Celebrating Christmas

This time of year always seems to come around faster than we expect. Most of us are taken aback when, in late October, shops start putting up decorations and displaying their Christmas goodies. While this is a reminder to get shopping and lay in those stocks of ‘Christmassy’ ingredients, it’s also a wake-up call for you to become organised way ahead of time so as to avoid a last-minute frenzy.

On the Menu

Roasted red pepper roulade

Honey- and port-glazed gammon

Swiss Gruyère, thyme and caramelised onion tartlets

My gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake

Chocolate mince pies

Christmas gugelhopf with chocolate, orange and cranberries

Melting moments

Christmas biscuits and cupcakes

Christmas buffet selection

Salmon and cucumber mousse

Visually appealing cheese platter and/or blue cheese crème brûlée, served with slices of warm baguette

Roasted red pepper roulade

Honey- and port-glazed gammon

Couscous with feta, peppers and fresh herbs and/or crunchy broccoli salad with a balsamic glaze

Chocolate mince pies

My gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake

Christmas lunch

Rösti with salmon and sour cream

Chicken and mushroom phyllo pie and/or honey- and port-glazed gammon

Cheesy potato gratin, served with and roasted vegetables or salad selection

Chocolate and cherry cream meringue gâteau and/or Coffee cream gâteau

Christmas dinner

Salmon and cucumber mousse, served with a selection of crackers/crostini

Fillet of beef (or roasted Karoo lamb) with a mushroom and port reduction, served with cheesy potato gratin and roasted vegetables and/or honey- and port-glazed gammon

Frozen meringue roulade and/or duo of Swiss chocolate mousse

Optional: visually appealing cheese platter, followed by chocolate mince pies/melting moments

Christmas drinks party

Warm phyllo parcels with Brie and cranberry or fig preserve and/or bruschetta with a variety of toppings

Individual Mediterranean roasted vegetable quiches

Cheese mousse with preserved figs, served with warm sliced baguette

Optional: if a hot course is desired, individual pots of chicken and mushroom phyllo pie

Mum’s never-go-wrong chocolate profiteroles

Chocolate mince pies and/or my gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake or macaroons

Christmas high tea during the holidays

Rolled-up asparagus sandwiches tied with chives

Individual mushroom, bacon and herb quiches

Christmas gugelhopf with chocolate, orange and cranberries

My gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake and/or chocolate mince pies

Casual Christmas lunch

Smoked salmon cornets with piped avocado cream

Karoo lamb tagine, served with couscous with feta, peppers and fresh herbs, and crunchy broccoli salad with a balsamic glaze

Refreshing pineapple mousse

My gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake and/or chocolate mince pies

Getting your ducks in a row

For me, part of being well prepared is getting the Christmas cake out of the way, and making up and freezing trays of chocolate mince pies. So when family and friends drop by, all I need to do is pop a tray of mince pies into the oven, which allows me to relax and enjoy their company. They, in turn, are delighted by the ‘miraculous’ appearance of piping-hot, home-made mince pies. The ‘Becoming Organised’ section overleaf will help you to be equally prepared for all the other culinary challenges of Christmas.

Becoming organised

Refer to ‘General Guidelines for Any Type of Party’, on page 5.

Plan of action and countdown

If you plan to make a fruit cake (see My gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake on page 171), it can be made well in advance as it needs time to mature in flavour (don’t forget to treat it with a teaspoon or so of brandy once a week). After the cake has had a good 2–4 weeks of brandy treatment, ice it. (If time does not allow, you can ice the fruit cake sooner than this.)

Up to 1 month before, make and freeze the following savoury items
  Swiss Gruyère, thyme and caramelised onion tartlets (page 170)
  Roasted red pepper roulade (page 167), unfilled. (See tips for rolling it up while still warm after baking, then wrap and freeze the roulade without its filling.)
Up to 1 month before, make and freeze the following sweet items
  Chocolate mince pies (page 172)
  Christmas gugelhopf with chocolate, orange and cranberries (page 174) (un-iced)
  Christmas biscuits and cupcakes (page 176)
3–5 days before the Christmas celebration
  Purchase drinks for the party (and organise ice, if required, and where to store it).
  Make the Melting moments (page 175) and store in an airtight container.
2 days before the Christmas celebration
  Check that you have all the ingredients to ice and decorate the cakes and sweet items from your menu.
  Check that you have all the ingredients for the savoury items on the menu, including herbs or salad for garnishing.
The day before the Christmas celebration
  Set the table for the celebration and put out various glasses, cups and saucers for tea and coffee, tea or coffee pots, milk jugs, cutlery, serviettes, etc. Fill and cover the sugar pots and put out the teas and coffee that you will be offering.
  Arrange any flowers that you might be using.
  Roast the gammon for the Honey- and port-glazed gammon (page 168) (to be glazed under the grill just before serving).
On the day of the Christmas celebration
  Defrost any remaining sweet and savoury items for the celebration (this should be done at least 3 hours before the occasion).
  Prepare the gammon for roasting if you have not already cooked this and you intend to serve it hot.
  Defrost the Roasted red pepper roulade 3 hours before serving; once it is completely defrosted, fill it with the avocado and cream cheese filling.
  Decorate or ice the Christmas gugelhopf.
  Fill the milk jugs and put out drinks an hour or two before the celebration begins.
Half an hour to an hour before the Christmas celebration
  Smaller savouries, such as the Swiss Gruyère tartlets and any small savoury items that you purchase such as sausage rolls, etc., may be heated just before serving.
  Put out the cakes and sweet items, and decorate or dust with icing sugar.
  Glaze the gammon and place under the grill shortly before serving (this can be done in advance if serving at room temperature).
  Bake the mince pies 30 minutes before serving them (if you intend serving them hot).

Roasted red pepper (pimento) roulade

This roulade always looks impressive, reflecting the red and green colours we typically associate with Christmas. Best of all, it can be made and frozen in advance, then defrosted and filled with its lovely avocado and crème fraîche filling.

Roulade

Filling

  1. To prepare the roulade, preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a Swiss roll tin (± 30cm × 23cm) with baking paper.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Pour in the milk and stir until the mixture thickens. Add the salt and paprika.
  3. Remove from the heat and add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking after each addition.
  4. Stir in the puréed pimentos.
  5. Finally, beat the egg whites until stiff (not dry) and fold them into the roulade mixture.
  6. Spread the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20–25 minutes until fluffy and just golden. Turn the roulade out onto a slightly damp cloth. Allow to cool completely before assembling.
  7. For the filling, mix together all the ingredients, then adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Spread the mixture over the roulade base and roll it up lengthways, using the cloth to assist you.
  8. Garnish with fresh herbs. The assembled roulade can be stored in the fridge for a few hours before serving (wrap it with aluminium foil or clingfilm).

Serves 6–8

Honey- and port-glazed gammon

When cooking this wonderful treat for a hot Christmas meal, I like to be organised by roasting it a few hours before dinner commences. Once ready, I leave it to reach room temperature, then glaze it just before serving. It is almost as good on a sandwich or served on a cheese platter with Red onion marmalade (page 47). You can also slice it for a picnic or use it as part of your antipasti.

Glaze

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
  2. Place the gammon in a large roasting tray. (These days, due to changes in the curing process, it’s usually not necessary to soak a gammon the way our grandmothers did. Sometimes the leathery outer skin has been removed, but play it safe by reading the cooking instructions on the packaging.)
  3. Pour the orange juice over the gammon and sprinkle with orange rind. Add the onion, carrot, celery and bouquet garni (or bay leaves, peppercorns and fresh thyme and parsley) to the pan, followed by the stock.
  4. Wrap the entire tray with aluminium foil (not too tightly) and bake for 2–21⁄2 hours (or until a skewer inserted into the centre indicates that the gammon is tender all the way through).
  5. In the meantime, combine the glaze ingredients, except the preserved ginger, in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer in order to reduce it slightly. Add the ginger.
  6. When the gammon is cooked, remove it from its juices. Peel off the skin (if applicable), taking care not to burn yourself. Using a sharp knife, score the fat in a criss-cross pattern (typically in a diamond shape), then pat it dry with paper towel (a dry surface helps with browning) and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
  7. Spread the mustard over the surface, stud each ‘diamond’ with a whole clove, and drizzle the glaze over the gammon.
  8. Place the glazed gammon under the grill until just bubbling and golden in colour, making sure it doesn’t burn. Alternatively, you can return the gammon to the oven and bake it at a very high temperature until it develops a golden colour.
  9. Allow the gammon to rest for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 6–8

Swiss Gruyère, thyme and caramelised onion tartlets

Preparing these delicious canapés is a wonderful way to make use of the Red onion marmalade (page 47). The tartlets can also be assembled, baked and frozen ahead of time. When required, simply reheat.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease about 16 cups of a muffin tray(s).
  2. Open out the puff pastry and cut out rounds, using a scone or round cookie cutter, to fit into the cups of the muffin tray, then place inside each. Keep in the fridge to chill while preparing the filling.
  3. Whisk together the cream, egg, mustard powder, seasoning and thyme leaves. Stir in half of the grated Gruyère cheese.
  4. Remove the pastry from the fridge and place a teaspoonful (or less) of the onion marmalade into each pastry round. Pour some of the filling over each. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese, a few more thyme leaves and a sprinkling of paprika or cayenne pepper over the tartlets.
  5. Bake for 20–30 minutes, until the tartlets are golden-brown.

Makes ± 16

My gran’s moist Christmas fruit cake

My gran’s recipe (with some minor adaptations) is super moist and delicious, as well as extremely quick and easy to make. What’s more, it can be made just before Christmas yet is still full of flavour. For simplicity I have divided the method into two parts. I’ve found over the years that it is much easier to soak the fruit and prepare the cake tin the night before baking the cake, leaving very little to do when it’s time to make it. You can, however, do all on the day of baking, without pre-soaking. This recipe doubles up well.

  1. The night before: grease a 24cm cake tin and line it with baking paper. It’s also preferable, but not essential, to make a cardboard collar to place around the outside of the cake tin. It should stand about 3cm higher than the tin and be secured with string to ensure that the cake is not exposed to excessive heat during the long baking process.
  2. If time allows, soak the mixed fruit, prunes and citrus zest overnight in the mixed citrus juices and brandy, otherwise simply proceed to step 3.
  3. When you are ready to bake the cake: place the dried fruit, prunes, zest, citrus juices, brandy, brown sugar and butter in a saucepan (if you have pre-soaked the fruit, use all of the remaining juices at the bottom of the bowl). Bring to the boil and allow the mixture to simmer for 15–20 minutes. Set this aside to cool completely.
  4. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  5. Once the mixture has cooled, add the whisked eggs, and fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, mixed spice, salt and cocoa powder. Then fold in the cherries and almonds.
  6. Turn the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 11⁄2–2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  7. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool (keep the baking paper on the cake for storage purposes).

Makes 1 large cake

Storing the fruit cake

If you are preparing the cake way ahead of your Christmas celebration, wrap the cake in its baking paper and thereafter in aluminium foil. Place it in an airtight container. Once a week sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of brandy over the cake and rewrap until you’re ready to decorate it.

Chocolate mince pies

A twist on the usual mince pies, these are made using a delicate buttery pastry with just a hint of orange (in fact, they’re just as nice made with puff pastry, so if you’re pushed for time, buy good quality butter-based short or puff pastry instead). The chocolate in the fruit mince gives them a more luxurious edge. As the fruit mince isn’t swimming in the traditional melted vegetable shortening and is also not cooked, it’s best to store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. But because it’s so moreish, it’s unlikely there’ll be any left over! The fruit mince should be made a few days in advance of the actual pies, so remember to allow yourself sufficient time for the advance preparation.

Fruit mince

Pastry

  1. To make the fruit mince: place all the ingredients except for the chocolate in a large mixing bowl and combine well. Spoon the mixture into sterilised jars and store in the fridge.
  2. Allow a couple of days for the flavour of the fruit mince to properly develop before using it.
  3. It is preferable to add the chocolate just before placing the fruit mince in the pastry cases, although if you intend to use the fruit mince within a day or so, you could add the chocolate with the other ingredients.
  4. To make the pastry: place the flour, orange rind, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it just starts to resemble breadcrumbs (you can rub the butter into the flour by hand).
  5. Whisk the egg yolk, orange juice and ice-cold water together and add to the dry ingredients a little at a time until the mixture just comes together as a dough. (The amount of liquid needed will depend on the particular flour used. You may need to add a little water if the dough is still not moist enough to come together, but don’t overdo the amount of liquid.)
  6. Cover the dough with clingfilm and allow it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease 2 × 12-cup muffin trays or patty pans with a little flavourless oil.
  8. Roll out the dough to about 2mm thick, then cut out rounds to fit the muffin trays. Spoon in a heaped teaspoonful of the fruit mince. Cut out ‘lids’ for the mince pies (rounds or star shapes) from the dough. Seal the edges of the lids with a little milk. Brush with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes until golden-brown.
  9. Remove the mince pies from the oven and allow to cool in the tray for a few minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Makes ± 24

Storing the mince pies

Once baked, the mince pies will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container. You can make them ahead of time and freeze them unbaked for about a month (this is the best option). When you’re ready to serve them, simply pop the pies in the oven, allowing an extra 5–10 minutes because you’re baking them from frozen. If you need to use the muffin tray for something else, remove the frozen mince pies and store them in a resealable bag. To bake, return them to a greased tray, remembering to allow for extra baking time. You can also freeze any leftover mince pies after you’ve baked a batch. When you’re ready to serve them, in this case defrost the pies before putting them in the oven.

Christmas gugelhopf with chocolate, orange and cranberries

Over the years, I have made numerous types of gugelhopf cakes, but this one makes a nice change from the regular Christmas fruit cake. Its spicy Christmas ingredients of cranberries and orange – and some chocolate – make it extra special.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 2.5-litre bundt cake tin very well with softened butter and dust with flour. It is essential to grease the pan properly.
  2. Cream the soft butter and castor sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the orange rind and vanilla.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition (given the number of eggs, whisk in each one with a tablespoon of the flour to prevent curdling).
  4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the buttermilk.
  5. Carefully fold half of the remaining flour into the egg mixture using a large metal spoon, then add the buttermilk mixture and finally fold in the remaining flour. Gently fold in the currants and chopped chocolate.
  6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top of the cake. Place the tin on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until well risen and golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  7. Place on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out carefully and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar or pour melted chocolate over the top of the cake.

Makes 1 cake

Melting moments

My gran and I would talk recipes for hours, and this is one of hers. It has to be the simplest biscuit recipe in the world – melt the butter, add dry ingredients and stir! – so it is perfect for Christmas time when inevitably you’re rushed and stressed. They are delicious sandwiched together with jam or cream cheese icing, extra special when dipped in chocolate. Double the recipe if you want to make them as gifts.

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
  2. Melt the butter, then add the icing sugar, cornflour and cake flour. Mix together well, using your hands, until the mixture forms a dough.
  3. Take a heaped teaspoonful of the dough at a time and roll into walnut-size balls.
  4. Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet and flatten with a fork dipped in icing sugar.
  5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Do not let them brown. Cool the biscuits on a cooling rack.

Leave the biscuits plain, or half-dip in melted chocolate, or sandwich together with buttercream icing For vanilla-flavoured biscuits, add 5ml vanilla extract to the melted butter before adding the dry ingredients.

Buttercream icing variations

Makes 12 sandwiched or 24 single

Chocolate for dipping Melting moments
Melt ± 200g of chocolate (e.g. semi-sweet) in a double boiler. Dip the cooled biscuits in the chocolate, then place carefully onto a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper until the chocolate sets.

Christmas biscuits and cupcakes

The cupcakes and cookies all dressed up for Christmas in these pictures make use of the ideas, recipes and techniques presented throughout the book.

Edible Christmas gift ideas

There is something particularly rewarding in receiving a gift that someone has made especially for you – the effort speaks volumes. These edible Christmas gifts are perfect as year-end presents for teachers or to take as a gift when you’re invited to friends or even to wrap up and place under the tree.