Warming the cockles

Yesterday, with temperatures steadily dropping to below freezing, I thought it was time to start looking at some recipes to warm up the days and nights, the hands and the cockles.

My favourite drink and pud came straight to mind: Mulled Wine and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Both have their own winter-warmer qualities; warming spices in the wine, rib-sticking rich pud with dates and toffee sauce.

However, my mind kept wandering through recipes of old; Beef Stew with Dumplings, steaming-hot (Chunky Vegetable) Soup, piping-hot Pies, Hot Chocolate, Devil's Coffee (if you ask me really nicely, I might just share the recipe for this). But none of them really hit the spot. And my mind kept returning to the wine and pudding. This was going nowhere, fast. My mind does that sometimes, getting fixated on something that is absolutely no use to anyone.

It was getting ridiculous though; "What's for tea tonight?" "Sticky Toffee Pudding." "Really?" "That, or Mulled Wine." "Great. I opt for the wine." It just would not leave me alone. But I knew that I didn't fancy either of them. Those two didn't hit the spot either. We ended up having Spaghetti Carbonara. Not quite warming the cockles but it was very tasty. And yes, it is our go-to meal if we cannot decide on tea...

This morning, however, the thought of wine and pudding was still not leaving me alone and I decided to follow the train of thought my brain was taking. It turned out that in the back of my mind doors were being opened and shut and my brain was coming up with all sorts of recipes that were being dismissed instantaneously. Until it found one it liked. Am I the only one who's brain does that? Thinking of things on its own accord? Without even asking if this appropriate? But I (or my brain, rather) have come up with some brilliant recipes this way. And so, this morning I gave in and did as my brain asked me to do: I made Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding... Okay, that name needs some work but it does say exactly what it is. Sticky Pudding with Mulled Wine. And, it might not have the best of names, it was totally scrumptious. Laugh at me all you like, I will share this recipe with you in the hope that you will see past the name and try it.

Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding

Ingredients:
For the cake:

• 100 gram light brown muscovado sugar
• 175 gram self-raising flour
• 125 millilitre cold Mulled Wine
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50 gram unsalted butter (melted)
• 200 gram dried cranberries

For the sauce:

• 150 gram dark brown muscovado sugar
• approx. 35 gram unsalted butter (in little blobs)
• 500 millilitre Mulled Wine, brought to a simmer

Method:
For the Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
2. Butter a 1½ litre capacity pudding dish

For the cake:

1. Combine the light brown muscovado sugar with the flour in a large bowl
2. Pour the wine into a measuring jug, beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring - just with a wooden spoon - to combine
3. Fold in the cranberries
4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pudding dish
• Don't worry if it doesn't look very full: it will do by the time it cooks

For the sauce:

1. Sprinkle the dark muscovado sugar on top of the batter and dot with the butter
2. Pour over the simmering wine (yes really!) and transfer to the oven

For the Sticky Mulled Wine Pudding:

1. Set the timer for 45 minutes, though you might find the pudding needs 5 or 10 minutes more
• The top of the pudding should be springy and spongy when it's cooked; underneath, the butter, dark muscovado sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce

Variations:

• This will work equally well with mulled fruit juice, but you might want to use less sugar in that case
• For extra crunch, try adding a handful of roughly chopped pecan nuts to the batter
• For a pretty, pink-purplish sauce try using soft white sugar
• Use the same soft white sugar in the pudding for a light-coloured pudding
• You can make the pudding in advance and prepare an icing from icing sugar and a little mulled wine
• Decorate the 'cake' as desired with the icing

Once you've stopped laughing,

Enjoy

The best way to start

One of the the things I love so much about cooking is recipes. They are as diverse as the people they come from, laden with history, culture and religion. But, unlike people, recipes don't judge... I have never heard a recipe say: 'Are you sure you should be eating this?' or 'Stop trying to change me!' or, worse still, 'Didn't you want to fit in that cute, red little bikini this summer?' Trust me, I will never, ever, fit in anything cute, red and little. Especially when the three are combined into one (or this case, two).

Recipes can be sophisticated or crude, pompous or modest, simple or difficult, comforting or upsetting (I still don't care how much alcohol you pour over liver), festive or plain. There is a recipe for every occasion: birthday and wedding cakes (no explanation needed, I hope), triple-chocolate cookies (for when that special someone has done a boo-boo), lobster thermidore (for when you desperately need/want to impress someone but don't want to be slaving over a hot stove for hours), hot cross buns (for Easter). You can, most likely, come up with ten more that are traditionally served up in your family at certain occasions. And then with ten more for when you are sad, happy, in love, out of love, wanting to impress, wanting to comfort and so on.

A cabbie was stopped by a young man in Manhattan who asked, 'How do I get to Carnegie Hall?' 'Practice,' replied the cabbie. It's old but not just true for people who want to get to Carnegie Hall (as a musician). If you want a recipe to work, to be a success, practice is needed. That, and people who love you even if your first attempt is less than desirable. But, before you throw out your first attempt, have a taste (unless it is burnt beyond recognition or meat is uncooked) to try to come up with why something has (possibly) not worked. It wouldn't be the first time someone has thought 'This was a mistake' and yet the end result (although not intended in this way) turned out to be brilliant.

The best thing about cooking (and baking, for that matter), however, is not the recipes or the end result but the fact that anyone can do it. Not everyone can be a rocket scientist or a model or a biologist but everyone can be a cook or a baker. You don't have to have any domestic prowess (I can vouch for that) to present your guests with some home-made delights. But (there always is a but) when you want to start mountain climbing you don't start with the Himalayas or even the Matterhorn, you start with something easier. The same goes for cooking and baking; If you are new to this, start with something easy rather than going straight for the 'Momofuku Ramen' or 

'Consommé de Boeuf à la Royale'.

As Christmas is on its way (just 39 days to go), I thought I'd share an easy recipe for Christmas Biscuits; a recipe I came across as I was reading one of my favourite books, 'Winter's Children' by Leah Fleming. In the variations below the recipe, I have added some festive changes so that the biscuits can be used as edible Christmas tree decorations.

Nora's Christmas Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 85 gram icing sugar
• 85 gram custard powder
• 227 gram butter or margarine
• 227 gram plain flour

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until it is all combined into a creamy mass (feel free to use your own power or the power of an electric whisk)
2. Shape the mix into small balls (about the size of a walnut)
3. Freeze the balls until chilled
4. Grease a baking tray and pre-heat the oven to 190°C
5. Place the chilled balls onto the baking tray (about 2 cm apart as they will go flatter and spread a little)
6. Place the baking tray in the centre of the oven and bake the biscuits for 5 minutes
7. Once baked, leave the biscuits to cool on a wire rack
8. (Optional) once cooled decorate the biscuits with (coloured) icing and silver balls

That is all there is to it but you can make these biscuits as festive as you like.

(Coloured) Icing is not difficult to make:

Take icing sugar and mix in some lemon juice or water until you have a thickish paste. Add a couple of drops of food colouring and mix. This paste can then be spread onto the biscuits with a knife. If you want to try your hand a piping, make the paste slightly thinner with some added water or lemon juice and place in small (paper) piping bag (see here on how to make one yourself). For the finest piping work, make sure to only have a little hole in your piping bag or the smallest possible piping cone.

Variations:

• Variation 1: 'Shaped Biscuits' (rather than round)
• Follow step 1
1. cover the bowl and let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge
2. sprinkle some flour on a work surface and roll the pastry out
3. cut out biscuits with your favourite cutter
4. (optional) with the tip of a knife, make a little whole in the biscuit shape (for string) (this might need to be done again when the biscuits come out the oven and the are still piping hot)
5. Follow from step 3
6. (optional) decorate as desired with (coloured) icing and silver balls

• Variation 2: 'Stained Glass Biscuits'
  
• Follow step 1
1. cover the bowl and let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge
2. sprinkle some flour on a work surface and roll the pastry out
3. cut out biscuits with your favourite cutter
4. (optional) with the tip of a knife, make a little whole in the biscuit shape (for string) (this might need to be done again when the biscuits come out the oven and the are still piping hot)
5. crush 100 gram of your favourite hard boiled sweet in the food processor (if you do not have a food processor: place a tea towel on a sturdy work surface and cover it with a piece of baking/grease proof paper, put the sweets on the paper and place an extra piece of paper on top, get a heavy pan or rolling pin and bash the sweets until the are fine)
• I prefer to use 'single colour' sweets (green, yellow, red) and crush them separately to get a clear stained glass
• You can use any flavour you like but I prefer to use fruit flavoured as they don't 'clash' with the flavour of the biscuits
1. cut out a little shape in the centre of the biscuits
2. follow steps 3, 4 and 5
3. fill the holes in the biscuits with some of the crushed sweets
4. follow from step 6

• Variation 3: 'Spiced Christmas Biscuits'
• Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the ingredients and follow as in the original recipe (or the variations above)
• Variation 4: a 'Biscuit Christmas Tree'
• Using double the ingredients, make the biscuits as in Variation 1 but cut the biscuits into 5-pointed stars, each one ½ centimetre smaller than the previous one
• gather up the leftover pastry, knead quickly together, roll out and keep cutting biscuits until all the pastry is used
• Bake and leave to cool
• Make a green coloured icing and spread this onto the biscuits, place a silver ball (baking isle at the major supermarkets) on each point f the stars, and leave the icing to dry
• Starting with the largest star, place the stars onto a serving platter
• place the first star with one point directly to you
• the second star with two points down
• the third with one point directly to you
• the fourth with two points down
• and so on, see image below

I hope you will enjoy these biscuits, both making and eating, as much as I do. Let me know how you got on and don't forget: It's okay if they don't form perfectly the first time round, they won't tell you off for not being perfectly round or not quite a star-shape.

I wish you an early Merry Christmas and happy eating.

Enjoy

It just won't be complete without it

Those of you who know me, know that I love bread. Fresh white, still warm from the oven, with loads of real butter; crusty brown with cheese; stale, so that I can use it for bread-and-butter pudding; white or brown, toasted, with marmalade; eggs and soldiers. There is something comforting, homely and wholesome about bread. More so than anything else, in my (not so) humble opinion.

Breakfast, and dinner, just wouldn't be complete without it.

Throughout Europe, you can find festive loafs for all kinds of occasions. Pretzels (Germany) were traditionally eaten at New Year; the dough would contain lemon peel, cut into three even pieces and braided and then shaped into a pretzel shape and baked (no salt on top). Braid (Switzerland), traditionally eaten at breakfast on festive days; cut into two even pieces for a 4-part braid. Easter Bread (Finland), as the name suggests, eaten at Easter; the dough is made with condensed milk and contains dried fruit, citrus peel,

cardamom and almonds and is baked in an enamelled pan. Vasilopita (Greece), traditionally eaten on the first day of the year to celebrate St Basilius; a golden or silver coin is baked inside the dough (whoever finds it will have a year of good fortune). All Souls 'Braid' (Bavarian), eaten on All Hallow's Eve; the dough is cut into thirty-six pieces and shaped into a complex braid before being baked.

This is just a very, very, very small selection and if I were to look at the various 'plain' breads I could fill three posts with just the variations of breads within Germany, where every region has its own breads.

In Germany and the 'low countries' it is traditional to eat Stollen at Christmas and Easter. The bread is chock-full of dried fruits, candied peel, almond paste and wears a pretty coat of icing sugar and slightly browned almond slivers. (As breads go, you could go worse.)

The tradition of eating Stollen at Christmas dates back to the 1400s; it was created for the first time in 1427 at the Saxon Royal Court in Dresden and was made with flour, yeast, oil and water, the result was a 'bread' that was very hard and rather tasteless. In those days the Advent season was one of fasting and bakers were not allowed to use butter. That changed in 1490,

when Pope Innocent VIII allowed the Prince Elector Ernst, his family and household to use butter. If other people wanted to use butter, they could do so but had to pay an annual fee (this fee was used to build the Freiberg Minster. When Saxony became Protestant the ban on butter was lifted. Over the years the hard, tasteless 'bread' evolved into a lighter, sweeter cake with richer ingredients such as almond paste and dried fruits. But the traditional Stollen that is still baked in Dresden is not as light, airy and sweet as copies that are now made the world over.

It is best to bake the bread a couple of days in advance as the flavours will mature a bit and the bread will get slightly denser. Good (finger thick) slices, served with real butter and a slice of good cheese (optional). Grilling or toasting the bread works a treat as the sugar in the almond paste will start to caramelise.

And so, as promised in my blog on 27 October: Tradition, here is the recipe for this tasty bread.

Christmas Stollen

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons dried yeast (20 gram) (you can use fresh yeast, you will need about 50 gram)
• 350 millilitre warm milk (45ºC)
• 2 large eggs
• 150 gram icing sugar
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 150 gram unsalted butter, softened
• 700 gram bread flour
• 150 gram sultanas
• 150 gram glacé cherries (quartered)
• 150 gram raisins
• 200 gram mixed candied citrus peel, chopped small
• 400 gram almond paste

Decoration

• icing sugar to dust
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon, mixed in with the icing sugar (optional)
• toasted almond slivers for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Add the yeast to the warm milk and leave until it becomes 'creamy', about 10 minutes (if you are using fresh yeast, crumble the yeast into the milk and leave until dissolved)
2. In a separate bowl, mix the dried fruit, candied peel (recipe here) and glacé cherries
3. In a large bowl, mix the yeast mixture with the eggs, icing sugar, salt, butter and three quarters of the flour and mix thoroughly
4. In small quantities, start adding the rest of the flour and knead this into the dough
5. As soon as the dough comes together into a ball and is releasing from the sides of the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly flour work surface and knead in the mixed dried fruits
• Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes
6. Oil a large bowl, put the dough in the bowl and turn it around a couple of times to cover it in the oil, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave the dough to prove, in a warm and draft-free space, until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour
   
• Grease a baking sheet, ready for when the bread is shaped
7. Take the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly work surface and beat it back, form the dough into a big square
8. Form the almond paste (recipe here) into a roll and put this in the middle of the dough (see right)
9. Fold one half of the dough over the almond paste and press the seam down (traditional, see below for photo)
10. Place the loaf onto the baking sheet, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes
11. Preheat the oven to 180ºC
12. Put the baking sheet (with the loaf) into the oven and bake for 10 minutes
13. Lower the temperature to 150ºC and bake for a further 30-40 minutes until the bread is a lovely dark golden colour
14. As soon as the bread is out of the oven, brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle the toasted almond slivers over the (now) sticky bread
15. Leave the bread to cool on a rack
16. Sift the icing sugar (mix in the cinnamon, if using) over the cooled down bread

Variations:

• You can change the taste of the bread by adjusting the quantities of dried fruit, candied peel and glacé cherries to your own taste
• For a fruity burst, replace the raisins with 150 gram dried cranberries
• You can add dried apple and/or pear, replacing the glacé cherries
• For a slightly more 'adult' version, try soaking the dried fruit in either rum or brandy
• Leave the fruit to soak as long as possible, preferably over night, but for a minimum of 1 hour
• drain any leftover liquid off the fruit and add it to the milk in step 3
• If you don't want to use alcohol for soaking the fruit, try using tea but do not use the leftover liquid in the dough
• You can add 2 teaspoons of your favourite 'Christmas' spice(mix), such as cinnamon, to the flour
• Mix even quantities of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg and about half the used quantity of ground cloves and add two teaspoons of this mix to the flour (I usually make a larger quantity and use this to bake spiced Christmas cookies and spiced Christmas Wreaths)
• If you want to use star anise, add two stars to a pan with 350 millilitre cold milk and slowly bring to a simmer, leave to cool to 45ºC. Remove the stars before you add the yeast (step 1)
• You could use the Stollen as a centre piece on the table:
• Once you have reached step 9, place the 'loaf' inside a greased 'turban' mold and follow the rest of the steps

• After the bread has cooled down and has been dusted with the icing sugar, place on a large serving platter and place a candle in the centre of the bread

As they say in Germany:

Gutten Appetit

or, in English

Enjoy

Getting ready (or: Preparation is twice the fun)

Christmas comes but once a year and always requires planning. We all know that preparation's half the work but, for me, it is also twice the fun and I can hardly wait to start. It is the third day of November, Christmas is still 51 (!!!) days away, but I have already planned Christmas dinner.

As there is only my husband and me, I have decided against a bird but, in stead, have opted for a nice roast. Not something we usually eat as there are only two of us so it should be a nice change.

Our menu is going to look something like this:

Christmas Menu

Starter

Grilled Goats Cheese and Cranberry Compote

served with pan fried chicory

Main Course

Rose Veal 'Prince Orloff'

served with Baked Brussels Sprouts and

Goose Fat Roast Potatoes

Dessert

Mulled Wine Poached Pears

served with sweetened crème fraîche

Cheeseboard

Selection of soft and hard cheeses

served with home-made mini rolls and

roasted chestnuts, cranberry compote and onion chutney

Note to self: Invite people for Christmas dinner or we'll be eating Christmas 'dinner' for the next five days...

Veal Prince Orloff is a dish that was created by the French chef Urbain Dubois for Prince Orloff, a former Russian ambassador to France in the 1800s. It sounds impressive and tastes even better but is easy to make.

I know that many people do not like the idea of eating veal as it is often associated with animal cruelty but standards here in the UK have significantly improved over the years but some awareness is necessary. Make sure to ask your butcher for Non-formula-fed ("red" or "grain-fed") veal, Rose veal, Pasture-raised veal or Free-raised veal. If you really do not want to eat veal, you could substitute the veal for beef or venison or even pork.

Veal Prince Orloff

Ingredients:
For the meat

• 1 kilo veal (beef, venison, pork) roast
• 150 gram butter (plus extra for greasing an oven proof dish)
• 100 millilitre water
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 250 gram mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 100 millilitre cream
• 1 slice of bacon per finger-thick slice of meat
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce (Mornay)

• 20 gram butter
• 25 gram flour
• 250 millilitre gravy
• 100 gram grated cheese (extra mature cheddar is perfect) (plus extra to sprinkle on top)

Method:

For the meat

1. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper
2. Heat a frying pan on high heat, add 125 gram of the butter, let it melt and wait until it has stopped foaming
3. Add the meat to the pan and brown on all sides
4. Once browned, lower the temperature to medium, add the water and cover the pan with a lid
5. Cook the meat for approximately 1 hour, basting the meat with the juices in the pan
6. After 1 hour remove the meat (leaving the juices) from the pan and let it rest
7. Add enough water to the pan to create 250 millilitre of gravy, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan (to get all the brown bits), and pour into a jug
8. In a separate frying pan add the rest of the butter and fry the onion until golden
9. Add the mushrooms and fry until all the liquid has evaporated
10. Season the mushroom mix with salt and pepper and add the cream, letting the cream reduce slightly
11. Grease an oven proof dish and slice the meat into 1 finger-thick slices
12. In a frying pan, fry 1 rasher of bacon per slice of meat until crispy (for 5 slices of meat, 5 rashers of bacon)
13. In the oven proof dish:
1. place 1 slice of meat
2. cover with a rasher of bacon
3. add 1 spoonful of the mushrooms (make sure to have enough for every slice of meat
4. repeat until all the meat, bacon and mushrooms have been used, in an overlapping manner (like shingles on a roof)

For the sauce (Mornay)

1. In a sauce pan, melt the butter, let it foam and brown slightly
2. Whisk in the flour and, whilst whisking, let it 'cook' until it smells like biscuits
3. Add the gravy bit by bit, whilst whisking, and let it cook and thicken for about five minutes
4. Whisk in the cheese and let it melt

To finish the dish:

1. Pour the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with some grated cheese
2. Preheat the oven to 200º Celsius
3. Bake meat in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, cover with tinfoil if it is starting to brown too quickly

The meat can be prepared a couple of days in advance and then assembled when needed. Make sure to cover everything with tinfoil and place in the fridge: remove the meat at least 1 hour before cooking from the fridge to come to room temperature otherwise the meat will be tough.

As they say in Russia

приятного аппетита

Or, in English

Enjoy

Tradition

The dictionary states "tradition: a belief, principle, or way of acting that people in a particular society or group have continued to follow for a long time, or all of these beliefs, etc. in a particular society or group".

Traditions come and go, change over time or our understanding of traditions change. Family traditions disappear as families move on, national and even international traditions are forgotten or are adapted to fit cultural and religious beliefs.

My family had a tradition: we celebrated St Nicholas, on December 5 or 6; gifts for all, sometimes accompanied by (funny) riddles or puzzles and at least one per person had an indicative poem. Christmas, however, was an individual family feast. A, real, tree (with real candles and a bucket of water), scrumptious food but only one present; my grandfather used to buy a book for each of his children and grandchildren at Christmas. A tradition I still, very much, appreciate but that has petered out as the family moved on.

Christmas itself is one of those international traditions that has changed over time and our understanding of it has changed dramatically over the centuries. Who, for instance, knew that it has its roots firmly in Roman times as Saturnalia, later used by the Christians to 'convert' Pagans. Or that the oh so popular term 'Xmas' is based on the Greek for Christ: 'Xristos'. Did you know that the modern-day Santa Claus was 'born' in 1931? Nicolas was born in Parara, Turkey (270-345 AD) and later became Bishop of Myra. He didn't become a Saint until the 18-hundreds. In 1087 his remains were brought to Bari, Italy, where he replaced Pasqua Epiphania (the Grandmother) and became the giver of gifts and a cult was formed. This cult was adopted by German and Celtic pagans and Nicolas merged with the Norse god Woden. Nicolas shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a long white beard, mounted a flying horse and rescheduled his flight from Autumn to December, whilst donning some heavy winter clothing. The Catholic Church adopted the Nicolas cult and moved his flight and giving of gifts from December 6 to 25 to bring it in line with Saturnalia.

Then, in 1809, Washington Irving wrote a satire of Dutch culture (Knickerbocker History) which featured Nicolas using his Dutch name Sinterklaas or Santa Claus. In 1822, Dr Clement Moore based his 'Twas the night before Christmas' on Irving's work and gave Santa Claus his eight reindeer. Thomas Nast, a Bavarian illustrator, (almost) completed Santa's picture by giving him a home on the North pole, filling his workshop with elves and his list of naughty and nice children. And then, in 1931, Coca-Cola contracted Swedish artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke drinking Santa. Sundblom modeled his version of Santa on a friend with a cheerful, chubby face and donned him in a fur-trimmed, Coca-Cola red, suit: Santa was born, a blend of Christian crusader, pagan god, and commercial idol.

My all-time favourite 'snack' at Sinterklaas and Christmas is an almond paste filled stave or wreath: moorish and sweet almond paste encased in puff pastry, decorated with (very seventies) glacé cherries or whole almonds.

Christmas Wreath

 (not for decoration)

Ingredients:

Almond paste

250 gram ground almonds

• 250 gram granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs, lightly beaten
• zest of 1 lemon
• 5 teaspoons lemon juice

Method:
Almond paste

1. Add the ground almonds and sugar to a food mixer and give it a quick mix
2. Turn the mix into a bowl and add the eggs, lemon zest and juice
3. Give it a quick mix to form a paste

Wrap the paste in cling film and leave to rest. The longer it gets to rest the better developed the flavour will be and the paste can be made several weeks in advance and kept in the fridge.

When you are ready to make the wreaths:

Make puff pastry (see here for ingredients and method), you will need approximately one-third of the recipe, and leave to rest in the fridge (I find it easier to make the recipe as is and just divide it into three, even, pieces). You can, of course, also use ready-made puff pastry, or even rough-puff pastry.

Method:
Christmas wreath

1. Separate one egg and loosely whisk the egg white
2. Beat the egg yolk with a little milk
3. Roll the puff pastry out to approx. 1.5 cm thick, 10 cm wide and 64 cm long
4. Straighten the short sides with a knife
5. Take the almond paste and form this into a roll slightly shorter than the length of the pastry
6. Place the role of almond paste in the middle of the pastry so that the edge of the roll is flush with the pastry
7. Fold one of the long edges of the pastry loosely over the almond paste
8. Brush the other edge with the beaten egg white and fold it over the first layer and gently press the two layers together
9. Gently push the edge of the pastry with the almond paste into the pastry without the paste, make sure the stuffing fits well, to form a circle (the wreath)
10. 'Glue' the seam with a bit off the egg white
11. Place the wreath, seam side down, on a wet baking tray (re-shape if necessary)
12. Brush the wreath with the beaten egg yolk and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge to firm up
13. Preheat the oven to 200ºC
14. Brush the wreath again and place in the bottom of the oven
15. Bake in 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked, do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking
16. Release the wreath from the tray and leave to cool

Traditionally, the wreath is decorated with glacé cherries or whole white almonds but you could decorate it with little stars, bells and holly leaves made out of marzipan or chocolate.

Variation:

1. If you have made your own puff pastry:
• After resting for the last time (after turn 6), divide the pastry into three even pieces by eye and cut one-third off (wrap the largest part back in cling film and put it back into the fridge)
1. Roll the dough out in one direction (do not roll out the sides) into an elongated rectangle. Remember to flour as you roll when you feel the dough is sticking to your work surface, otherwise the butter will peep out of the dough and your layers will be ruined. Also, if butter does leak out of the dough, then put it back in the fridge
2. Brush off the excess flour and sprinkle the top with ½ to 1 tablespoon cinnamon or mixed spice
3. Fold the rectangle into thirds, brushing off the excess flour and sprinkling with cinnamon or mixed spice as you go
• The pastry will be slightly drier when baked
4. Wrap the pastry in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
5. Repeat this one more time
6. After the (in total) eighth turn, follow the recipe as above for the Christmas wreath
2. If you use ready-made puff pastry:
1. Roll the puff pastry out to approx. 1.5 cm thick, 10 cm wide and 64 cm long and straighten the short sides with a knife
2. (Sprinkle the pastry with 1 tablespoon cinnamon or mixed spice)
3. Follow the recipe as above for the Christmas wreath
3. If you use rough-puff pastry:
1. Mix 1 tablespoon cinnamon or mixed spice in with the flour and make the pastry as usual
2. Roll out the pastry and follow the recipe as above for the Christmas wreath

Other uses for the almond paste are:

1. Spread evenly underneath the apples in an apple pie (recipe to follow soon) (also very nice in a pear tart)
2. Place dots of the paste on top of any fruit pie or tart, this way the paste will become slightly crunchy and caramelised
3. Almond paste is essential in the making of traditional 'Stollen', a fruit 'bread' eaten at Christmas and Easter in The Netherlands and Germanic countries. I will put up a recipe very soon, as Christmas is only 58 days away, but here is a photo:

As they say in The Netherlands:

Veel plezier en eet smakelijk

Or, in English,

Have fun and enjoy

The countdown has started!

The Righteous Brothers sang that 'Time goes by so slowly'. That might be the case but I cannot believe that it is only sixty-four (64!!!) days till Christmas! For me, the Christmas period starts as soon as All Hallow's Eve has passed. This is only ten days away, so I will be setting up the Christmas tree in just twelve more days (have to wait till the weekend, now don't I?). I love the atmosphere it brings and I can't help but smile when I see a Christmas tree all 'dressed up' and ready for a party.

Part of my love for Christmas is the wonderful food (and treats, lots of treats) and drinks that we so much associate with this time of year (I will contradict myself in a moment, so just bear with me for now). As there are only the two of us, we do not have a big bird and all the trimmings for Christmas: a small bird (such as pheasant or duck) is more than enough. Then again, it doesn't necessarily have to be a bird at all. I would be just as happy with bubble & squeak (good old-fashioned Stamppot) or pancakes. Not very festive? It's not the food and treats that makes the festivity, nor the drinks (or gifts) for that matter, it's the people around you. It is knowing that you are with the people that love you, regardless [or perhaps because] of all your many flaws. (There, self-contradiction over and done.)

Earlier this year I turned thirty-six but I am still as exited as a six-year-old when it comes to Christmas; just the smell of cinnamon, oranges, nutmeg and cloves puts me in the mood to turn up the volume and play 'White Christmas', 'Little Drummer Boy' or 'Petit Papa Noël'. Oh, and before you start: Father Christmas does exist. I know, I have seen his picture...

Now that the evenings are lengthening and the temperature is starting to drop, I am in the mood for heart-warming 'pick-me-ups' and comfort food. As comfort food means something different to each and everyone of us, this comes in a massive variety. For me it is: chicken curry; good old bubble & squeak; chicken chimichanga; pancakes or 'three-in-a-pan'; bread-and-butter pudding; chocolate cake; beef stew (pie); stroganoff; goulash; onion soup. All home-made, all rather stodgy and all even better reheated the next day (except for the pancakes and the chocolate cake but they never last that long anyway).

Noticed that there weren't any drinks in that list? That's because it was a food list... But, for me, there are only two drinks worth mentioning and they are: Advocaat (or eggnog, although Advocaat is much thicker and eaten with a spoon so it's not even really a drink) and Mulled Wine. 

Mulled wine is popular, in one form or another, all over the world and there are as many recipes as there are countries. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions and recipes call for red (or white) wine, port, claret, sake, or fruit juice (or a slightly sweeter beer such as the Belgians produce). The spices used are mainly cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves but you can add peppercorns, mace, juniper berries, cardamom, star anise, or whatever you prefer. Although usually citrus fruit is added, such as orange, clementine or lemon, you can use apple, cranberries or even ginger. The wine is sweetened with either sugar, honey or maple syrup. You can even add a shot of Rum or Cachaça.
My favourite recipe is below (with some variations at the bottom):

Mulled wine

(Not just for Christmas)

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles of red wine (the cheapest will do perfectly)
• cinnamon sticks (to taste)
• cloves (don't go overboard; it is a very strong flavour)
• nutmeg (don't go overboard; it is a very strong flavour)
• star anise (don't go overboard; it is a very strong flavour)
• peel and juice of 1 orange
• peel and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tart apples (such as breaburn or granny smith), thinly sliced
• 200 gram (soft brown) sugar or 150 millilitre honey/maple syrup

Method:

1. Add the sugar (or honey/maple syrup) to a pan (make sure to use a pan that is big enough to hold all the ingredients) and add the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, star anise, orange and lemon peel and the juice and about half a bottle of wine. For ease, I prick the cloves into the orange peel
2. Bring the wine to the boil, let the sugar dissolve, and boil it to reduce by about half, stirring frequently to make sure nothing burns
3. Add the rest of the wine and the sliced apple and bring the wine to just below boiling point
4. Taste the mulled wine to make sure that you have used enough sugar for your taste. If not, add a small amount of sugar (honey/maple syrup) and let dissolve
5. Keep the wine warm on the lowest possible heat or put it on top of a gas-fire or wood burner (if you have one of those)

Variations:

• If you do not like red wine, try using white wine instead but leave out the star anise and the orange and lemon juice
• For a very dramatic effect: try adding some cranberries when you add the apples but make sure that they do not burst as this will spoil the colour
• If you don't like wine altogether, try using 1 pint of a slightly sweeter beer or ale (scale up if you want to share)
1. Heat the beer or ale with 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg and a few slices of fresh ginger (optional) until hot but not boiling (this will foam up so make sure to use a big enough pan)
2. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes to cool down and strain
3. Re-heat it gently when you are ready for your drink
• For a richer option: separate 1 egg, discarding the egg white, and beat this with 2 teaspoons of sugar for about 5 minutes until almost white in colour
• Slowly, whilst whisking, add 2 tablespoons of the hot beer and pour this mixture into the pan (make sure to whisk constantly)
• Let this heat through for about 5 more minutes and strain (if desired) into glasses (or mugs)
• For an alcohol-free version, replace the wine with fruit juice such as grape or cranberry juice

Enjoy