Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
I am here today with a delicious cookie that will be a fabulous addition to your Christmas baking list. These Gingerbread Biscotti would not only be great on your cookie trays, but perfect for cookie exchanges.
They also make for a wonderful gift in a basket, with some nice coffee mugs, hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, etc. all tied up with a bow!
Biscotti are one of my favourite cookies for baking! They are as simple as making up a dough, shaping it into logs and then baking the logs.
Once the logs are baked (see above) you cut them crosswise into sices and bake again . . . the second baking gives them that characteristic crunch that we all love. Perfect for dunking!
I wish they had smell-aputer! Because the smell of these baking will rock your world to heaven and back again!
Seriously, they smell fabulous, when baking and afterwards!
I wish I could bottle the fragrance up and sell it. I'd be a millionaire I am sure. Pure heavenly bliss!
Just you wait and see. These smell like Christmas, pure and simple!
Crisp and gingerbready with a bit of a snap, these are great on their own with just the icing sugar dust gilding the top . . . but . . .
With just a tiny bit more effort you can have a glorious drizzle icing that looks like icicles gilding the top. I sprinkled on some white non pareils as well, for an additional snowy effect! Very pretty!
These smell heavenly when they are baking. Oh boy. Delicious and crisp and everything a good biscotti should be!
Preheat the oven to 180*C350*F/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and black pepper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and brown sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and molasses. Stir in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough, mixing all together well.
Using lightly floured hands divide the dough into halves and shape each half into a 12 inches by 2 inches log on each baking sheet. Dust generously with icing sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove from the baking sheets to a cutting board and cut across into 3/4 inch slices. Place the slices, cut side down, onto the baking sheets and bake for a further 10 minutes or so until crisp. Cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They can also be frozen for about a month.
Optional: Glaze and decorate with a simple white icing glaze and some white non-pareils. Simply whisk together 260g icing sugar (2 cups) with a few drops vanilla and just enough milk to give you a smooth drizzle. Dip the upper edges into the icing and then into the non-pareils. Let sit until the icing has set and dried completely before storing.
I am going to have to bake another batch because the first batch I made is gone, gone, gone. These are that good, and we are that naughty! Happy holidays and Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
With really careful planning you can get a lot of milage out of a
simple beef roast. For instance the brisket that I cooked the other day
as a pot roast, has also yielded us two more meals.
One in the shape
of a delicious hash the second in this festively fun
Frosty Cottage Pie today! So while we may sometimes cringe at the cost of such a large piece of meat, in the long run it can be quite ecoomical!
For these I used a brisket roast which I cooked in the slow cooker as a pot roast on the first day. Careful use of an already cheaper cut of meat makes it even more of a
bargain.
And what a fun way to use it up! I guarantee
nobody will be turning their noses up at these leftovers!
I have used pepper corns, roasted red pepper slices and frozen peas to dress up my "Frosty's!" You will want to warn your children and husband or partner to remove the peppercorns prior to eating.
You don't want them to eat something which they may find a bit too spicy. But what a
delightful presentation for what is essentially leftovers.
I have photographed it prior to baking so you can see it at it's cutest, the peas do darken a bit upon baking, but it remains totally whimiscal and delightfully pleasing no matter the colour of the peas. You can add a dusting of cheese on top if you wish as well.
If you are not into
snowmen, you can just pile the mashed potatoes on top and dust them with
cheese prior to baking, but why not be a bit frivolous and take the
extra time to make the snowmen, especially during this festive season!
*Frosty Cottage Pie*
Serves 4
Serves 4
This recipe is just a bit of fun I came up with to use up the rest of my leftover roast from the other day. It's deliciously festive!
3 cups chopped leftover roast beef (450g)
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS butter3 TBS plain flour
1 1/2 cups of beef stock (360ml)
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 TBS tomato catsup
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chopped leftover vegetables (or frozen if you have none leftover) (300g)
3 to 4 cups of leftover or fresh mashed potatoes (500g - 650g)
(If you are using leftover mash, use a couple of Tablespoons of sour cream
or milk to slacken the mixture a bit)
To decorate:
whole peppercorns
roasted pepper strips
thawed frozen peas
Heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Butter a round casserole dish. Set aside.
Heat
the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring
frequently over medium heat to soften without colouring. Stir in the
garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the butter and allow it to
melt, then stir in the plain flour. Cook for a further minute. Add the
beef stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to
the boil and thickens somewhat. If it is too thick you may add a bit
more stock. (Alternately, if you have leftover beef gravy, you may use
that instead but you will need about 1 1/2 cups of it.) Whisk in the
Worcestershire Sauce, thyme and catsup. Stir in the lefover meat and
vegetables. Heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Pour this mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
Using
an ice cream scoop, scoop out the mashed potatoes into circles in the
shape of a snowman on top of the hot meat mixture. I used a regular
sized ice cream scoop for the bottoms and a slightly smaller one for the
tops. It helps if you spray it with some non stick cooking spray
first. Use peppercorns to create eyes, pepper strips to make scarves
and peas for the buttons.
Bake in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until well heated and bubbly. Serve hot.
Note - If you don't have any leftover cooked roast beef, you can use
minced beef in it's place in equal quantities, browning it in a skillet
before you add the onions. Brown the beef, add the onions and continue
as per recipe from there on.
Happy Holidays!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I think one of my favourite things about any holiday meal has to be the stuffing, or dressing as it is sometimes also called! The two terms seem to be used interchangeably, although arguably stuffing would denote something which has been stuffed into something else, and dressing . . . well, dressing usually makes me think of salads and something tasty that you pour over top of them!
My mother always made the best stuffing. She used plenty of sage and poultry seasoning. She also used raw onion, rather than cooking the onion. Stale bread, salt and pepper and mashed potato made up the rest, with perhaps a small amount of the turkey juices.
It was a bit unconventional for sure, but we always thought it was the best and there is not a one of us in my family today that wouldn't kill to have my mother make it again for us. Somehow whenever I try to make hers, mine never ever tastes as good as the memory of hers does in my mind!
This is very similar, but it is my own version and it is also very, very good. I cook my onion first as some people find the sharpness of raw onion quite unpalatable. You can either stuff it (completely cooled) into the bird, or you can bake a casserole dish of it along side of the bird. Either way, you are in for a real treat!
225g fresh soft white bread crumbs (8 slices, 1/2 pound)
salt and black pepper to taste
Place the chopped onion into a saucepan. Cover with the water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer over low heat for
15 minutes. Drain very well. Stir in the butter and the remaining
ingredients, tossing to combine and seasoning to taste. Allow to cool
completely if you are using it to stuff a bird. If you are cooking it
separately. Place into a buttered dish. Dot butter over the top.
Cover and bake in a 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4 oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes to crisp up the top if
desired.
Note - One potato mashed can be stirred into the bread crumbs along with the onion and then you have Bread, Sage & Onion Stuffing. This is as my mother always made it.
What would a leftover turkey sandwich be without a layer of stuffing to give it some extra flavour! Not half of what it should and could be I wager! Bon Appetit!
One thing I love most about this time of year and the holidays is the abundance of root vegetables, which are at their freshest and finest. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, celeriac, parsnips, rutabaga, etc. I am a root vegetable lover.
This simple and easy bake makes good use of a variety of root vegetables. It makes a wonderful holiday side dish as well. It is colourful and delicious!
You simply peel and thinly slice your vegetables and then blanch them for a few minutes in some lightly salted boiling water. I like to slice my vegetables by hand, but you can use a food processor or a mandoline if you want to.
I really don't mind slicing them by hand. It is the type of mindless chore that I enjoy. I just peel and then slice them thinly, practicing mindfulness . . . I am usually in another world entirely. I find it quite relaxing.
Once you have sliced and blanched them, they are simply layered in a shallow baking dish (s) with some good olive oil, seasoning and chopped parsley. Make sure you save some of the blanching water to pour over them in the dish . . . just enough to cover the bottom layer. If you forget to do that you could use a good vegetable stock.
Once they are layered in the dish(s) you simply cover the dish loosely with two layers of buttered baking parchment and pop them into the oven and bake. One half hour covered, and one half hour uncovered.
At the end of that time they will be tender and golden and soooooo tasty! Perfect for enjoying as a delicious side dish for all of your holiday meals, be it turkey, or ham, or beef, or pork . . . I dare say that this goes well with anything, even fish.
Its simple, and healthy and very adaptable also. I have used sweet and white potatoes today, along with some celeriac (celery root) and parsnips, but you can use carrots, swede (rutabaga), onions, or any other root vegetable which you enjoy, in any combination. This is delicious!
*Root Vegetable Tian*
Serves 12
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.
Begin layering the vegetables in the baking dishes. Making about 3 layers and sprinkling each layer with some salt and black pepper, some parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Pour enough of the cooking liqeuer into the bottom of each baking dish, just to cover the bottom layer of vegetables. Cut out two pieces of baking parchment large enough to cover each casserole. (4 pieces of paper) Oil them lightly and then place two on top of each baking dish loosely.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the baking parchmet and bake for a further 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden. Garnish with more parsley to serve
Colourful, healthy, easy to make and delicious! What more could a person ask for? Bon Appetit!
I really love carrots. I think they are one of my favourite vegetables. I know . . . I say that about everything. I guess I am just a foodie through and through. I really do like carrots however. Did you know that carrots with blunt rounded ends tend to be sweeter than pointed ones? An old lady at a farmers market in Alliston, Ontario told me this once, many moons ago. I don't know if it is true or not, but I've been buying blunt ended carrots ever since, and I could swear that they really are sweeter. Like as not, it has something to do with the variety of carrot more than anything else.
This recipe today is a particularly delicious way of preparing this lovely vegetable. You do have to julienne them however, but that is really not such difficult thing to do. To julienne carrots you cut them into 3 inch lengths, trim one side off so that the carrot lies flat, and then cut them into thin slices lengthwise. You then stack the slices and cut the slices into match sticks.
You can buy julienner, but I find they make too thin a strips. I prefer to do it by hand. When I was in Culinary school I was told I had great knife skills. I dunno about that. I have never minded this type of thing however. It is a type of mindless activity that has never bothered me. You could also use a mandoline cutter. The longest part of this recipe is the cutting of the carrots. Once you have that done, the rest of it goes together rather quickly.
The juilenned carrots are cooked first in some butter for a few minutes. You then add some chicken stock, honey and dill, cover and cook them for a few minutes longer, until they are lightly glazed and crispy tender.
Dillweed and carrots have a special affinity to one another. They are beautiful taste partners . . .
Its just a tiny touch of honey, but it really enhances the natural sweetness of of this beautiful vegetable. If you are not fond of the flavour of dillweed, then you could use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Nutmeg also goes very well with carrots.
Altogether, this is a simple recipe with elegant results. I think you are going to love these. For a special occasion, a holiday meal, or even for those occasions when you just want to serve a vegetable that is a tiny bit more than ordinary.
*Dilled Carrots*
Serves 4
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, stirring well to coat. Saute, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add the dill, stock and honey. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the carrots are nice and tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Delicious!
I know Thanksgiving is coming up this next weekend in Canada. These would make a brilliant addition to the Thanksgiving table! Bon appetit!
I am a HUGE fan of potato salad, especially this time of year! Its so perfect for the summer and for all those get-togethers we plan during these warmer months. It makes the perfect carry along and picnic dish. I confess . . . I have even been known to eat it for breakfast!
I am also always looking for something different to do as far as salads go. I have a motto, and it is this . . . "There is no such thing as a boring salad!"
This salad is so far from boring that it is sure to become a family favourite, with two types of potatoes . . . white and sweet . . . and the surprise ingredient . . . a tiny bit of butternut squash!
Add to that a punchy cider vinegar dressing with onion and zesty dry mustard along with the flavour and crunch of celery seed. (I love celery seeds!)
Butternut Squash isn't the only surprise however . . . there are also dried cranberries and chopped toasted walnuts . . . the cranberries adding a jewel-like touch and the nuts a lovely crunch!
With plenty of chopped parsley, this is a fabulous salad that will have everyone scrambling for seconds. Perfect with your grilled chicken and pork dishes, as well as salmon, this is sure to become everyone's favourite. I guarantee you will be asked to bring it along to your next cookout!
*Two Potato Salad*
Serves 6 to 8
An unusual potato salad that is totally delicious. Colourful too!
You will need:
1/2 pound small sweet potatoes
1 1/2 pounds red skinned potatoes
1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
For the dressing:
50g caster sugar (1/2 cup superfine sugar)
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS grated onion
80ml cider vinegar (1/3 cup)
220ml rapeseed oil (1 cup canola oil)
1 TBS celery seed
You will also need:
a handful of chopped fresh parsley (about 1/4 cup)
a handful of dried cranberries (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 small red onion, peeled and chopped
a handful of chopped toasted walnuts (about 1/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Scrub the sweet
potatoes really well with a brush, dry and prick with a fork. Bake in
the oven for about 30 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a
fork. Alternately you can bake in the microwave on high for 6 to 8
minutes, taking care not to overcook them. Allow to cool completely.
Peel and dice.
Boil the regular potatoes in a pot of
boiling water to cover for about 20 to 25 minutes, until just tender.
Drain well and set aside to cool. Peel and dice.
To make the dressing whisk the sugar, mustard
powder, salt and grated onion together with 1/2 of the vinegar to
dissolve the sugar. Add the remaining vinegar, oil and celery seed.
Shake together well to combine.
I am koo koo for dried cranberries and nuts in anything, but I have to tell you they are quite simply beautiful in this delicious potato salad. Somewhat reminiscent of a harvest type of salad that you might want to eat closer to the holidays, but don't wait til then. Make and eat this now! Heck, make and eat this all year round! Bon Appetit!
Happy Fourth of July to all my American readers and friends!
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