bloomsbury cooks Seasons Eatings
AND NOW FOR Something Sweet Delicious canapes and dessert dishes for the festive season
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Contents Boozy Chocolate Truffles
Recipe from Delicious Gifts by Rob and Amber Kirby
Marbled Chocolate Shards
Recipe from Delicious Gifts by Rob and Amber Kirby
Gingerbread Christmas Shapes
Recipe from Delicious Gifts by Rob and Amber Kirby
Custard Filled Doughnuts Recipe from Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes
Beignets with Cinnamon Sugar
Recipe from Masterchef Streetfood by Genevieve Taylor
Churros and Chocolate Sauce
Recipe from Masterchef Streetfood by Genevieve Taylor
Trfile Recipe from A Baker’s Life by Paul Hollywood
Baked Alaska Recipe from A Baker’s Life by Paul Hollywood
Boozy Chocolate Truffles Prepare to get a little messy while rolling these, but they are worth it.
MAKES 30 300ml double cream 40g unsalted butter 300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped into large chunks finely grated zest of 1 orange 1 teaspoon rock salt 1 tablespoon whiskey or dark rum 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 3 tablespoons pistachios, chopped 3 tablespoons good-quality soft desiccated coconut
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Pour the cream into a heavy-based saucepan and gently warm over a low heat. Drop in the butter, bring to a slow simmer and stir until melted, then remove from the heat. Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Pour the warm cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted to a smooth texture. Fold in the orange zest, salt and alcohol, then place the bowl in the fridge to cool for 4–6 hours. Take a large melon baller and dip it in hot water to heat. Use it to scoop the chocolate truffle mixture into balls, then place on silicone paper. While the outer chocolate is still melted, roll the truffles in cocoa powder, chopped pistachios or coconut, or all three! Re-shape between the palms of your hands if needed. Place the truffles in the fridge to set.
WITH LOVE / 87
Delicious Gifts by Rob and Amber Kirby, photography by Jodi Hinds
Marbled Chocolate Shards Break the slab into shards and put into gift bags labelled with instructions to enjoy with a coffee to end the festive meal. You will be the talk of the table for your thoughtful gesture.
SERVES 6–8 200g dark chocolate 200g white chocolate 20g dried cranberries 20g dried apricots, chopped 20g pistachios, peeled and chopped
Melt the dark and white chocolate in separate heatproof bowls set over pans of simmering water until silky and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5–10 minutes. Line a flat tray with silicone paper and pour on the melted dark chocolate, then the melted white chocolate. Carefully shake and tilt the tray until the chocolate has covered the base of the tray, then use a fork to swirl the chocolate into patterns. Mix together the cranberries, apricots and pistachios, then sprinkle over the melted chocolate and allow to set in a cool place. Once set, gently peel off the silicone paper, snap the chocolate into shards and bag.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS / 145
Delicious Gifts by Rob and Amber Kirby, photography by Jodi Hinds
Gingerbread Festive Wreath Christmas Shapes Crunchies A fun present for little ones – bake and give with a little ready-made icing bag so they can decorate, keeping them entertained whilst the grown-ups are busy getting this festive show on the road!
MAKES 12–15 350g plain flour 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 125g butter 175g light soft brown sugar 1 egg 4 tablespoons golden syrup piping icing and cake decorations
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon, then tip into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until you have a breadcrumb-like texture. Stir in the sugar. In another bowl, beat the egg and golden syrup together. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until you have a dough. Tip the dough out onto the work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 5mm on a lightly floured surface. Use Christmas-shaped cutters to cut out shapes and place on the baking trays, leaving large gaps between them as they expand during baking. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cool, decorate with piping icing and cake decorations. 152 / DELICIOUS GIFTS
We love a bit of glitter and these festive wreaths will provide some seasonal glitz. Prepare to get messy and gooey, and work quickly before the mix sets. This idea goes perfectly with the Gingerbread Christmas Shapes as you can tie red ribbon on both and hang them on the Christmas tree – the perfect edible gift for friends and family.
MAKES 12–15 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature 200g mini marshmallows 2 tablespoons golden syrup 1 teaspoon green gel colouring 150g cornflakes 50g rice krispies 30g pistachios, chopped 50g red jelly beans, cut in half widthways 1 teaspoon edible green glitter
Line a baking tray with silicone or baking parchment. Place the butter, marshmallows and golden syrup in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water and stir continuously until they have melted together. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the green food colouring. Add the cornflakes, rice krispies and pistachios and gently fold together. Spoon the mixture onto the lined tray to create small mounds (about 1 tablespoon of mixture per mound). Before the mixture sets, warm your hands under hot water then create a hole in the middle of each mound to form a wreath. Dot with the red jellybeans to create ‘berries’ and sprinkle with edible glitter. Once cool, box and present.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS / 153
Delicious Gifts by Rob and Amber Kirby, photography by Jodi Hinds
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Custard-filled doughnuts Bolas de Berlim Makes about 12
Bolas de Berlim literally means ‘balls from Berlin’, and these were first brought to Portugal by Jewish refugees. We had to
3 eggs Finely grated zest of 2 oranges 500g plain white flour 130g caster sugar 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 25g fresh yeast, or 12g dried yeast 110g butter, cut into cubes and softened Vegetable oil, for frying Caster sugar, for dusting
make them our own, of course, so some crafty genius decided to slit the doughnut open and fill it with egg custard. I love the yeasty flavour of the soft dough, the sugary crust and the creamy filling. Get creative when you make these yourself: you can use plain old jam, Nutella or whipped Jersey cream as a filling – or you could even create a savoury doughnut like my favourite, crab and crème fraîche, using exactly the same dough recipe.
Mix the eggs, 130ml water and the orange zest in a bowl and
For the egg cream filling 200ml sugar syrup (page 33) 6 egg yolks Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 40g ground almonds
refrigerate for 2 hours before using. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in an electric mixer bowl using the paddle attachment. Whisk the yeast into the egg and water mixture, pour it into the mixer bowl and then mix for 20 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Add the butter gradually, mixing until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and stretchy. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it loosely with clingfilm and leave it in the fridge to rise overnight. To make the filling — Heat the sugar syrup in a pan until it is just boiling, then leave to cool for a few minutes. Whisk the egg yolks lightly in a heatpoof bowl, then pour the sugar syrup over them, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook gently over a low heat for 10–12 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and ground almonds. Pour onto a plate and leave to cool to room temperature, covered with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming. To shape the doughnuts, divide the dough into 12 roughly 40g pieces and shape each piece into a small ball with your hands. Cover them with a tea towel and leave to prove for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. One-third fill a large, heavy-based pan with oil and heat it to 180°C, or until a cube of bread sizzles and turns golden brown
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almost straight away. Fry the doughnuts in batches for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove, drain on kitchen paper and roll in caster sugar while warm, then leave them to cool. Make a slit in the middle of each doughnut without cutting all the way through. Spoon the egg cream filling inside and serve immediately.
Recipe from Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes, photography by Andrew Montgomery
Brought to New Orleans by the French in the eighteenth century, beignets are crisp little doughnuts made from a rich yeasted dough. Served hot and rolled in cinnamon sugar, these make a very moreish treat. Best of all, they freeze brilliantly, so you can pop them in the fryer and enjoy them anytime you fancy. Note: you will need to begin this recipe about 3–4 hours before you want to eat, or even the day before, to allow the dough time to prove.
Beignets with cinnamon sugar MAKES ABOUT 28 BEIGNETS 350ml warm water 170ml evaporated milk 2 eggs 50g butter, softened 900g plain flour 100g caster sugar 1 teaspoon fast-action yeast a pinch of salt vegetable oil, for greasing 100g icing sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Place the water, evaporated milk, eggs and butter in the bowl of a food mixer and beat gently with the paddle attachment until combined. Add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt and continue to beat gently until well mixed in. Increase the speed and beat for another 3–4 minutes until you get a smooth, sticky dough. I would not advise making this dough by hand, as it is a wet and sticky dough and much easier made using a food mixer. Lightly oil a large bowl and scrape the dough into it, turning it once or twice so it has a thin coating of oil all over. Cover the bowl with cling film (the oiled surface will prevent it from sticking should it rise that high) and set aside to prove for 3–4 hours on the worktop; it should double in size. You could also prove the dough in the fridge overnight. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir through the cinnamon. Set aside. Turn out the ball of dough on to a lightly oiled worktop and slice into quarters. Roll each piece into a sausage shape of about 3cm diameter and cut on the diagonal into 2–3cm slices – you should get about 7 beignets from each quarter. If you wish to freeze a batch, space them out on a baking tray to freeze initially, then pack into a bag or tub and leave in the freezer until you want to eat (they cook from frozen so no need to defrost). Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 180°C/350°F. Add about 4 or 5 beignets at a time and fry for 4 minutes until deep golden brown, carefully turning halfway with a fork to cook the other side. If cooking from frozen, add an extra minute or two to the cooking time. Drain for a few moments on kitchen paper before tossing in the cinnamon-flavoured icing sugar and setting aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining beignets. Serve immediately while still hot.
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MASTERCHEF STREET FOOD
THE AMERICAS
Recipe from Masterchef Street Food by Genevieve Taylor, photography by David Loftus
2
The quintessential Spanish street breakfast, churros are long, thin doughnuts served with a rich chocolate sauce for dunking. You could also flavour the sauce the Mexican way with a little orange zest stirred through as the milk warms.
Churros and chocolate sauce SERVES 4–6 375g self-raising flour a pinch of salt 600ml boiling water 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 150g caster sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for the sauce 300ml milk 100g milk chocolate, chopped 100g dark chocolate, chopped 2 teaspoons cornflour you will need a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle
Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water, olive oil and vanilla extract and beat together thoroughly to form a smooth paste. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes, then spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. For the sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan, set over a medium heat and bring to simmering point. Remove 1 tablespoon of warm milk and stir it through the cornflour in a small bowl. Add the chocolate to the pan and stir until melted, then pour in the cornflour and milk paste and whisk continuously until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Keep warm over a very low heat. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together and spread out in a large flat dish or tray. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 180°C/350°F. Working carefully, squeeze the dough out into 10–12cm-long strips directly into the hot oil. I find the easiest way to snip off the end of a strip is to simply pinch it off with a clean finger and thumb, but you can also cut them with scissors. Don’t add more than 4 or 5 to the oil at once or they will stick together. Fry for 4 minutes until crisp and deep golden brown. Drain briefly on kitchen paper before rolling in the cinnamon sugar while still hot. Repeat until you have used up all the dough. Serve the churros warm with the chocolate sauce to dunk them in.
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MASTERCHEF STREET FOOD
EUROPE
Recipe from Masterchef Street Food by Genevieve Taylor, photography by David Loftus
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Trifle SERVES 6
To this day, no one makes trifle as good as my mum. She doesn’t include any sherry in her recipe and that’s how I like it – with no booze, just simple home-made sponge, fruit jelly, custard and cream.
For the trifle sponge 4 medium eggs, separated 125g caster sugar 125g plain flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 tbsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling For the custard 300ml whole milk 300ml double cream 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways 4 large egg yolks 3 tbsp cornflour 2 tbsp caster sugar For the fruit jelly 2 x 135g packets strawberry jelly, broken into cubes 300ml boiling water 500ml cold water 400g strawberries, hulled and halved For the topping 600ml whipping cream 1 chocolate Flake bar
For the trifle sponge, heat your oven to 190°C/Gas 5 and line a baking tin, about 20 x 27cm, with baking parchment. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 50g of the caster sugar until the mixture is smooth, thickened and paler in colour. In another, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the remaining caster sugar, whisking well between each addition, to make a smooth, glossy meringue. Gently fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture, a spoonful at a time, until it is all incorporated. Sift the flour and baking powder together over the mixture then fold in carefully, using a spatula, until evenly combined. Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle the granulated sugar over the surface. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 150°C/Gas 2 and bake for another 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. To make the custard, pour the milk and cream into a pan. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod and add the empty pod. Heat gently until the milk is almost boiling. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together in a bowl. Discard the vanilla pod, then slowly pour the hot creamy milk onto the beaten mixture, whisking as you do so. Pour back into the pan and stir over a low heat until the custard thickens. Take off the heat and cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Put the jelly cubes into a heatproof bowl, pour on the boiling water and stir until the cubes melt. Add the 500ml cold water and stir. Cut the sponge into squares and layer in the base of a serving bowl (about 25cm diameter and 10cm deep). Scatter over the strawberry halves, then cover with the jelly and refrigerate until set. Pour the custard over the jelly and chill to set again. When ready to serve, whip the cream until thick and spread over the custard layer. Crumble the chocolate Flake over the surface to finish. NOSTALGIC BAKES 44
Recipe from A Baker’s Life by Paul Hollywood, photography by Martin Poole
Baked Alaska SERVES 8
I was introduced to baked Alaska by my mother-in-law, who is really good at making it. There’s a cold ice-cream interior with a coating of meringue, and it’s flashed in the oven to colour the meringue. It shouldn’t work but it does.
For the sponge base 125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 125g caster sugar 2 medium eggs 100g self-raising flour 25g cocoa powder For the ice cream filling 500g chocolate brownie ice cream 300g salted caramel ice cream For the meringue 3 medium egg whites ¼ tsp cream of tartar 175g caster sugar
Heat your oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Grease the base and sides of a 20cm loose-based cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together over the mixture and fold in, using a large metal spoon. Spread the mixture in the prepared tin – this is a stiff mixture to make a firm sponge base. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the sponge is risen and springs back when lightly pressed. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Take the chocolate ice cream out of the freezer so it softens slightly while the cake cools (about 30 minutes). Line a 900ml pudding basin with cling film. Beat the chocolate ice cream with a spoon until soft, to make it easier to manipulate. Spread the ice cream over the base and sides of the basin to form an even layer. Cover with cling film and sit a smaller bowl in the centre (to create a hollow in the middle). Place in the freezer just long enough for the ice cream to set – about 1–1½ hours, depending on your freezer. Meanwhile, take the salted caramel ice cream out of the freezer so it softens slightly (about 30 minutes). Take the chocolate ice cream from the freezer and remove the smaller bowl and cling film around it. Beat the softened salted caramel ice cream with a spoon, then spoon into the hollow in the centre of the chocolate ice cream. Cover with cling film, return to the freezer and leave to freeze completely – about 1–1½ hours.
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Heat your oven to 220°C/Gas 7. To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks. Add the cream of tartar, with a spoonful of the sugar, and whisk to combine. Continue to whisk in the sugar a spoonful at a time, until it is all incorporated and you have a thick, glossy meringue. Place the chocolate sponge in the middle of a baking sheet. Remove the ice cream bombe from the bowl, pulling on the cling film lining to help ease it out. Sit the ice cream, flat side down, on the sponge and remove the cling film. Spread the meringue over the ice cream to cover it and the sponge base completely. Place in the oven for 3–4 minutes until the meringue is just beginning to brown. Slide the baked Alaska onto a large plate and serve immediately.
Recipe from A Baker’s Life by Paul Hollywood, photography by Martin Poole
cookBooks Recipes taken from our delicious range of cookbooks Browse online at bloomsbury.com/uk to find the perfect Christmas gifts for your foodie family and friends.
A Baker’s Life
Lisboeta
Paul Hollywood £26
Nuno Mendes £26
Masterchef Street Food
Delicious Gifts
Genevieve Taylor £20
Rob and Amber Kirby £18.99