Volume 9, Issue 125 - December 23, 2005

Hello Recipe Club Member,

Desserts...ah...just what you have been waiting for! Oddly enough there is no recipe today from Chef Jean, she took the day off. Contributors today include Chef Jennifer Gordon, Chef June Jacobs, CCP and Chef Genevieve McGough. There is no way to choose which of these to make, so I suggest that you take some time this weekend and try all three.

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Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:

50g/2 ounces self-raising flour
175g/6 ounces plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
50g/2 ounces ground almonds
225g/8 ounces shredded suet
225g/8 ounces dark muscovado sugar (see note)
100g/4 ounces white breadcrumbs from a 2-day loaf
1.5kg/3 pounds mixed currants, raisins and sultanas
1 tablespoon black treacle (see note)
1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice
1 orange, finely grated zest and juice
1 carrot, finely grated
1 medium cooking apple, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons brandy or rum
150ml/5 fluid ounces dark ale or stout
4 eggs, beaten
flour and butter, for preparing the basins

Preparation:

Sift together the flours, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Stir in the almonds, suet, sugar and breadcrumbs, mixing well. Add the remaining pudding ingredients stirring well after each addition. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 1 week if possible, stirring a few times.

Grease and lightly flour either 3 x 900ml/1 1/2 pints or 2 x 1.2 litre/2 pint basins and pack in the pudding mixture. Top the surface of the puddings with a circle of greaseproof paper, then cover with baking parchment or aluminum foil. Fold around the edges of the basin and tie with string, or tightly scrunch the foil under the lip of the basin. Place in a steamer of boiling water for about 6 hours, topping up with water every so often.

Leave to cool and remove the parchment/foil and greaseproof paper and replace with a new lot. The puddings can now be stored in a cool, dry place.

To reheating pudding, steam for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or cover loosely and heat in the microwave for about 6 minutes on high power.

Serve with Rum Whipped Cream or Brandy sauce.

Notes:
Muscovado sugar = Very dark brown sugar with a strong molasses flavor. Can be purchased through Goodness Direct

Black Treacle = A darker, richer sweetener than cane sugar granules or syrup. Can be purchased through British American Imports

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef Jennifer Gordon

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Chocolate and Brandy Soaked Cherry Cake with Christmas Spiced Whipped Cream

Makes 10 servings

For the Brandy Soaked Cherries:

Ingredients:

500g or 1 pound fresh cherries
400mls or 14 fluid ounces brandy
120g or 4 ounces soft brown sugar

Preparation:

2 days before the cake is required, place the cherries into an airtight container and pour over the brandy. Seal the container and place in the fridge.

Drain the brandy into a pot, add the sugar and bring to the boil. Reduce the syrup down to 200mls or 7 fluid ounces.

Separate the cherries in half leaving the best looking cherries in one group. Add the best looking cherries back into the finished brandy sauce. To prepare the other cherries for the cake; remove the stalk, cut them in half, remove the stone then cut into quarters.

For the Cake:

Ingredients:

300g or 10 ounces dark chocolate
150g or 5 ounces butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 eggs separated
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
120g or 4ounces standard flour
90g or 3 ounces ground almonds

Preparation:

Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees C. or 320 degrees F. Grease and line with non stick baking paper a 23cmm or 9 inch round tin. In a bain-marie melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally. When it has melted remove it from the heat and stir in the cream then set it aside to cool. Sift the flour onto the almonds, combine them and then set aside.

Using 2 separate mixing bowls whisk the yolks with the 1/2 cup of sugar with an electric beater around 5 minutes until they have gone very pale in colour and increased in volume. In a separate bowl with clean beater blades, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Slowly rain in the remaining quarter cup of sugar while still beating, then continue to beat for a further 3 minutes.

To combine the mix; using a metal spoon fold the yolks into the chocolate until almost mixed through, then fold in the flour mix and 1/3 of the whites. Next fold through the last of the egg whites and the sliced cherries until just combined.

Transfer the mix to the prepared baking tin and place in the oven. The cake will take 45 to 60 minutes to bake. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted comes out almost clean e.g. moist crumbs are attached to skewer as opposed to raw mix. For a cake that rises evenly I like to turn the cake every 10 minutes to avoid over rising on one side. Allow the cake to cool for 1 hour before glazing with the chocolate.

For the Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

170g or 6 ounces dark chocolate
90mls or 3 fluid ounces heavy cream
30g or 1 ounce caster sugar
30g or 1 ounce butter

Preparation:

To prepare the cake for the ganache turn the cake upside down onto a cake rack that has feet and place a tray underneath that can fit into your refrigerator. Place the cream, sugar and butter into a medium sized pot and bring to the boil. Add the chocolate and stir over a low heat until all the chocolate has melted. Pour all of the chocolate onto the cake into the center and then, using a pallet knife, slowly work the chocolate to the edges and over the sides so that all the sides are covered with some of the glaze. Leave to set for at least 2 hours.

For the Christmas Spiced Cream:

Ingredients:

150mls or 5 fluid ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and whip as you would regular whipped cream until it reaches a soft whipped stage.

To serve:

Serve cake at room temp or heat slices in the microwave for 30 seconds. Heat the cherries in the syrup and serve with slices of cake and spiced cream.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef Genevieve McGough

California Fruitcake

There is not one candied bit of anything in this fruitcake. It is chock full of yummy dried fruits and luscious nuts. You can add some finely chopped orange zest, if you like to give it that real California touch!

Makes 2 in 9x5x3-inch pans, or 5 in 5x3x2-inch pans

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup clover honey
6 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated peel of 1 large orange
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon Rumford's baking powder
3 cups each diced prunes, diced dried figs, dates, apricots, yellow raisins and chopped walnuts -- 15 cups in all! (Be sure to buy dried fruit which has already been pitted.)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Grease loaf pans well. Line the bottoms of metal pans with waxed paper or parchment. Grease the lining.

Cream butter until fluffy. Beat in honey. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, orange peel, flour and baking powder.

Beat until smooth and well blended. Fold in fruit and nuts.

Spoon mixture into pans. Press to eliminate air spaces, and smooth the top. Cover pans with greased foil. Bake at 275 degrees F. for 1-1/2 hours. (1 hour for smaller pans.) Remove foil, raise temperature to 300 degrees F., bake 1 hour more (1/2 hour).

Cool in pan(s) for 15 minutes. Then remove from the pans to a cooling rack and cool with the top side up. Remove paper.

Wrap cakes in rum soaked cheesecloth, then foil. Store in cool, dry place.

Note: This recipe doubles, triples, quadruples, etc., exactly!

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef June Jacobs, CCP