Festive Food & Drink A Glamorous Christmas Cocktail
Christmas is the perfect excuse to dust off the cocktail shaker. Kaye Sonley, Bar Manager at Brixham’s Berry Head Hotel shares her favourite Christmas cocktail.
Cranberry Margarita Crushed ice Tbsp crushed cranberries 25 ml Tequila 25 ml Cointreau Squeeze of fresh lime Sugar rim of the glass. Add crushed ice, Tequila, Cointreau & lime in a shaker and shake. Add the crushed cranberries to bottom of the glass. Pour over crushed ice. Garnish glass with a slice of orange, sprig of rosemary & fresh blackberry. Serve & enjoy! o
Yummy Festive Brownies
These delicious Christmas treats by reader Linda Jeyes will have the whole family clamouring for more. Serve with a festive glass of bubbly or sparkling elderflower for the non-drinkers and youngsters. Ingredients 300g dark chocolate chopped, 250g unsalted butter chopped 5 eggs, 400g caster sugar, 150g plain flour, 50g cocoa 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp orange extract, 3 tbsp mincemeat 2 tbsp dried cranberries, icing sugar to serve Method Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ gas mark 4 or 160°C for fan ovens. Grease and line a shallow 20cm x 30cm baking tin, leaving a bit of the paper overhanging the lengths of the tray. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stir occasionally until smooth (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water and steam doesn’t get into the bowl of chocolate and butter). Allow to cool. Put eggs and sugar in a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat for 3-4 minutes, until pale and fluffy, then beat in the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and a pinch of salt, and fold in gently with a large metal spoon until smooth. Gently fold in the mincemeat. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch but still slightly moist in the centre. Allow to cool in the tin, then remove, sprinkle with icing sugar and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container if they last that long! o
December/January 2015/16
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