CHRISTMAS RECIPES
Our Christmas recipes section contains a variety of traditional Christmas food. Christmas is celebrated to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. You will find many of the tried-and-tested recipes for Christmas dinner, lunch, dessert and snack items. Many of these are timeless classics like the Christmas cakes and cookies. Here we provide some of the traditional Christmas recipes that are prepared year after year on Christmas day.The Christmas cake is an important attraction on the Chirstmas day. There are an array of different cakes and designs to suit all tastes.Of course Christmas cookies are also prepared on a wide range of tastes. For the Indian Christmas dinner it is usually biryani or some chicken and mutton items. Some prefer a turkey Biriyani every Christmas. And all short eats prepared are tasted and offered around. Cakes and cookies are shared among relative and friends. Some make it a point to donate some Christmas food for orphanages or the poor which is the spirit of Christmas.
LIGHT FRUIT CAKE 
Ingredients
Candied cherries halved
1 pound
Candied pineapple rings cut up into small pieces
5
Golden raisins
6 cups
Mixed peel
1 1/2 cups
Pecans or almonds
1 cups
All purpose flour
1 cups
Butter softened
2 cups
White sugar
2 cups
Eggs
6
Vanialla extract
1 tbsp
Orange juice
1/4 cup
All purpose flour
5 cups
Baking powder
2 tbsp
Salt
1/2 tbsp
Almonds split
6
Method
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of two greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans, and 1 round 4 1/2 inch x 3 inch deep pan with brown paper.
- Grease the paper. In a large bowl, stir together cherries, pineapple, raisins, mixed peel, 1 cup pecans, and 1 cup flour.
- Mix until fruit is coated with flour. In another large bowl, cream the butter or margarine and sugar together.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in orange juice and vanilla.
- Combine 5 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.
- Stir in floured fruit and nuts. Mix. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Fill each pan 3/4 full.
- Arrange split almonds over tops. Bake for about 3 hours, until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cover with foil if top gets too dark while baking
IRISH PLUM CAKE
Ingredients
Butter
8 oz
Sugar
8 oz
Eggs
3
Almond extract
3/4 tbsp
Lyle's golden syrup
3 tbsp
Finely ground almonds
3 oz
Unbleached white flour
4 cups
Baking soda
1 tbsp
Pinch of salt
Milk
12 oz
Sultanas
2 cups
Currants
2 1/2 cups
Grated rind of oranges
3
Grated rind of lemons
2
Method
- Cream butter with sugar until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition.
- Beat in the syrup, almond extract and ground almonds.
- Reserving 1/2 cup of the slour, sieve the remainder with baking soda and salt.
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.
- Coat sultanas and currants with reserved flour and fold into batter along with grated peels.
- Mix well and pour into a well-buttered tube pan, distributing batter evenly.
- Bake at 300 deg. F. 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.
- Let pan cool for 45 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to further cool.
CHRISTMAS BUTTER TARTS
Ingredients
Butter
1/3 cup
Margarine
1/3 cup
Slightly packed , golden brown sugar
1 cup
Shredded coconut
1 cup
Ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp
Ground nutmeg
1/2 tbsp
All spice
1/8 tbsp
Chopped walnuts
1/2 cup
Salt
1/2 tbsp
Large eggs beaten
2
Fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp
Dark corn syrup
2/3 cup
Recipe pie pastry
1
Method
- Roll pie dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut out circles of dough to fit cups of standard muffin tin.
- Gently place into muffin cups. In a saucepan, melt butter and margarine over low heat just until melted.
- Stir in brown sugar, coconut, spices, nuts, salt, eggs, lemon juice, and corn syrup. Mix well.
- Fill prepared muffin cups halfway with this mixture.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
DEE'S DATE AND NUT BREAD
Ingredients
Hot water
1 1/2 cups
Dates chopped
1 1/2 cups
Baking soda
2 tbsp
White sugar
1 cup
Salt
1 tbsp
Butter melted
1 tbsp
Egg
1
Vaniall extract
1 tbsp
Walnuts chopped
1 cup
All purpose flour
2 3/4 cups
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan.
- Pour the hot water over the dates and let stand until cooled.
- Sift the flour and baking soda together add the sugar and salt. Stir in the cooled dates and water.
- Add the melted butter, beaten egg vanilla and walnuts. Mix well.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until a toothpick insert near the center comes out clean.
- Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove bread from pan and let cool on a wire rack.
- Makes 1 -9x5 inch loaf pan
CRANBERRY AND NUT BREAD
Ingredients
All purpose flour
2 cups
White sugar
3/4 cup
Salt
3/4 tbsp
Baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp
Baking soda
1/2 tbsp
Coarsely chopped cranberries
1 cup
Chopped nuts
1/2 cup
Grated orange peel
1 tbsp
Egg
1
Vegetable oil
2 tbsp
Orange juice
3/4 cup
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add the cranberries and chopped nuts, stir to coat with flour.
- Combine the egg, oil, orange juice and grated orange peel.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let bread sit for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
SUGAR PLUM BREAD
Ingredients
White sugar
1 tbsp
Warm water
1 cup
Packages active dry yeast
2
White sugar
1/2 cup
Butter or margarine melted
1/2 cup
Salt
2 tbsp
Grated lemon rind
1 tbsp
All purpose flour
6 cups
Eggs
4
Candied fruit
1/2 cup
Raisins
1 cup
Pine nuts or silvered almonds
3/4 cup
Confectioners sugar
1 cup
Vaniall extract
1/2 tbsp
Cherries or toasted silvered almonds
Method
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water in large mixer bowl.
- Sprinkle in yeast. Let stand 10 minutes, then stir well.
- Add 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter or margarine, salt, lemon rind, and 2 cups flour.
- Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with electric mixer. Add 2 cups more flour and eggs; beat 3 minutes.
- Stir in almost all remaining flour, using enough flour to make a soft dough.
- Knead dough on floured board until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
- Place in lightly greased bowl. Cover with greased waxed paper and a tea towel.
- Let rise in warm place 75 - 85 degrees F (25 - 30 degrees C) until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
- Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, and knead in raisins, candied fruit, and nuts.
- Shape into two round loaves. Place each in a well greased, 9 inch, round cake pan.
- Cover with tea towel. Let rise in warm place until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 45 to 55 minutes.
- Remove from pans immediately. Cool on wire racks.
- Mix together confectioners sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon onto loaves.
- Decorate with cherries or almonds. Alternatively, dust loaves with confectioners sugar.
- Makes 2 round loaves
BROWN BREAD
Ingredients
Unbleached flour
2 cups
Whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup
Wheat bran
3/4 cup
Oat bran
1/4 cuo
Sugar
2 tbsp
Egg beaten
1
Butter milk
2 cups
Unrefined canola oil
2 tbsp
Baking powder
2 tbsp
Baking soda
1 tbsp
Method
- Mix dry ingredients in bowl; add milk, oil, and the beaten egg.
- Stir just until blended. Place in a greased and floured tin and slash top of dough with a knife to make an "X" in the center. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
- Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Leaving bread in oven, turn heat off and let stand 15 minutes more.
- Turn onto a rack to cool.
CHRISTMAS BREAD STUFFING
Ingredients
Soft white bread cubed
9 cups
Chopped celery
3 cups
Baking powder
2 tbsp
Melted shortening
1/2 cup
Onions chopped
2
Paprika
3 tbsp
Salt
3 tbsp
Ground poultry seasoning
3 tbsp
Eggs
2
Method
- Saute onions in melted shortening. Mix together bread cubes, celery, baking powder, Sauteed onions, paprika, salt, poultry seasoning, and slightly beaten eggs.
- Mixture will be dry. Pack lightly into uncooked turkey.
- Roast turkey as directed. Makes 12 servings
CRANBERRY APPLE AND SAUSAGE STUFFING
Ingredients
Cubed white bread, baked until slightly dry
12 cups
Butter or margarine
1/4 cup
Chopped leeks
6 cups
Poultry seasoning
4 tbsp
Chopped celery
2 cups
Tart green apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 to 3
Dried cranberries
1 cup
Chopped dried rosemary
2 tbsp
Chicken stock
1 1/3 cups
Salt
Ground black pepper
Method
- Saute sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling coarsely, for about 10 minutes.
- Remove sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Empty pan of grease. Into the same pan melt the butter. Add the leeks or onions, apples, celery and poultry seasoning.
- Saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary, dried cranberries and cooked sausage.
- Mix all with the dried breadcubes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Moisten with the chicken stock.
- Stuff turkey with about 5 cups for a 14 pound turkey.
- Add additional chicken stock to moisten stuffing if needed.
- Remaining stuffing can be baked in a covered buttered casserole at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes to brown top.
IRISH BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients
Eggs
3
Milk
2 cups
Vanilla
1 tbsp
Sugar
1 tbsp
Butterscotch sauce
Good quality white bread
1/2 loaf
Raisins
2 tbsp
Irish whiskey
1 tbsp
Method
- Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Break bread into chunks or cut into cubes. Add bread to egg mixture along with raisins and whiskey (optional).
- Preheat oven to 350°. Pour mixture into a buttered 1 1/2-quart baking dish.
- Bake until top is golden-brown and puffy (Approximately 40 minutes).
- Serve warm with a dab of butterscotch sauce .
CLASSIC CHRISTMAS CAKE
Ingredients
Eggs beaten
4
Plain flour
50 g
Brown sugar
250 g
Butter
250 g
Brandy
200 ml
Grated zest lemon
1
Grated zest of orange
1
Mixed spice
1 tbsp
Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tbsp
Ground cinnamon
1 tbsp
Ground nutmeg
1 tbsp
Vanilla extract
1 tbsp
Almonds roughly chopped
100 g
Red glace cherries quartered
100 g
Candied peel finely diced
100 g
Sultanas
250 g
Raisins
250 g
Currants
250 g
Pinch of salt
Method
- Mix all the fruits, almonds, mixed spices, vanilla and lemon in a large bowl.
- Stir in the brandy. Cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight (at least4 hours) so thatthe fruits can absorb most of the brandy.
- The next day, preheat the oven to warm 160°C.
- Line the base and sides of the tin with buttered baking paper, which should be 2.5cm taller than the side of the tin.
- Wrap a strip of brown paper around the tin and tie with a string.
- Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and creamy using electric beaters.
- Add the egss one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add the butter mixture to the soaked fruit and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon into the cake tin and smooth the surface with wet fingers. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 150°C and cook for another 3 hours.
- Remove from the oven and allox to cool.
- Wrap in plastic film and store in a cool place overnight up to four weeks in advance, before icing.
ROASTED TURKEY WITH STUFFING
Ingredients
Turkey
4.5 kg
Butter softened
50 g
Onion peeled and quartered
1
Lemon quartered
1
Bay leaves
2
Fresh thyme sprigs to garnish
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
Stuffing
1 qty
Method
- Prepare the stuffing on Christmas Eve
- If the turkey is frozen, you will need to thoroughly defrost it before Christmas Eve. This will take approximately 3 days. Defrost it slowly in the bottom of the fridge.
- On Christmas Day, take the turkey out of the fridge so that it warms to room temperature.
- Remove the giblets from the turkey cavity.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, Gas 5.
- To stuff the turkey, loosen the skin with your hands and smear the flesh with butter.
- Pack the stuffing into the neck of the turkey. Press it gently to make a nice rounded end. Tuck the skin flap under the turkey and secure with a cocktail stick.
- Place bay leaves, lemon and onion in the turkey body cavity.
- Any leftover stuffing can be placed in the body cavity. This is perfectly safe if the stuffing is at room temperature before it goes in.
- Season with salt and pepper and place in a large roasting tin.
- Pour 300ml of water to keep it moist during cooking.
- Wrap the turkey loosely in foil, so that the turkey is encased.
- Roast the turkey for 2 hours 30 minutes. Take out of the oven, remove all foil and turn up the heat to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6.
- Scatter some fresh thyme sprigs and return to oven for 45 minutes.
- To check if it's done, pierce the thickest part of the bird with a skewer. If the juices run clear, it's ready, if they are pink, the turkey nees further cooking.
- Transfer to serving plate and cover with foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes before you carve it. This allows the juices to run back into the joint, making it succulent and tender.
CHOCOLATE RUM FRUIT PUDDINGS
Ingredients
Eggs
3
Mixed dried fruit
1 cup
Dark rum
1/4 cup
Good quality dark chocolate chopped
150 g
Butter chopped
125 g
Firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup
Plain flour sifted
1/3 cup
Self raising flour sifted
1/4 cup
Cocoa powder sifted
1 tbsp
Cocoa powder and vanilla ice cream to serve
Method
- Combine dried fruit and rum in a bowl. Stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 6-hole, 3/4 cup-capacity, non-stick Texas muffin pan.
- Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon, until melted and smooth.
- Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Add chocolate mixture. Beat to combine. Fold in flours, cocoa and dried fruit mixture.
- Spoon mixture into muffin holes until three-quarters full.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre has moist crumbs clinging.
- Dust with cocoa.
- Serve with vanilla ice-cream.