Extras

Peppermint creams

225g icing sugar

4-6 tbsp condensed milk
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Green food colouring, optional
Cutters

Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Gradually add the condensed milk and peppermint extract, mixing with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be like dough.

Sprinkle a little icing sugar onto a clean surface, turn the dough out and shape into a ball. Knead until smooth.

If you want different colours separate the dough into 2 even sized pieces and colour one.

Roll the dough to about 4mm thick and cut with the cutters. Arrange on a sheet of parchment and leave to dry out overnight. Pack into pretty boxes.

 

Stuffing for turkey

1 tbsp oil

1 onion finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 lb pork sausage meat

1 3/4 oz breadcrumbs (can be wholemeal)

1 3/4 oz dried cranberries

2 1/2 oz fresh cranberries

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh sage

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 large egg beaten

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and celery and cook fro about 10 minutes, till transparent.

Preheat the oven to 190C/ gas 5.

Break up the sausagemeat in a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs and dried and fresh cranberries and the herbs. Mix together then add the onion and celery, then the egg. Season well and mix thoroughly.

Form into balls, place on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. If you want you can put the mixture into 2 tins and bake for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Truffles

This is the easiest recipe I have found for an old family favourite

1 1/4 cups double cream (heavy whipping cream)
9 oz dark chocolate 79% cocoa solids

You can either chop the chocolate or throw it into a food processor and blitz it.

Heat the cream but do not let it boil. At the same time melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water, this needs to be done slowly or the end product will be grainy. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the cream stirring all the time.

Leave to cool then chill till it is firm enough to roll. This will take about 3 hours.

This is the messy bit and you may need to return the paste to the fridge if it gets too soft. Take small quantities of the paste and roll into bite size balls, place on a baking sheet. Continue until it is all done then chill for an hour before rolling in cocoa powder to finish. An alternative is to roll them in chocolate sprinkles before chilling.I love this, the pastry makes for a much lighter base than pizza dough, and it is so easy to make.

Cheats pizza

Take a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry and place on a baking sheet.

Spread the top with passatta or a tin of peeled tomatoes blitzed up and strained so you have a thick paste.

Top with whatever you want and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes till the edges of the pastry are browned.

See I told you it was simple!

 

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