Mince Pies

Ingredients

1 cup each currants, raisins, sultanas, craisins
1/2 cup chopped, mixed peel
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2/3 cup butter, in small cubes
1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1 cups brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 cup brandy

4 sterilized 1 1b jam jars

Measure all of the ingredients except the alcohol into a large pan. Heat gently, allowing the butter to melt, then simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool completely then stir in the brandy, rum or sherry.

Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jam jars, seal tightly, label and store in a cool place. You can make the mincemeat up to six months ahead and store it in a cool place.

Crust

Here's my favorite French 'pate sablee', though it is not the easiest dough to handle:

(makes 2 3/4 lb) - yes, that's a lot, but these make great Christmas gifts

14 oz soft, unsalted butter
8 oz white sugar
1 medium egg, beaten, at room temperature
1 1/4 lb plain flour
(I use Plusgras or Kerrygold butter - lower water content than ours, and '00' flour does make a finer crust.)

Beat the butter with the sugar until lump free but not quite a cream. Add the egg, gently and quickly. Blend in the flour, stopping the machine as soon as the dough clings to the beater. Press into a ball, working with palms of hands if necessary to bring together, but try not to over handle. Form into a sausage shape, cover with plastic or foil wrap, chill for 1 hour.

Roll out dough. This amount will make 80 or 90 mini pies with lids (see photo), or use some to line a larger dish, then cut strips to make a lattice top. Don't fill the pies quite full of mincemeat, because it will surely expand on baking (425 F for 15-20 minutes for the small pies, 400 F for 25 minutes for larger ones).

Now where's my glass of sherry...

Cullen Skink

Here's an authentic recipe from my Scottish ancestors. This will serve 4-6 depending on whether a starter or a main course.

Ingredients

1 large smoked haddock (or other smoked, white fish)
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
1 1/2 pints milk
2 cups cooked, mashed potato
seasoning
chives
2 pints mussels (optional)

Place fish, skin side down, in a shallow pan. Cover with cold water and some of the milk. Add a knob of butter and season with black pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn fish over, remove skin, add sliced onion, cover and simmer a further 5 minutes.

Remove fish from the pan and fillet it. Return the bones to the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain off the liquid stock, add remainder of milk, the cooked, flaked fish and most of the mashed potato.

Bring to the boil and add more potato until the soup has the desired consistency. It should be fairly thick. Add a knob of butter. Season with more black pepper and salt (taking care with salt as the smoked fish may be salty).

To serve, sprinkle chopped chives onto each bowlful. Add a few mussels to each, if you are using them.

Oeufs farcis - that's stuffed eggs to you!

For the launch of our local French conversation evenings, it seemed appropriate to prepare some French dishes for everyone. I found a simple but delicious recipe for stuffed eggs in a cookery book from Provence, France...in French. Here's my translation for you.

Ingredients

Eggs
Salted anchovy fillets (1 per egg)
Capers (3 per egg)
Parsley, chopped (1/4 tsp per egg)
Bechamel sauce (see below)

Have as many eggs as you wish to prepare at room temperature. Hard boil them. When cool, peel them and slice in two lengthwise.

Carefully scoop yolks out of eggs. Remove excess salt and bone from anchovies. Mash them with the yolks and capers. Add parsley, and a generous tablespoon or two of bechamel sauce per egg. Mix well.

Spread remaining sauce over an ovenproof platter and arrange the egg white 'shells' on top. Fill each with a spoonful of the stuffing. Heat through in a preheated oven (375 F) for 10 minutes.


Bechamel sauce: the amount will depend on the number of eggs, but the basic recipe involves 1/2 pint heated milk, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 2 level tbsp all-purpose flour. Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan and add flour. Cook, stirring, to obtain a smooth paste, then add the hot milk and continue stirring until you have a thick, lump-free sauce. Be sure to cook for 10 minutes so the flour is fully cooked and the flavor developed. Season with a little nutmeg and white pepper. Do not add salt because the anchovies and capers will give plenty to the dish.


JGH notes: I don't like tell the French how to cook, but a little finely chopped smoked salmon is a nice addition, and I like to add 1/2 a cup of dry white wine to the bechamel in place of that amount of milk. A little chili pepper sprinkled on top as the eggs come out of the oven adds zing and color too.

Bon appétit!

Pumpkin Pie...from scratch

Last year at Thanksgiving I urged you all to consider fresh pumpkin, not canned, but I did not give you my recipe. This year I'm making amends...

Ingredients

1 cooking pumpkin
an unbaked pie crust for a 10" pie dish (I use the magical Silver Palate no-roll crust)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each ground ginger and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400º F. Take a big knife and split the pumpkin in two. Scoop out seeds and set aside. Also remove any remaining fiber. Place the pumpkin, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet. and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pumpkin flesh and mash until very smooth. Measure out 2 cups of the puree. Add the sugar, milk, cream, butter and seasoning; mix together thoroughly. Beat eggs lightly in a separate bowl, then incorporate into the pumpkin mixture.

Butter pie dish. Line with crust, or tip the no-roll crust in and pat down. Place on a baking sheet. Pour filling over. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º F and bake a further 30 minutes or until the filling is set.

Now, remember I said to set the seeds aside? Here's why: rinse them to remove the pumpkin fiber and allow to dry. Use your hands to toss seeds in a little olive oil, then use your oily hands to grease a baking sheet. Spread out the seeds on it in a single layer. Bake at the top of the oven (at 400º F) until the seeds start to color (5-10 minutes, but keep checking). Toss in sea salt while still warm. Perfect to serve with cocktails.

Soybeans with Garlic and Chili

My dear friend Stephanie was not just fortunate enough to spend her birthday in Hawaii recently, but she also got to celebrate in style at Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu. Wong's recipes hardly fall into the 'non taxing' bracket', but this delicious, speedy pupu is the exception.

1 lb cooked soy beans with the shell on (cooked from frozen)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 small chili pepper, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
½ tsp sesame oil

In a very hot skillet (a wok is ideal) fry garlic, ginger and chili with salad oil until golden brown. Add soybeans and continue to cook until heated through. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Stir fry for an additional minute; season with salt to taste (optional) and serve immediately.

Custard without the Stress

I know I am guilty of bias when it comes to my Vitamix, but truthfully this recipe revolutionizes custard making (which means it's also the perfect technique for any egg custard-based dessert, such as my home-made ice cream).

Ingredients to serve 6

6 free-range egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy or whipping cream

3/4 cup milk

½ cup refined sugar

1 1/2 tsps vanilla essence

Place all the ingredients into the Vitamix and whizz on full power for 5 to 7 minutes until steaming and thick. (Yes, that's all there is to it!)

Pumpkin Curry

If, like me, you have a pumpkin mountain left over from Hallowe'en, and you've already made pie and soup and pancakes, you may like to try spicing things up a little with this recipe kindly provided by the kitchen supply company, Steamer Trading (with a few JGH tweaks).

Ingredients
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 sweet onions, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp dried chili flakes
1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp roasted, ground cumin
2 pounds fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint unsweetened coconut milk
Salt
Bunch fresh mint, coarsely chopped
Bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the onion, with the chili, until transparent. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir fry for another three minutes. Add the pumpkin and spices, cook a further few minutes. Add salt and coconut milk, mixing gently but thoroughly. Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Garnish with the fresh herbs. Serve with plain rice and naan bread to mop up the juices.