Saturday 26 December 2009

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Christmas Cake


Ingredients

  • 2 (8 ounce) containers candied cherries
  • 1 (8 ounce) container candied mixed citrus peel
  • 2 cups raisins
  • 1 cup dried currants
  • 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
  • 2 (2.25 ounce) packages blanched slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 3/4 cup molasses
  • 3/4 cup apple juice

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine cherries, citrus peel, raisins, currants, dates, and almonds. Stir in brandy; let stand 2 hours, or overnight. Dredge soaked fruit with 1/2 cup flour.
  2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease an 8x8x3 inch fruit cake pan, line with parchment paper, and grease again. In a small bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream butter until light. Gradually blend in brown sugar and eggs. Mix together molasses and apple juice. Beat into butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, making 4 dry and 3 liquid additions. Fold in floured fruit. Turn batter into prepared pan.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, and lift off paper. Cool cake completely, then wrap loosely in waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/christmas-cake-2/Detail.aspx

Sugar Cookies with Ornamental Frosting


Ingredients

  • 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter (no substitutions), softened
  • 1/2 cup(s) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon(s) vanilla extract
  • 3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
  • Ornamental Frosting (optional)
  • Coarse sugar crystals, silver dragĂ©es, holiday decors (optional decorations)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat butter and sugar until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and creamy. On low speed, beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt until blended.
  2. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until dough is firm enough to roll. (Or place dough in freezer 30 minutes.)
  3. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of dough 1/8 inch thick. With floured 3-inch to 4-inch cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible; wrap and refrigerate trimmings. Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet.
  4. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.
  5. When cookies are cool, prepare Ornamental Frosting, if you like; use along with sugars and candies to decorate cookies. Set cookies aside to allow frosting to dry completely, about 1 hour. Store in tightly covered container (with waxed paper between layers if decorated) at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or in freezer up to 3 months.

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/sugar-cookies-4477

Raspberry tarts


Update traditional festive fruit-mince tarts by filling them with a tempting combination of fresh raspberries and jam.

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Cooking Time 30 minutes

Makes 22

Ingredients

  • 300g (2 cups) plain flour
  • 45g (1/4 cup) icing sugar mixture
  • 150g chilled butter, chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbs water
  • 90g (1/4 cup) raspberry jam
  • 1 x 120g punnet raspberries
  • 1 tbs white sugar

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the flour, icing sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and water and process until dough just comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
  2. Heat the jam in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until melted. Place the raspberries in a bowl and use a fork to coarsely mash. Add to the jam and stir to combine.
  3. Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a 6.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 22 discs from the pastry. Line twenty-two 30ml (1 1/2-tbs) capacity patty pans with pastry discs. Use a fork to prick the bases.
  4. Roll out remaining pastry until 3mm thick. Use a 5cm-diameter star-shaped cutter to cut 22 stars. Spoon jam mixture among pastry cases. Top with stars and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.

Notes & tips

  • Make this recipe up to 4 days ahead. Store in an airtight container.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/14702/raspberry+tarts