C CHRISTMAS TREATS TRAY “This is my Christmas treats tray, seasonal avors (and aromas) brought together in some fun recipes, ready to enjoy with glasses of mulled wine in front of a roaring re,” Michaels says. WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • 1 cup brandy cream • 6 clementines with leaves • 6 store-bought decorate your-own gingerbread men with icing pens FOR THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING BAUBLES WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • 12 oz. leftover Christmas pudding or rich fruit cake • 3½ oz. dark/bittersweet chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), broken • 10½ oz. white chocolate, broken red and gold oil-based food coloring • Red, gold and silver edible dust (optional) WHAT YOU’LL DO: 1. Mash the leftover Christmas pudding in a bowl. Melt the dark/bittersweet chocolate in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between, then pour into the mashed Christmas pudding and mix thoroughly. Working quickly, roll out ping pong ball-sized balls and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between, then divide into three warm bowls. Add red coloring to one, gold to another and leave one plain. 3. Insert a cocktail stick/toothpick into the pudding balls and dip each one into one of the bowls of colored melted chocolate, then place on a wire rack to set.You should have three sets of different colored balls. Once almost dry, you can dust with the matching edible dust to give them a shimmer, if you like – use silver on the white ones. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. FOR THE WALNUT AND CINNAMON MINCE-PIE PINWHEELS WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • Plain/all-purpose our, for dusting • 11 oz. puff pastry dough • 2 tbsp melted butter • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon • Grated zest of 1 clementine • 1 cup walnuts, chopped • 1 tbsp brandy • 1¾ cups mincemeat/mince pie lling • 1 egg, beaten • 2 tbsp icing/confectioner’s sugar WHAT YOU’LL DO: 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°C/Gas 7. 2. On a lightly dusted work surface roll out the pastry into a rectangular shape about 1in. thick. Brush the surface with the melted butter, then sprinkle over the ground cinnamon, half the clementine zest and the chopped walnuts. Mix the brandy with the mincemeat/mince pie lling until fully incorporated, then spoon over the pastry in an even layer. 3. With the longest side nearest to you, roll the pastry into a log, brushing the nal edge of the pastry with the beaten egg to stick it together. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes (this makes it easier to cut). 4. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into ½-inch slices and place onto the lined baking sheet. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the top. 5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. PRESENTATION 1. A round metal tray works well with the sparkly Christmas pudding baubles 2. A few cocktail sticks/toothpicks or skewers HOW TO ASSEMBLE 1. Put the brandy cream in a bowl, sprinkle with a little clementine zest and place on the tray.Arrange the decorated gingerbread men, mince pie pinwheels and Christmas pudding baubles (you can mount these on sticks in the style of cake pops, if liked). 2. If you are serving mulled wine, you can add heatproof cups of this to the tray too and carry it to the reside all together. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine the double/ heavy cream, vanilla extract and icing/ confectioner’s sugar and whisk with a hand-held electric whisk until thick and silky (don’t over-whisk or it will go lumpy). Spoon into a disposable piping/ pastry bag and store in the fridge for up to 12 hours until ready to use. 3. Thinly slice one or two of the fresh strawberries vertically and pick a dozen small leaves from the sprigs of mint. Set aside. 4. When you are ready to serve, place the meringues on a clean work surface and spoon a pile of the thawed berries into the center of each one. Now pipe the whipped cream around the top of the meringue piping in a circular motion until you have fully encased the berries in the cream. Stick a slither of fresh strawberry and some of the reserved frozen berries in the top of each mound and drizzle some syrup over the top. PRESENTATION A round metal tray with sides is ideal to display the mini pavlovas in a circle disposable piping/pastry bag. HOW TO ASSEMBLE 1. Decant the remaining thawed berries and syrup into a small clean bowl and place in the center of the tray/board.Arrange the pavlovas around the edge of the tray/board. Fill the rest of the space with the strawberries and add the mint sprigs to decorate. Serve with any leftover cream, if you like. HOLIDAYdécor | 2022 79
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