Free Recipes for Christmas time

Click on the recipe names to view our delicious recipes!

Chocolate Truffles
Black Bun - traditionally served at New Year

Christmas Recipe = Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
8oz good bittersweet chocolate
8oz good semisweet chocolate
250ml double cream
2 tbsp orange flavoured liquer (recommended Grand Marnier)
1 tbsp coffee powder, prepared with 1tbsp boiling water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar
cocoa powder
Vermicelli

Method:
Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat proof mixing bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine meshed sieve into the bowl with the chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together, until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the orange liquer, coffee, vanilla, and a very small pinch of salt. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
With 2 teaspoons or a melon baller, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roll each ball of chocolate in your hands to roughly make it round. Roll in confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder or Vermicelli. These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but serve them at room temperature.

Christmas Recipe = Black Bun - traditionally served at New Year

Ingredients:
Pastry:
12oz plain flour
3oz lard
3oz butter or margarine
Pinch of salt
Filling:
Half teaspoon baking powder
Cold water
1lb seedless raisins
1lb cleaned currants
2oz chopped, blanched almonds
2oz chopped mixed peel
6oz plain flour
3oz soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground allspice
0.5 tsp each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder
Generous pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp brandy
One large, beaten egg
Milk to moisten

Method:
Grease and flour an 8-inch loaf tin.
Rub the lard and butter into the flour and salt and then mix in enough cold water to make a stiff dough. Roll out the pastry and cut into five pieces, using the bottom, top and four sides of the tin as a rough guide. Press the bottom and four side pieces into the tin, pressing the overlaps to seal the pastry shell.
Mix the raisins, currants, almonds, peel and sugar together. Sift in the flour, all the spices and baking powder and bind them together using the brandy and almost all the egg and add enough milk to moisten.
Pack the filling into the lined tin and add the pastry lid, pinching the edges and using milk or egg to seal really well. Lightly prick the surface with a fork and make four holes to the bottom of the tin with a skewer. Depress the centre slightly (it will rise as it cooks). Brush the top with milk or the rest of the egg to create a glaze.
Bake in a pre-heated oven 160C for 2½ to 3 hours. Test with a skewer which should come out clean; if not, continue cooking. An uncooked cake sizzles if you listen closely! Cool in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack. Cool thoroughly before storing until Hogmanay.