to cool slightly, then serve warm or toasted with butter.

Easy Molten Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Clair — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:19:34 +0000

The way to a man’s (or woman’s) heart is most definitely through their stomach, particularly if they love chocolate! I have decided to post this recipe for all of you cooking for the one you love on Valentines Day, giving you a chance to show off your cooking. You can even use heart shaped cupcake tins if you have them.

This recipe is spongey on the outside, wonderful and gooey on the inside, and can be prepared well in advance (all you need to do it cook it on the night), making it the perfect Valentines Day desert.

Easy Molten Chocolate Pudding Recipe Ingredients

200g dark chocolate, chopped (I use Lindt 70% dark chocolate)
100g unsalted butter
1 tbsp self raising flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten with a fork

Easy Molten Chocolate Pudding Recipe Method

Melt the chocolate and butter together, either on a low heat in the microwave or in a glass/metal bowl over the top of gently simmering water (be careful not to burn it as you will have to start all over again).

Sift flour, cocoa and sugar together in a bowl, then whisk in eggs and melted chocolate mixture. Pour mixture into 6 well greased cupcake pans, cover with foil and put in the freezer. Pull the pan out after 3 hours or when you are ready to use them (they will easily last a couple of weeks in the freezer).

Preheat the oven to 220ºC, then place the still frozen cupcake pans in the oven for 7 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook for a further 7 minutes. Pull out of the oven and allow to stand for 2 minutes, then remove from the pans and serve warm with ice cream or thickened cream and chopped strawberries.