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Food & Drink Sustenance For Santa
ère Noël, Papai Noel, Babbo Natale, Dun Che Lao Ren, Joulupukki, Santa Claus, Father Christmas...however you know him, this time of year he’s a very busy man. So, for this month’s culinary offering we thought we’d come up with some alternative Christmas fare to the usual mince pies...and not forgetting the reindeer.
Pistachio and Cranberry Chocs
Marshmallow Snowmen
Ingredients: 200g white chocolate 75g shelled pistachios 50g dried cranberries 50g milk or dark chocolate
Ingredients (makes 12): 36 large marshmallows 12 long wooden skewers 12 pretzel sticks 1 melted chocolate square for decoration. Icing sugar to use as glue. Any appropriate variety of sweets to represent the snowman’s scarf, hat and carrot nose.
Method: Place the white chocolate pieces in a bain marie or microwave and melt. Line a 13cm x 23cm loaf tin with cling film. Stir pistachios and cranberries into melted chocolate and then pour into the lined tin. When this has almost set, melt the dark chocolate and pour over the top. Allow to cool and store in fridge. Cut into cubes just before serving.
Stained Glass Ginger Biscuits Ingredients (makes 10-12): 350g plain flour 1 pinch of salt 2tsp baking powder 2tsp ground ginger 100g butter 100g brown sugar 1 egg 4 tbsp golden syrup or treacle 10-12 boiled sweets (assorted colours). Icing for decoration. Method: Preheat the oven to 190°C, line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the brown sugar. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the beaten egg and golden syrup. Mix well until a soft dough forms. With a little flour knead the dough until smooth and roll out to about ½cm thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out the desired shapes, and use mini cutters to cut out the middle. With a skewer make a small hole in the top of the biscuit if you wish to hang on the tree. Transfer the biscuits to the baking trays. Place a boiled sweet in the centre hole and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the biscuits are light brown and the sweet has melted. Allow to cool. Decorate with icing sugar and allow to set. Great to hang on the Christmas tree, but not too low or the dog will have them!
Method: Thread a long skewer through three marshmallows. Push a skewer through the middle marshmallow, so that you can thread a pretzel through for his arms. Wrap his scarf around his neck using a dab of icing sugar to keep it in position. Cut a gummy orange slice into small triangles and glue each triangle into the middle of the snowman’s head as a nose. Melt the chocolate in a separate bowl and dip the end of a skewer to dab small dots for eyes, mouth and buttons. Add a dab of chocolate on the bottom of each hat, and press them onto the top of the marshmallow snowmen. Once the hat is firmly in place, your snowmen are ready to serve to Santa!
Whisky Galore Truffles Ingredients: 400g dark chocolate 400ml double cream 2 tbsp whisky Cocoa powder for dusting
Method: Bring cream to the boil and pour over broken chocolate in a bowl. Stir until completely melted. Add the whisky and stir. Pour into 13cm x 23cm tin which has been lined with cling film. Once cool, refrigerate. When set, cut into squares (2-3cm) and dust with cocoa to serve. Store in the fridge.
Carrot Ingredients: 1 carrot Method: Leave by fireplace for reindeer
30 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, December 2018