Winter is in full force and Christmas is also here. Time to cook with dairy products, dry fruits and meat.
Here are some Christmas food item recipes:
1. Eggnog by Executive Chef Aashish Joshi, Jaypee Siddharth, Delhi
Ingredients:
- Egg yolks (2)
- Sugar (1 spoon)
- Milk (1/2 cup)
- Cloves (1 whole)
- Cinnamon (a pinch)
- Cream (1/2 cup)
- Freshly grated nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)
- Vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
- Cognac (60 ml)
Method:
- In a large bowl use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat egg yolks until they become lighter in colour. Add sugar and beat after each addition and whisk until fluffy.
- Combine milk, cloves, and cinnamon in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Go for medium heat until the milk mixture is hot, but it shouldn't be boiling.
- Temper the eggs by adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. It helps to have a candy thermometer, but not necessary; if you have one, cook until the mixture reaches 160 degree Fahrenheit. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the cloves. Let it cool for one hour.
- Mix in vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cognac.
- Serve in a glass and top it with whipped cream.
2. Honey X-mas Cake by Chef Ranveer Brar, Senior Executive Chef at Novotel, Mumbai and host of Zee Khana Khazana's "Breakfast Express" and "Snack Attack".
Ingredients:
- Eggs Whole (36)
- Sugar Demerara (3000 gram)
- Honey (600 gram)
- Rum (120 ml)
- Clove Powder (30 gram)
- Cinnamon Powder (40 gram)
- Ginger Powder (30 gram)
- Chopped Chocolate (720 gram)
- Flour Refined (3000 gram)
- Chopped Roasted almond (1500 gram)
- Mixed Peels (600 gram)
- Baking Powder (30 gram)
- Baking Soda (30 gram)
Method:
- Heat up honey, sugar and water, beat eggs and honey mixture. Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Put the honey mixture into it and knead for short time. Portion the batter and bake it for one hour.
3. Mulled wine by Fio Cookhouse & Bar, Delhi
Ingredients:
- Red wine (750 ml)
- Orange (one)
- Amaretto (60 ml)
- Cloves (8 to 10)
- Honey (80 ml)
- Cinnamon stick (10 gram)
- Fresh ground ginger (10 gram)
- Star-anise (5 gram)
- Fresh mint (5 gram)
Method:
- Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pan except fresh mint and allow it to simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Stir occasionally so that all ingredients mix up properly. Bring the wine to a boil so that the ingredients blend well.
- Muddle the fresh mint leaves in the serving glass and ladle the mulled wine then serve warm.
4. X-mas Pudding with Brandy Butter Sauce by Amit Pratap Singh, Pastry Chef, Kempinski Ambience Hotel, Delhi
Ingredients for Plum Pudding:
- Flour (300 gram)
- Butter (1000 gram)
- Brown Sugar (1000 gram)
- Eggs(12)
- Liquor soaked fruits (4600 gram)
- Bread crumbs (600 gram)
- Rum (300 ml)
Method:
- In a clean pan, mix butter and brown sugar together till sugar dissolves in butter.
- Then gradually add eggs in butter and make a smooth fluffy mixture.
- Add bread crumbs and flour then mix them well.
- Add soaked fruits and rum to the mixture and mix well.
- Place in a pudding mould and put in steamer for six hours.
- When the pudding is ready, cut into portions and serve with the brandy sauce.
Ingredients for Brandy butter sauce:
- Fresh cream (200 gram)
- Sugar (100 gram)
- Butter (400 gram)
- Brandy (200 ml)
Method:
- Bring the sugar and cream to boil.
- Add brandy.
- Whisking constantly, add the butter then set to one side and let it cool.
- Pour brandy sauce on top of plum pudding.
5. Roast Turkey, sage and apple stuffing, graving by Chef Abhishek Basu - Executive Chef, The Park, Delhi
Ingredients:
- Whole Turkey (1, approximately 4 kg)
- Carrots (200 gram)
- Celery (200 gram)
- Leeks (200 gram)
- Onions (200 gram)
- Refined Flour (50 gram)
- Thyme sprigs (25 gram)
- Crushed black Peppercorn (10 gram)
- Salt (to taste)
- Water (200 ml)
For the stuffing:
- Chicken leg minced (300 gram)
- Fresh Bread Crumbs (150 gram)
- Eggs (3)
- Grated nutmeg (3 gram)
- Peeled, whole pistachio (80 gram)
- Peeled, small dices of apple (60 gram)
- Sage (5 gram)
- Finely chopped onion (100 gram)
- Peeled and chopped garlic (15 gram)
- Crushed black peppercorn (5 gram)
- Salt: to taste
Method:
- Marinate turkey with salt, crushed black pepper, thyme sprigs and olive oil and leave overnight.
- Roughly cut carrots, celery, leeks and onions and place in a roasting tray. Place the turkey on the bed of vegetables.
- To prepare the stuffing mix together chicken mince, fresh bread crumbs, egg, grated nutmeg, peeled pistachio, peeled small dices of apples, torn sage leaves, sweated chopped onion and garlic, salt and crushed black pepper.
- Stuff the neck cavity of the turkey with the stuffing and tie it with thread to close the cavity.
- Heat the oven to 220-250 degree Celsius and place the turkey in the oven for roasting.
- Once the turkey gets an even golden brown colour remove the tray from the oven, add some water in the tray and cover it tightly with aluminium foil and place it back in the oven to roast for about one and a half hours to two hours depending on the size of the turkey. Check the internal temperature of the turkey with a thermometer to see if it has reached 75 degree Celsius.
- After the turkey is removed from the tray, add flour to the tray and add water and strain out the liquid into a pan. Bring it to a boil and serve the gravy along with the roast turkey.
6. Vanilla Kipferl by Illa Nicole, Executive Pastry Chef at Grand Hyatt, Goa
Ingredients:
- Butter (250 gram)
- Caster sugar (145 gram)
- Vanilla bean (¼ piece)
- Egg yolk (3)
- Almond powder (125 gram)
- Flour (300 gram)
Method:
- Cut the vanilla bean length-wise in half and remove the seeds.
- Mix butter, caster sugar and vanilla seeds together.
- Add the egg yolk and mix in well.
- Mix flour and almond powder together and add into the butter mixture.
- Mix the ingredients until dough is formed.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for an hour .
- Divide the dough and shape into small crescents.
- Place the cookies onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Bake at 180 Celsius for 10 minutes till it turns golden brown.
- Dust the cookies with icing sugar once they are cooled down.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
