Help with christmas food please

browneyedbazzi

Oooh I love home made chocolates and treats at Christmas. It's a bit of a tradition in my family to make our own and it doesn't feel like Christmas until the baking/candy making has started.

I'd really recommend Nigellas 'fudge'..I say 'fudge' because although it's lovely and indulgent like proper fudge it's quick and easy and doesn't involve candy thermometers or beating etc. It will keep for a week...if you manage not to eat it all on the first couple of days!

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-pistachio-fudge-96

I vary what I put in when I do it - for christmas I quite like it with dried cranberries, cherries and macadamia nuts. You can also add a bit of booze if you like...I think this year I'm going to try to do a batch with baileys for a christmas feel (without the dried fruit because I don't think it would all work together!). I make proper fudges too, but this recipe really is nice and way less stress/effort.


I also make yummy peanut butter cookies at Christmas time. They're really nice plain all year round, but at Christmas I make them festive my dipping/drizzling milk chocolate on them. They'll keep in an air tight container for a week too:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/PeanutButterCookies.html

Another family favourite are caramel and pecan chocolates - little clusters of pecans with a dollop of caramel on top then dipped in milk chocolate. (Like Turtles chocolates if you've ever tried them on a trip to North America).

http://candy.about.com/od/kidfriendlytreats/r/turtles.htm

(not the recipe I use, but it looks like an OK one and I'm too lazy to type mine out!)
One I haven't done before but I plan to try this year is Lorraine Pascale's peppermint creams:

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/lorraine-pascale/peppermint-creams-sugar-rush.html

Ooh, and I really want to try salted caramels (I might try to track down some nice coloured salts to make them extra Christmasy)

http://www.inspiredtaste.net/8947/salted-caramels-recipe/

I think this is shaping up to be my favourite thread!

Own_My_Own

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=58124501&postcount=18

Quite a few links on here for Christmassy food. xx

browneyedbazzi

I got so distracted and excited by the sweet stuff, I completely forgot about savoury snacks lol.

One of our traditional family favourites is home made bread rolls that are filled with a mixture of minced beef, onions, bacon and garlic (you fry all the meat and onions up, drain off excess fat then add garlic and season with salt and pepper, leave to cool then bake it into bread rolls- sort of shaped like big finger rolls). I do a big batch in advance and freeze them then take them out over the holidays as needed. I'm afraid there's no official name for them or recipe as it's all done by eye/taste - the filling is roughly 2 parts beef mince, 1 part bacon (cut into little pieces), 1 part onion, then garlic and seasoning to taste. And I use a plain white bread recipe for the dough.

The other savoury stuff we tend to do for snacking is simple raw veggies with dips and a selection of meats/cheeses with crackers.

For your buffet - thai food would be lovely especially as it's traditional to serve it up 'family style' so would work well for a buffet and most thai recipes are quite quick to throw together...things like cashew chicken, garlic and pepper pork, veggie pad thai, breaded coconut prawns with sweet chilli sauce - I could go on!

teamshepherd

Been looking for some more sweet stuff to make myself, found this little gem... seems like it would fit your requirements.


http://notjustanyoldbaking.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/double-topped-chocolate-fridge-cake.html#more

candjsmum

fatblackandwhite wrote: »

I DO recommend Nigella's chilli jam - I made some last year after everyone on here raved about it and it is delicious - especially on ham or cheese. It makes a few jars depending on size and keeps for a few months unopened.

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chilli-jam-2692

I have always fancied making this but don't have a sugar thermometer, do I need one to make this?? Just made a batch of her Christmas chutney which is delicious, but no doubt will need to make more before Christmas

bossymoo

I made the chili jam last year without any equipment like thermometers. I think the recipe said roughly how long to boil for, then to test by dropping a small amount onto a saucer that's been in the fridge. If its ready to set, it will do as soon as it touches the cold saucer, a little prod with a spoon should show if the consistency is good.

Mine didn't set like a jelly, its much looser than that, it does drip off a spoon but OMG its lush. Think I'll get chillies next time I'm shopping!

It's nice dripped on celery that has soft cheese in the "cavity"

CupOfChai

We got a chilli plant this year, I am SO making the chilli jam for Christmas now! That is if OH has not eaten all the chillies we get off the plant, otherwise I'll have to go and buy some!

Chris25

you can make scotch eggs & freeze.

Or to make sausage rolls a little bit differently, make them as mini sausage plaits & when you egg wash the tops, sprinkle sesame seeds on some, poppy seeds on some & grated parmesan on others.

The supermarkets all carry frozen mini Chinese treats like duck rolls, wrapped prawns & won-ton parcels & you don't have to defrost before cooking.

MrsE_2

fatblackandwhite wrote: »

I thought I had posted this earlier, but obviously not!

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/CHRISTMAS-MORNING-MUFFINS-5239

Now I have never made them, but always fancied trying. They sound quite nice.

Nice change for Christmas morning, really good to offer people who don't stay the night before, but arrive early to spend the day.

MrsE_2

We had a ginger cake trifle last year, a Jamie recipe.

This Christmas I think I will add orange jelly to it, as the base needed more "wet", but lovely for Xmas