Every Christmas we end up with leftover Christmas pudding which is something I actually don’t like as I find it too heavy and rich. Last year I turned the leftover pudding into a muffin/cupcake creation from Rachel Allen and they went down very well. This year though I wanted to see if I could incorporate it into Ice Cream. I decided to match the pudding with a cinnamon ice cream but to make it more festive I reduced the cinnamon and replaced it with fresh nutmeg. Thankfully it worked a treat, the cinnamon ice cream alone would have been just fine on its own, so feel free to omit it if you prefer, but I found the combination a really great alternative festive dessert and would be a welcome change to the normal tradition of Christmas pudding. Im guessing this would also be great with mincemeat if you have jars of that left as well. Continue reading →
Since I was very young I can remember helping my Mum make mincepies each and every Christmas. They were one of the things I was allowed to help make, and I always looked forward to helping out. Now the mantle has been passed to me, so to speak, as I know make them myself but they have to meet the approval of Mum. This year we changed the tradition up a bit and for the first time made our own mincemeat. I followed a Delia Smith recipe but next time I would increase the spices, and I have reflected this in the post. I know its the weekend before Christmas and many people will be rushing around getting ready but if your not, why not stay at home, away from the cold and snow, and make a batch of these and get in the Christmas mood. Thats exactly what im going to do anyway. Continue reading →
This recipe makes more than enough to cover the previous cake recipe, probably double what you need, but don’t worry I have a way to use it that comes from my mum, an idea which she thought of many years ago and which has become a family tradition. You could of course half the recipe with no problem. It’s a super easy recipe, well worth the little effort required, but you do need to get in there with your hands, because there is no way a wooden spoon is gonna cut it. Whilst this is called almond paste its probably nearer to marzipan but isn’t quite as firm as marzipan and not as smooth or soft as normal almond paste. From what I gather traditional almond paste is usually just ground almonds, water and sugar mixed together and cooked to obtain a smooth consistency. Marzipan has more sugar (normally icing sugar) and egg whites so this recipe kind of straddles the two.
Almond Paste
700g Ground Almonds
350g Icing Sugar, sieved
350g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 Tsp Almond Essence or Flavouring
1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Orange Flower Water
2 Tsp Sweet Sherry (or rum or brandy)
1. Mix the almonds and sugars together making sure well combined.
2. Beat the the whole egg and mix in the lemon juice, flavourings, orange flower water and sherry.
3. Using a wooden spoon mix in half the egg mixture and once you have worked it in as well as you can add the second half. Once it becomes to hard to mix get your hands in the mix and bring together until you have a smooth consistent mix. Kept in a bowl covered with plastic wrap this will keep at least a week in the fridge.
