​Maggie’s Dutch Ginger Cake

I had planned to make a swag of these to give as Christmas gifts but I have had to ration time standing (and sitting at the computer too). Jolly foot - grrr! However I did make one batch which we are not so slowly, but surely, devouring. It's delish and very short with a wonderful explosion of tang in your mouth when you bite into a piece of ginger.

Ingredients
1 & 3/4 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
140g preserved ginger, coursely chopped
1 egg (reserve a teaspoon for the glaze)
185g butter
2/3 cup castor sugar
60g whole blanched almonds

Method
Sift flour and salt, add sugar and chopped ginger.
Mix in beaten egg, reserving 1 teaspoon for glazing.
Melt butter over gentle heat, allow to cool slightly and then add to flour mixture. Mix well, using your hands to pull it together.
Press mixture into greased 22cm round tin or into a few smaller tins (lined the bottom for ease of removing). Brush top with egg glaze. Arrange almonds on top.
Bake in moderate oven (180C fan forced) for 30 to 35 mins or until cake is cooked – golden colour and firm to touch BUT not too firm. Like all short recipes it tend to firm up as it cools.
Allow to cool in tin.

Chook's note: I baked this quantity in 13cm tins, it made 3. Wrap in cellophane, tie with ribbon and a sprig of holly or the like.
Next batch I might try something a little different for a slightly novel aromatic punch. I'll add a couple of Tbsp of fresh rosemary leaves and a little lemon zest to the mix and then sprinkle with a little of the rosemary and salt flakes on top.

​Mini Christmas puds

These have been decorated with mint leaves cut in half and a jaffa.  Be creative!

There are numerous versions of these sweet morsels.  Just perfect to have with a cuppa.
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate, chopped
700g fruit cake
1/3 cup orange juice (could substitute some of this with brandy or rum)
1/2 cup icing sugar mixture, sifted
250g white chocolate melts
Assorted coloured mini jellies or silver balls

Method
Place dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Or melt in microwave.
Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add dark chocolate, 'orange juice' and sugar. Stir to combine. Cover. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm enough to handle.
Roll level tablespoons of cake mixture into balls. Place on baking trays lined with baking paper, flattening bases slightly so they sit on trays. Refrigerate until firm.
Melt white chocolate and drizzle over puddings to form 'custard'. Decorate a few at a time (before the chocolate melts) with 'holly' - jelly beans, cut pieces of jelly snake, spearmint leaves, cherries or simply silver balls.

​Panforte 

This version has pistachios and hazelnuts - it is not the recipe below but has the essentials 

Since I found a recipe for Panforte in a Saturday supplement in the Age ~20 years ago, I make Panforte most years. There was an error in the original ingredients list: it asked for 1/4 cup each of cocoa and nutmeg. Against my better judgement I followed the recipe and it was awful as you would have guessed.  I rang the chef to query it.  He was most apologetic.
The take home message: if things don't look right, use your own judgement.  Always cook according to your own taste and if in doubt compare a few recipes and take a middle line.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups toasted almonds coarsely chopped
¾ cup finely chopped candied citrus peel
½ cup plain flour
¼ cup cocoa
½ tsp each of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
A pinch of cloves and coriander
1/3 cup runny honey
½ cup sugar

Method
Mix together nuts and peel.
Sift flour flour, cocoa, and spices and mix through nut mixture.
Heat honey and sugar over low heat till sugar dissolves and then bring to the boil.  Boil until it reaches soft boil stage (remember you are NOT making toffee so better to be less cooked than over cooked!).
Pour over nut, fruit mixture and working quickly incorporate all the ingredients.
Turn into a greased lined 20 cm pan and press down firmly.
Bake in a cool oven  ~150C for 30-35 mins  Cool then turn out and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Cut into wedges and wrap in foil of cellophane.

Chook's notes: use edible rice paper to line pan for ease of handling after baking. I use 3 or 4 small pans if I am making this as gifts.
My son has added ginger and hazelnuts and figs to make a delicious version. The ingredients and spices are up to you. 

​The deliciousness of Christmas 

It's almost here - eeek! But don’t panic. Remember Christmas should be a time of joy and sharing. Feel blessed if you are so loved that you are crazy busy - the alternative is not a happy place to be.
Whether you are doing the whole thing at home or not, make sure you have loads of yummy things on hand. I love the family traditions - particularly the food ones! They are the wonderful glue that helps make families stick, but make sure you stay malleable as your families grow and become more and more diverse. Avoid the feeling of 'have to' it's an insidious mood dampener. So .....
Here are a few recipes from my kitchen to yours either for the table, to use as gifts or both. (See postings last month for food gift ideas.)

• Mini Christmas puds
• Panforte
• Rich and fruity Crissy cake

See recipes under separate posts.
Seasons greetings. And I wish you all joie de vivre!

​Veggie cheese muffins

A heart-safe recipe, tweaked by the Chook to personal taste! Perfect breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Ingredients
4 spring onions sliced/ diced (or similar quantity of leeks or onions whatever you have)
1 capsicum diced (not too small)
2 mushrooms diced (not too small)
1/2 cup of olive oil plus Tbsp softened butter
2 eggs
1tsp minced garlic
2-3 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 cup grated cheese - I use tasty cheese but use your favourite (use fat-reduced IF you feel compelled)
1/2 cup light milk
1 cup wholemeal SR flour plus 2/3 cup white SR flour
Big pinch salt
This quanity makes 12

Method
Preheat over 200C and grease muffin pans.
Combine veggies then add oil and butter, eggs, sauce, garlic and half the cheese.
Stir in the milk then flour to combine.
Spoon into muffin pans and top with remaining cheese.
Bake until risen and golden brown (15-20mins)
Allow to stand 5 mins then place of cake cooler. Serve - with butter of course if you're like us!

Chook's note: You could use wholemeal Spelt flour for deeper taste and add oat bran for extra health! The mix of veggies is a matter of personal taste but avoid veggies that break down to mush like tomatoes and zucchini.  Potato and/or corn would work too but keep the essentials - cheese and onion.  

Quince Almond cake

 

Ingredients

250g butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

3 eggs

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 cup flaked almonds

3/4 cup milk

2 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted

Icing sugar, to serve

Poached quinces

2 large quinces, peeled, quartered, cored (see Note)

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cinnamon quill 

Method

Poach the quinces: 

Place 3 cups (750ml) water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon and quince. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until slightly pink and tender. Set aside to cool. Slice quinces.

Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan forced. Grease base and sides of a 22cm spring form pan (or a nest of smaller pans*) and line with baking paper.

Beat butter, sugar and lemon rind in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time then stir in almond meal and flaked almonds. Stir in milk and flour. 

Spoon 2/3 of batter into prepared pan/s. Top with half of the quinces and spoon in the remaining batter. Top with remaining quince. 

Bake for 1hr 20 mins or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 mins before turning out.

Serve cake warm or at room temperature sprinkled with icing sugar

Chook's note:  the quinces I used for my first batch came from making quince and rosemary jelly. I simply reserved the fruit and froze it until I was ready to use them.  It tasted perfectly fine.
When cooking the quinces, I prefer cassia to cinnamon as for me it has a darker richer flavour. Its a matter of choice. You could even use Allspice berries or no spices at all - let the quinces tel their own story.
as for choice of pans. I prefer to make a few smaller cakes rather than one large cake. They freeze well and are less tempting!
As for serving. Fine with icing sugar as the flavours really reach out but a big dollop of plain yogurt and wee drizzle of honey works beautifully too.