Month: December 2016

Gingerbread and Cranberry Linzer Cookies

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

gingerbread-and-cranberry-linzer-2

I made these for exam marking, trust me, nobody’s favourite time of year! Obviously, this called for some festive cheer to get us through the hundreds of exam papers we needed to mark. I decided to make a variation on the Austrian Linzer Torte which is characterised by almonds and preserves. This gingerbread cookie is also made from almonds and the preserve is a very festive cranberry and orange combination.  The Linzer cookies went down well and we are already half way through the marking. I found this recipe on:  http://www.wholebiteblog.com/new-blog/2016/11/22/gingerbread-cranberry-linzer-cookies

 

Ingredients  (Makes 2 dozen)

75g whole almonds

85g cup dark brown sugar

225g unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 tablespoons molasses (I used black treacle)

350g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Filling

85g soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Zest of one orange

gingerbread-and-cranberry-linzer

 Instructions 

Toast almonds in a small dry pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until they turn golden brown and smell nutty. Rub the nuts in a kitchen towel to remove any loose skins, then transfer to a food processor. 

Pulse the almonds and half the brown sugar in a food processor until finely ground and sandy. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and remaining brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the nut mixture and beat 1 minute longer. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the treacle and vanilla. Scrape one more time and add the egg. Mix until fully combined. 

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, whisking to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on low until just combined. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice and zest in a saucepan over a low heat. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the berries have burst and the mixture has thickened, 8-10 minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom as you stir to prevent from sticking and burning. Let the filling cool completely

Preheat oven to 190/180/Gas 5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or non-stick baking mats. Roll out the chilled dough on a well floured surface to between 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between each. Using a smaller cutter, cut our the centre of half of the cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Reroll the remaining dough and repeat the process. If you want more of a biscuit texture, bake for longer.

Once the cookies are cooled, spread a spoonful of jam on the bottom side of a whole cookie. Sandwich together with a cut out cookie. Make sure not to add too much jam or it will ooze out the sides. About 1 teaspoon in the centre should do the trick. Repeat with remaining cookies. 

gingerbread-and-cranberry-linzer-cookies

 

Tangerine and Marzipan Muffins

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

img_1318-2

These muffins just scream Christmas to me, but of course in a very stylish and elegant way.  I love marzipan, but for those of you who don’t, the flavour is not overwhelming. Though I am also a fan of any of the small winter citrus fruits and always expect to find one in my Christmas stocking, I find oranges easier to work with both in terms of zesting and juicing. If I were to make these again, which I surely will, I’m going down the orange route! The original recipe can be found here: http://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/tangerine-and-marzipan-muffins/

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

50g ground almonds

75g golden caster sugar

60g flaked almonds

50g marzipan, chopped into small pieces

2 eggs beaten

150ml yogurt

4 tangerines, zested; 2 juiced or 1 large orange, juiced and zested

75ml rapeseed oil

icing sugar for the glaze

marzipan-and-tangerine-muffins-2

Directions

·         Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.

·         Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, then stir in the ground almonds, sugar, flaked almonds and marzipan.

·         Add the beaten eggs, yogurt, tangerine zest and oil, and stir until the mixture is just combined. It doesn’t matter if the mixture looks a bit lumpy, don’t overmix or the muffins will turn out tough. 

·         Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

·         Mix the tangerine juice with a little icing sugar to make a glaze and spoon a little over each muffin.

img_0824-2

 

 

Pumpkin and Sage Soufflé

~ louisehad ~ 1 Comment

pumpkin-and-sage-souffle-2

I’ve never made a soufflé before as I’ve always associated them with dinner parties and stress and have seen many failed attempts on TV cookery shows. When I saw this recipe in the Sainsbury’s magazine (Oct 2016), I thought of all that leftover pumpkin I still had to use up, and despite my fears, I decided I’d give it a go. I did change of few things in the recipe, mainly because I didn’t read it carefully enough the first time round! I also made my own cheese sauce; the recipe calls for shop bought. The recipe can be found here:

 http://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/item/roasted-pumpkin-and-sage-souffle. The version below includes my tweaks. The original recipe was for 4 people, but I halved the quantities and still had enough mixture for 4 ramekins. I made this for Saturday lunch and served it with kale and rye bread. It was of course delicious which is why I am sharing the recipe with you.

pumpkin-and-sage-souffle-3

Ingredients

250g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes

a small handful of sage leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

10g butter, melted, to grease

15g fresh white breadcrumbs

2 medium eggs, separated

 

For the cheese sauce

10g plain flour

10g butter

200ml whole milk

30g grated cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

•     Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Put the pumpkin or squash and sage leaves in a roasting tin, drizzle with the oil and roast for 25-30 minutes until tender and slightly golden. Blitz the roasted pumpkin including the sage in a food processor until smooth or simply mash with a fork. Spread out the mixture on a plate to cool.

•      Meanwhile, brush the insides of 4 x 300ml ovenproof ramekins, mugs, teacups or with the butter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs so the insides are thoroughly coated – this helps the soufflés to rise well.

•      To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and mix. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and slowly add the milk, whisking as you go. Once the milk has been incorporated, return the pan to the heat and gently simmer, stirring for about 8 minutes. The sauce should start to thicken. After the 8 minutes, add the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and just let the cheese melt. 

•      Tip the cheese sauce into a large bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and cooled mashed pumpkin or squash, and season to taste.

•      In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are just holding their shape, then carefully fold into the pumpkin mixture.

•      Divide the mixture equally between the ramekins so it comes about 2cm below the tops. Put the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen but still a bit squidgy in the centre. Serve straight away.

pumpkin-and-sage-souffle