Christmas goodiesDecember 10, 2002 I had an email from my sister the other day telling me how industrious she had been in her kitchen, preparing for the forthcoming Christmas festivities. Alas, I had no similar tale to tell her so I decided it was time to get motivated. As I write, the Christmas pudding is simmering away on the hob. I have discovered my pasta pot is ideal for the exercise. I just popped the pudding basin in the basket and lowered it into the pot. Perfect fit. Yesterday I was out at a food wholesalers looking for a little bit of inspiration and I found some very nice bags of pecans begging to come home to my place. They have now been spiced and roasted and are crisp and delicious - and hidden away from kitchen marauders. Spiced Pecans
Place the pecans in a bowl and pour over the egg white. Turn the nuts over and over to ensure they are all covered in egg white. Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the nuts, stirring well to coat. Place some baking paper in a roasting dish or lipped cookie sheet and bake at 150C for 30-40 minutes, turning the nuts over three or four times during cooking. Remove from the oven, cool and store in an airtight container.
I HAD QUITE a bit of dried fruit left over from the pudding so I decided to make some Christmas mincemeat. Mincemeat for Yuletide pies has undergone a few changes over the years. Once upon a time it actually did contain meat. I have an 1869 edition of Mrs Beeton's book of Household Management and here is her recipe: Mrs Beeton's Mincemeat 2lbs raisins Stone and cut the raisins once or twice across, but do not chop them; wash, dry and pick the currants free from stalks and grit, and mince the beef and suet, taking care the latter is chopped very fine; slice the citron and candied peel, grate the nutmeg, and pare, core and mince the apples; mince the lemon peel, strain the juice and when all the ingredients are thus prepared, mix them well together, adding the brandy when the other things are well blended; press the whole into a jar, carefully exclude the air, and the mincemeat will be ready for use in a fortnight.
A CENTURY earlier Hannah Glasse in The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy advised "how to make Mince Pies the best Way.‚" Her recipe was similar to Mrs Beeton's but omitted the meat in the early preparation stages. It included "half a hundred of fine Pippins‚" and, in addition to half a pint of brandy, also had a similar amount of Sack - these days we would substitute a sherry for Sack. Mrs Glasse recommended putting the mincemeat "down close in a stonepot and it will keep good four months.‚" When it came to making her mince pies "the best way‚" she recommended taking a little dish, "something bigger than a soup plate‚" and lining it "with a thin crust all over it. "Lay a thin layer of meat, and then a thin layer of citron cut very thin, then a layer of mincemeat, and a thin layer of orange peel cut thin, over than a little meat, squeeze half the juice of a Seville orange or lemon and pour in three spoonfuls of red wine; lay on your crust and bake it nicely. "These pies,‚" enthused Mrs Glasse "eat finely cold.‚" For the meat component, she suggested taking a parboiled neat's tongue (ox tongue), peeling it and chopping the meat as finely as possible, or two pounds of the inside of a sirloin of beef. Fast forward to the present day. The meat has vanished completely. Even the suet has been discarded by many cooks. The food processor has made short work of the chopping and mincing. Here is mincemeat 2002 style.
130g sultanas Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until chopped into a chunky consistency. Store in an airtight jar until required.
|
3
cups pecan nuts 
Christmas
Mince
Email | ©2008 Churchill Communications