Food Lorists

L'apperot a la francaise

2010-06-29T10:53:00.005Z

Despite our football history, greatfood.ie and sopexa are celebrating the French apperitif way of life.

Visit the L'Aperitif section on www.Greatfood.ie or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/aperitifalafrancaise) to get some superb, yet simple, French recipes. If you live near an outlet of Donnybrook Fair, pop in during July to pick up any of the French ingredients required for the recipes, check out their price offers, enjoy the free samples and enter their great competitions. Or why not sign up to one of their special L'Aperitif events taking place in The Cookery School (learn how to make French cocktails and canapes) and The Restaurant at Donnybrook Fair, Morehampton Road (special 4-course French food and wine dinner) on 21st and 27th July respectively.

There's a vast array of French food and drink products involved in this year's L'Aperitif a la francaise celebrations ranging from plums, melons, tomatoes, cheeses, ham, chocolates and jams to wines, lemonade and mineral water. Sponsors include Barton & Guestier, Febvre Wines, Horgan's Delicatessen Supplies, Richmond Marketing and Sheridan's Cheesemongers, as well as newcomers, Donnelly Fruit & Veg and Comptoir du Cacao chocolates.

Here are a few simple sweet and savoury L'Aperitif recipes :

Comte, Boursin & Le Foue Savoury Mini-Muffins
Makes 24 mini-muffins or 12 large ones

310g plain flour
4 level teaspoons baking powder
A good pinch of salt
55g Comte, grated
1 slice Le Foue Ham, diced
2 eggs
375ml milk (full fat)
160g melted butter
75g Boursin Ail & Fines Herbes, crumbled
12 chives, chopped finely

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 210ºC (415ºF/Gas Mark 6).
2. Put paper cups into a muffin tray or if you are not using them, oil the muffin holes well (use a non-stick pan).
3. Get two bowls ready, one large, one medium. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the grated Comte and the diced Le Foue ham and stir. In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter and the Boursin together. Add the chives and a good pinch of salt.
4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix with a wooden spoon to gather everything together (you may not need all the milk). The mixture should be lumpy, don't be tempted to over-mix it. It's meant to be that way.
5. Spoon the mixture into paper cups in the muffin tray or straight into oiled muffin holes. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (ovens vary so keep an eye on it near the end). They should have risen beautifully and be golden. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then lift out and place on a rack to cool.

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Tomato Tart with Comte and Selles-sur-Cher
Makes about 8 mini-slices of tart

200g puff pastry
50g Comte cheese
50g Selles-sur-Cher cheese
2 exotic tomatoes
Pinch of salt
Black pepper
5 pitted black olives, halved
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 fresh basil leaves

Directions
1. Oil a baking tray with a little of the olive oil and preheat the oven to 180ºC/360º/Gas Mark 5.
2. Roll out the puff pastry to a rough circle (about 5mm thick) and place on the baking tray. Cut the Comte into thin slices. Cut the Selles-sur-Cher cheese into small pieces. Lay the cheese over the pastry sheet leaving an inch all round free. Slice the tomatoes and place on top of the cheese. Sprinkle on a little salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Spread the olives evenly.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the pastry and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melting and the pastry is golden. Dress with fresh basil leaves and cut into mini-slices.

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Bleu d'Auvergne Dauphinoise Squares
Serves 6 as an aperitif (recipe doubles easily)

Knob of butter
5 medium potatoes, peeled
300ml single cream
A pinch of salt
Black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
50g Bleu d'Auvergne cheese

Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/375º/Gas Mark 5.
2. Butter a small baking dish.
3. Thinly slice the potatoes and line the baking dish with the slices in a circular fashion until you have created 5-6 layers.
4. Mix the cream, a pinch of salt, a few grindings of black pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg together and pour over the potatoes.
5. Sprinkle the Bleu d'Auvergne cheese on the top layer.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes (covering the dish with tin foil if the cheese is getting too brown) or until the potato is cooked (you can check this by piercing it with a knife). Leave to rest covered loosely in tinfoil so the dauphinoise can solidify, then cut into small bite size squares and serve.
Note: This dish may also be served hot direct from the oven as part of a main meal, e.g. with roast lamb.

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Plums with Cinnamon Syrup served with Comptoir du Cacao Chocolate
Serves 6

6 Philibon plums
100g caster sugar
450 ml cold water
2 sticks of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of orange zest
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
100ml red wine
6 Comptoir du Cacao Chocolate Croquants

Directions
1. Halve the plums and remove the stone. Put the caster sugar and cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to medium and add the plums, cinnamon, orange zest and vanilla extract. Add the red wine and simmer for 20 minutes or until the plums become soft, turning them once.
2. Remove the plums to a serving dish and turn the heat up under the saucepan. Cook the liquid until it reduces to a loose but sticky syrup. Pour over the plums. Serve one plum per person in individual little dishes with a Comptoir du Cacao Chocolate Croquant on the side

Philibon Plums come in a range of colours: yellow, red, purple, and have a smooth skin with a bloom and a superbly sweet flavour which means not only does this taste good, it looks great too. Comptoir du Cacao fine single-origin chocolates are made from pure cacao butter in unique flavours.

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Charentais Melon and Strawberries with Lorina Pink Lemonade
serves 6

1 Charentais Melon
1/2 punnet of strawberries, hulled
1 bottle of Lorina Pink Lemonade
6 leaves of fresh mint (plus one for garnish)

Directions
1. Cut the melon into balls using a melon baller (cut it into neat chunks if you don't have one).
2. Cut the strawberries into quarters.
3. Chop the 6 leaves of mint finely.
4. Combine everything in a large glass dessert bowl or divide among individual glasses. Chill, and just before serving, pour chilled Lorina Pink Lemonade over the dessert at the table so you can see the bubbles! Serve with a glass of Lorina Lemonade on the side for thirsty guests.

Qype

2009-11-13T11:46:00.003Z

A couple of month ago I had to plan a stag night in London for a chef, friend of mind. As you may know it takes a lot of planning. Most of the guys going to the three days trip to London were chef or waiters. So the pressure was on to make sure that the restaurants and pubs that I picked were up to their standard. So, I ask my girlfriend if she knew where to look for the best places. She told me that she came across Qype web-site a while back when she had to check on some information about pubs in London.

So, I took her words of advice and log on to Qype to sort out the restaurants and pubs that we were going to visit during our stay in England. I have to say it was very handy. The site had hundreds of reviews and critics under the the tag restaurants London as well as pubs London. I found everything that I needed to know. But the good thing about it was that it was customer review based. Now, it can go either way when it is in that format. Not everybody knows its food or drinks. But I have to say that we did not get much surprises when we got there. Most of the reviews were quite accurate. So I recommend it .

I had a quick look around the web to check who is behind Qype.I wanted to make sure that those reviews and critics were genuine and the site was not fed by reviews from books or fed by restaurant owners.This is what I found: Launched in 2005 Qype has become the biggest pan-European local review site on the net. It offers a reliable and fairly intuitive users, reviews and critics, based search engine that allows you to find from restaurants, a place to stay or get pampered, etc. Well, almost everything you'd need to know about more than 15 000 cities around Europe.
It is multi-platform too. Qype can be consulted on your pc, mobile phone or i-phone.
This is a very handy web-site to bookmark if you plan a trip to Europe or within the old continent.

"Fresh from the sea"

2009-05-19T23:03:00.007Z

The latest cookery publication by Gill and MacMillan is coming out on the 22nd of May. "Fresh from the sea" by Tv culinary show host and lecturer at the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Colorno (Italy): Clodagh McKenna ; is the base for her new mission: bring back people to fish, dispel the bad memories of heavy, overcooked fish dishes that were looked as a kind of penance.

This book brings in a simple and nicely illustrated format, all the tools, basic knowledge about cooking fish and explains the different kinds of fish and shellfish and the fishing industry. It also, offers a wide variety of fish dishes for all occasions to the most fussy eaters as well as the gourmets.

I found "Fresh from the sea" interesting and well documented. Italian photographer Alberto Peroli's illustrations are pleasant to the eye and the recipes are simply and clearly described.

"Fresh from the sea" will be out on the 22nd of May 2009 in all good bookshops and at Buy fresh from the sea.

Chronic Neuropathic Pain

2009-05-19T20:22:00.010Z

You will tell me, this post has nothing to do with food or cooking. In some ways it does. In this article I would like to tell you a little a bit about myself and a lot about a subject close to my heart: Chronic neuropathic pain.

This is why:

About three years ago I sustained an injury to my right shoulder during a pretty hectic dinner service. The place was pact and I was short staffed. Well a classic kitchen's scenario. From this injury I developed a condition called chronic neuropathic pain also known as chronic pain syndrome. The result of this condition leaves me with sharp, burning, stabbing pain sensations in my chest, shoulder, neck, arm and hand. I also have coordination and strength problems with my right hand as well as hyperalgaesia and numness in my arm and hand.

Not mentioning that it was the end of my career!

This is a condition that a lot of people do not know much about. But touch from 1.5 to 7% of the population. It is believed that:

4.5 million people (1.5 percent) in the U.S
3 million people (7.5 percent) in the United Kingdom
2.5 million people (6.4 percent) in France
3.5 million people (6.0 percent) in Germany
2.1 million people (7.7 percent) in Spain
120 000 people in Ireland.

suffer from chronic neuropathic pain. There are no cure for this condition but only pain management solutions for the sufferers.
If you wish to find out more about the condition I invite you to visit these few sites:

So, as I was following a pain management program in January I was told by a member of the pain unit team that the I.C.P.A and Pfizer had launch a writing competition asking chronic pain sufferer to describe what it was to live with the condition and the challenges that chronic pain brought to their life. The five winners, which I was a lucky one of them, had their story made into a short films by three young talented directors and were produced by Jim Sheridan.

The following movie is based on my story. It was directed by a young Irish and very talented director: Darren Thornton and produced by Antidote.
I hope that it will make you more aware about this condition. Enjoy the "movie".

HEAT

The other 2 winning stories can be found at: http://www.chronicpainireland.org/aboutus.asp

For help and support:
- Irish chronic pain association
- Chronic pain Australia
- American chronic pain association
- North American chronic pain association of Canada
- Pain concern

Papillote

2009-02-22T15:43:00.004Z

A while ago I had to attend a pain management programme in which as a group we had to prepare lunch together using the few tools that we were taught to help us dealing with our chronic pain problems. To do so, I thought that cooking a dish “en papillote” would be the best option for us. It is simple, quick and manageable even for people with chronic pain who can have serious problems standing, staying in the same position for a long period of time, using their arms or hands. The other good thing with this technique is that it can be prepared in advance and it requires a minimum of attention.

So there are the principles of cooking in papillote.

The way a papillote works is that all the ingredients cook together, in their own steam, in a casing made of tin foil and parchment. This cooking technique has the advantage to be healthy. To make sure to get it right you must keep in mind how long the main ingredient, which could be meat, fish, vegetables, cooked pasta, cheese, fruits, etc, will take to cook. You will have to cut your vegetables, accordingly and/or part-cook them first.

So, let’s say that we are making a papillote containing a chicken breast. A medium sized breast of chicken off the bone and seared will require about 20 minutes of cooking, plus ten more minutes to bring the parcel to the right temperature. During my pain management program we cooked a medium-sized chicken breast with some baby potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, shallots, fresh herbs and garlic. So, to make sure that the potatoes would be cooked we had to cut them in three pieces, the courgettes were cut no more than one centimetre thick but not smaller than half a centimetre. The peppers had to be cut in dices no more that a couple of centimetre aside.

Now, if we had used a medium size piece of salmon, for example, the cooking time would have been only ten minutes. Then our vegetables would have had to be cut into smaller pieces. Well, I am sure that you get the gist of it.

The other very important thing is to make sure that the casing is tightly sealed. So to achieve that you can brush the edge of the tin foil with a little bit of egg white that will seal any gaps when cooking. Failing to seal your parcel properly will lead to the food cooking unevenly, some drying out and/or burning. Another problem that can arise is to damage the parcel when manipulating it. So, extreme care is necessary when putting them in the oven.

Another little tip is to put a couple of spoons of liquid (water, stock, wine, etc) into the bag before closing it. This will increase the steam into the parcel and allow the ingredients to cook evenly and compensate for any loss of steam during the cooking process. It will also bring its own flavour to the dish.

Now, enough talking, more cooking!

Recipe for a chicken with Mediterranean vegetables en papillote:

1 Chicken breast, off the bone, skin off
½ a courgette
¼ of a pepper
1 small shallot
1 clove of garlic
6 cherry tomatoes
2 baby potatoes
a teaspoon of freshly chopped thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano and summer savoury mix
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon of Greek extra olive oil
1 teaspoon of medium dry white wine
a sheet of tin foil large enough to contain all the ingredients (45cmx30cm)
a small sheet of parchment
1 egg white

First, sear your chicken breast until golden brown. Then, slice the courgette in pieces a centimetre thick; dice the pepper in the same way. Finely slice the garlic and shallot. Peel the potatoes and slice them (about 1/2cm thick). Wash the cherry tomatoes.

Put your sheet of tin foil flat on a clean surface. Place the piece of parchment in the middle. Place the slices of potatoes on it, then the courgettes and peppers. Sprinkle the garlic and shallots on the top of it as well as the fresh herbs. Season well. Finally, place your breast of chicken on the top of the vegetables. Then add the wine, olive oil and cherry tomatoes.

The next step is to close the parcel. Brush a little bit of egg white around the edges of the tin foil. Lift the tin foil length wise and make it stick. Then, start folding it down, tightly 4 or 5 times. You must leave some space for the parcel to expand. So, do not fold all the way down.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200˚C for 30 minutes.

Serve as it is, but before that the bag starts collapsing. Like a soufflé.

Use this recipe as an example. Almost everything can be cooked in a papillote, just let your imagination guide you.

There are few great combinations that I invite you to try out:

Shoulder of lamb, garlic, rosemary, potatoes and a hint of cumin (caraway)
Salmon, garlic, thyme, lemon, Sichuan pepper and lemon
Seafood, white fish pieces, leeks, carrots, celery, lemon, coriander
Corn fed chicken, onion, baby potatoes, and truffles
Smoked haddock, baby potatoes, milk, spring onions and cumin
Lemon sole, mushrooms, tomatoes, tarragon and a dash of medium dry white wine
Pork chop, red onion marmalade, sweet potatoes
Lamb shin, aubergine caviar, garlic, potatoes
Slice of ham, pineapple, rum and brown sugar
Lamb shoulder, olives, tomatoes, courgettes, garlic and mixed herbs
Apple, cinnamon, dark rum and brown sugar
And my old favourite a whole banana, dark bitter chocolate

Around the World in 80 Traditional Christmas Dishes

2008-12-04T21:56:00.024Z

As I just finished reading "Around the world in 80 days" , the book by Jules Verne, the idea came to me to make my own journey around the world -but in 80 dishes. As Christmas is just around the corner and as I was never a big fan of the traditional Christmas dinner I started to explore the web, my books, mailed my friends and family and foreign chefs who I have worked with and drew on my own experience, to gather together 80 traditional Christmas dishes from around the world.

These are classified by type and a link to each recipe follows their name.

If you want to share traditional Christmas recipes from your part of the world, bring some precisions or corrections to these recipes feel free to do so in your comments.
Enjoy and have a tasty and merry Christmas!

Drinks

- Sorrel Punch, Jamaica here
- Ponche Crema, Venezuela here
- Atole, Mexico here
- Mulled Wine, U.K and Ireland here
- Gluhwein, Germany here
- Ponche de Navideno, Mexico here
- Ti Punch, French Caribbean Islands and La Réunion here

Starters

- Tamal, Peru here
- Roast Teriyaki Chicken Tights, Japan here

- Oyster stew, U.S.A here
- Irish Smoked Salmon platter, Ireland here
- Paté Créole, La Réunion, La Guadeloupe & La Martinique here
- Zakouski, Russia here
- Pirojki, Russia here
- Potage Congolais, R.D.Congo here
- Breton style Seafood Platter, Brittany, France here
- Terrine de Fois Gras, France here
- Oysters like in Brittany, France here
- Tahitian Marinated Fish, Tahiti here
- Halaszle, Hungary here
-Boudin Antillais, French Caribbean Islands and La Reunion here
-Piftie, Romania here
-Gravalax, Scandinavia here

Main Courses and Accompaniments

- Pasteles, Puerto Rico here
- Latkes, Israel here
-Irish Potato Stuffing, Ireland here
- Goan Fish Xacuti, India here
- Chayote Gratin, French Caribbean Islands, here
- Boudin Blanc with Carmelised Apples, France here
- Char Siu, China here
- Kiviak, Greenland here
- Kebbe Bil Sanieh, Lebanon here
- Lap Sine Gnoua, Laos here
- Mielie Pap, Namibia here
- Lumberjack Pie, U.S.A here
- Tiep Bou Dienn, Senegal here
- Grilled Spiny Lobster, La Réunion Island here
- Roast Goose with braised Red Cabbage, chestnut, ... Germany here
- Finish Roast Wild Duck, Finland here
- Maori Hangi, New Zealand here
- Polish Fried Carp, Poland here
- Jollof Rice, Nigeria here
- Roast Suckling Pig, Cyprus here
- Doro Wat, Ethiopia here
- Dinde aux Marrons, France here
- Roast Goose with Sour Apples, Russia here
- Pavo Trufado de Navidad, Spain here
- Nasi Kuning, Bali here
- Traditional Turkey and Ham, U.K and Ireland here

Desserts and sweets

- Yule Log, Canada here
- The 13 Christmas dessert of Provence, France here
- Scandinavian Julegrot, Scandinavia here
- Bohemian Christmas Cookies, Czech Republic here
- Japanese Christmas Cake, Japan here
- Puto Bumbong, Philippines here
- Assida Zgougou, Tunisia here
- Bebinca, India here
- Melomakarona, Greece here
- Kourambiedes, Greece here
- Colombian Bunuelos, Colombia here
- Natilla, Colombia here
- Makowiek, Poland here
- Rabanadas, Portugal here
- Turron, Spain here

- Mince Pies, U.K here

- Buche de Noel, France here
- Christmas Biscuits, South Africa here
- Sweet Potato Pie, U.S.A here
- Christmas Pudding, U.K here
- Anoushabour, Armenia here
- Boukete, Belgium here
- Prianiki, Russia here
- Lebkuchen, Germany here
- Payasa, India here
- Banketstaaf, Holland here

Breads

- Cougnolle, Belgium here
- Panettone, Italy here
- Lussekatter, Sweden here
- Weihnachtsstollen, Germany here
- Pan De Pascua, Chile here

Traditional Turkey and Ham

2008-12-04T16:30:00.005Z

Now, back to Ireland and its center piece for Christmas dinner: turkey and ham. It was brought here by the British during their years in control of Irish people destiny. It consists on a pretty big turkey, roasted and stuffed with bread based stuffing, a poached ham, roast potatoes and some Brussels sprouts the lot served with gravy.

So, this is how I would cook this turkey and ham in the restaurant.

Recipe for 10+ people:

1 turkey (10-16 lb bird), with giblets
1 ham (I prefer bone in)
1kg fresh bread crumb
500g butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 bundle of fresh parsley
4 onions
1 clove of garlic
3 carrots
2 stocks of celery
3 cloves
10 black peppercorn
sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
1 glass white wine
salt and pepper

Place the ham in some fresh water over night and change the water at least a couple of time.

Trim and get the turkey oven ready.

In a large pot, sweat off one chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots and the chopped celery. Add the ham, the garlic and cover some cold water. Then, add the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorn and cloves. Cook at a gentle simmer for 3-4 hours, skimming from time to time.

Meanwhile, cut the giblets in small dices, finely chop the onion (keep a couple of spoons on the side for the gravy), wash and chop the parsley and sage. Heat up 400g of butter into a cast iron pot, add the giblets and the onions cook them for few minutes. Then, add the herbs and the bread crumb. Stir well and set aside.

Put some of the stuffing into the turkey and roast it. Tips and advice on roasting a turkey here and here.

Towards 2/3 of the turkey cooking place the stuffing into the same tray as the bird.

When the turkey is cooked, take it out of the roasting tray as well as the stuffing and the potatoes if you're cooking them with the turkey. Get rid off the excess fat and put it on the range, add the onion left over, a chopped carrot and sweat them off for 5 minutes. Add the glass of wine, allow to reduce by half, then add a couple of pint of water. Let reducing by half, strain the sauce and put it in sauce boat.

Serve the turkey with ham on a tray with some stuffing, put the rest of the stuffing to the side in a dish. Put the sauce on the table along with roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts and some cranberry sauce (optional).

And let the head of the household do the rest!

Suitable for pregnant women, nut free.

Nasi Kuning

2008-12-04T16:04:00.007Z

While being on holiday in Bali during the Christmas period a friend of mine was served nasi kuning has part of the lunch in celebration of Christmas. Christmas is not a traditional holy day in Bali as most of the population is of Muslim faith. But still, the family in which had welcomed him for 2 weeks did have a small celebration on Christmas day when simple presents were exchanged and a festive meal was served at lunch time. So, he gave me this recipe for the traditional nasi kuning from Bali.

Recipe for 4 people:

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, washed and drained
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 salam leaf*
1 pandan leaf**
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
2 tablespoon turmeric
2 cm laos***, cut in 4, lengthwise
1 tablespoon salt

Combine all ingredients.

Cook the rice over high heat until the liquid comes to the boil, then lower heat. Then, simmer gently, so that the coconut milk does not catch and burn on the bottom of the pot.

Remove the lemon grass and laos before serving.

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* salam leaf is a subtly flavored lead of the cassia family, this bears no resemblance whatsoever to the taste of a bay leaf, which is sometimes suggested as a substitute.

** pandan leaf is the fragrant leaf of a type of pandanus sometimes known as fragrant screwpine, this is tied in a knot and used to flavor dessert and cakes.

*** laos is the name for galangal in Bali and Indonesia.

lactose free, gluten free, suitable for pregnant women.

Pavo trufado de Navidad

2008-12-04T14:44:00.004Z

In many parts of Spain the center piece of Christmas dinner is the "pavo trufado de Navidad" or Christmas turkey stuffed with truffles.

Recipe for up to 10 people:

1 turkey of 4 kg.
½ kg. minced lean pork
1 kg. minced veal
Salt and ground black pepper
1 glass of brandy
2 large glass of dry sherry
90g black truffles
150 g "jamon serrano"
200 g sliced pork belly
6 eggs

First bone the turkey. Place the turkey upside down, cut the skin along the spine, and using the fingers, ease away the skin in one piece, first on one side of the backbone and then on the other. Take the breast apart and flat them out by opening them like a book making small cuts into the thickest part of the flesh, cut the fillets into strips. Bone the legs and wings and mince it .

Put the pork and veal mince into a bowl along with the minced turkey and mix them well. Season with salt and ground black pepper, add the chopped truffles and the ham and pork belly cut into fine strips on the top of it. Sprinkle the mixture with the brandy and sherry and leave to marinate for 4 hours.

Remove the sliced truffles and the strips of ham and belly of pork, and reserve. Then fold in the beaten eggs.

Spread out the skin of the turkey on a clean surface and lay the fillets on top of it. spread some of the meat mixture onto the breasts. Then put a layer of strips of ham , pork belly , turkey fillets and slices of truffle, repeat until the ingredients are all used up. Using a stout needle, sew together the edges of the skin and secure the holes made by the wings and legs.

Place the sew-up skin with its filling on a clean muslin cloth, roll it and secure the lot by a string on both sides.

Put the roll into a large saucepan, together with the carcasses cut in small pieces and cut up vegetables and pour over some dry sherry. Cover with 3 liters of cold water . Bring to the boil and allow to cook at a gentle simmer for 3 hours. Make sure that it is evenly cooked, then remove the roll and leave it on a dish to drain and cool.

Remove the cloth and place the roll onto a wire rack for few minutes to strain. Wrap the roll in some cling film and put it on a dish, place a chopping board on top, and put it to press , in the fridge for 12 hours.Cut the roll into slices about 1 cm thick.

Serve with stewed apples and plums and decorate with slices of fresh pineapples and orange and with maraschino cherries.

Gluten free, lactose free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Roast goose with sour apples

2008-12-04T14:17:00.005Z

In Russia, traditionally, the center piece of Christmas dinner is a roast goose with sour apples served with stewed cabbage, potatoes and steamed buckwheat kernels.

Recipe for 6 people:

1 goose (5kg bird)
1.5kg sour apples (antovka apples or other depending where you leave)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper

Peel and core the apples. Slice them. Trim your goose and season it well (the inside cavity too).

Fill the bird with the sliced apples and close both end by sewing them together. Grease well the goose.

Roast your bird for 2 to 21/2 hours in preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356F). Half way through the cooking add the cup of water the roasting tray.

Serve hot, the apple to the side and some stewed cabbage, potatoes and steamed buckwheat kernels.

Gluten free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Dinde aux Marrons

2008-12-04T13:42:00.006Z

In some part of France, the traditional Christmas dinner center piece is a roast turkey with chestnuts.

Recipe for 8 people:

1 turkey (a 4kg bird will be perfect)
1 tin chestnuts
200g smoked pork belly
2 onion
1 carrot, peeled, washed and chopped
150g celery, washed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of thyme
some oil
16 potatoes

Trim, season well and oil the turkey. Place the garlic, thyme in the turkeys cavity. Place it on one side onto a large roasting tray, start your oven at 200 degrees Celsius.

Put your turkey in the oven and roast it. Turn your bird around every 15 minutes for 1h. Advice for roasting a turkey here and here.

Half way through the cooking place the finely chopped onion, the chestnut, the diced up smoked pork belly and the potatoes (peeled and washed) into the roasting tray.

When the turkey is full cooked, take it out of the roasting tray along with the chestnuts and potatoes. Take the excess fat out. Put your tray on the range, add 1 chopped onion, the carrots and celery and sweat them off for about 10 minutes. Then, deglaze you tray with a glass of white wine. Allow to reduce down by 2/3. Then, add a pint of water, allow to reduce by half and strain this jus into a sauce boat.

Serve your turkey with the chestnut to one side of a hot tray and the potatoes to the other side and the jus in a sauce boat.

Lactose free, gluten free, suitable for pregnant women.

Polish Fried Carp

2008-12-04T13:19:00.004Z

In Poland it is custom to eat a fried carp part of the Christmas eve dinner. In all small towns and cities you will find street shops selling live carps. People will buy their carps live and keep it alive until Christmas eve when it will be killed and cooked.
Recipe for 4 people:

1 carp of 1kg
10g salt
1g white pepper
20g butter
5 cloves of garlic
400g olive oil

Kill and gut the carp and wash them thoroughly.

Brush the inside of the fish with the garlic, season well and shallow fry them.

Take the fish out on kitchen paper.

Serve hot.

Gluten free, lactose free, nut free.

Piftie

2008-12-04T12:46:00.004Z

A Romanian Christmas lunch will usually start by a traditional piftie. It is a kind of pork meat jelly or "aspic".

Recipe for 10 people:

3 lbs. (1.5kg) Pork feet and head
1 onion
2 carrots
1 parsnip
1 parsley root
1 celeriac
2 bay leaves
4 juniper berries
4 garlic cloves
salt

The day previous making your piftie, wash and clean the pig's trotters and pig's head. If hairy, singe them and put them in some cold water with some vinegar to soak over night.

The next day, wash and dry the pig's head and trotters. Split the pig's trotters in two lengthwise and break the head with the mallet. Place in a large pot and some water so that there are 3-4 inches of water above the pork pieces. Boil over slow to medium heat for 2-3 hours. skim from time to time. Then add the vegetables, bay leaves, and juniper berries and allow to cook for another hour.

Take the meat of the bones and place it at the bottom of deep oven dish.

Chop the garlic and add it to the meat bouillon that you will have strained through a muslin cloth. Then pour on top of the meat in the dish.

Refrigerate until it sets.

Lactose free, gluten free, nut free suitable for pregnant women.

Maori Hangi

2008-12-04T11:50:00.015Z

In New Zealand most people will traditionally have their Christmas dinner outside. It may be a barbecue or a full traditional British style turkey dinner. But some people will make a traditional Maori hangi cooked in the traditional stone and earth oven ; the umu.

The amount of each ingredients needed will depend on how many people are at the party:

* A loin of pork, rolled and secure with a roasting string

* A Boned leg of lamb rolled and secured with a roasting string

* Chicken legs

* cabbage, washed and cut in four

* Kumara*

* Pumpkin, cut in large dices

* some thyme and rosemary

* Salt and pepper

* Bread Stuffing, a traditional bread, sage and onion stuffing

* Steam Pudding, usually most people would use the traditional Christmas pudding

Food

Usually most of the preparation is done the night before so that everything is ready for the morning for the lighting of the Hangi.

It is very important to place the food in the correct order in the baskets as everything will be cooking together. So place the large roast meat on the bottom of the baskets with chicken on top. Put the potato's and kumara in next and cabbage quarters to fill in any gaps. Finally place the stuffing in an oven bag or mutton cloth on top. Salt

Ground

Make the hole a bit bigger than your basket size so you can tuck the sacks and mutton cloth

down the side. The hole doesn't have to be very deep, just enough to hold for the stones and about a third of the depth of you pots.

Some people differ in this next part as to preference but most Maori build the fire over the hole. Now that you have dug your hole, you need to fill the hole with screwed-up newspaper as this will be used in the morning to ignite the fire. Next place the small log of wood on top of the paper and build a typical fire placing the wood in increasing size order, criss-crossing by layer until all the wood is used. Then stack the rocks on top of the wood.

Place a protective cover over the fire-stack to protect it from the morning dew and to ensure a dry start in the morning.

The next morning, light your fire allow to burn until all the wood has burned down. Then, use a shovels and rakes to scoop out any smoking embers so that there is only rocks left in the hole. Make sure to do this carefully.Get rid off the ashes left around by a quick spray of the hose on the rocks.

Making of the Hangi

Flatten out the rocks as much as possible and place the basket on the stones. give the stones and basket a quick spray with the hose to create some steam, then immediately place the cloths over the basket allowing the edges to go down the sides of the hole. Place a potato on the top of the cloth as an indicator of the state of the cooking process. Place the wet sacks on this, layering them as to cover the basket but dot allow them to go down the side of the basket so that they lay on the top of the ground. Place the dirt on top of this stack of cloth. Make sure to seal off any places where steam is escaping.

Cooking time for one basket is around 2 1/2 - 3hours.

Taking out the Hangi

Uncover dirt from the sacks and peel back the sacks being careful not to spill any dirt into the basket. Check the potato to see if it is cooked. Remove the cloth and use the sacks as protection to hold the hot basket. Take to the kitchen and serve.

* Kumara is the Maori name for the common sweet potato.

Information thanks to "the Whanau show".

Suitable or pregnant women, nut free, lactose free, gluten free.

Boukete

2008-12-04T00:07:00.006Z

In the city of Liege in Belgium it is tradition to make the "boukete" on Christmas eve for the pleasure of kids and grown ups alike. They consist of thick buckwheat pancakes flavoured with rum and raisins.

Recipe for 10 to 20 Belgian Christmas pancakes:

500g strong flour
500g buckwheat flour
75g fresh yeast
3 eggs
50 cl milk
50 cl water
some rum
some raisins
2 tablespoons caster sugar
some unrefined, granulated sugar
butter for the cooking

Mix the yeast in some warm milk with two tablespoons of caster sugar.

In a large bowl, mix both flour, a pinch of salt and make well in the middle. Pour the yeast and start bringing in some the four. Add the eggs and make a dough with these few ingredients. Cover and allow to raise for a couple of hours, covered in a warm place.

Then add the milk and the water (warm). Mix well and strain to avoid lumps. Add 10cl of rum.
Allow the batter to raise for another couple of hours.

Meanwhile soak the raisins in some rum.

Cook a small ladle of batter at a time on a buttered frying pan, as you cook them add few raisins to the pancake.

Serve warm with some unrefined granulated sugar and a glass of mulled wine.

Nut free and suitable for pregnant women.

Finish Roast Wild Duck

2008-12-03T23:12:00.005Z

In Scandinavian countries Christmas is often made of spiced biscuits, a roast turkey or duck and finished by an almond rice pudding. So, the following recipe is a traditional wild duck recipe from Finland that a friend of mine was served on a Christmas day in the family of his girlfriend in Tampere.

Recipe for 6 people:

1 wild duck of 1.2kg, trimmed and ready to roast
50g butter
6 slices of streaky bacon
100g cranberries
1 slice of died bread
50g Aura blue cheese
10cl creme fraiche

In a large cast iron pot, sear the duck on all sides until golden blond. Wrap it with the streaky bacon and put it to cook, cover and with a cup of water in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390F) for about 40 minutes.

When the duck is cooked pour the cooking juice in a sauce pan, bring it to the boil. Add the cranberries and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, add the bread and the blue cheese. Cook for a couple of minute and then add the creme fraiche. Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes.

Carve the duck and place the meat on a hot tray, then pour the sauce over it, straining it as you go.

Serve with a nice mixed salad and few sauté potatoes.

Nut free, not suitable for pregnant women.

Roast goose with braised red cabbage, apples, prunes and chestnuts

2008-12-03T18:14:00.006Z

In Germany the traditional Christmas dinner consists of a roast goose served with braised red cabbage, dried prunes, apples and chestnut.

Recipe for 4-6 people:

5kg female goose, trimmed
1 red cabbage
1 cup red wine vinegar
6 apples
1 tin of chestnuts
100g goose fat
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 raisins
2 cloves
5 black peppercorn
100g dried prunes
1 tablespoons grey sea salt
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

The day before, shred the red cabbage, put it in a cast iron pot with the goose fat, Brown sugar, peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon, red wine vinegar, raisins, two apples (peeled, cored and sliced) and sea salt. Mix well and leave over night.

Get your goose oven ready and roast it for 20 minutes and 15 minutes per kilos. Half way the cooking time add 4 apples, peeled, cored and cut in four, the prunes and the chestnut around the goose in the roasting tray.

Meanwhile, put the pot of red cabbage on a medium heat to cook for 2h30.

Serve the goose on a tray with the apples, prunes and chestnuts around it. Serve the cabbage on the side.

Suitable for pregnant women, nut free, lactose free, gluten free.

Grilled Spiny Lobster

2008-12-03T17:53:00.005Z

Another dish that would find its way to a traditional Christmas lunch in on the French Indian Ocean island of La Réunion is grilled spiny lobster which are plentifull in the waters surrounding the island.

Recipe for 4 people:

4 large spiny lobster
1 lime
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
200g of riz creole
salt and pepper

Over on the island people would start a fire on the beach and grill their spiny lobster on it. As the weather won't permit that every where, lets use our good old fashion household grill.

Take your live spiny lobsters by the head, place them on a carving board and with a chopping knife start cutting through the "poor" crustacean digging you knife in the middle of the head, then cut towards the end of the tail. Then cut through the place where your hand was.

Place them on a tray, drizzle with the oil and the juice of the lime. Season well and grill them for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve straight away along with some "riz creole" and of course a glass of ti punch.

Lactose free, gluten free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Boudin Antillais

2008-12-03T16:33:00.007Z

On the French Caribbean Island of La Guadeloupe, La Martinique and the island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean Christmas is often celebrated by, amongst other local specialties, having the traditional "boudin Antillais" or black pudding from the West Indies for lunch on Christmas day.

Recipe for 12 people:

1 litre of pig's blood, homogenised and ready to use
2 metres of natural sausage skin
500g fresh bread, crust off
6 hot chilies
25cl milk
50 spring onions
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
250g fresh chives, finely chopped
100g lard
5 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves
2 "graine de bois d'inde" or pimenta dioica*
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper

Soak the bread into the milk. Trim and crush the chilies along with graine de bois d'Inde. Wash and trim the spring onions and chop them very finely. Peel and wash the onion and chop it very finely, too.

In a cast iron pot, cook the onion and spring onions with lard until they get a golden blond colour. Then, add the chives and thyme and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
Strain the bread and mash it with a fork. Then, add it to the onions. Add the strained milk to the mixture and allow this onion, bread milk mixture to cook for 5 minutes.

Crush the cloves in a mortar. Add the blood into the pot and stir constantly on a very gentle heat. Make sure that the mixture does not reach over 55 degrees otherwise it will coagulate. Season with the chilies, graine de bois d'Inde and salt and pepper. Continue to cook, very slowly, for another 10 minutes, stirring all the time.
Take your pot of the off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down.

When the mixture has set, put it in a piping bag with a wide round nozzle. Fit the skin onto the nozzle and start piping the mixture out into the skin. Every 5 to 10 cm twist several times the skin to separate the different sausages.
When all your "boudins" are done, bring to a gentle simmer a large pot of salted water and cook your "boudin Antillais" for 30 minutes.

Serve hot, with a "ti punch".

* The "graine de bois d'inde" comes from a shrub that exclusively grows in the Caribbean. It's name was given by Christopher Columbus who thought that he had reached Indian shores. Its seeds are an essential spice of the west indies cooking. On the island of La Désirade it is macerated in rum to make the bay rum. Its leaves resemble the bay leaves and have a strange fragrance of clove, lemongrass and aniseed mix together. I could not find any translation for this spice but to me it looks like allspice so that is what I use.

Nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Tiep Bou Dienn

2008-12-03T12:59:00.006Z

In Senegal, country where the majority of the people are of Muslim faith, Christmas is not a traditional holy day, but Christmas day will still be celebrated amongst the Christian community. These celebration will see Muslims and Christians sit together around the National dish the : tiep bou dienn.

Recipe for 8 people:

2 sea bream, gutted, washed and cut in 6 pieces
50g of dried cod
1 bundle of fresh parsley
5 sprigs of fresh basil
2 small white onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of thyme
1 onion
2 tomatoes
15 cl vegetable oil
3 bay leaves
6 carrots
4 sweet potatoes
2 aubergines (eggplants)
12 gombos
500g rice
salt and pepper

For the sauce:

500g of shrimps from Senegal
1 onion
2 large tomatoes
the juice of 1 lemon
2 carrots
2 white turnips
3 cherry chilies
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1/2 root of fresh ginger

Soak the dried cod in some fresh water. Peel, wash the white onions and cloves of garlic. Finely chop the garlic, white onions and herbs. Mix them well together.

Fill the sea bream pieces with herb, onions and garlic mixture.

Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and seed the tomatoes. Chop them. Sweat of the onion and the chopped tomatoes. Add the fish pieces and the cod and add 30 cl of water. Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Then, take the cooked fish pieces out of your cast iron pot and add the chopped aubergines, sweet potatoes, carrots along with 3.5 litres of water. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the gombos and cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside. Take 2 large ladles of bouillon and cook the rice in it.

Meanwhile, peel and wash all the vegetables for the sauce. Slice them and blanch the carrots and turnips. Then, in a cast iron pot, heat up the oil and stir fry the shrimps. Then add the finely sliced onion, ginger and chilies. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, carrots, turnip and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add the lemon juice. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.

Serve putting the rice on a round tray, place the fish pieces on the top of it. Spoon the vegetable around it and pour some of the sauce over. Serve the rest of the sauce separately, in a sauce boat.

Gluten free, lactose free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Lumberjack pie

2008-12-03T12:30:00.004Z

In the state of New England (U.S), most household will have this meat and potato pie for their Christmas dinner.

Recipe for 2 pies:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of lard
1 kg of minced pork
1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
350 ml water
400g cooked potatoes, coarsely mashed
2 9" pie shells
250g savoury short crust dough

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375F). Sweat off the onions in the lard. Add the pork and garlic, season well. Cook until the meat starts to brown, stirring constantly. Add the water, cover and simmer for 30 t o 40 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Add the potatoes, mix well and remove from the heat. Share the mixture into both pie cases. Roll down the short crust pastry and make two 10" discs. Cover each pies with the a disc of dough. Secure the edges with a fork and brush with some egg wash.
Bake for 10 minutes. Increase the oven heat to 220 degrees Celsius (425F) and bake for an additional 6 to 8 minutes.
Keep warm and serve with a country gravy and some steamed vegetables.

Suitable for pregnant women, nut free, lactose free.

Roast Suckling Pig

2008-12-03T12:13:00.005Z

In Greece and Cyprus families usually sit down around a roast turkey dinner on Christmas day but in some part of Greece and most parts of Cyprus the Christmas dinner main part is a roast suckling pig or "gourounopoulo sti souvla" served with some potatoes cooked in the fire and salads.

This is very simple to make as soon as you have a traditional Cypriot oven range which consists on a clay oven and on bot sides, two large areas where a fire can be made.

Recipe for 10 people:

1 suckling pig
10 large potatoes
1 cabbage, shredded
10 tomatoes
1lb of Greek olives
2 lemons
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

First make a fire. Burn the pigs hair and wash it thoroughly. Place it on a roasting stick. Brush the inside of the pig with a lemon and season well. Close the pig's tummy and attach the feet with a roasting string. Let the pig drip dry for a couple of hours.

Then when the flames have gone done place your pig over the charcoals and turn it quite rapidly to start and more slowly after 1/2 hour. Allow to cook for about 3h.

Meanwhile wrap your potatoes in tin foil and put them in the fire.

Make a salad with the shredded cabbage, tomatoes and olives. Drizzle with olive oil and a lemon juice before serving.

Gluten free, lactose free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Jollof rice

2008-12-02T23:02:00.005Z

Jollof rice will traditionally be part of a Nigerian Christmas feast.

Recipe for 4 people:

1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons tomato paste
160 g cooked rice
1 green chili, seeded and chopped
100 ml meat or vegetable stock

Heat up the oil in a frying pan and sweat off the onion.

Add the tomato paste and chili and cook on medium heat while stirring, about 2 minutes.

Then, add the rice and continue stirring. Pour in the stock and bring the to a boil.

Reduce the heat and allow to simmer until almost all of the stock has evaporated.

Vegetarian and vegan (if using vegetable stock), gluten free, lactose free, nut free.

Miele Pap

2008-12-02T22:53:00.004Z

In Namibia, Christmas dinner usually consists on grilled red meat accompanied by a kind of porridge called pap.

There is the recipe for Mielie pap:

500 ml water

3 ml salt

700 ml maize meal (mielie)

Bring the water to the boil and add the salt. Add the maize meal until it forms a little mount in the middle. Cover and allow to simmer until a skin has formed around the maize meal. Then, stir with a fork until you get a crumbly consistency. Put the lid back on and very gently simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir from time to time to break the lumps.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose free, suitable for pregnant women

Lussekatter

2008-12-02T19:54:00.007Z

Swedish Lussekatt are traditionally eaten during advent and especially on St Lucy's day the 13th of December which marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Sweden.

Recipe for 10-12 Swedish Lussekatter:

1/4 teaspoon of saffron
550g strong flour
15g yeast
100g caster sugar
8 oz milk
4 oz butter
2 beaten eggs
pinch salt

Dissolve the yeast in 1 oz of milk and a little bit of sugar.

Heat up the rest of the milk, the butter with the saffron. Set aside to cool down.

In a dough maker, put the flour, salt and remaining sugar. Add the eggs and set the machine on a low speed. Add the yeast. And a little while later the milk-butter mixture straining the saffron thread as you go.

Allow to knead for 10 minutes at a medium spead.

Place the bowl in a warm place and let the dough raise for 1 hour.

Take your dough on a well floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes.

Cut 10-12 pieces of dough and roll them into small tubes. Then, shape them into S or 8.

Place them on a greased oven tray and brush them with some egg wash. Bake for 8 minutes, in a preheated oven, at 190 degrees Celsius (375F).

Allow to cool down on a pastry rack.

Vegetarian, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Lap Sine Gnoua

2008-12-02T19:21:00.007Z

Christmas is not traditionally celebrated in Laos as most of the population is Buddhist. But, Christmas is still celebrated by some and the National dish Lap Sine Gnoua is always part of the festivities.

Recipe for 4 people:

500g prime beef meat
2 lemongrass sticks
1/2 root of fresh galangal
2 small onions
10 stocks of fresh mint
10 stocks of fresh coriander
2 chilies
1 tablespoon of nam pa
1 tablespoon of paderk
the juice of two limes
2 tablespoons of glutinous rice, toasted and grounded
salt and pepper

Cut the beef into very small dices (or mince it). Very finely chop the galangal, chilies, onions, mint and coriander.

Place the meat into a clean bowl along with the finely chopped herbs, chilies, onions and ground rice. Season with nma pa and paderk. Mix well and add the lime juice.

Serve in bowl with some glutinous rice.

Lactose free, nut free.

Anoushabour

2008-12-02T18:28:00.004Z

In Armenia Christmas is celebrated on the 6th of January. On Christmas eve, following the tradition, all the lights in the house are switch off, the whole family makes a prayer, then all the lights are switch on and the whole family sit at the table and share a bowl of anoushabour.

Recipe for 6 people:

110 g hulled wheat kernels
150 g dried apricots, chopped
150 g raisins
100 g caster sugar
1.4 litres of water
1 tablespoon of rose blossom water

Place the wheat kernels in the water to soak for 12h. Place the pot on a gentle heat and allow to cook until the kernels are softened and have leaked their starch. It takes about 2h.

At this point, the mixture should have the consistency of porridge. Add the sugar and the dried fruits. And allow to cook for another 30 minutes. Stir regularly.

Just before serving add the rose blossom water.

Serve lukewarm.

Vegetarian, vegan, lactose free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Kebbe Bil Sanieh

2008-12-02T17:35:00.004Z

In Lebanon the highlight of the Christmas celebration is the lunch on Christmas day. It is set at the grand parents or eldest son's house and consists on a simple meal of rice, chicken dishes and kebbe (also named kubbeh or kibbe).

There is recipe for 4 people:

500 g of lean minced lamb
1/2 cup fine- to medium-grade bulgar (bulgur wheat)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon pine nuts
2 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 tablespoon fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place all the ingredients in large bowl and work them all with your hands (clean!) until all the ingredients have combined into a doughy texture.

Make some small patties, and a bake them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Celsius (600F) for 30-35 minutes.

Suitable for pregnant women, lactose free.

Kiviak

2008-12-02T16:54:00.008Z

Kiviak is a traditional Christmas dish from Greenland. I have to say I did not find much info about it. It seems to consists of whole small auks birds which are put in a greasy seal skin and buried in the permafrost, under a flat stone, for seven months, then dug up around Christmas. Then they bite the heads off and squeeze out the tart guts, which are slightly toxic. It does not seem to smell worst than a matured Stilton cheese. Otherwise it tastes like a matured cheese and very pungent.
There is nothing disgusting in this dish. Throughout food history, foods have been stored that way. The Romans and Greeks were used to produce a concentrated flavour liqueur called Garum or Liquamen, from fish innards and other parts that would not be used otherwise by salting them and letting this mixture fermenting in the sun for several month until the flesh had fallen apart. Then the liquid was strained.

Nowadays Asian fish sauce such as shottsuru (Japan), Budu (Indonesia) or Nam-plaa (Thailand), are still made in a similar way. Obviously, using more controlled fermentation process.

Christmas Pudding

2008-12-02T16:18:00.005Z

"Oh! All that steam! The pudding had just been taken out of the cauldron. Oh! That smell! The same as the one which prevailed on washing day! It is that of the cloth which wraps the pudding. Now, one would imagine oneself in a restaurant and in a confectioner's at the same time, with a laundry nest door. Thirty seconds later, Mrs. Cratchit entered, her face crimson, but smiling proudly, with the pudding resembling a cannon ball, all speckled, very firm, sprinkled with brandy in flames, and decorated with a sprig of holly stuck in the centre. Oh! The marvelous pudding!"
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

No need to introduce this traditional British Christmas dessert, Dickens says it all!

Recipe for one pudding, make the pudding a couple of month in advance:

225g/8oz golden caster sugar
225g/8oz vegetarian suet
340g/12oz sultanas
340g/12oz raisins
225g/8oz currants
110g/4oz candied peel, chopped
110g/4oz plain flour
110g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
55g/2oz flaked almonds
1 lemon, zest only
5 eggs, beaten
1 level tsp ground cinnamon
1 level tsp mixed spice
5g/1 level tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
150ml/5fl oz brandy

Lightly grease a 4x600ml/1 pint pudding basins.

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Stir in the beaten eggs and brandy and mix well. Spoon the mix into the pudding basins. Put a circle of baking parchment and foil over the top of each basin and tie securely with a piece of string. Put the basins in a large pot lined with few up side down ramekins at the bottom and pour in boiling water to come a third of the way up the sides of the pudding bowls, cover with a lid. Steam for 5-6 hours, topping the boiling water up from time to time.

Cool. Change the baking parchment and foil covers with fresh ones and close them as previously. Store in a dry, cool place until Christmas Day.

On Christmas day steam for 2 hours and serve with brandy butter.

Vegetarian, lactose free, suitable for pregnant women.

Sweet Potato pie

2008-12-02T16:02:00.004Z

In the southern states of the U.S, Christmas dinner traditionaly ends with a slice of sweet potato pie.

Recipe for a 9 inches pie:

1 pound 3 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cups plain yogurt
3/4 cup packed, dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
5 egg yolks
Salt
1 9 inch wide and 1/2inch deep cooked pie shell
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Steam the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes and mash them. Set aside.

Place the sweet potato pure in a large bowl and whisk in the yogurt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg yolks and a pinch of salt until the mixture reaches a smooth and fluffy texture.

Pour the mix it into the pie shell, sprinkle with the maple syrup and pecan nuts and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees Celsius (350F) for 50 minutes.

Vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Panettone

2008-12-02T15:09:00.006Z

This traditional Italian Christmas bread is a speciality of Milan. It is said that "pane de tonio" has been created by a poor Milanese baker, Tonio, who's daughter loved a young Noble gentleman who wanted to marry her. But she could not marry without a dowry. So, he gave all the ingredients to bake a delicious cake. Tonio made his fortune out of his "pane" and his daughter became a woman of good family. Recipe for one loaf:

1 oz. baker's yeast
3 oz. 00 flour
2 cups strong flour
7 tbs. sugar
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks
salt
1/2 cup melted butter
6 tbs. raisins, soaked
2 oz. candied orange and lemon peel, diced
1 1/2 tbs. butter

This recipe is by far the most difficult of the recipes that I have ever made for Christmas. It depends on a lot of environmental factors that are very difficult to control, such as temperature and water saturation of the air and the moisture content of the flour.

Mix the yeast with the flour and as much water as necessary (2-3 oz of water) for the dough to be elastic. Wrap in a towel and put into a warm place until it doubles in size. Add 4 tablespoon of flour and 1/2 cup warm water to the raised dough and knead for 10 minutes. Put it to raise in a warm place for 3 hours.

Punch down the dough, and add another 4 tablespoons of flour, with as much warm water as necessary (2-3 tablespoons). Knead again for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a warm place to raise for 2 hours. Combine the sugar, the whole egg and the egg yolks. Whisk this mixture over a bain-marie until it makes a ribbon. Set aside to cool.

Make a well with the remaining flour. Add a pinch of salt, the risen dough, the butter and the egg mixture into the middle. Knead for 20 minutes. When the dough is smooth and elastic, add the raisins and candied peels. Grease and flour a 8' by 8' round tin. Place the dough into the tin and allow to raise in a warm place for at least 6 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Cut a cross on top of the dough with a sharp knife and put 1 tablespoon of butter in the middle. Cook the Panettone in a preheated at 200 degrees Celsius (400ºF) oven for 40-45 minutes. The cake is ready when an office knife inserted in the centre comes out hot and dry.

A piece of advice: to recreate good conditions to proof the dough, heat up your oven to 40 degrees Celsius (104F). Place a oven tray filled with some warm water. And place the dough covered with a cloth to raise in it.

Vegetarian, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Christmas biscuits

2008-12-02T14:17:00.007Z

Picture thanks to apfelbaum on flicker

This South African recipe is a base for decorated biscuits. It seems that this tradition was imported from Europe by settlers, in the late 18t century .

Recipe for 10-15 biscuits:

75 gm Butter
50 gm Icing Sugar
finely grated rind of 1 small lemon
1 Egg yolk
175 gm plain Flour,
pinch of Salt

2 egg Yolks
Red & Green food colouring
some icing
confectioner's decorations

Cream the butter, icing sugar and lemon zests. Sift the flour and fold it in the butter.

Put the dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Set aside, refrigerated for 1h.

Mix each egg yolk with the different colouring.

Roll down the dough and cut some stars, moons, holly leaves, etc.

Put them in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. Paint them as you wish and bake them in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius (375F).

Let them cool down on a pastry rack.

Vegetarian, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Buche de noel

2008-12-02T13:44:00.004Z

In France the tradition of the "buche de Noel" or Christmas log, is quite recent, after 1870's. It is said that some Parisian pastry chefs created this dessert having in mind, the log burning in the hearth on the eve of Christmas.

Recipe for 1 chestnut flavoured, Christmas log:

For the sponge:

4 eggs
125 g caster sugar
125 g strong flour

For the syrup:

125 g caster sugar
10 cl dark rum
200 g water

For the chestnut cream:

225 g soft butter
450 g chestnut pure
2 tablespoons dark rum
100 g sugar
100 g candied chestnut

First of all make 2 squares of sponge cake. Whisk the eggs with sugar in a bowl over a bain-marie. When the the mixture has reach a firm, white-ish texture and makes a ribbon, fold in the sifted flour. Carefully, spread the batter on two square 22cm by 24 cm oven dish lined with butter, flour and greaseproof paper. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356F) for 30 minutes. When cooked flip your slab of sponge onto, separate two kitchen cloths and roll them when they are still warm.

Next make a syrup with sugar, water and rum.

To make the chestnut cream, cream the butter with the sugar until it becomes fluffy, fold into the chestnut pure and finally add the chopped candied chestnut.

Unroll the two slabs of sponge. Evenly, spread some chestnut cream over them. Tightly roll the first slab. Then roll the second one around it.

Place your roll onto a nice tray and spread the chestnut cream left over , onto the roll and pass a fork into the cream to make the "bark". Garnish with some Christmas decorations, small meringue mushrooms, etc.

Keep refrigerated for 1h before serving.

Vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Mince Pies

2008-12-01T22:47:00.005Z

This little sweet pies of the British Christmas tradition are use to be left nearby children's stockings along side a bunch of carrots and a glass of brandy to thanks Father Christmas for his generosity.

Recipe for 24-30 mince pies

For the dough:

10 oz plain flour
6 oz butter
3 oz icing sugar
1 oz ground almonds
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons milk
zest of one lemon

For the mince meat:

1/2 lb. fresh beef suet (vegetable suet can also be used), chopped fine
4 cups seedless raisins
2 cups dried currants
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped candied citron
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried figs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped candied orange peel
1/4 cup coarsely chopped candied lemon peel
4 cups coarsely chopped, peeled, cored cooking apples
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 1/2 cups brandy+ 2 1/2 cups per weeks for three weeks
1 cup pale dry sherry+ 1 cup per week for 3 weeks

First thing first make the mince meat. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then pour the brandy and the sherry over them and mix well. Put the mixture into a sealable container and store in a cool place for three weeks. Top up with some extra sherry and brandy every weeks.

Sift the flour into a bowl, ad the ground almonds, icing sugar and lemon zest. Mix well then crumb with the butter then add the milk. Gather the crumb into a ball and knead for 5 minutes. Place in the fridge to rest for an hour.

Roll down the dough and make 7.5 cm discs with a cutter, line individual moulds of the appropriate size. Prick them with a fork and put them in the fridge to rest for 1h. Then, fill them up and cover them with star shaped pieces of dough.

Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375F) for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with sugar when they are just out of the oven.

Vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

turron

2008-12-01T22:13:00.004Z

While being available all year along, turrones are a traditional Christmas treat in Spain and Italy where they are called torrone.

Recipe for 6 people:

500g whole almonds
150g caster sugar
250g honey
1 egg white

Peel all the almonds by putting them in boiling water for a couple minutes and plunging them into iced cold water.
Put the sugar into a thick bottom pot along with 1 tablespoon of water and cook it to a light, golden blond caramel. Take your pot of the heat and pour the honey into this caramel. Place your pot back on the heat and allow to cook for another few minutes. Then add the almonds. Whisk the egg white into a stiff and firm foam and delicately fold it to the caramelized almond mixture.
Take a well greased oven tray and pour this mixture onto it.
Bake into a preheated oven at its maximum 10 minutes.
Then take the oven dish out. Allow to cool down for a while then place in the fridge to harden.
Cut into squares.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose free, suitable for pregnant women.

Rabanadas

2008-12-01T22:01:00.004Z

This Portuguese version of the French toast is traditionally served as a dessert on Christmas day.

Recipe for 4 people:

1 French stick
1 whole egg
200 ml whole milk
some sugar
some cinnamon powder
olive oil

This recipe is very simple and quick to realise. Slice the bread into 1 cm thick pieces. Beat the egg. Then, dip the slices into the egg, then into the milk and pan fry them for 5 minutes on each sides with a little bit of olive oil. Take them out onto some kitchen paper and sprinkle them with some sugar and cinnamon.
Serve warm.

Vegetarian, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Makowiec

2008-12-01T19:24:00.005Z

This sweet Poppy seed roll is consumed all year around in Poland, but it is also traditional to eat makowiec for Christmas and all along the holiday season.

Recipe for 2 large rolls:

For the filling:

1 lb. poppy seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup candied orange peel
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup sultanas
2 egg whites

For the dough:

1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 cup warm water
5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

For the Icing:

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Melt the butter. Combine the poppy seeds, chopped walnuts, and chopped almonds. Add the poppy seed mixture and sugar to the butter and allow to simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the egg, honey, orange peel, lemon zests, and raisins. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the cooled poppy seed mixture.

Mix the yeast in the warm water. Crumb the butter and the flour. Mix in the salt, and sugar, then mix in the yeast, eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Once the ingredients are mixed, form a ball with the dough. .Put the dough on a well floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Allow to rest for 1/2 hour.

Divide the dough in two. Roll out each piece into a thin, square.

Spread the filling onto each pieces of rolled dough. Roll it on itself and seal both ends.

Place them onto an oven dish and leave to raise in a warm place for 1h30.

Bake in preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius (350F) for 30-35 minutes.

Take out of the oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile mix well the icing sugar with the lemon juice and spread the icing onto the top of each makowiek.

Suitable for pregnant women, contains nuts, gluten and lactose.

Cougnolle

2008-12-01T18:40:00.005Z

The cougnolle or cougnou, is a traditional sweet bread from Belgium. It is made for Christmas and the holiday season. It is made in the shape of a swaddled baby to symbolize Jesus in his crib.

Recipe for one cougnolle:

250g strong flour
15g fresh yeast
15cl warm milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
50g caster sugar
75g butter, softened
50g raisins
50g pearl sugar
pinch of salt

Mix the yeast in the warm milk. Sift the flour into a large bowl, mix in the salt and sugar and make a well in the middle. Place the milk-yeast mixture as well as the egg into the well and start incorporating the flour little by little. Add the butter little by little at the same time. When all the ingredients have binded together, take your dough out of the bowl onto a well floured surface and start kneading for 10-15 minutes.
Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with a cloth and allow to raise for 1h to 1h30 in a warm place.
Then, take your dough back to your floured surface and start kneading for another 10 minutes. At this point you incorporate the raisins and pearl sugar.
Take two small parts of dough and form two neat balls with them. With the rest of the dough make an elongated ball. Place it on an oven tray. Place one of the small ball to on end and the second one to the other. Make sure that they are secured and brush the whole bread with an egg wash made off a tablespoon of water and the egg yolk.
Allow to raise a second time for 1h in a warm place and bake in a preheated oven at 210 degrees Celsius (410F) for 30 minutes.
Take out of the oven and allow to cool down on a pastry rack.

Nut free, vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Colombian Natilla

2008-12-01T18:18:00.005Z

There is another recipe for a traditional Colombian Christmas snacks: natilla.

Recipe for 6 people:

950 ml milk
1 1/2 cups of corn starch
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 cinnamon stick

Dissolve the corn starch into the milk. Add the brown sugar.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. When the sugar has fully dissolved and begins the milk has started to thicken, add the cinnamon sticks.
Continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, take the cinnamon sticks out, and pour the mixture onto a large and slightly deep, tray.
Allow to set and cut into chunks.

Gluten free, vegetarian, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Colombian Bunuelos

2008-12-01T17:32:00.005Z

These little sweet snacks are traditionally served on Christmas day in Colombia and all across Central America.

Recipe for 7 people:

1 lb white cheese (Queso Fresco or Queso Seco)
1 1/2 cups corn starch
2 eggs , beaten
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Grate the cheese very finely.

Mix the cheese with the cornstarch, eggs, brown sugar and salt.

Roll into balls the size of quails eggs and deep fry them at 150 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes. Increase the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and cook them until they get crispy and a nice golden colour.

Take them out and place them on some kitchen paper.

Gluten free, nut free, vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Kourambiedes

2008-12-01T16:33:00.004Z

There is another traditional Greek, biscuits recipe, that would be made part of the selection of biscuits served at the end of the Greek Christmas dinner.

Recipe for 10-20 Kourambiedes:

1kg strong flour
640g unsalted butter
250g ground almonds
2 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup water
5 tablespoons brandy
1/2 kg icing sugar

Cream the butter with caster sugar. Add the egg yolks. Mix all the dried ingredients excepted the icing sugar together. Add them to the butter sugar mixture. Bind all the ingredients well and add in the brandy and the water.
Knead for 5 minutes until obtaining a soft dough.
Form some small balls the size of a quail eggs and place them on greased oven dish. Bake them at 190 degrees Celsius (375F) for 30 to 35 minutes.
Take them out of the oven and sprinkle your kourambiedes with some rose blossom water while still hot. Then roll the in the icing sugar.
Allow to cool down on a pastry rack.

Contains nuts, vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Halaszle

2008-12-01T16:15:00.005Z

Traditionally, in Hungary and most of central Europe Christmas dinner starts with a soup. There is a recipe for a fresh water fish soup that will be commonly made in most Hungarian households on Christmas day.

Recipe for 6 people:

1000 g different types of small, fresh water fish
1500 kg carp
2 tablespoons lard
2 tablespoons of Hungarian paprika
2 large onions
1 green chili
1 big potato, peeled
salt and ground black pepper
1 tomato, peeled and diced
1 egg and 2 tablespoons of flour for the dumplings

In a large pan, heat up the lard and gently sweat off the diced onions.

Sprinkle the onion with the paprika and quickly, pour 3 L of water into the pan to prevent the paprika from burning.

Put the small fish, the diced tomato in the pan and cook it until the flesh comes of the bone.

Strain the stock and bring in to the boil.

Slice the carp and season well. Add them to the fish stock, add the sliced green chili, check the seasoning and bring to a gentle simmer.

Grate the potato and add it to the soup. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Beat up an egg add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and mix it until you get a soft dough.

Make little dumplings with the dough and add them to the simmering soup.Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot.

Lactose free, nut free, not suitable for pregnant women.

Melomakarona

2008-12-01T14:58:00.004Z

In Greece, a traditional Christmas dinner always finishes with a selection of biscuits. Part of this selection are melomakaronas which are small honey, orange and cinnamon flavoured biscuits which are made in this way:

Recipe for 10-20 biscuits:

1 cup of butter
1 cup olive oil
1 kg self raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon clove, crushed
zests of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon bread soda
1 Greek yogurt
1 cup walnut, chopped

For the syrup:

2 cups caster sugar
3 cups water
3 cups honey
1 lemon juice
few chopped walnuts
1/2 cinnamon stick

Cream the butter. Add the olive oil, spices, sugar, soda bread, yogurt and orange zest. Bind all these ingredients and add the flour and walnuts. Knead this dough well and form some small croquette shape biscuit with dough.
Place them on a greased and floured oven tray and bake them at 190 degrees Celsius (375F) for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile put all the ingredients for the syrup in a sauce pan. Bring them to the boil and allow to cook for 10 minutes at a gentle simmer. Allow to cool for a while.
When the melomakarona are cooked and have been allowed to cool down for a while and soak them in the syrup once. Then add 1 1/2 cup of water to the syrup left over and plunge them a second time in this lighter syrup.
Place them on a pastry rack and sprinkle your biscuits with some ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

Suitable for pregnant women, vegetarian.

Tamal

2008-11-30T21:54:00.004Z

Like in most countries in the world, Peruvian people spend their Christmas dinner around a roast turkey. But Christmas would not be a Peruvian one without the traditional tamal.

Recipe for 10 tamales:

10 big peruvian corns on the cob
1/2 kg of chicken
3 cloves of garlic
50 g of toasted peanuts
230 g butter
12 Peruvian pitted black olives
1 big onion, chopped
4 dry mirasol chili paste
3 hard-boiled eggs
10 Banana leaves
Salt and pepper

Grate the corn of the cob.

In a frying pan, put 30g of butter. Sweat off, the chopped onion, the garlic, salt, pepper, the mirasol paste and the chicken, cut in pieces.

When the chicken is browned, cover with water and allow to cook on a low heat.

Heat 200g of butter in a pot. Add the corn and stir constantly. Add the chicken mixture. Allow it to cook gently until the corn masa thickens.

Wash the banana leaves. Put a spoon of dough over two leaves; add a piece of chicken, 1/4 of a hard-boiled egg, a little of toasted peanuts and an olive. Cover with more dough and wrap as a gift. Tie with a strip of the same leaf.

When all the tamales are done, cook them in a big pot with a little of water for an hour.

Gluten free, not suitable for pregnant women.

Roast Teriyaki Chicken Tighs

2008-11-30T19:27:00.006Z

This is a dish that is on of most Japanese tables for their celebration of Christmas.

Recipe for 4 people:

500g chicken thighs
12 cl good Japanese soy sauce
12 cl sake
12 cl mirin*
1 tablespoon caster sugar
salt and pepper

First of all, prick your chicken thighs with a fork. Season them well and roast them in a hot oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in thick bottom sauce pan bring the soy sauce, mirin and sake to the boil. Add the sugar and allow to reduce to a light glaze.
Take your chicken thighs out of the oven. Place them hot in clean bowl and pour the sauce over them. Coat them well with it and put them back in a medium hot oven to glaze for 20 minutes. Stir them from time to time.
Serve warm.

* Mirin is a kind of rice wine to sake, but with a lower alcohol 14% instead of 20%. There are three general types. The first is hon mirin (true mirin), which contains alcohol. The second is shio mirin, which contains alcohol as well as 1.5% salt to avoid alcohol tax. The third is shin mirinmirin-fu chomiryo (imitation mirin), which contains less than 1% alcohol yet retains the same flavour (new mirin).

Gluten free, lactose free, nut free, suitable to pregnant women.

Yule Log

2008-11-30T18:45:00.004Z

In Canada, it is tradition to end the Christmas dinner with a slice of yule log. This dessert consists on a sponge cake roulade made to resemble a log of wood. It is said this dessert comes from the traditional French "buche de Noel" or Christmas log.

Recipe for 10 people:

For the sponge:

3 egg, separated
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla, extract
1 tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup flour
1 oz melted butter

For the icing:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz butter
2 oz cream
2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375F) and prepare a standard 11 by 17 baking pan by first buttering it, then lining it with parchment paper then buttering the paper. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the pan and shake to evenly coat then knock out the excess.
Place the egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, the vanilla and rum in a mixing bowl. Beat vigorously with a hand whisk until the mixture is thick and makes a ribbon.
Beat the egg whites separately in a clean bowl until the form firm peaks. Add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.
Fold the two mixtures together. Carefully fold in the remaining ingredients and when the mix is almost blended add the butter and finish mixing.
Immediately pour the batter into the ready baking pan and smooth it gently into an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for about ten minutes or so. Be carefull of overcooking it or you wont be able to roll it up.
Remove from the oven and trim off the dried out edges and turn the sponge onto a slightly damp tea towel that has been thoroughly dusted with powdered sugar. Sift an even level of powdered sugar over the top of the cake then gently roll it up into a log-like cylinder.

Place the chocolate and butter in a medium sized bowl and place the bowl on a bain-marie. Stir gently as the chocolate begins to melt and continue stirring until very smooth.
Meanwhile heat the cream in a small saucepan, then add it to the chocolate again stirring until you reach a smooth consistency.
Stir in the sugar and cocoa.

Unroll the cake and leave on the towel. Sprinkle it with a bit more rum. Spread your filling evenly over the cakes surface then roll up again using the towel to help. Slice off about one third of the cake at a 45 degree angle. Place the roulade, seam side down on a serving platte and position the smaller piece next to the larger one so that it resembles a branch. Frost with the chocolate icing. Draw a fork through the icing to help it resemble bark.

Finally dust with icing sugar.

Vegetarian, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

The 13 Christmas desserts of Provence

2008-11-30T18:05:00.005Z

In Provence, region in the South-East of France, you will find this very interesting tradition of the 13 desserts of Christmas: "les treizes dessert de Noel". It is said that there are 13 of them, in reference to Jesus and the 12 apostles sitting at the last supper. Their composition varies greatly from village to village. But they all have in common that they will be served all in the same time, on the same table and in good numbers, after the midnight mass.

As I said the composition of the 13 desserts de Noel varies a lot but they all will traditionally start by the 4 mythical ones, named : "les 4 mendiants" (literally the 4 beggars) followed by "la pompe a huile" (the olive oil pump) and the 2 nougats.

So there is a list of the Provencal 13 desserts of Christmas:

Les 4 mendiants (the 4 beggars):

- Hazelnuts or walnuts (symbolizing the order of St Augustin )
- Dry figs (symbolizing the Franciscan order)
- Almonds (symbolizing the Carmelite order)
- Raisins (symbolizing the Dominican order)

La pompe a huile (the olive oil pump):

- Flat yeast bread made with olive oil such as a Gibassié, fougasse. (This bread should be broken like Jesus did at the last supper and not cut to prevent bankruptcy in the new year)

les 2 nougats

- White nougat (made with pine nuts, pistachio and hazelnuts)
- Black nougat (made with caramelized honey cooked with almonds)

This give us 7 desserts. There is a lists of desserts that would be commonly used locally :

Dattes (that could be stuffed with marzipan)
Calisson d'aix en Provence
Quince fruit paste (or jam)
Fresh white grapes
Christmas melon (called verdau), called green espiran in English due to its colour.
Fresh oranges (sign of wealth)
Candied melons
Winter pear and apples
Plums

In some place children are not allowed to start digging into them unless they named them all first.

As you can see it makes a healthy option in these times of reach, festive dinners.

My be a cause of allergies. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free (except the bread), suitable for pregnant women.

Scandinavian Julegrot

2008-11-30T16:16:00.004Z

Along with a stuffed duck or turkey and some spiced biscuits, julegrot or almond rice pudding is served as part of a traditional Scandinavian Christmas dinner.

Recipe for 4 people:

125g pearl rice
1 litre milk
125g caster sugar
125g creme fraiche
50g butter
75g ground almonds
some raspberry liqueur
pinch cinnamon

Heat up the milk in a thick bottom sauce pan. Add the sugar and allow to simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and add the rice, stir for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and allow to cook for about 1h. Take your pot off the heat and stir in the butter.
When the rice has completely cool down, stir in the creme fraiche. Transfer your rice pudding into a nice bowl and refrigerate for an hour.
Just before serving sprinkle the ground almond on the top of the rice and drizzle with the liqueur.
Serve chilled.

"The tradition wants that a whole almond is hidden into the pudding. The one who finds it win a present."

Gluten free, vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Oysters Stew

2008-11-30T15:58:00.004Z

In some North American household, Christmas eve dinner often starts by an oyster soup. It is said that this recipe was brought to the U.S by Irish immigrants.

Recipe for 4 people:

24 oysters
4 cups whole milk
pinch cayenne pepper
50g butter
salt and pepper

Open all the oysters and clear them from the water that is expulsed by the shellfish. Stack them flat on a tray and wait that the second water is produced. Collect it.
Then, put the milk to simmer into a sauce pan. Add the butter and the water collected from the oysters. Poach the oysters in this liquid for 6 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and the cayenne pepper. Place six oysters per person in a soup bowl and pour the soup over them.

May be the cause of allergies. Gluten free, nut free, not suitable for pregnant women.

Sorrel Punch

2008-11-30T15:27:00.006Z

In Jamaica and other Carabbean island the festive season starts with the season of a type of hibiscus growing exculsively in this region of the world. This plant is by no means related to the French sorrel. The people of Jamaica and other island in the area are used to prepare a drink with hibiscus that they enjoy all along the holiday season.

Recipe for 1.5 litre of punch:

2 cups of dry sorrel (hibiscus flower)
1/4 cup crushed ginger
8 cups freshly boiled water
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark Jamaican rum

Infuse the ginger and hibiscus flowers into the warm water for several hours.
Strain the solids out and pour into a jar. Add the sugar and the rum.
Serve chilled.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose free.

Ponche Crema

2008-11-30T15:08:00.004Z

In Venezuela, the festival of the Navidenas is traditionally celebrated with this rich egg nog made of milk, sugar, rum and eggs. There are probably as many recipe for ponche crema than inhabitants in Venezuela but there is a recipe that gather the ingredients that they all will have in common:

2 tins of condensed milk
4 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 Vanilla pod
1 liter of milk
A pinch of nutmeg
6 rinds of lime
1 liter white rum

First stiffen the egg whites by whisking them. Then whisk the egg yolks, separately. Add them to the egg whites. Mix the rum, condensed milk, milk, nutmeg with the vanilla and rinds of lime. Pour, carefully, this mixture onto the eggs.
Now, some will like their drink to be a bit thicker so, for them reduce down the rum-milk mixture on a gentle heat for 20-25 minutes before adding the eggs.
Serve cold.

Gluten free, nut free, vegetarian.

Atole

2008-11-30T14:39:00.006Z

This is a recipe for another popular Christmas drink from Mexico. Atole is a light to thick (depending where you are in Mexico) drink made with corn meal (masa harina), sugar flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla.

Recipe for 4 people:

5 cups of water or milk
1/2 cup masa harina (corn meal)
1/4 cup piloncillo
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla pod, opened and scraped

In a thick bottom sauce pan, mix well the masa harina and water (or milk) until smooth. Put on a gentle fire and start heating up the mixture. Then, add the piloncillo, vanilla pod and cinnamon and cook for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the consistency that you want to reach. Make sure to stir at all time.
Serve hot.

Gluten free, lactose free (if made with water), vegetarian, vegan, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Pasteles

2008-11-30T14:06:00.005Z

This Puerto Rican festive recipe is a must have on Christmas day on this part of the world island. This tamal like dish consists of a dough made with green bananas, starchy potatoes and taro filled with a pork based stuffing and wrapped in a banana leaf.

Recipe for 12 to 15 pasteles:

For the dough:

5 green bananas, peeled and chopped
1 plaintain
1 1/2 lb of taro (Yautia), peeled and chopped
1 starchy potato
pinch of salt

For the filling:

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed and finely chopped
2 lb of lean pork meat (shoulder or ham), cut in small dices
1 cup of tomato sauce
1/2 bunch fresh coriander
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/2 cup water
salt and paper
some vegetable oil

Wrapping:

15 12 by 6 inches, banana leaves rectangles
roasting string

The dough or masa is made by reducing all the ingredients for the dough into a very fine, thick pure with a food processor. Salt to taste.
Reduce all the ingredients for the filling into a food processor to a coarse mince. Then, in a thick bottom sauce pan cook it for a bout 20 minutes making sure to stir from time to time. Allow to cool down and set aside.
For the assembly, take a clean, dry piece of banana leaf, brush it with a little bit of oil, spread on it about 1/2 cup of the masa, then place 2-3 spoons of filling in the middle of the dough and fold the banana leaf into a neat parcel. Secure with a piece of roasting string. Repeat until all the banana leaves have been used. I have to admit it takes a while to get it wright when you've never done that before.
Cook your parcels in a large pot of simmering salted water for 1h30.

Gluten free, lactose free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Prianiki

2008-11-29T17:34:00.005Z

Part of the holiday season Russian mums would bake these kinds of spicy biscuits and give them all kinds of shapes. There many recipes for prianiki whic usualy take the name of the location where they are made.

Ingredients:

1 oz butter
6 oz honey
6 oz plum jam
1 egg
8 oz plain flour
2 oz icing sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp each cardomon, ginger, and cinnamon
1 tbs crushed blanched almonds
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cream together butter and honey. Add the egg. Bind in the baking soda, spices and almonds. Then add the flour to make a soft ball of dough. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius (350 F).
Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. With different shape cutters, cut out the dough until it has been fully used.Spread some jam on one half of each biscuits and place them on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius (325 F) and bake them for another 10 minutes.
Cool them down on a pastry rack, then combine the lemon juice and icing sugar and drizzle some of it over them.

Vegetarian, lactose free, suitable for pregnant women.

Doro Wat

2008-11-29T16:53:00.005Z

Christmas is not a traditional Ethiopian holiday has most of the population is of Muslin faith or animist. But, still Christmas is still celebrated among the small Christian community and doro wat would be part of their Christmas dinner.

Recipe for 6 people:

juice of one lemon
two teaspoons salt
one chicken trimmed and cut into 6 pieces
two onions, finely chopped
four tablespoons niter kebbeh**
four cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
one piece fresh ginger root, cleaned, scraped, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon berberé*
1 small tomato, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
4 hard-boiled eggs (1 per person), pierced with a toothpick.

In a glass bowl, combine the lemon juice, half the salt, and chicken pieces. Let chicken marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Cook the onions over medium heat for a few minutes in a dry cast iron pot. Stir constantly to prevent them from browning or burning; reduce the heat.
Add the niter kebbeh to the onions, along with the garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, remaining salt, berberé , and tomato. Stir and simmer for a few minutes. The onions should be soft, tender.
Add the chicken stock, water, or dry red wine. Bring the mixture to a low boil while stirring gently. Cook for a few minutes, then reduce heat.
Add the chicken pieces, making sure to cover them with the sauce. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
After the chicken has been simmering for 20 minutes, gently add the hard-boiled eggs.
Serve hot. The only traditional way to serve doro wat is with a spongy flat bread called injera, which can only be properly made with difficult-to-obtain teff flour.

* berberé is a traditional Ethiopian spice mix that consists of : 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice ; 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamon ; 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves ; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander ; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin ;1 teaspoon ground fenugreek ; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg ;1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ; 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric ; 4 to 6 tablespoons of a combination of ground cayenne pepper and paprika ; 1 tablespoons salt ; 1 teaspoon ginger, fresh (peeled and grated) or dry ; 1/4 cup oil.

** niter kibbeh is an Ethiopian spiced butter consisting of : one pound butter (unsalted), cut into pieces ; two cloves garlic, finely chopped ; one small piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped ; one very small onion, very finely chopped ; one and half teaspoon ground turmeric ; one-half teaspoon ground cardamom ; one-eighth teaspoon ground nutmeg ; one-eighth teaspoon ground fenugreek ; one cinnamon stick ; one whole clove.

Suitable for pregnant women, gluten free, nut free.

Weihnachtsstollen

2008-11-29T16:19:00.004Z

This traditional German recipe is a sweet, yeast fruit cake that is made during the Christmas time. This recipe was given to me by a German chef that I employed in my kitchen about 4 years ago.

Recipe for a medium sized tin:

7 g active dried yeast (1 package)
180 ml warm water
100 g granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
120 g soft butter
350 g strong flour
115 g chopped blanched almonds
60 g candied lemon peel, cut into small pieces
70 g candied orange peel, cut into small pieces
75 g raisins
15 ml lemon juice

Rehydrate the yeast in some warm water with a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of flour. Leave for 10 minutes. Put the flour, the eggs and egg yolk, sugar, butter into the bowl of an electric dough maker. Mix these ingredients well on medium speed for 10 minutes. Add the yeast and allow the dough to work for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the peels, lemon juice, raisins and almonds to the dough.
Place the dough in clean bowl and allow to raise, in a cool place, for 12 hours.
Then, punch the dough down, place it back in the dough maker and work the dough with the bread hook for 10 minutes.
Roll down the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and roll it on itself.
Place on an oven tray and allow to raise for 2 hours.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375F) for 30 to 35 minutes.
When it is just out of the oven, sprinkle with some icing sugar.

Vegetarian, lactose free, suitable for pregnant women.

Pan de Pascua

2008-11-29T15:36:00.006Z

In Chile Christmas would not be Christmas without enjoying a slice of Pan de Pascua accompanied with a local, traditional eggnog called cola de mono. This sweet yeast bread is not a real traditional Christmas recipe as its name means Easter bread, it is used to be made for Easter. But still, it is made for the holiday season. It is a cousin of the Italian panetone bread and the Belgian cougnou. The recipe is a bit difficult to realise but non the less worth the effort.

For the starter

Pinch of sugar
1 packet active dry yeast (7g)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the dough

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Finely grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups unbleached strong flour
1 1/2 teaspoons brandy
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried or glacéed cherries
1/3 dark raisins
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup in total of candied ginger, lemon and orange peel
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

First make the starter by mixing the dry ingredients together. Add 1/2 cup of warm water and work this dough for 5-7 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to raise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the butter and the sugar into an electric dough maker, fit the leaf accessory on and set it to a fast speed to work the butter until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the zests and dried fruits as well as the salt. Set the machine on a medium speed and start incorporating the eggs one by one to the butter. Then add the flour, the vanilla extract to the mixture and allow the machine to work for another 5 minute on a low speed.
Then, change the attachment the bread hook and add the starter to the dough and allow to knead for 10 minutes.
Place the dough into a deep, round and well greased tin and set aside in a warm place to raise for a couple of hours.
Start your oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375F) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Take out of your tin and allow to cool down on a pastry rack.

Suitable for vegetarian, pregnant women, nut free.

Mulled wine

2008-11-29T15:24:00.004Z

There many variations of spiced wines around the world. In Ireland and the U.K mulled wine is always associated with Christmas.

Recipe for mulled wine:

2 large oranges
3 pints of water
8oz granulated sugar
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 vanilla pod
10 cloves
2 bottles of good red wine
3 tablespoons of honey
1 apple, sliced and cored
1 orange, deseeded and sliced
a dash or two of Brandy

Place all the ingredients into a large pot and slowly bring them to a gentle simmer.

Serve warm.

Gluten free, vegetarian, lactose free.

Lebkuchen

2008-11-29T14:54:00.007Z

Lebkuchen is a German spiced pastry, baked for Christmas similar to gingerbread apart its soft texture. It is often used to make decorated slabs or decorated little houses.

Recipe for 10 to 20 lebkuchen:

420g plain flour, sifted
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
200g sugar
120ml honey
110g almonds, finely chopped
60g candied orange peel, finely chopped
60g candied lemon peel, finely chopped

For the Glaze:

65g icing sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice

Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices into a bowl. Then, beat together the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl until it becomes thick and creamy. Carefully and gradually add the honey to the egg mixture. Then, add a quarter of the dry ingredients, mixing well with a wooden spoon, like you would do for a sponge base. Repeat 4 times until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.

Now add the almonds and the candied peels and stir them into the batter then pour the mixture onto a well-greased baking tray (or spoon individual portions). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a pastry rack when cooked.

Meanwhile, mix the glaze ingredients together. Then, when the lebkuchen have cool down entirely spread over the icing.

Suitable for vegetarian, pregnant women, lactose free.

Gluhwein

2008-11-29T14:33:00.005Z

It is very pleasurable to stroll amongst the small wooden stall of a traditional German Christmas markets during a cold December day. There you will find all types of handcrafted wooden toys, handwoven pieces of clothing, chocolates, etc. There too, you will find one particular type of place which is going to sell you the traditional gluhwein : a hot, spiced wine similar to the British mulled wine.

There is a recipe for gluhwein:

3 litres of dry, German red wine
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of clove
10 Cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of fruit alcohol (schnapps)
2 cups brown sugar
3 oranges, sliced
3 lemons, sliced

In a large pot place the wine, lemon juice, spices and schnapps, bring to a gentle simmer. Then add the sugar and the sliced fruits.

Serve hot.

Vegan, vegetarian, nut free, lactose free, gluten free.

Payasa

2008-11-29T13:23:00.006Z

The payasa is a traditional Indian dessert that is served on holidays (Hindus faith) but it will also be part of the small Christian minority' Christmas dinner.

8 oz of jackfruit *
14 oz light coconut milk
8 tablespoons jaggery**
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamon

In a medium saucepan, gently heat up the coconut milk. Dice up the jackfruit. Add the Jackfruit and sugar to the coconut milk. Cook gently on low heat, stirring often until the jackfruit is tender (about 40 minutes). In the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the cardamon.

Serve warm or hot.

* Jackfruits are the fruit of a tree of the mulberry family, native of parts of Asia and South-East Asia. Each fruits are about 36kg and pretty much tasteless apart from the sweet yellow sheaths around the seeds that have a similar taste to pineapple.

** jaggery is a brown sugar mass made of both sugarcane and date palm tree, the shape of a truncated cone that is used in the whole of Asia.

Gluten free, lactose free, vegan and vegetarian, suitable for pregnant women.

Banketstaaf

2008-11-29T12:42:00.004Z

The banketstaaf is a traditional Dutch, Christmas pastry made of marzipan and puff pastry.

300g "amandelspijs" (almond paste)*
300g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp apricot jam
few red glace cherries
few nibbed almonds

This recipe is very simple. First roll down your puff pastry making a square about 40 cm long and 12 cm wide. Make a 36 cm long, tube with the almond paste (marzipan can be used). Brush the surface of the puff pastry with some egg wash made with the egg and some water, place the tube of almond paste in the middle and roll the puff pastry around it. Close tightly both ends and place on an oven dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt down the apricot jam with a little bit of water and roast the almonds.
When the pastry is cooked, take it out of the oven, and when it is still hot brush it with the jam. Place alternatively some cherries and almonds on the top of it.

*Amandelspijs is translated by almond meal or almond flour. It is made of ground sweet almonds and is commonly used in confectionery. It is the main ingredient of marzipan.

Suitable for pregnant women, lactose free.

Ponche Navideno

2008-11-28T22:20:00.006Z

Ponche Navideno is the traditional drink that is offered to the pilgrims and friends all over Mexico on Christmas eve as that day ends the nine days of celebrations known as the las posadas. This catholic celebration that is followed by catholics all over Latin America symbolizes the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Mary could give birth to Jesus.
There are many, many recipes for the Ponche Navideno, but there is one that assembles most of the ingredients that they have in common.

Recipe for 30 people:

7.5 litres of water
1 lb tejocotes*
3 whole oranges
8 guavas
2 lbs sugar cane
1 lb pitted prunes
3 pears
1 Cup raisins
6 oz walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 Cup of whole cloves
2 1/2 lb. piloncillo**
3 Cups of dark rum

In a medium saucepan, bring a litre of water to the boil. Add the tejocotes, lower the heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes until softened. Remove the fruit, peel them and trim the hard endings.

Peel the sugar cane and slice it into thin medallions. Remove the stems and core the pears and cut them into large chunks. Cut the guavas and prunes in half. Stud the oranges with the whole cloves. Cut the cone of piloncillo into large chunks.

In a very large pot, bring the remaining water to the boil. Add all the fruits and nuts to the simmering water and bring it back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1h30, stirring gently from time to time. Add the piloncillo and cinnamon and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Pour some into cups, making sure each cups get some chunks of fruit and nuts. Add some rum into the cup if desired.

Enjoy it is really good!

* Tejocotes are the fruits of the hawthorn tree. They have the shape of the crab apple and have sweet and sour flavour. Their colour range from orange to yellow. They are plentifully around Christmas, in Mexico, as they rich the peak of their season there.

** Piloncillo is the name given, in Mexico, to small blocks, often shaped like truncated cones; of brown, unrefined sugar.

Ti punch

2008-11-28T22:01:00.005Z

Ti punch is the traditional drink of the French Caribbean islands of La Martinique and La Guadeloupe as well as the other French island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean. It consists of some sugar cane syrup with white rum (of la Martinique in the Caribbean and from La Réunion in the Indian Ocean) and some lime juice. More than a tradition, the Ti punch is a way of life, it has its rules, the house guest cannot drink his ti punch strait up, the drinker will look at his glass for some times before drinking it in a brisk movement of the wrist, etc. It is part of the daily life on these islands so, it is also part of the tradition to drink ti punch for Christmas.

This is the recipe from La Martinique:

In a tumbler glass, put 1 dash of sugar cane syrup, top it up with 2 dashes of Martinique rum and one squeeze of lime.

Now the recipe from La Réunion:

In a tumbler glass, put 1 dash of sugar cane syrup, add 2 dashes of white rum from la Réunion and squeeze a lime wedge into the glass to finish.

Enjoy with moderation!

Gravalax

2008-11-28T21:34:00.007Z

In Scandinavia Christmas dinner, almost, always includes smoked or marinated fish dishes. The most known marinated dish of this region of the world as to be the gavalax.

There is a simple and original recipe for gravalax. Serve 10-12 people:

1 side of salmon, skin on, pin boned and excess fat trimmed

For the marinade:

juice and zest of half a grape fruit
juice and zest of 1 lime
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed
1 shot glass of akvavit (Scandinavian vodka)
4 tbsp dill, roughly chopped
grey seasalt

For the coating

1 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp dill, finely chopped
6 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together. Place the salmon in a plastic container , flesh side down. Cover the fish with the marinade. Cover your container with a lid or some cling film and place it in the fridge, at least, for 24 hours.
Remove the salmon from the fridge and carefully wash off the marinade. Dry it slightly with some kitchen paper.
Place the salmon on a carving board, flesh side up and brush it with the Dijon mustard. Then, coat the salmon with the finely chopped dill and mint. Cover the salmon with cling film and place carving board on the top of it and apply some weight on the salmon, eg. a couple of tins. Place the salmon in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
Slice the salmon very thinly with a long sharp carving knife. Arrange the slices on your serving plates so that they overlap a little bit.
Drizzle some of the marinade around the plate. Serve the salmon gravalax with lemon wedges, buttered brown bread and a glass of akvavit.

Nut free, lactose free, gluten free, not suitable for pregnant women.

Tahitian Marinated Fish

2008-11-28T20:56:00.005Z

In Tahiti, Christmas dinner is mainly based on French traditions but the locals have always had on their table this dish made of marinated fish with coconut milk for all their celebrations including Christmas. This recipe is very simple but the key to ensure a wonderful experience is the freshness of the ingredients.

Recipe for 4 people:

800g of fresh tuna, marlin or swordfish
1/2 cucumber, finely sliced
2 tomatoes, finely sliced
1 pepper, finely sliced
2 spring onions, washed and finely sliced
the juice of 4 limes
4 table spoons of fresh coconut milk
salt and pepper

Very finely slice your fish. Then take 4 plates and nice dispose the vegetables making sure to cover all the surface of the plates. Then, arrange few slices of fish onto the vegetables, season with salt and pepper.
Then, sprinkle the fish with a spoon full of lime juice and a spoon of coconut milk.
Serve chilled.

Suitable for coeliacs, lactose intolerant people, not suitable to pregnant women.

Char Siu

2008-11-28T19:23:00.006Z

A couple of years ago a friend of mine went to spend is Christmas holidays in the family of his Chinese friend. So, I decided to ask him how was Christmas was celebrated over there when I though of doing that journey around the world through 80 traditional Christmas dishes.
Christmas is celebrated in China, it is not a Holiday. Everybody works, children go to school. But, in the evening people exchange small presents and sit for a special dinner.
Char siu or Chinese barbecued roast pork was part of their meal and seems to be part of this Chinese family. Char siu has nothing to do with our western views on barbecued meat. It seems to be that Chinese barbecued roast pork was labelled "barbecued" due to his reddish and slightly charred look.

There is the recipe that my friend gave me:

2kg of pork fillet
2 tablespoons of honey, dissolved with a little water

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon demerara sugar
1 tablespoon yellow bean sauce
2 tablespoons light Chinese soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark Chinese soy sauce
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon sesame oil

For the marinade, place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them well together until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Cut the pork into strips about 4 cm thick and 18 - 20cm long, and marinate them, covered, for at least 24 hours, turning them occasionally.

The next day, start your oven at 220 degrees Celsius (450 Fahrenheit/Gas mark 7), and place a roasting or baking tray filled with about 1 pint (600 ml) boiling water at the bottom. Take the pork strips out of the marinade, drain them well and keep the marinade, you'll need it later. Put the tip of an S-shaped hook through one end of each strip, then hang the strips on the top rack in the oven, making sure they dangle freely.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F/Gas 4) and start glazing your strips of pork by basting them regularly with the marinade for 20 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven, let it cool down for 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully brush the strips with the honey "syrup", and lightly brown them under a medium hot grill for 4 to 5 minutes, turning them, from time to time.

When serving, cut the meat across the grain into thin slices, and make a sauce by reducing the marinade, the water and drippings from the baking tray together for a few minutes, then strain into a nice Chinese sauce dish.

*Picture thank to masak-masak.blogspot.com

Gluten free, lactose free, suitable for pregnant women.

Boudin Blanc with caramelized apples

2008-11-28T17:48:00.004Z

Another traditional French Christmas dish is the "boudin blanc". A far cousin of the British and Irish white puddings, the French boudin blanc is mainly made of veal, chicken, rabbit or pork meat, eggs, milk, cream, flour and flavoured with mushrooms, morels, Champagne or Chablis, etc. It is only available during the Christmas season. This tradition comes from the middle ages when, in France, people were used to eat a milk based porridge just after midnight mass to warm themselves up. Butchers of the time imagined to put this porridge into a membrane made of pig intestines and bulk it with minced meat and thickened with eggs.

This is a recipe that can make a nice starter for 4 people:

2 boudins blancs (of your choice of flavour)
2 Grannysmith apples, peeped, cored and quatered
1 table spoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of water

First of all, prick the sausage on all its lenght. Heat up a non-stick frying pan and pan fry your boudin for 4 minutes on all the sides until they reach a nice golden brown colour. Turn down the heat and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. Set them aside in a warm oven.
In the same pan, pan fry your apples for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the water and caramelize them.
Serve 1/2 a boudin blanc per person garnished with few pieces of caramelized apples.

Where to buy boudin blanc:
- Boudin blanc with morels

- Boudin blanc all types
- Boudin blanc a l'oignon delivers worldwide

Suitable for pregnant women, nut free.

Chayote gratin

2008-11-28T16:01:00.005Z

On the Island of La Guadeloupe and la Martinique in the French Caribbean Christmas the main dish is accompanied by a "gratin de Christophines" or Chayote in gratin. Chayote is a fruit of the cucurbitaceae's family which is known to have a positive effect on blood cholesterol and have some anti-inflamatory properties. So, this is how it is prepared:

Recipe for 4 people:

3 chayotes
2 table spoons of vegetable oil
50g smoked pork belly
4 spring onions
1 onion
1 sprig of thyme
100g fresh bread crumb+4 table spoons of dried crumb
5cl milk
100g gruyere cheese, gratted
salt and pepper

Peel and stone the chayote. Cut them into big cubes and cook them in salted water for 30 minutes. Strain them and reduce them into a pure.
Mince the smoked pork belly. Mix the fresh bread crumb with milk. then, wash and finely slice the spring onion and the onion.
In a thick bottom sauce pan sweat of the spring onion and the onion for 5 minutes. Add the minced pork and the thyme and cook for another 5minutes. Add the pureed chayote and mix it well with the rest of the ingredients. Add the soaked bread crumb and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes.
Put your mixture in an oven dish, sprinkle with the dry bread crumb and the gruyere cheese and bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven.

Serve piping hot.

Suitable for pregnant women.

Oysters like in Brittany

2008-11-28T15:38:00.005Z

Oysters take a big part in the Breton Christmas celebrations. Often part of the Christmas eve dinner in Brittany oysters are served "au naturel" accompanied by some lemon wedges, freshly ground pepper, some sauce mignonette and some rye bread (not to mention some salted butter!).

This is a very simple dish as most of the work is to open the oysters:

Sauce Mignonette:

2 finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
20 cl of good red wine vinegar

Place the cracked pepper and shallots in nice sauce boat, pour the vinegar onto it.

------

Back home we usually gorge on oysters at Christmas as they are in season so there are no limitation on how many to serve.

Document thanks to Whitstable shellfish Co

May be a cause of allergies, suitable for coeliacs, lactose intolerant people. Not suitable for pregnant women.

Terrine de Foie Gras

2008-11-28T14:38:00.007Z

The terrine de foie gras is a symbol of the French culinary traditions and naturally find its place on French tables for Christmas. It can be made either from duck or goose foie gras (fat liver) and generally come from the two main regions of production that are Alsace (north eastern France) and the Périguord (south western France).

Recipe for a medium size terrine:

1 duck or goose foie gras weighing 500g+
1 glass of Armagnac
30g goose fat
7g salt
6g pepper
1 lemon juice

First, lets prepare our liver, with the tip of a sharp office knife peel of the thin skin on the top of the liver. Trim all the green bits. Then, separate the two lobes with your hands and take out the large nerve that has been exposed, by pulling it gently. All the small nerve endings should come with it. Remove all the nerves and bloody bits. Then, wash it of under a small fillet of cold fresh water and dry it thoroughly.
Place your liver into a cast iron terrine, season it with the salt and pepper. Add the Armagnac and lemon juice cover with some cling film and put it in the fridge for 24h.
The next day, start your oven at 120 degrees Celsius (248F). Place a tray with some water into the oven and bring it to temperature. Melt down the goose fat and pour it over the foie gras. Then, place your terrine into this bain-marie and cook for 25 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and allow to cool down quickly. Place in the fridge for another 24h.

Note : it will keep for up to 10 days in the fridge.

Serve 50g per person (deep your knife in hot water first) with some warm toasted brioche and a glass of Sauterne or black muscat wine.

Foie gras can also be cooked fresh, like pan fried like on this recipe.
Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, suitable for pregnant women.

Bebinca

2008-11-28T14:04:00.007Z

Another dish that is found on Goan tables on Christmas day is the bebinca : a sweet coconut based, baked, layered "custard". It is a bit time consuming to prepare, but it is worth it.

Recipe for

600ml coconut milk, that you will extract from a large coconut
400g sugar
9 egg yolks
150 g flour, sifted
¼ tsp. nutmeg powder
100g butter or pure ghee
A pinch of salt

Extract only the thick juice from the coconut, using 600ml hot water. Then, pass it through a fine muslin cloth.

Add the sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and mix thoroughly. Whisk in the flour and salt making sure that there are no lumps. Finish with the nutmeg powder.

Make a caramel with 1 tablespoon sugars and 2 table spoons of water on slow fire. Set aside too cool.

Take half a cup of coconut milk mixture, mix in the cooled caramel, then pour it back into the coconut milk mixture.

Once again pass the whole mixture through the muslin cloth. Heat the oven at gas mark 4.

Take a baking pan, preferably a round one. Put 2 or 3 heaped tablespoons butter or ghee into it.

Add half a cup of batter and bake it for 12 or 15 minutes. Spread a little butter on this baked layer, switch off the oven and grill the second layer for 3 or 4 minutes.

Repeat, greasing, layering and grilling till all the batter has been used up. Let cool down completely and turn on a large plate.

Lactose free, suitable for pregnant women, vegetarian.

Breton style seafood platter

2008-11-28T13:42:00.005Z

Back home in Brittany, Christmas will traditionally see a seafood platter (plateau de fruits de mer) throne at the center of the table on Christmas day. It will generally consist of brown crab, Dublin bay prawns, oysters, periwinkles, mussels, cockles, shrimp, velvet crab and some time a lobster or a crawfish. The seafood platter will be accompanied by some mayonnaise, lemon wedges and sauce mignonette (red wine vinegar with shallots and cracked pepper).

This what you will need for a seafood platter for 6 people:

36 oysters, opened
3 brown cabs, cooked and broken in pieces
36 medium size Dublin bay prawns, cooked in the shell
60 bouquet shrimps, cooked in the shell
36 cooked mussels, traditionally they are eaten raw
36 cooked cockles or clams, they are traditionally eaten raw
6 large velvet crabs, cooked
1kg of cooked periwinkles
optional : 3 lobsters or 3 crawfishs, cooked and cracked
6 lemons
1/2 litre of mayonnaise
2 shallots
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 cups good red wine vinegar

This is very simple, despite the fact that it is quite time consuming. Gather, cook and chill all the shellfish and crustaceans. Place them on a tray, arrange them the way you like.

The sauce mignonette is done in this way:

Finely chop the shallots, place them in a nice bowl and pour the vinegar onto them. Finally, add the cracked pepper.

Cut your lemons into wedges and place the mayonnaise into a nice bowl.

Serve chilled with a nice bottle of chilled Muscadet.

May be cause to allergies, not suitable to pregnant women, gluten free, lactose free, nut free.

Assida zgougou

2008-11-28T00:12:00.004Z

As the vast majority of the people leaving in the Maghreb are of Muslim faith, Christmas is not a traditional day of celebration. But, the "Al-mawlid al-nabaoui al-sharif" is the celebration of the day of the birth the prophet. That particular day is served the assida. So, this is why this recipe has made it to my list.

1kg pine nuts or zgougous Aleppo (pine nuts from the allep tree)
500 grams of sugar
2 liters of water
750 grams sifted flour

Rose blossom cream

1 Greek style yogurt
2 teaspoons rose blossom water
1 table spoon of honey
125 ml creme fraiche

Sort pine nuts carefully to remove all the stones, herbs, etc. Place the pine nuts in a large container and wash with water carefully to eliminate any further dirt.

Grind the gables with a chopping knife.

Mix the batter in the 2 litres of water.

Pass the mixture through a very fine sieve. Press hard on the dough to get the maximum amount of juice. It must remain a dry dough that you can discard.

Mix the sifted flour with the liquid black that you recovered previously.
On low heat, continue to stir well to prevent the formation of lumps.
Keep stirring constantly. The Assida will thicken gradually.
As soon as you feel your Assida thicken, add the sugar while continuing to stir so that your cream stays homogeneous.
As soon as it is quite thick, pour the mixture into small bowls.

Mix the yogurt, the honey, rose blossom water and creme fraiche together and serve this cream with the assida.

Vegetarian, vegan (except the cream), suitable for pregnant women.

Goan Fish Xacuti

2008-11-27T23:54:00.007Z

There is a traditional Goan Christmas recipe the fish xacuti (Goan curry). So, this is how it goes:

1 kg white fish with a firm flesh (trust me it works very well with monkfish!)
8-10 peppercorns
1" stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
4 pods cardamom split and seeds removed
1 tsp poppy seeds
4 onions
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp dessicated coconut
3 tbsps sunflower oil
Salt to taste
some chopped coriander leaves

First of all, dry roast all the whole spices in a hot frying pan and grind into a powder. Set aside. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions and sweat them off for 5-6 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for another minute. Add all the spice powder made earlier, the turmeric, cumin, nutmeg and coriander powders, coconut, vinegar and salt to taste and cook this masala till it begins to separate from the oil. Add 2 cups of fish stock to this sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pan fry, on hot pan, your pieces of fish until golden blond and add them to the sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle your xacuti with freshly chopped coriander when serving.

Suitable for coeliacs and pregnant women. Lactose free.

Potage Congolais

2008-11-27T22:55:00.007Z

Traditionally, African Christmas dinner start by a soup. So, I propose you this very simple and light soup recipe that translate by Congolese soup.

Ingredients for 4 people:

1 coconut
1 chili
80cl chicken bouillon
pinch nutmeg
1 bundle of fresh parsley
10cl creme fraiche
salt and pepper

First collect the coconut water by carefully puncture the coconut in one of the eye (one of the three dots on the top of the coconut) with a clean nail. Then, break the coconut shell with a hammer (carefully!) and scrape all the meat out of the shell. Make sure to leave all the brown skin behind. Finally, reduce the coconut flesh into a pure with a mortar or a food processor and add it to the coconut water (what we have done here is fresh coconut milk).
De-seed and wash the chili and cut in tiny dices. Wash and chop the parsley. Set aside.
Put the coconut milk, the chicken bouillon and the chili. Heat it up. Add the parsley and the creme fresh. Finally, season with the nutmeg.

Ps : Here on the picture I pass the soup in the blitzer after adding the parsley to make it green to allow me to serve it, in a coconut shell.

Suitable for coeliacs, pregnant women.