Petite Mince Pies

Ingredients:

Filling
200g Mixed Fruit, chopped
2 Tbsp golden syrup
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tsp mixed spice
1/4 cup brandy

Pastry
1/2 cup Almond Meal
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 egg and 1 Tbsp water, lightly beaten

Icing sugar, to dust

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.

To make pastry, place almond meal, flour, sugar into a food processor and process until combined. Add butter and egg mixture and process until a ball forms. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a round 6cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 24 circles from pasty. Line base of 24-hole non-stick mini muffin pan (or use two 12-hole pans). Fill cases with fruit mince.

Re-roll remaining pastry and use a 4cm-diameter fluted pastry cutter to cut 24 circles for the lids. Brush underside of lid lightly with water before gently pressing onto pie.  Cut a small cross in middle of each lid.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.  Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Happy Christmas!

Chocolate and pistachio biscotti

Ingredients:

125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest, finely grated
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
125g pistachio kernels
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
6 slices glace orange, chopped
2 Tbsp orange juice

Method:

Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Preheat oven to moderate 180 degrees C. Beat the butter, sugar and rind with electric mixer until light and creamy. Add eggs gradually beating between additions until the mixture is smooth.

Sift the flour, cocoa, soda and baking powder, add to butter mixture with pistachios, chocolate and glace orange and stir until just combined.

Divide mixture in half. Spread each half onto a prepared tray and shape into a log, about 25cm long and 10-12cm wide. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the mixture sounds hollow when tapped, and is cooked through when tested with a skewer. Remove from the oven and cook on a wire rack.

Reduce oven to 160 degrees C. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut each log into 1cm thick slices. Place biscotti, cut side up, on oven trays and bake for about 10 minutes. Turn slices over and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until dried out. Cool before storing in an airtight container.

Rich Fruit Cake (3 Ingredients)

I have memories of spending Christmas with my family. Taking a Christmas cake for my contribution to dessert. We would serve it with custard, be that warm or cold and vanilla ice cream.

Here's a quick put together recipe for Christmas cake for cooking in the slow cooker.

Ingredients
1kg mixed fruit
750ml fluid (orange juice, apple juice and brandy)
2 cups SR flour

Method
Soak fruit in fluid for 24 hours.
Mix in SR flour and put into a greased loose bottom baking pan.
Put in slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low, with water half way up baking pan.
Remove and cool before icing.

Alternative Flavours:

750ml of iced coffee instead of the orange juice, apple juice and brandy.

750ml mix of iced coffee and baileys.

Wishing you and yours a safe and Happy Christmas and enjoy all the food you prepare.

Enjoy.