Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

Food Writer

Festive

Five Ways with Christmas Leftovers

Here we are in that no-man’s land between Christmas and New Year when our fridges tend to be stuffed with a hotchpotch of leftovers in pots and bowls. From shredded turkey to the remnants of the cheese board, there’s always something that gets lost at the back!

I’m keen not to waste any of these morsels as they can so easily be transformed into another tasty meal. I don’t know about you but there’s something very satisfying about creating something from nothing. Plus when it seems like there’s always a family member or neighbour popping by, it’s handy to have something to rustle up at the last minute. I actually love leftover meals, as when I was growing up my mum would use every last thing up in her kitchen, usually in a soup or a stew.

So, if you can’t quite face another turkey sandwich or cheese and crackers buffet tea, here are five simple ideas to create a bit of magic with all those random leftovers:

1. Turkey Stronganoff With Soured Cream

Turkey Stroganoff - Turkey leftovers recipe on Renbehan.com

This Eastern European-inspired recipe for a turkey stroganoff uses up leftover turkey (or any poultry, really) along with some red onions, mushrooms, mustard, soured cream and a few sprigs of dill.

It’s perfect for a buffet or for a quick family supper, and is in fact a firm family favourite for us all year round.

Grab the recipe

2. Polish-Style Open Turkey Sandwiches

Open Turkey Sandwiches - Turkey leftovers recipe on Renbehan.com

Far more elegant than a bog-standard butty, these open sandwiches common to both Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisine, are the perfect vehicles for turkey (or other meat) leftovers.

Simply have a good loaf of rye or sourdough to hand and plenty of garnishes, such as radishes, pickles, tomatoes, cress, dill, sliced boiled eggs and kabanos (a type of smoked Polish sausage) and bingo, you’ve got a platter of loveliness to serve up to family or friends popping in for festive drinks.

Watch the video & grab the recipe

3. Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale

Wholewheat Fettuccine recipe by Amy Chaplin on renbehan.com

This comforting supper is taken from New York-based chef Amy Chaplin’s book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. It’s perfect for any veggie guests you might be entertaining or if you’re just feeling like you’ve had enough meat!

Amy uses marinated goat’s cheese in her version, but I think any leftover creamy (or even crumbly) cheese can work well here. The recipe also calls for kale (cavolo nero) but you can happily use spinach in its place in this beautifully simple pasta dish.

Grab the recipe

4. French-Style Irish Beef Salad

Bord Bia French Beef Salad

Did you have roast beef over Christmas? Well here’s a wonderful protein-packed salad to make with the leftovers.

The tender slices of meat look stunning nestled amongst wedges of vibrant red tomatoes and yellow yolks of the boiled egg. I love the addition of lip-smacking capers, gherkins and French-style Dijon mustard dressing. All you need is a fresh baguette to serve on the side and a glass of chilled rosé.

Grab the recipe

5. Quick Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables

Risotto Stuffed Veg

This recipe was born out of a virtually empty fridge and a visit from the cleverest cook in the work – aka my mum! It really does prove that you can make something out of virtually nothing.

We simply made a quick risotto using one of those two-minute pouches of rice, some vegetable stock and a tin of tomatoes. You could add some shredded turkey in with the rice before stuffing it into some pre-baked peppers. To pretty up the plates we served ours with some tiny cubed courgettes and a really good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Grab the recipe

What do you do with YOUR leftovers? I’d love to hear about the creations you’ve been rustling up, so share your ideas below!

10 Festive Makes and Bakes

From Christmas gifts for teachers and local friends, to canapés and cocktails for all those parties, I’ve pulled together a cracker of a round-up of my absolute favourite makes and bakes for the festive season. So grab a glass of mulled wine, blast out those cheesy Christmas tunes and plan your shopping list!

Gifts

1. CHRISTMAS SPICED CRANBERRY & PLUM CHUTNEY

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

It only takes twenty minutes to make this delicious chutney, and it goes with a whole host of Christmas goodies like your Christmas day roast, cold cuts or how about a baked Camembert? Jar it up, add a pretty label and you’ll have another present ticked off your list. This recipe makes two jars, so one to give and one to keep – perfect!

Grab the recipe

2. CREAMY SEA SALTED FUDGE

Sea Salted Christmas Fudge

Another quick and easy option for gifting is a batch of indulgent creamy fudge, packaged up in smart boxes or popped into cellophane bags tied with pretty ribbon. My version is flavoured with vanilla and sea salt, which always transports me right back to British seaside holidays. Your friends and family will delighted when you hand them a little bag of these sweet treats.

This recipe is featured on JamieOliver.com.

Grab the recipe

Canapes

3. COD, CHORIZO AND PEA PUREE BITES

cod, chorizo and pea puree bites

These elegant canapés should impress your party guests this season. Combining fluffy white chunks of cod with a feisty slice of chorizo on a bed of buttery pea puree, this is a one-bite experience not to be missed!

Grab the recipe

4. MAKE AHEAD LEEK & POPPY SEED SAUSAGE ROLLS

Sausage Rolls

Once you make your own sausage rolls, there really is no going back! Gorgeous flaky pastry and top notch quality sausage meat makes for an exceedingly crowd-pleasing party canapé. Crucially, you can get them ready in advance and just bake as needed, so it’ll save you faffing about in the kitchen when you could be enjoying yourself!

Grab the recipe

Christmas Baking

5. RICE KRISPIE HOUSE

Rice Krispie House

This cute little rice krispie house is a great project for little people (and big people) and it’s a great alternative when you feel like making something, but don’t quite have the energy for full-on baking. Let’s face it, we’re all exhausted at this time of year!

Grab the recipe

6. MINCE PIE CUPCAKES

Mince Pie Cupcakes

If you’re looking for a festive twist on a batch of Christmas cupcakes, then you should check out my Mince Pie Cupcakes – made with a vanilla sponge, mincemeat and a luxurious brandy butter icing. You can decorate them with sprinkles, coloured sugar or some retro-picks.

7. WHITE CHOCOLATE MALTESER CAKE

Malteser-Cake-1-of-1-2

Or how about this simple but spectacular White Chocolate Malteser Cake? It makes a wonderful centrepiece for a party spread, and is a great swap-in for a fruit-cake if your family aren’t fans.

Find both recipes here

Cocktails

8. APEROL SPRITZ

Aperol Spritz

Let’s kick off with a round of Aperol Spritz cocktails – I think the jewel-bright orange colour of these 19050’s inspired drinks are perfect for the holiday season!

Grab the recipe

9. GIN & RHUBARB FIZZ

New Year's Eve Cocktails

What better way to get your New Year’s Eve party started than welcoming your guests with a glass of Gin & Rhubarb Fizz. It’s fruity, classy and fun – just like all the perfect party hosts should be!

Grab the recipe

10. POMEGRANATE & VANILLA VODKA

I love how achievable this recipe is! You could make this and give it as a gift, but you could quite easily keep it to share at parties this Christmas. It’s also brilliant for defrosting the grown ups when they’ve got back in from all those frosty family walks or trips around the park with the kids test-driving their new bikes and scooters!

Pomegranate Vodka

Grab the recipe

Hope some of these recipes appeal to you! Let me know if you make any by tagging them with #renbehanfood

I’ll be back soon to share a couple of festive recipes from my new You Tube channel.

Lemon & Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

A light and airy baked cheesecake, perfect with a cup of lemon tea .

1 vote

Print

Lemon, Rose and Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 8

A baked cheesecake, flavoured with lemon zest, rose, cardamom and vanilla, dotted with poppy seeds.

 

Ingredients

For the flavoured sugar:

  • 200g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp dried rose petals
  • 2 whole cardamom pods
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 whole vanilla pod, optional

For the cheesecake:

  • 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 200g flavoured sugar (as above) or use caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean extract or the seeds from one pod
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 500g curd cheese (or Polish white cheese, Twaróg)
  • 500g ricotta cheese
  • 3 tsp cornflour or potato flour
  • 25g poppy seeds

Instructions

  1. To make the flavoured sugar, mix the caster sugar with the rose petals, cardamom pods and lemon zest. Tip it out onto a tray lined with baking to allow the lemon zest to dry out. Leave for a couple of hours at room temperature and then transfer to a sealed container. You can also add a whole vanilla pod. This can be made up to a week in advance. Remove the two whole cardamom pods and vanilla pod before using.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to bake the cheesecake to 180C.
  3. Using an electric beater or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for five minutes until it is pale and creamy. Remove the cardamom and vanilla pods from the flavoured sugar and slowly add the sugar to the butter, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla bean seeds from the pod, or one teaspoon vanilla extract and beat again.
  4. Add in the egg yolks, one by one and mix until incorporated.
  5. Add the curd cheese and ricotta cheese. Beat well until smooth.
  6. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peak stage. Once stiff, using a metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the creamy cheese mixture. Stir in the cornflour or potato flour and the poppy seeds.
  7. Take a 20cm round spring-form cake tin, grease the bottom and sides and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the tin. Wrap tin foil around the outside and bottom of the tin to protect any water from seeping in when baking in a bain-marie.
  8. Take a large roasting tin and half fill it with water to create a bain-marie. Gently lower the foil wrapped tin into the water and bake for one hour. The top should be golden and the centre a little wobbly but not too much. Leave the cheesecake to cool completely before releasing it from the tin and chill in the refrigerator, preferably overnight before cutting and serving. 

Notes

Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine Polish Inspired

 

With thanks to Waitrose for this commission.

Easy Christmas Cake with Crunchy Apple Frosting

A light and easy Christmas cake, infused with crunchy apple, sultanas, dates, cinnamon and brandy. Recipe commissioned by Emily Crisps.

easy-christmas-cake-crunchy-apple_-3

Print

Easy Christmas Cake with Crunchy Apple Frosting

Ingredients

  • 150ml warm water mixed with 2 tsp honey
  • 60g Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Apple
  • 80g pitted dates, chopped into sultana-sized pieced
  • 200g raisins or sultanas
  • 1 tbsp brandy
  • 200g butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 100g light brown muscovado sugar
  • 100g dark brown muscovado sugar
  • 200g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla pod
  • 3 tsp cinnamon

Apple Crisp Frosting

  • 500g icing sugar
  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 60g Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Apple (finely blitzed to a powder)

To decorate

  • 60g Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Apple

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2. Line 2 x 9inch cake tins with baking parchment. 
  2. Boil a kettle, add 2 tsp runny honey to 150ml water. Pour over the fruit (apple crisps, sultanas and dates) with 1 tbsp brandy and leave to soak.
  3. Beat the butter with the eggs and sugars. Stir in flour and baking powder. Add the vanilla and cinnamon.
  4. Stir in the pre-soaked fruit.
  5. Pour into the cake tins, bake for 1 hour at 150C.
  6. Remove the cakes and leave to cool completely. 
  7. For the frosting, beat the butter until creamy and light in colour. Add the icing sugar and the powdered apple. 
  8. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with apple pieces and other Christmas decorations. 

easy-christmas-cake-crunchy-apple-crisps-5

For more festive treats with Emily Crisps try:

easy-christmas-cake-crunchy-apple-crisps-6

With thanks to Emily Crisps for this festive-inspired commission. #ad 

26 Seasonal Recipes – Simple and in Season December Round Up

26 Seasonal Recipes

Where did January go?!

Simple and in Season December was a feast for all the senses – beautiful colours, aromas (I’m sure) and even some interesting textures! This selection is perfect for bookmarking for next year and perhaps you’ll spot a few ideas for the cold, dark evenings of January in the UK or the brighter climes of other parts of the world.

If you are looking for the current round of Simple and in Season January, it’s being hosted by the lovely Sarah of Maison Cupcake here. The link up follows Sarah’s Cavolo nero and banana smoothie.

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Cod, Chorizo and Pea Puree Bites

It’s almost time to start thinking about Christmas food. I say almost, because traditionally, I don’t really start thinking about Christmas food until December. However, the folks at Lurpak have invited me to take part in their Lurpak Christmas Menu this year and I’ve been tasked with creating an ‘amuse bouche’ or a ‘one bite wonder’ to get the party started. Happily, most of the thinking has been done for me, by Lurpak’s Facebook fans, who have been sending in their suggestions for their ultimate festive canapés. It was hard to pick just one recipe to recreate as there was so many great suggestions, but I was drawn to an idea by Lou Sharp who said that her one bite wonder would be a “Lurpak buttery pea puree topped with a chunk of cod and finished with a slice of chorizo.” So, here is my recreation of that idea – my Cod, Chorizo and Pea Purée Bites.

cod, chorizo and pea puree bites

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10 Ways to Spice Up Your Christmas by Just Ingredients

Today I’m sharing a lovely infographic that caught my attention this week, by the lovely folks at Just Ingredients, who have focused on ten ‘festive ingredients’ and how to use them. I’m very tempted by their recipe idea for sticky plum and star anise ham, which I’d pair with a plum and star anise vodka cocktail…and I love the idea of making my own basil salt, or honeyed thyme carrots. I hope you like it as much as I do and that it inspires you to get creative with some herbs and spices in your Christmas kitchen this year.

Just-Ingredients-Christmas-Ideas

If you haven’t heard of Just Ingredients before, I’d encourage you to take a look at their site. It’s a treasure trove of superfoods, nuts, herbs and spices. They also have organic ingredients, fairtrade options, tinctures, botanical herbs, wholefoods and oils.  Their ‘Secret Ingredients’ blog is very lovely, too – I love the idea of these Crêpes with spiced pear, pecan and cranberry compote, which would make an amazing Thanksgiving dessert if you are celebrating this week.

With many thanks to Just Ingredients for creating this handy infographic and for inviting me to share it with my readers.

This post is sponsored by Just Ingredients. 

Review: Forman & Field Hamper for Two

I’m delighted to be highlighting a London-based British gourmet food supplier once again, called Forman & Field, founded by Harris Forman & Sons in 1905. The family first began producing London-cured smoked salmon, based on the same methods as those brought over by Eastern European immigrants when salmon was imported from the Baltic in barrels of brine.  The salmon smokers of the time soon switched to smoking Scottish salmon, found fresh at Billingsgate market. Since 1905, H Forman & Sons have used only the highest quality raw salmon, lightly salting it and lightly smoking it in oak smoke. Sticking to the very same method across four generations, H Forman & Sons’ smoked salmon can now be found gracing the tables at Claridges and at The Savoy. So, if you are looking for exceptional quality – away from mass produced smoked salmon or the heavier flavours of smoked Scottish salmon, I can highly recommend buying your smoked salmon from Forman & Field online.

Forman & Field

Since my family are of Polish descent, we begin our celebrations on Christmas Eve with a twelve course supper, involving plenty of smoked salmon, other smoked fish, seafood and of course, herrings.  So, essentially, I know a good bit of salmon when I taste it. I sampled the H Forman & Son Grade One Gravadlax Selection, which included Original (dill) Gravadlax, Beetroot Gravadlax and a Wasabi Gravadlax. Having once cured my own salmon with beetroot, I know that it takes quite a bit of time and effort to prepare, so I was grateful to have such high-quality Beetroot Gravadlax delivered to my door!

Forman & Field

Aside from the Gravadlax selection, the Hamper for Two I received was bursting with goodies of equally high quality. Although it is said to be for two, you could make these hamper items stretch much further, creating a very fine spread by simply adding some freshly baked bread and since it’s Christmas, a glass of British sparkling wine. Serve the Gravadlax selection with the other items in the hamper, including the Sweet Mustard and Dill Dressing, sliced Marmalade Glazed Alderton Ham, Chicken Liver and Brandy Parfait, and Marinated Goats Cheese Balls with the Traditional Cheese Biscuits. You also get a jar of Spiced Apricot Compote, which is delicious both with the parfait or with the marinated cheese. And if you have room, or a sweet tooth, you can then feast on the Forman & Field Individual Christmas Puddings, Brandy Butter and Artisan du Chocolat Truffles, endorsed by Gordon Ramsay. If the Queen herself were to pop in for Christmas, I don’t think she could honestly expect any better!

Forman & Field

The ‘romantic’ Hamper for Two is priced at £89.95. Given that it would in fact feed more than two people, or at least keep two people going for much more than one sitting, I think it represents good value for money based on the hamper being packed with British produce of the very highest quality.

The last order date for Forman & Field is 15th December 2013 – so get your requests in promptly! You can also order plenty of other festive food, including Seldom Seen turkeys, a stunning Yuletide Porchetta, and of course, plenty of sweet Christmas goodies, including British made mince pies, cakes and sauces.

Forman & Field

With many thanks to Forman & Field for sending me this very special hamper for review.

Pop back on Friday when I’ll be hosting an exclusive competition to win a romantic meal for two at the Formans London Restaurant, also established in 1905 – a real treat for the New Year.

Cupcakes & A White Chocolate Malteser Cake – Good Food Channel

There was more than a little cloud of icing sugar in my kitchen this weekend as I busily baked and decorated cakes for the school Christmas fair. Luckily, I’d already had a warm-up, creating some Christmas recipes for the Good Food Channel earlier in November, which provided me with the perfect template for the cake stall and a spot of Christmas baking.

If you’re looking for a festive twist on Christmas cupcakes, then you might enjoy my Mince Pie Cupcakes – made with a vanilla sponge, mincemeat and a luxurious brandy butter icing. You can decorate them with sprinkles, coloured sugar or some retro-picks, as seen here.

Mince Pie Cupcakes

Mince Pie Cupcakes for the Good Food Channel – {Recipe here}

A tiny bit more of a challenge, but not much, are these Profiterole Cupcakes. If you’re not quite up for a ‘Bake Off’ style choux pastry challenge – you could cheat by leaving out the choux pastry step and buying some profiteroles to go on the top. Although I have to say, even though I’ve only made choux pastry once before, it is much easier than you might think, so I’d say have a go at the whole recipe.

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

Profiterole Cupcakes for the Good Food Channel – {Recipe here}

Finally, if you are up for a spot of Christmas baking and are looking for a Christmas showstopper, this White Chocolate Malteser Cake is actually a simple sponge cake, covered in white chocolate butter cream and topped with white chocolate Maltesers, which makes an impressive centrepiece or star prize for the Christmas raffle! For a little twist, you can also spread a little raspberry jam or lemon curd in between the layers before icing. Then all you need to do is have fun eating the little Malteser balls as they roll off!

White Chocolate Malteser Cake

White Chocolate Malteser Cake for the GoodFood Channel – {Recipe here}

Happy Baking!

Have you come across any festive cupcakes yet this year worth bookmarking? Let me know in the comments box below.

More Festive Ideas –

A Nut-Free Christmas Pudding and Nut-Free Mince Pies for the Good Food Channel

Pierniczki – Polish Spiced Christmas Cookies

Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Raspberry and White Chocolate Traybake by Sarah at Maison Cupcake

Gingerbread Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting by A Spoonful of Sugar

Ren Behan is a freelance contributor to the Good Food Channel – styling, photos and recipes author’s own and reflect commissioned content. 

Wigilia – A Polish Christmas Eve

Another Christmas has come and gone…I hope you all had an enjoyable time. It’s been wonderful to relax, see family and friends and of course, enjoy plenty of good food and cheer. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas for me without starting it all off with a Polish Christmas Eve meal at home with my family. My mother spends almost the whole week preparing and cooking for Christmas Eve – traditionally known as Wigilia, or the Vigil meal – (from the Latin term vigilare meaning “to await”)

It is a meal full of symbolism, for example, we always set an extra place at the table for the unknown visitor (it’s amazing how someone always knocks at the door during the meal and this year was no exception!) we lay hay under the tablecloth to represent the manger, we eat when we see the first star and we begin our twelve course meal (representing the twelve apostles) by breaking bread or a wafer called Opłatek and exchanging good wishes.

Wigilia Christmas Eve

During this meal, no meat is eaten – all the courses are either fish or vegetarian dishes, such as Barszcz (beetroot soup) Uszka (mushroom filled dumplings) Szledzie (cured or pickled herrings alongside smoked salmon) Ryba (fish, traditionally carp, although any white fish can be eaten) Pierogi (dumplings filled with cream cheese and potato, or sauerkraut and mushrooms) and then desserts, Sernik (Polish baked cheesecake) and Makowiec (Poppy Seed Cake). Other courses could include Kompot, compote made with dried fruit, salads, stuffed cabbage parcels and noodles with poppy seeds. After the meal, Christmas carols are sung and then we usually make our way to Midnight mass, called Pasterka or “the Mass of the Shepherds.”

Pierogi Ruskie

Polish Pierogi – dumplings filled with cream cheese and potato 

I always feel incredibly lucky to be able to celebrate and mark this Polish tradition with my family. And, we are fortunate to be able to spend Christmas Eve with my Polish side of the family and Christmas Day with my husband’s side of the family – so there are never any arguments about where to spend Christmas. Christmas Day involved a sumptuous roast turkey and gammon lunch, with all the trimmings, rounded off with two Christmas puddings!

I’d love to know what your Christmas traditions are and how you celebrated…I’m guessing it won’t have involved herrings or beetroot soup…!

Find my Polish recipes at My Polish Kitchen

Mini Christmas Cakes and a Merry Christmas!

Do you make your own Christmas pudding or cakes? I have to say, it has never been part of my family tradition to make a Christmas pudding and I’m pretty sure that this is the first time I’ve made my own Christmas cakes. Our usual tradition is to make Pierniczki or Polish Spiced Christmas Cookies, to decorate and hang on the tree, which I made this year, in addition to these sweet little Mini Christmas Cakes, for good measure.

Mini Christmas Cakes

If you are super-organised and have finished your Christmas shopping, you may have set aside some time for baking over the weekend. I hope that if you make my Polish Christmas Cookies, or perhaps some Mini Christmas Cakes of your own, you’ll let me know how you get on.

Mini Christmas Cakes

These mini cakes were made in a tin, sent to me by Lakeland to try. I made them according to the Mini Christmas Cakes recipe on the Lakeland website, soaking my fruit in the Rumtopf I made earlier in the year, rather than orange juice. The recipe was extremely easy and quick to prepare. I sprayed the tin with a cake release spray, just be sure they came out easily. I’ve also made some mini cheesecakes, and the tin behaved perfectly for them, too. These mini cakes are cakey, rather than fruity, which I like.

Mini Christmas Cakes

Discloure: I received a  My Kitchen 12-Cup Mini Sandwich Tin for review along with a cake pan for a Chrismas Pud cake.  I was not required to write a positive post about any Lakeland products. The cake ribbon and decoarations were my own purchase from the local garden centre. The cake toppers are made by Birchcraft, UK. With many thanks to the team at Lakeland.

Pierniczki

Find my Pierniczki recipe here

My favourite Christmas Recipes and Posts

Time is short for everybody, but I wanted to leave you with a round-up of some of my favourite festive recipes and posts. Thank you so much to everyone who has made this blog such a pleasure to write.

Things We Make – Pierniczki – This is a post from last year, but it is so beautful that I’ve enjoyed re-visiting it again. Claire made my Polish Spiced Christmas Biscuits and they were a big family hit.

Chocolate Log Blog – Christmas Cinnamon and Honey Stars – Choclette made her version of my Pierniczki this year, and wrapped them up to sell them at the market – a Fabulicious Food! recipe market premiere!

My Custard Pie – The Ultimate Champagne Cocktail – Sally dedicates a post to the Champagne cocktail – how I would love to join her for a drink at the Burj al Arab. This post is decadent and full of fun and facts.

Food to Glow – Chocolate Chestnut Truffle Cake – Kellie shares photos and a recipe for her flourless chocolate cake, which is simply stunning.

Fuss Free Helen shares a recipe and beautiful photos for her Christmas Pudding and Spiced Orange Pavlova – a perfect use for Christmas pudding leftovers.

Lavender and Lovage – Rudolph the Red Nosed Potato – Mini Potato Dauphinoise Muffins – Karen is this month’s Simple and in Season host and has shared some lovely Christmas recipes within her Rudolph post!

Finally, I’m linking my original Polish Spiced Cookies up to Sarah at Maison Cupcakes Christmas Tree Cookie Parade!

Merry_Christmas

 

Have you left yourself with any time to bake over the weekend?!

 

The St Albans Cookbook Club #1

St Albans has a new cookbook club!

Inspired by an article written by Silvana de Soissons about The Bath Cookbook Club over at my favourite foodie publication The Foodie Bugle, I decided that St Albans needed one, too. With immediate interest from St Albans local Sheba Promod, we decided to go for it.  We put the word out via Twitter and invited some people to come along for a browse at some cookbooks, a natter and a coffee. Since The Bath Cookbook Club were meeting at the Society Cafe, we decided that our first meeting would take place at our equivalent and award-winning artisan bakery cafe, Bakehouse St Albans, right at the foot of our beautiful St Albans Cathedral and Abbey. 

St Albans Bakehouse

Bakehouse St Albans

Firstly, a word or two about Bakehouse. If you are a local and you haven’t visited yet, you really must.  Bakehouse have taken St Albans by storm. Within just a few short week of opening, the Bakehouse team scooped up thier first award of ‘Best Local Cafe 2012’ at the St Albans Food and Drink Festival. Describing themselves as ‘an artisan bakery cafe’, Bakehouse is co-owned by two local families who hold a watertight ethos – to champion local food and local people.

Nestled at the foot of the St Albans Cathedral and Abbbey in Heritage Close, Bakehouse offer freshly baked, freshly made, freshly brewed breakfasts, with healthy options as well as indulgent treats. Lunch is a very local affair, with seasonal soups, hand-cut sandwiches, salads and a selection of fresh-from-the-oven baked goodies, such as Bakehouse sausage rolls, vegetable and cheddar crumbles, casseroles and stews. They also have the very finest selection of cakes and bakes (make sure you check out the counter downstairs, too!) and have even hosted their first, hugely successful, St Albans Cake Off.    

St Albans Cookbook Club

Meeting, as we did, for the first time before Christmas, we decided to set a festive theme. There were six of us in total, and  mini cookbook groupie, Daniel. We also chatted to owners Jim,  Kirstin and Matt who were very happy to welcome us to Bakehouse. The nicest thing was that there was an international demographic to our group, so we were able to talk about lots of different festive traditions as well as decicing whether we were going to brine our turkey’s as per Nigella’s Christmas or perhaps take the more relaxed, Scandinavian Smörgåsbord approach to holiday entertaining.

Of course, the stack was dominated by the inevitable Christmas publications by Nigella, Gordon Ramsay, Mary Berry and Delia Smith, but there were some surprises, too. In particular, we were all smitten by the newly released Scandinavian Christmas by Trine Hahnemann. A sign, I hope, that perhaps we are all tiring of the bashed out, manufactured celebrity compendiums.

I was intruigued to be able to see how very similar a Scandinavian Christmas is to a Polish Christmas – Christmas baking is dominated by spiced honey cakes and cookies, fruit flavoured breads and light pastries. There is a charming chapter on making homemade Christmas gifts, such as Lingonberry compote,  jellies and Gløgg extract. We found ideas for avent and pre-Christmas celebrations, such as open salmon sandwiches, Elf cake, or Chocolate salted popcorn. You could easily host a Scandinavian-themed Christmas party and just as tradition dictates across Eastern Europe, the main event is centred around the Christmas Eve feast. We all thought that Scandinavian Christmas was an enchanting cookery book, full of simple ideas and Nordic-led festive inspiration.

Pop over to Trine Hahnemann’s website for more inspiration or follow Trine @trinehahnemann

(Own copy, Scandinavian Christmas is published by Quadrille Publishing Ltd, RRP £16.99)   

St Albans Cookbook Club

I also brought along a copy of LEON Family & Friends to review as I’d noticed a section at the very back called Christmas and Boxing Day. This is the fourth book in the LEON series, tied into the ‘healthy’ fast food chain of LEON restaurants. Like the preceeding LEON books, this fourth compendium is co-written, but this time by Kay Plunkett-Hogge and John Vincent. There is also a very strong emphasis on a collaborative approach to cookbook writing, with a large proportion of the recipes contributed by family, friends, staff, chefs and fans of the LEON brand.

Kay writes that Christmasses in Bangkok, where she grew up, were hot, though they would still alwyas have turkey with all the trimmings. Her advice is to take the approach that you are really just making a ‘bumper-big Sunday lunch.’ Enticing recipes in the Christmas chapter included Herby sausage and apple stuffing, Spiced red cabbage with dates, Bryn Williams’s bread sauce, a Spiced cranberry and apple crumble or a Steamed spiced marmalade pudding.

If you are looking for a Boxing Day curry treat, flick to page 204 for Mamta Gupta’s ‘Mum’s Chicken Curry’ – a contribution by friend and fellow blogger Kavita’s mum, from Kavey Eats. I think Mamta’s flavourful Murg Korma recipe would be perfect for a bit of leftover turkey.

(Review copy, LEON Family & Friends is published by Conran Octopus, RRP £25.00 – find the LEON team on Facebook)

Our American contingency Heidi and Jessica talked about their own Thanksgiving traditions and we picked out a great alternative to making a large Pumpkin Pie, which happened to be Gordon Ramsay’s small but perfectly formed Pumpkin Tarlets with Sage and Thyme.

My friend Monika and I were able to talk about our own Polish Christmas traditions and one of the books I had brought along, Feasts by Silvena Rowe, featuring Eastern European food though not exclusively Polish, provided us with examples of the type of Pierogi or dumplings that we would traditonally eat as part of a twelve course meal on Christmas Eve.

Sheba, Indian supperclub host and cookery teacher, gave us a quick verbal masterclass in making ghee and told us about her families Keralan-Christian influenced Christmas meals. Whilst vegetarian blogger Clare mentioned that she was making Nigella’s Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese Lasagne for her clan. So, as well as talking about our own cookery traditions, we were able to flick through some of our books for inspiration.

St Albans Cookbook Club

Things at Bakehouse were just hotting up as we were leaving. We’d sampled their wonderful Monmouth coffee, munched our way through a selection of morning goods and were extremely tempted to stay for a lazy lunch as a selection of seasonal salads, savoury sausage rolls and smells of fresh-from-the-oven artisan rolls and breads were set out. We’ll certainly be back for more!

Bakehouse St Albans

 

Details of  the next St Albans Cookbook Club

Date of the next meeting: Wednesday 16th January 2013

Time: 10 am – 12pm  onwards

Place: Bakehouse St Albans {on Twitter: @BakehouseStA}

Bring: Yourself and any cookery books you’d like to talk about

For more information Tweet @RenBehan or @AbsoluteIndianC (Sheba) or leave a comment here 

You don’t have to be a blogger! Everyone is welcome.

We’re also planning on an evening meeting and a meet at one of our houses with each of us bringing a recipe we’ve cooked from our favourite book.

St Albans Cookbook Club 

Which cookbooks have made your Christmas list this year? Are there any you turn to regularly at Christmas?   

 

Keep or Give: Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas…and it snowed today! A snowy day calls for staying home, keeping warm and making a big pan of Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney. It is so easy to make (less than twenty minutes and it’s done) and it goes with a whole host of Christmas goodies – your Christmas day roast, cold cuts, a baked Camembert or brie…which is what we’re having tonight with a warm baguette and a glass of red wine. Or, if you are getting ahead and are gift making, you can jar it up, add a pretty label and you’ll have another present ticked off your list. Keep or Give? Luckily this recipe makes two jars!

Spiced Plum Chutney

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Print

Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Prep

Cook

Total

Ingredients

  • 300g/three cups fresh cranberries
  • 3-4 fresh plums, stones removed, chopped
  • 175g/one cup demerera sugar
  • Grated zest of 2 clementines
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger or half a teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2-3 tbsp brandy, cherry brandy or port

Instructions

  1. Take a large, wide sauce pan and add your cranberries, plums, demerera sugar, spices, red wine vinegar and brandy or port.
  2. Stir together well, bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir every now and again and make sure it doesn't stick or burn.
  3. In the meantime, sterilize your jars by putting them through a dishwasher cycle or by washing them in warm soapy water, rinsing well and placing them in an oven at gas mark 4, 350°F, 180°C, for 5 minutes.
  4. Leave to cool slightly and then carefully take out the two whole cinnamon sticks and spoon your chutney into jars.
  5. Cover with waxed discs, seal with the lids and label.

Notes

This makes 2 x jam jars of chutney. Once opened store the chutney in the fridge. The chutney will keep for up to six months.

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Tonight, I’m taking part in week 3 of the Booths Cheers Challenge. For the past few weeks, at 7pm, we’ve all been cracking open our bottles and sharing our best tips as well as our wine and beer matches. Today, a bottle of Croft Finest Reserve Port arrived – a little of which went into my chutney, the rest is stashed for Christmas tipples. We also received a very special bottle of Chateau Lagarde Bellevue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2009. I’ll be trying this with my baked Camembert and Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney. Follow the #BoothsCheers and join me!

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Although the cranberries are not in season in the UK, they are in season in America! The plums and clementines were from my fruit bowl, so I’m linking this post up to the super-seasonal Karen who is hosting December’s Simple and in Season at Lavender and Lovage. I promise you November’s round up very soon!

I’m also linking up to December’s festive One Ingredient Challenge hosted by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen which is ginger – I used ginger spice – hope that counts. You could use half a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger in place of the ground!

Ginger

And one more, also linking up one of my photos to the No Croutons Required Christmas special! Thanks Jac.

With many thanks to Booths Country for hosting the #BoothsCheers challenges and for their 12 Days of Christmas parcels

You could also make as gifts –

Rumtopf of Rum Pot with Seasonal Fruit

Pomegranate and Vanilla Vodka

Polish Spiced Christmas Cookies

Have you had any snow this week?