Christmas Pudding Ice Cream Bombe

This is so good and so easy! I got the recipe from a friend's son, who got it from Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking. It's a bit like mincemeat, but I thought of spumoni when I tasted it. Go to the link to read more about how Gemma describes it.

1. Mix the mincemeat and let steep in fridge overnight. Stir together these ingredients, except for the liquor.

1 cup raisins
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pistachios or pecans, toasted and chopped
Grated zest of one lemon
Grated zest of one orange
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or brandy (optional)

2. Grease and line a 2 litre pudding basin with clingfilm, using enough so that it hangs well over the sides. (Translation for Americans: Use a steep-sided bowl or jello mold that will hold a little over 2 quarts, grease, and line with Saran Wrap).

3. Prepare the ice cream base:

Beat 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Turn down the speed a bit and add a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, then turn up the speed and continue to whip until stiff peaks have formed again.

4. Put it all together and freeze:

Stir the mincemeat mixture into the ice cream base. Add the (optional) liquor now. Pour into the lined bowl. Tap on counter to release any bubbles. Cover and freeze 5-6 hours or preferably overnight.

5. Unmold and serve:

Remove pudding from the freezer, let sit for 15 minutes, invert onto a plate and leave for a further 15 minutes. Remove the bowl and clingfilm. Decorate with faux holly and sugared cranberries. Slice or spoon to serve.

Store in freezer for up to six weeks.

Elva's Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:
2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbl. butter
1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. dry yeast (1 tbl.)
1/2 cup lukewarm water

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup cut-up raisins
1/2 cup currants

Lemon filling prepared from pie filling mix, cooled. You'll need about 2 cups, which is what one box makes.

Directions:
Add the sugar, butter, and salt to the milk, stir and cool to lukewarm. Add yeast that has been dissolved in the water, stir well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Knead 5 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Pinch off small balls, about half the size you want the buns to be. Slit tops with the sign of the cross. Let rise until light on a greased cookie sheet.

Brush tops with beaten egg yolk mixed with a bit of water. With two teaspoons, pull top of each bun apart and add a heaping tsp. of lemon filling. Bake in a preheated 350 F. oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

When cool, spoon a cross of white icing on each bun. (Icing: powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla).

Italian Pignoli Amaretti - Pine Nut Cookies

These holiday cookies are a legend in Beez's family. They are expensive to make, so will only be making another appearance at our house next Christmas. 

Thank you, DonnaSue, for this recipe. 

2 (8-ounce) cans almond paste (not marzipan), coarsely crumbled*
1 1/2 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons mild honey
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) pine nuts 

* It is important to use canned almond paste only (the type sold in tubes is too crumbly and will not give the cookies the right consistency).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Either line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat. 

In a food processor, pulse almond paste until broken up into small bits, then add powdered sugar and salt; continue to pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add egg whites and and honey; process until well combined. 

NOTE: Have a bowl of water near to dip your fingers in before rolling each cookie. This will keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. 

Using a rounded teaspoon for each cookie, roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cooking sheets. Lightly flatten each cookie and press some pine nuts into each cookie to cover. 

Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, approximately 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden brown and soft and springy. Remove from oven and and transfer to wire racks to cool completely before serving.

The cookies can by prepared up to 3 weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

*****

Here are a couple more notes for you: Auntie Bucksnort and I found that the dough could be mixed in a KitchenAid stand mixer. Use care with whatever machine you use; the dough is heavy and Cousin DonnaSue broke her food processor mixing it, making the cookies even more expensive this year. 

We sprayed the cookie sheets with Pam, rather than using a Silpat, because we had no idea what that even was. Of course, we now know that it is a no-stick silicone baking mat, but we didn't know then. They are expensive, too.

Let the cookies cool just a minute--no longer--before removing them from the pan or they will stick. 

Panettone

Special Italian dessert bread for holidays. This version comes from Auntie Bucksnort.

3 tbl. yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup warm water

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup soft butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon peel

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups flour

1/3 cup candied citron

1/2 cup raisins (mix dark and light if you wish)

2 tbl. melted butter to brush on crust

Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with a little sugar. Mix the remaining ingredients (except for 2 tbl. butter), adding more flour as necessary to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth, let rise in a greased bowl until doubled.

Form into a round loaf and let rise on a greased cookie sheet until doubled. Bake at 400〫for 10 minutes, then brush with melted butter. Continue baking at 350〫for 30 to 40 minutes until done.

Cool on rack.

Maple Pralines

Ben asked for recipes with maple syrup, because we all have such fond memories of maple sugar time in New Hampshire. This recipe comes from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook; Recipes and Reminiscences from Corgi Cottage.

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup Vermont maple syrup

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tbl. unsalted butter

1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, maple syrup, cream, and butter. Place the pan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cook to the soft ball stage, or 134 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it stand for five minutes without stirring.

Add the pecans and stir until the mixture is slightly thick and beginning to look cloudy. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let it stand until cold and firmly set.

Store in a tightly covered container. Makes approximately 2 dozen 1-inch patties.

Cashew Butter Toffee

This recipe comes from Tasha Tudor's Old-Fashioned Gifts. Every time I look through this book I am struck anew by the lovely, other-worldly life she led with her family in Vermont.

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped cashews

1 - 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Butter a cookie sheet and set it aside.

Combine the sugar, salt, water, and butter in a heavy saucepan. Over medium heat, cook the mixture to the "soft-crack" stage (285°).

Add 1/2 cup of the chopped cashews and immediately pour the mixture onto the buttered cookie sheet. Spread out the mixture with a spatula and allow it to cool.

Melt half of the chocolate chips and spread on the top of the cooled toffee. Sprinkle with half of the remaining chopped cashews. Let this mixture cool until the chocolate has hardened. Turn the mixture over with a spatula and repeat the same process on the other side. Both sides of the toffee should be coated with chocolate and chopped nuts.

Break the toffee into pieces and store in a covered container in a cool, dry place.

Oyster Stuffing

I am such a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving that I never want to fool around with the menu. I like Sausage Cornbread Stuffing for the turkey, but if I ever chose to experiment I might try this recipe from Seasoned with Grace; My Generation of Shaker Cooking, by Eldress Bertha Lindsay. Making it would remind me of the lovely Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire that we visited when the kids were little.

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 cups bread crumbs, soft

1 pint oysters, chopped

2 - 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Pour milk and butter over crumbs. Add oysters and seasonings. Spoon the stuffing into the turkey and roast.

Shaker Village, Canterbury, NH

Potato Fudge or Needhams

This recipe must have come from hard times, but my mother still liked to make it when I was a child. This updated microwave version comes from Living on a Dime. These are also called Needhams.

3 Tbsp. shortening
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cocoa
1/3 cup mashed potatoes
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt shortening and butter in the microwave. Stir in cocoa until smooth. Add potatoes, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Blend in powdered sugar, mix and add nuts. Dough will be very lumpy. Knead until smooth. Press into a buttered 8x8 inch pan. Cool in the refrigerator before cutting. Makes 64 pieces.

Easy Chocolate Fudge

My mother loved to make this no-fail easy fudge for holidays. This version comes from Diana's Kitchen.

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, vanilla, and nuts. Beat for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows melt and mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour into an 8-inch square buttered pan and cool. Cut fudge into squares.

Penuche Fudge

1 lb. brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 tbl. flour

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbl. marshmallow fluff

1 - 2 tbl. butter

Mix the sugars with flour, salt, and milk. Stir well and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Cook for exactly five minutes after the boil begins. Remove from heat, add marshmallow fluff and butter. Beat until thick and creamy. Pour into a buttered

8" x 8" pan. Cool and cut into squares.

This version comes from Cooks.com.

Bourbon Balls

My mother used to make these candies a month or so ahead of time for Christmas parties. They would be stored in the fridge in covered tins to ripen. As a child I thought these were chocolate, and snitched one. What a surprise when I encountered the very adult flavors!

I found this version at About.com: Southern Food.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Preparation:

Combine vanilla wafer crumbs, chopped pecans, and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar. In a measuring cup, blend the Bourbon and corn syrup; stir into the dry mixture. When thoroughly blended, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more. Sift about 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar onto a large piece of waxed paper. Shape small amounts of the dough into balls then roll in powdered sugar. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator. These can be frozen. Makes about 3 dozen.

Italian Easter Wheat Pie

When Beez's Italian aunties, Mary and Pucci, were much younger, they served this labor-intensive pie at Easter time. I got this recipe, which is very like theirs, from Cooks.com. It makes 3 pies. 

Part 1 - Preparing the Wheat
3/4 lb. spring wheat
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
10 c. water

Place wheat and 5 cups of water in large covered bowl and refrigerate for 48 hours. Drain water from wheat and place wheat in a 2 quart covered pot with 5 cups of fresh water. Cook over medium heat until boiling then reduce heat. Let simmer at a low boil for 3 hours or until tender, stirring frequently. Add water as needed and do not let wheat stick to bottom of pot. When wheat is tender drain water out and add milk, salt, and sugar. Cook over low heat for 7- 8 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside and cool.

Part 2 - Preparing the Pie Crust
3 c. sifted white flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
4 egg yolks
1 1/3 sticks butter
6 tbsp. milk or more, if needed
1 tbsp. lemon rind

Place flour in large mixing bowl and add sugar, salt, butter, mix well with fork. Add egg yolks, milk, and lemon rind mixing well. Take mixture and place on floured board. Knead until dough is smooth and manageable. Adding more flour or milk as needed. Place dough back in bowl, cover and refrigerate.

When ready to use cut dough into 6 parts. 3 parts for bottom and 3 parts for lattice tops.

Roll dough out on floured board large enough to cover a 9 inch pie pan. For lattice top roll out 10 inch strips and cut 3/4 inch wide, 24 strips for 3 tops.

Part 3 - Preparing the Pie Filling
1 1/2 lb. ricotta, regular or part skim
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
6 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1 tbsp. lemon rind
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
Prepared Wheat mixture

Place in large bowl ricotta and sugar mixing well until creamy. Add egg yolks, orange marmalade, lemon rind, and cinnamon; mix well. Add to bowl your prepared wheat mixture and mix evenly. Place in separate bowl egg whites and sugar. Beat until stiff. Fold stiff egg whites into wheat mixture.

Fill your three pie crusts with wheat filling evenly. Cover with lattice pie crust. Criss-cross 4 pieces on bottom and 4 pieces on top. Trim off all excess pie crust.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Check by inserting knife in center. If knife comes out clean pie is done. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Cranberry Orange Relish

We sometimes made this relish as a second cranberry side dish to go along with our Thanksgiving turkey, in addition to the Classic Cranberry Sauce. Oops, and I have to admit that we also often plopped the contents of a can of cranberry sauce out onto a dish and sliced it up. For some traditionalists, only the childhood version will do, and since Thanksgiving is all about tradition, we did what had to be done.

• 1 lb cranberries, raw (pick out any stems)
• 2 or 3 oranges, unpeeled, without seeds (wash well and dry); cut up into chunks
• granulated sugar to taste

Coarsely grind the cranberries and oranges in meat grinder or food processor. Sweeten to taste with granulated sugar. 
Serves 8.

Classic Cranberry Sauce

At Thanksgiving, it was always the littlest kid's job to make the cranberry sauce. We would stand her/him on a chair at the stove and let her/him stir away. It goes without saying that I was always right there, supervising this dangerous culinary adventure. 

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

4 cups cranberries (pick out any stems)

Place all in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and let cook an additional five minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into a serving dish and let cool. 

Here is a nice list of optional additions: Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

Ben’s Valentine’s Day Cookies

When Ben was 11 years old, he designed this recipe. It was so delicious, we wrote it down and have been making these cookies ever since.

¾ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Drop of lemon flavoring (or juice)
1 cup chocolate chips
¾ cup golden raisins
¾ cup granola
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
Shake of red sprinkles
Shake of chocolate sprinkles (we used Dutch chocolate hagel just because we had them)

Frosting
1/3 stick butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp. milk
2 drops red food coloring

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, lemon flavoring, chocolate chips, raisins, and granola in bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to other ingredients and mix well. Chill at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 400 for 5 minutes. Roll dough, cut in heart shapes with cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and put in oven for 7 minutes.

While cookies are baking, make the frosting:
Beat butter, add powdered sugar and mix.
Gradually add milk, mix, add coloring.

When cookies are removed from the oven (Ben originally wrote down when cookies get out) let them cool on paper towels for 2 minutes. Spread on icing. Sprinkle on sprinkles and hagel. Eat.

Makes about 45 cookies.

Cranberry Chutney

1 cup water
2 cups white sugar
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 cup apples - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 In a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the cranberries, apples, cider vinegar, raisins and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes stirring often.

2 Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the chutney.

Olliebollen

Olliebollen are the Dutch doughnuts that are traditionally served on New Year's Eve.

1 tbl. dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
3/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup raisins
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting


Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir the yeast mixture and egg into the flour and mix into a smooth batter. Stir in the currants, raisins and apple. Cover the bowl, and leave the batter in a warm place to rise until double in size. This will take about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer, or heavy deep pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Use 2 metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil. Fry the balls until golden brown, about 8 minutes. The doughnuts should be soft and not greasy. If the oil is not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy.

Drain finished doughnuts on paper towels and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve them piled on a dish with more confectioners' sugar dusted over them. Eat them hot if possible.

This recipe is based on the one published at allrecipes.com.

Hot Cider

6 oz. apple cider
1 ½ oz. Tuaca liqueur

Pour cider into a mug, warm in the microwave, add Tuaca. Top with whipping cream sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Serve with a cinnamon stick. I believe this is also known as Hot Apple Pie.

Holiday Luncheon Salad

Fresh spinach leaves
Cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
Dried cranberries
Cherry tomatoes
Sugared almonds
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Optional: Mandarin orange slices

Arrange all on salad plates and drizzle with Orange Vinaigrette (olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika).

Dutch Christmas Cooking

Here are some links to a few Dutch Christmas recipes, to represent the Dutch side of the family.

Dutch Christmas Log (Banketstaaf)--Flaky pastry log with a center of almond paste

Dutch Christmas Spice Cake (Speculatus)

Dutch Peppernut Cookies (Pepernoten)

Dutch Spice Cookies (Speculaas Koekjes)

Dutch Letter Cookies (Spritz)