CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Method

• In a saucepan, combine butter and molasses. Heat the mixture over medium flame until it begins to boil, while stirring continuously.
• Remove the mixture from the flame and allow it to cool for sometime.
• In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, ginger, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, clove, cayenne pepper, black pepper, nutmeg and fold in salt. Blend the mixture well.
• Pour the warm molasses-butter mixture into the mixture made in the above step. Stir continuously to form a thick dough.
• Cool the dough in refrigerator for about 10 minutes, until it sets.
• Form small lemon sized balls of the dough, using 2 tablespoons of batter, each time. Now, pat the balls using your finger, to flatten them into the shape of cookies.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grease a baking sheet with butter and place the cookies on it.
• Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes.
• Cool the baked cookies in the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, before transferring them to wrack to cool completely.
• Store the cookies in an air-tight container.

Method

• Sieve all-purpose flour, baking soda and sugar in a bowl and reserve.
• In a bowl, blend sugar, peanut butter, brown sugar and butter together with an egg beater, until it becomes fluffy. Fold in egg, milk and vanilla extract.
• Add the sifted flour mixture to the mixture prepared in the above step. Blend well, to form a dough.
• Shape the dough into small balls. Place the balls in your palm and using your fingers, flatten them to form the shape of cookies.
• Grease a baking sheet with butter.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes.
• Remove the baked cookies from the oven and leave them in the sheet, for about five minutes.
• Transfer the baked cookies to a wrack and then leave them to cool completely.
• Store the peanut butter cookies in an air-tight container.

Method

• In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients of the recipe.
• Beat eggs well in a separate bowl. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture, made in the above step, and then stir in brandy and lemon juice.
• If the mixture seems to be too stiff, add a little amount of milk to it. Stir continuously, so that all the ingredients blend well.
• Pour the mixture into three 1 ½ pint pudding basins.
• Cover each pudding basin with greaseproof paper or foil. Now, tie a cloth over the top of the pudding basins, by fastening it around the rim of the basin with a length of the string.
• Take the four corners of the cloth. Now, tie them to make the handle of the pudding basin.
• In a saucepan, steam the puddings for about 8 hours. Another option is to make use of a steamer.
• After the puddings are steamed well, serve them immediately. You can also store them in air tight containers. In case you want to preserve the pudding for later use, steam them 2 to 4 hours before serving.
• Serve the pudding in serving plate, with a teaspoon of brandy poured on it. You may also serve the pudding with Cumberland rum.

Method

• Cut raisins into fine pieces and then put them into brandy for about 1 hour. Drain the almonds and reserve about 1/3 cup of the brandy, for later use.
• Put the soaked raisins, suet, bread crumbs, candied fruits, sugar, coconut, carrots, zests, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-purpose flour and almond meal into a large bowl and mix together well.
• In another bowl, combine molasses and egg. Beat well and then add beer, juices and the reserved brandy into the mixture. Fold in the fruit mixture and stir well.
• Grease two glass bowls with butter and put half the batter into each of them.
• Cover each bowl with buttered paper, and then foil. Secure the foil and buttered paper with twine.
• Transfer the bowl into a wide deep pot. Pour boiling water to the pot in such a way that it reaches 2" up sides of the bowls. Now, cover the pot with a lid and then steam the puddings in an oven that is preheated up to 450 degrees F, for about 4 ½ hours.
• Remove the bowls from the pot and allow them to cool, completely. Store the puddings in a cool, dry and dark place, away from direct sunlight. Every time you take the pudding, steam it by still covering the bowl with foil, for about 1 hour.
• You may serve the pudding with brandy butter.

Method

• Clean and soak the rice in warm water.
• Mix the mint and coriander leaves, green chilies and blend them to fine paste. Also powder the nutmeg and mace.
• Heat ghee in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Also add ginger garlic paste, ground paste, cashew nuts, coriander powder, turmeric and fry for another 5 minutes.
• Then add yogurt, chopped tomatoes to the above mixture along with 1 litre of water and boil by covering with a lid.
• Drain all the water from the rice and add to the boiling mixture.
• Add enough salt and ground powder to the rice and mix well. Cook the rice until it is done.
• Garnish with tomato slices and serve hot.

Method

• Sieve together all the dry ingredients.
• Mix the peel, fruit, cherries, chopped almonds and lemon rind. Whisk the eggs and sherry together.
• Beat the margarine, sugar and black treacle until soft. Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately to the margarine little by little till it has a thick paste consistency.
• Stir in the fruit mixture. Put into an 8-9 inch tin, lined with greaseproof paper round the sides and at the bottom.
• Now, tie a double band of brown paper round the outside of the rim, standing well up above the top of it. Put in the middle of a hot oven.
• Bake for 3 1/4-31/2 hours at gas mark 3 for the first 1 1/2 hours, and then decrease to gas mark 2 for the remainder.
• Cool the cake in the tin, then store in an airtight container.
• Can be served hot or cold with custard or double cream respectively.

Method

• Stir dry ingredients together.
• Stir in oats and sugar.
• Cut in butter until crumbly.
• Pat 1/2 crumbs in 11 x 7 pan.
• Spread with preserves, top with crumbs.
• Bake 375 Degree Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.

Note - Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Method

• Mix the flour and baking powder well. Add the butter a little at a time, mixing gently.
• Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the flour-butter mix.
• Add the sugar and coconut milk to this and mix into a soft dough. Form the dough into small marble-sized balls.
• Grease the back of a fork with some oil and flatten and press a ball of dough onto it.
• Starting at one end, roll the dough off the fork and into a tight curl.
• The end result will be a tube-like curl with the design from the fork on it!
• Make the remaining dough similiarly till it is all used up.
• Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan on a medium flame.
• When hot, fry the kulkuls in it, making sure to turn often, till they are a light golden brown in color.
• Drain and cool on paper towels.
• Put the sugar and water in a separate pan and cook till the sugar melts fully.
• Put the cooled kulkuls into this sugar syrup and coat well.
• Remove and allow to sit in a plate till the sugar encrusts on the kulkuls.
• When fully cooled, you can store the kulkuls for a considerable amount of time if kept in an air-tight container.

Method

• Scrape the coconut & extract the milk, beat the eggs well - keep aside.
• Take the Maida sieve it place in a bowl add the eggs, sugar, salt cake seeds & keep mixing using the coconut milk little @ a time to make a fine smooth batter like for Dosas' - keep aside.
• To make the Rose Cookies: Take a wok (Kadai) pour the oil kept for deep frying place on heat, now place the mould into the oil & keep it immersed when the mould is very hot, remove from the oil & lightly dip half way only into the batter - put it back into the oil - wait for a second & start shaking the mould.
• The Cookie will leave the Mould -fry the cookie on both sides till golden brown remove & drain then let it cool, place in air tight containers & keep use whenever needed.
• Continue making the cookies with the remaining batter.

Tips - You could use jeera seeds, a little white pepper powder, chillie powder & salt instead of sugar

Method

• Scrape the coconut & extract the milk, beat the eggs well - keep aside.
• Take the Maida sieve it place in a bowl add the eggs, sugar, salt cake seeds & keep mixing using the coconut milk little @ a time to make a fine smooth batter like for Dosas' - keep aside.
• To make the Rose Cookies: Take a wok (Kadai) pour the oil kept for deep frying place on heat, now place the mould into the oil & keep it immersed when the mould is very hot, remove from the oil & lightly dip half way only into the batter - put it back into the oil - wait for a second & start shaking the mould.
• The Cookie will leave the Mould -fry the cookie on both sides till golden brown remove & drain then let it cool, place in air tight containers & keep use whenever needed.
• Continue making the cookies with the remaining batter.

Tips - You could use jeera seeds, a little white pepper powder, chillie powder & salt instead of sugar