Stollen

Christmas baking is very much about spices and dried fruit as evidenced by all the cakes, puddings pies, biscuits and preserves containing these ingredients during the festive season. I love nothing more at this time of year than finding a quiet moment to myself, sitting down with a hot cup of tea, nibbling on something sweet and spicy and just relaxing! Although I am a huge fan of traditional fruit cakes, they can be a little heavy and mince pies can be very rich, so I have been looking for something a little lighter to eat but still sweet and encompassing typical Christmas flavours.

 

Stollen is a bread-like fruit cake of German origination which also often contains candied citrus fruits and marzipan. The only stollen I have eaten before was the shop-bought, mass-produced variety and I have to admit that despite my great love of marzipan (which all versions I’d previously tried, had contained) I was distinctly underwhelmed! I couldn’t understand why it was considered one of THE classic Christmas bakes.

 

Those who read my blog regularly will know that I recently re-discovered a love of bread making and that I have been furiously experimenting… baking a whole range of breads and buns recently. Without sounding completely pretentious, there is something so fundamentally life-affirming about baking your own bread and despite the energetic kneading and the time spent waiting for the bread to prove, I hugely enjoy it. Also, of all the things that I cook and bake, the breads that I have made have been the most popular with my three children, who, it sometimes seems to me, are the fussiest eaters on the planet. When you see the people you love enjoying the food that you have made, you feel like a million dollars!

 

The other day I had quite a lot of homemade marzipan left over from icing and decorating my Christmas cake and wanted to use it up and not let it go to waste.  Without any great level of great enthusiasm, I decided that I would try making my own stollen, merely to see if I could produce something that came near to deserving such popularity…. And let me tell you, I am now a convert! The stollen was SO delicious and will definitely become a staple in my house each year.

 

As I do when making any fruit cake, I soaked the dried fruit in a little brandy and let it sit overnight to plump up a little and become juicy. If you prefer, you can soak the fruit in the same amount of extra orange juice or even a little bit of tea, but at this time of year, brandy is king as far as I am concerned. In addition to the usual raisins, sultanas and currants, I also added some dried cranberries for some extra Christmas flavour. Dried cranberries have a slightly sour taste, but this is almost welcome when contrasted with the sweetness of the marzipan and the icing sugar with which the finished stollen is dredged.

 

I made my own marzipan and have included a link to a recipe for it that I previously posted, but to be honest, you can use a store bought version.

 

I worked and kneaded the dough by hand and whilst it initially feels quite soft, with continued stretching and kneading, it will eventually come together – persevere! You can always mix it using the dough-hook attachment on a stand mixer, but with bread I prefer working the dough with my own hands.

Ingredients:

Fruit:
100g raisins
100g sultanas

50g currants

25g dried cranberries

25g candied orange peel, chopped into small pieces

50g glacé cherries, halved

Juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange

30ml brandy

Dough:

275g strong white flour

25g caster sugar

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp fine sea salt

12g fresh yeast or 7g dried active yeast

125ml whole milk

50g butter, melted

1 large egg, lightly beaten

To finish:

125g marzipan, homemade or pre-bought
Icing sugar, to dredge

 

Method:

Fruit:

1. Place all the fruit, the orange juice and zest in a small saucepan and heat up until the liquid is just beginning to bubble. Immediately remove from the heat, place a lid on the saucepan and set aside overnight to allow the fruit plump up a little. Make your dough the following day after the dried fruit has soaked overnight.

Dough:

2. Place the flour, sugar, mixed spice and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix together with your hands so that everything is evenly distributed.

3. Crumble in the fresh yeast or sprinkle in the dried yeast and mix through. Make a well in the centre and add the milk, melted butter and egg. Using your hands, start mixing the flour into the wet ingredients until everything starts to come together.

4. Turn out on to a clean work-surface and knead for ten approximately ten minutes until the dough starts to come together and becomes smoother and more elastic and is not sticking as much, (I find a dough-scraper an essential piece of equipment when doing this).

5. Place into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to prove for about 1 hour or slightly longer, if needed until almost doubled in size.

6. Turn out the risen dough onto a clean work-surface and start to incorporate the fruit which you has soaking overnight buy gently kneading into the dough. You can lightly flour your work-surface if needed. Once all the fruit has been incorporated, roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 30cms x 20cms.

7. Separately, take the marzipan and form into a long cylinder about 25cms long. Place in the centre of the dough. Brush one long edge of the dough with milk and fold it over the marzipan, encasing it completely. Press the edges together to seal it. Tidy up the stolen by gently shaping it into a soft oval shape and gently life onto a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking parchment. Cover loosely with oiled cling-film and set aside to rise for about 1 hour to rise again until almost doubled in size.

8. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Remove the cling-film and bake the stollen for approximately 30 -35 minutes until well risen and a deep golden colour.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

9. Dredge with icing sugar before serving cut into slices.

Makes 1 large loaf.

 

 

 

Creamy Brussels Sprout Soup

Here is a recipe using brussels sprouts which I believe even vociferous objectors might find palatable. Personally, I love sprouts and look forward to eating them each year when they are in season… but I am the only one in my household who will eat them and despite the fact that my gang detest them, I still insist on serving them for Christmas dinner.

In my opinion, the problem that most people have with sprouts is the fact that the only way that they have ever eaten them is when they are overcooked and unpleasantly slimy. Sprouts that are just cooked and still retain a little bit of bite are quite different and incredibly tasty, possessing a subtle sweetness that I just adore. This sweetness translates very well to this soup and is enhanced by the addition of some sweated onions.

 

Because this is a subtle soup, I recommend using a light chicken or vegetable stock. For an added layer of flavour, I have also suggested using a little caraway and a good grating of fresh nutmeg. These are both underused spices in my opinion, and caraway in particular gives an extra layer of flavour that complements the sprouts perfectly. Nutmeg is often used in sweet dishes and in particular milk-based puddings, but it can also be used in many savoury dishes too. I always include it when making cheese, milk or cream sauces. It also goes very well with iron-rich green vegetables such as spinach and I think it works a treat here.

 

Some people recommend cutting a small cross in the bottom when boiling or steaming sprouts, but to be honest, I don’t think that this is absolutely necessary and they cook perfectly fine without it.

 

This is a delicious soup, is incredibly easy to make and is something a little different to serve at Christmas or in the days after when you may have a few leftover vegetables.

 

Garnish simply with a few sliced cooked sprouts or merely some single leaves; - this is a very pretty and elegant looking soup.

Ingredients:

900g brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
25g butter

A small sprig of thyme

½ tsp caraway seeds

50ml dry white wine

600ml light chicken or vegetable stock

250ml single cream

Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

To serve: (optional)

Some sliced cooked brussels sprouts

A few chopped chives
 

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat and add the chopped onion. Sweat until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes) but do not allow to colour. Add the thyme and caraway seeds and allow to cook for a further minute.
2. Add the wine and let reduce a little and then add the brussels sprouts and stock. Let simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sprouts are tender. Remove the sprig of thyme and then liquidise in a blender or food processor until smooth. For a silky smooth soup, pass through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Add the cream and heat gently until hot.

3. Serve garnished with some thinly sliced cooked Brussels spots and a sprinkling of finely chopped chives.

Serves 6.

 

 

Baked Cranberry & Cointreau Cheesecake

I love cheesecakes and I know that they are very popular with many people so it is perhaps surprising that I rarely make them. This is one cheesecake that I think is absolutely delicious, and although rich, it is perfect to serve at this time of year with its festive but fresh flavours. This is something a little different to the normal fruit-laden puddings that are traditionally served at this time of year yet it is still Christmassy in character.

There are two main types of cheesecake; one which is uncooked and where the cheese is often set with gelatine and the cooked variety which are baked in the oven. Both are normally served chilled, cut into wedges. Although I like both, they are quite different from each other. I think the set, uncooked type are great for serving in the summer as they are a little lighter, but the baked kind, although heavier and creamier can be served all year around.

 

Due to the amount of cream cheese and the addition of eggs, this is quite a rich dessert, but in my opinion, Christmas is the one time when you can really allow yourself a little indulgence and spoil yourself a bit.

 

The cheesecake keeps extremely well covered in the fridge and will easily keep for two or three if it is not gobbled up immediately.

 

Orange is a perfect partner for cranberries, so I decided to extend this theme a little and include some Cointreau, which is an orange-flavoured liqueur. The addition of the alcohol really intensifies the orange flavour without being overpowering. If you prefer you can omit it and use some freshly squeezed orange juice instead.

 

I hope you try making this cheesecake because it is incredibly delicious and relatively simple to make. If you really want to go all out, you could serve it with some lightly whipped cream on the side.

 

Ingredients:

Base:
200g digestive biscuits, finely crushed
100g butter, melted

Filling:

675g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)

250g sweetened condensed milk

Juice of half a lemon

25ml Cointreau

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

125g fresh cranberries roughly chopped

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

To decorate:

Some fresh cranberries, dipped in egg white and sprinkled with caster sugar

A few strips of orange peel
 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan Oven 140C/Gas Mark 2.  Grease a 20cm springform cake tin with butter and set aside.

2. Place the crushed digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl and add the melted butter, Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Press the butter-covered crumbs into the base of the prepared springform tin and refrigerate and allow to firm up.

3. Place the cream cheese and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together on a low speed until well mixed together. Gradually add the eggs and mix in thoroughly. Add the lemon juice and Cointreau and then fold in the chopped cranberries and orange zest.

4. Pour the mixture onto the biscuit base, place on a large baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the cheesecake is just beginning to colour around the edges, but still has a slight wobble in the centre.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. Carefully run a thin knife around the edge of the tin to loosen it and then refrigerate overnight. Serve decorated with the sugared cranberries and some thin strips of orange peel.

Serves 10-12.

Steamed Pear & Ginger Pudding

Tradition is very important to me and never more so than at Christmas time. I remember one year when my mother decided that rather than dish up turkey and ham for Christmas dinner, we would instead dine on fillet of beef en croute (aka beef wellington). Now, as anyone who has ever cooked fillet of beef will testify, it is an INCREDIBLY expensive cut of meat and this is a very luxurious dish to serve; but I was disgusted!

For me Christmas dinner is just not Christmas dinner unless you have roast turkey and baked ham with brussels sprouts, roast parsnips, roast potatoes and lashings and lashings of gravy made with the turkey giblets. The ironic thing is that beef wellington is one of my all-time favourite dishes, but I still staged a one-woman protest that Christmas and refused to eat it.

For dessert on Christmas day I love homemade sherry trifle or Christmas pudding served with brandy butter. My pudding recipe is based on the one that my grandmother used every year and to this day I haven’t found one that comes anywhere near it. She made her puddings in early October so that they would have a chance to ‘mature’ before Christmas and swore that they tasted better for it.  Rather than use suet, which can be a little heavy, she used butter which made the pudding all the more flavoursome. I just loved it and still do.

It is hugely disappointing to me that none of my children or my husband like Christmas pudding (or traditional rich fruit cake for that matter) so I tend to have a solitary serving of it later in the evening as we settle down to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special. In fact, I am slowly realising that pudding is one of those polarising foods; you either love it or hate it! The reality is that, even for fervent devotees, launching into a bowl of pudding after a big meal is a dining challenge in itself! Sometimes, something a little less heavy is what is required after the excesses that have gone before and I think this pudding fits the bill perfectly.
 

Like traditional Christmas pudding, this is also steamed - so it has the comfort food factor - but it doesn’t have to be made months in advance. It can be quickly mixed up the night before or in the morning on Christmas day and then steamed for a couple of hours before you want to serve it. The fresh pears add a juicy fruitiness which is perfect against the warm spiciness of the ginger. I have used both stem and ground ginger for a warm and spicy kick. Ginger is a flavour that I have long associated with Christmas and it is one that seems to have broad appeal with both young and old liking it.

You can chop up the pears and mix them through the pudding before steaming or do as I have and place them around the edge of the pudding bowl. When the pudding is turned out they look so beautiful standing proud against the ginger sponge.

I served the pudding with warm homemade custard, but you could always opt for vanilla ice-cream or lightly whipped fresh cream. Any leftovers can be heated up in a microwave or can be sliced, covered with some aluminium foil and steamed in a steamer for 30 minutes.

This is a delicious pudding, a great alternative to traditional pud and one that even the fussy eaters in my house like!

N.B. I cannot stress how important it is to grease your bowl well.

Ingredients:

Ginger sauce:
25g caster sugar
25g butter
4tblsp golden syrup
2tblsp syrup from jar of stem ginger
Pudding:

3 pears (I used Conference), peeled, halved and centre core scooped out

150g butter, plus extra for greasing bowl

150g light muscovado sugar

3 large eggs

150g self-raising flour

2tsp ground ginger

50g stem ginger, finely chopped

50ml milk
 

Method:

Ginger sauce:

1. Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan and heat over a gentle heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Pudding:

2. Generously grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl with butter and place a little circle of non-stick baking parchment in the bottom. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the ginger sauce into the bottom of the bowl and put the rest aside for serving with the finished pudding.

3. Arrange the halved pears around the edge of the bowl with the round side directly against the edge of the bowl. The thinner ends of the pears should be pointing down to the narrow end of the bowl. Set aside.

4. Place the 150g butter into a large mixing bowl with the muscovado sugar and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the eggs, mixing well after each addition.

5. Sift the flour and ground ginger together and add in three batches, and then add the milk and stem ginger and mix briefly so that everything is well distributed.

6. Spoon the mixture into the centre of the pudding bowl so that the pears remain towards the edge of the bowl.  Cover the bowl with a layer of non-stick baking parchment and a layer of tinfoil (both pleated in the middle to allow for expansion and secure by tying string around the lip of the bowl.  Steam for 2 hours either using a purpose built steamer or by placing in a large saucepan sitting on top of some scrunched up aluminium foil (to protect it from the direct heat of the bottom of the saucepan) and pour in some boiling water so that it comes half way up the outside edge of the pudding bowl. Cover the saucepan and place over a low to moderate heat so that the water is just bubbling gently. Steam for the required time, but make sure to check every 25 minutes or so and top up the water levels as necessary.

7. Allow the pudding to sit for 10 minutes before turning out by upending onto a serving plate. Remove the little circle of non-stick baking parchment that you had previously placed in the bowl and serve with warm pouring custard, ice-cream or softly whipped cream and some of the reserved ginger sauce.
 

Serves 6-8.