Today was a really busy day. I made the filling for my Christmas Tortiere, and the pastry, filled and baked them. I did my cabbage rolls as well (more on them at a later date), tidied the house for Christmas, made sure all the laundry was done, hung and drying in the spare room, and I am E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D! Whew! I need a break and what better way to enjoy a breakd than sitting down to a tasty slice of cake!
It uses a quantity of mincemeat . . . I use homemade, but you might want could use store brand if you wanted to. I like my homemade because it is filled with lovely bits of apricot and prunes . . . I love a cake with apricots and prunes in it don't you?
This is the type of cake our grandmother's would have baked. Over here it might have been served in late afternoon for tea, with some bread and butter, maybe some jam, and steaming hot cups of tea! I can just picture it now.
Everyone sitting around the table munching away and chattering about the day they have just had. This is one of those cakes that just gets better with each day that passes. I dare say it would even be quite tasty thinly sliced and buttered . . .
Its a great way to use up the last of that mincemeat languishing away in the back of the refrigerator if you will . . . but if you are like me, you always keep a jar or two of mincemat in the cupboard because its not just for Christmas you know . . .
Buttery, dense and deliciously moist, stogged full of bits of fruit and lightly spiced, this cake pleases on many levels!
When I sat down with this I felt a bit like Goldilocks when she sat down in the last chair and uttered with a smile . . . this is JUST right!
*Quick Fruited Tea Cake*
Makes 1 9-inch round cake
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and line a 9 inch round cake tin with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the mincemeat. Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time, until all are combined. Sift together the flour and spices. Fold this mixture thoroughly into the creamed mixture. It will be fairly thick. Spread into the prepared cake tin.
Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back lightly. It might even be slightly cracked on top, and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Let sit in the cake tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Break out the tea pot!
I know you probably have about a bazillion other things you are baking at the moment, but do make note of this for future reference. It is a cake you will not want to miss out on! Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!
With all the Christmas preparations quick and easy suppers have been the order of the day here in my kitchen. The other night we had egg and chips (yes again) and last night we had this lovely Chicken Fajita Pasta, which was not only really quickly put together, but quite, quite delicious!
It goes together really quickly and is easily adaptable for only two people. I cut it in half last night and it worked very well!
It embodies all the flavour of delicious Chicken Fajitas! Oh, I do so love Fajitas! When we lived in London, Ontario, every now and then we would treat ourselves to a meal out at Chi Chi's. I always had trouble choosing between the Fajitas and the Chimichungas!
They Fajitas would come to the table sizzling in a hot black iron skillet with plenty of warm soft tortillas to wrap around that lovely filling, and of course the usual accompaniments. This was back in my drinking days so we would also have the added treat of a margarita and if we were still hungry (and lets face it I had a much larger appetite in my younger years) a scoop of fried ice cream for dessert!
I could never eat that much now. I made only half of this recipe and there were leftovers that I am going to enjoy for lunch today! And, I am betting they will taste even better for having stood over night.
I like to make my own Fajita seasoning. First of all, its not that difficult to make, secondly I always have the things in the house to make it, and thirdly, I know what is in it. There are no chemicals or preservatives. But by all means, after that . . . if you still want to, you can feel free to use a mix.
I always have things like peppers and onions in the house, and chicken breasts individually frozen in the freezer. It doesn't take any time to thaw out the chicken in the microave and slice it up, and the peppers and onions don't take much work slicing either!
I use whole wheat pasta because it is more GI friendly, and a bit healthier. I personally like it better than plain pasta, but feel free to use the equivalent in regular spaghetti noodles if you want.
This cooks in a flash and is oh so tasty! I used a mix of orange and white cheddars so sprinkle on top for added colour and interest.
I suppose you could add some garnishes if you wanted to . . . perhaps a spoon of sour cream or some guacamole, maybe some salsa . . . but to my mind, this was perfect just as it was.
The pasta hater was not totally thrilled of course, but he hate ate it, lol. He didn't complain too much. He is always saying how lucky he is to have married such a good cook.
Lets face it, I do spoil him more often than not, so the disappointment of having a pasta dish every now and then, (which pleases me to no end) is worth it in the long run. He win's more than he loses!
*Chicken Fajita Pasta Skillet*
Serves 4
Mix all of the Fajita seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. Put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil for the spaghetti.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the fajita seasoning mix and add the water, Stir well together. Add the peppers and onions, and cook until they begin to soften.
In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in the boiling salted water, according to the package directions, just until al dente. Once cooked, drain the spaghetti, reserving a bit of the pasta water. Stir the cooked pasta into the chicken mixture, along with about 2 TBS or so of the cooking water, or as needed to keep it from being too thick. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover and let stand to melt the cheese. Serve hot.
Only 3 days to go! I still have my feather squares to make, shortbreads, my meat pies (tortiere) and some more mince pies and of course a few other odds and sodds! We are having a turkey breast this year with all the fixings, but we have both decided we are having mashed potatoes instead of roasties. Because, to be honest, we like mash better than roasties, and . . . with nobody else around to please, why not please ourselves first! Bon Appetit!
PS - this is also a great way to make a little bit of chicken stretch a really long way!
I have really been enjoying these past few days without a car. Its has really clipped our wings and helped us to slow down a lot and really get tucked into what is really important about the Holidays. Home and family, the people you love and care about . . . good food . . . the Christ Child. Taking all the rush and hubbub out of these days has really helped us to feel a lot more festive. Today I really got into the mood and baked Todd some mince pies. He adores Mince Pies. You probably remember me making my mincemeat earlier this month. This is what I used. This was a test run for the ones I will bake on Christmas Eve. Do you do test runs for the holidays?? I think everyone does.
I was keen to try a new pastry recipe which I had found in this Marks & Spencer Christmas cookbook. It looked really nice and, as you know, I am always keen to try something new!
It is a really simple recipe which involves rubbing butter into flour and stirring in some icing sugar, an egg yolk and a bit of milk. I did add a pinch of salt. It rolled out like a dream and I had those tins lined and ready to fill in a nano-second. Well, maybe a bit longer, but you get the gist . . .
One thing I have learnt through the years is not to be overly generous with the mincemeat when making my mince pies . . . not unless I want mince pies that won't loosen from the tin. This is definitely an occasion when less is more. I couldn't find my star cutter this morning and so I used a small snowflake cutter instead. (I will add just a touch more mincemeat when I bake my final batch. This lot of mince meat I made doesn't spread like the store brands do. Its lovely.)
The original recipe said to roll the pastry out to 1/2 inch thickness which I think was a huge mistake. I rolled it out to 1/4 inch thickness and they were just right. Any thicker than that and it would have been far too thick.
I have to say this pastry is beautiful. Easy to work with. Nice and flaky!
You would think that having icing sugar in it would make it sweet, but it doesn't at all. Its just right.
There is nothing like putting Christmas Music on to play and then doing some Christmas baking to put one in the mood for the Holy Holidays!
Todd went to pick the car up from being fixed while I was baking these and inhaled two of them as soon as he got in the door. They got Two Thumbs Up from him! That's a really high accolade, as he is a real connoisseur of mince pies!!!
*Festive Mince Pies*
Makes 16
100g butter (7 TBS) cut into bits
210g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
25g icing sugar (3 TBS)
1 large free range egg yolk
2 to 3 TBS milk plus extra for glazing
300g mincemeat (10 1/2 ounces)
icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 16 hole tartlet tin and set aside.
Sift
the flour into a bowl. Drop in the cold butter and rub it into the
flour using your finger tips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the icing sugar and the egg holk. Stir in enough milk to make a
soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly
until you have a smooth dough.
Shape into a
ball and then roll our 1/4 inch thick. Cut into rounds using fluted
cutters. Place into the buttered tin. Half fill each with some
mincemeat. Cut out 16 star shapes from the remaining dough and place on
top. Brush lightly with milk.
Bake in the
preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven
and leave to cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Oh boy but these were some good. I will be baking another batch or two before Christmas and most especially on Christmas Eve! You can never have too many mince pies!
I am like my mom who never let anything go to waste.
The leftover cuttings of the pastry got balled back together and re-rolled. Mom used to do this. She would roll it out thin and spread it with butter and a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
It would then be rolled up tightly and cut into slices and baked. The end result was delicious flaky cinnamon roll type of pastry bites that my father called Des Pets de Soeur, or loosely translated into English . . . wait for it . . . Nun's Farts.
Now what child would not be thrilled with a plate of these! We loved them! So did my dad. Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!
When I was growing up my mother used to bake us cinnamon buns every now and then. They were not made with a yeast dough however. She used to bake them with a biscuit/scone type of dough. We love, LOVED them!
They were a real treat! I also did the same for my own children, and I am happy to see that my own children are now baking for and delighting their own children with them! I do so love a Generational favourite recipe!
This recipe today is basically the same recipe, except I have put them together in a different way. These are not rolls, they are fans!
I love Cinnamon Fans! You could say I am a huge "fan" of Cinnamon Fans!
And why is that? Its because you get even more crispy edges to enjoy. I do so love crispy edges on anything.
My favourite bits of the cinnamon bun/rolls was always the crispy buttery cinnamon edges. Yummy yummy!
Nom nom nom, I do love a crispy edge, don't you??? There's more to love here!
Just look at them all!
These are almost like hasselback cinnamon buns . . . you know those potatoes that you cut slices into and then roast so you have more crispy buttery edges.
This is the same concept, except its even better because it is CINNAMON BUNS PEOPLE! Cinnamon buns!
Do make the vanilla glaze to drizzle over them. It sets them off beautifully! Don't be tempted to use cinnamon extract in them.
It will end up tasting like the smell of pot pourris and you won't want that! Been there, done that, won't do it again!
I think these would make an exceptional Christmas Eve snack for Santa don't you??? Or Mrs Santa.
Or the elves, the reindeer . . . the family!
You might have to bake double the recipe just so you have enough to do that! You can't leave Santa out, and your kids are sure to want to snuffle the first batch as soon as you get them done!
In fact I can almost guarantee that they will. A double batch is probably a good idea.
Just look at that, doesn't it make you want to dig right in? If it doesn't you either aren't human or you hate cinnamon. Don't worry I won't hold it against you!
Mmmm . . . mmm . . . mmm . . . I need to bake another batch tonight because the first batch disappeared like lightening!
*Cinnamon Fans*
Makes 8
Sift the flour into the bowl with the baking powder, sugar and salt. Drop in the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender or two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the centre and stir in enough of the milk (using a fork) to make a soft dough that leaves the side of the bowl. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times to bring together and then gently roll or pat out into a 12 by 10 inch rectangle.
Spread the dough with the softened butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon over top evenly. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough crosswise into six equally sized strips. Stack the strips on top of one another, with the plain side of one on the bottom, and the plain side of the last one on top (two cinnamon sides together at the top if that makes sense) You should have plain sides on side facing the table and the side facing you. Turn side ways and cut into 8 equal slices. Place the long cut side down into one each of the buttered muffin cups.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately tip out onto a wire rack (They will stick if you leave them in.) Place them right side up.
Whisk together the icing sugar, vanilla and milk to make a thin drizzle icing. Drizzle decoratively over the tops of the warm buns. Serve warm. These are best served on the day.
If there is one drawback to these it is that they are best served on the day, so you really can't make them ahead, but don't worry there won't be any leftovers for you to worry about the day after anyways. They are SURE to be gobbled up pronto!
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!
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