Pavlova
Ingredients
- 300 gm egg white
- 600 gm icing sugar
- 5 ml vinegar
- 20 gm corn flour
- 1.5 kg fresh strawberries
- 500 gm fresh whipping cream
- 35 gm castor sugar
- Icing sugar for dusting
Method
Beat the egg whites with icing sugar until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in the corn flour and vinegar. Pipe the pavlova mixture on parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 90ºC and bake for an hour. Rest on the baking tray for 15 minutes and then let it cool. Beat the double whipping cream with castor sugar till stiff, top the center of the pavlova with whipped cream. Arrange the strawberries on top. If you wish, add another pavlova over the cream layer, dust with icing sugar and serve.
====================================
Honey roasted leg of pork
- Ingredients
- 2.5 kg pork leg with bone, fat scored
- 200 ml olive oil
- 25 gm wholegrain mustard
- 100 ml honey
- 10 gm finely chopped thyme leaves
- 15 gm cloves
- 10 gm salt
- 500 ml stock
- 10 gm black pepper
Method
Mix together olive oil, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, make slits lengthwise and perpendicularly every two inches on the pork leg. Place the pork on a tray. Now apply the above mixture and insert the cloves at the joints of the slits. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC. Cover the leg with aluminum foil, add some stock in the tray and bake for 30 minutes. Discard foil, increase the temperature to 190ºC and cook uncovered until the skin becomes brown and crisp. Check the pork every 10 minutes (internal temperature should reach 70ºC).
============================================
Eggnog
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup rum or brandy
Method
In a large saucepan, combine the milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Cook on medium low heat until the mixture comes to a low boil, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the sugar, and beat or whisk until fluffy. Add the milk mixture slowly to the egg and cook. Whisk it in until the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan. Cook it over medium heat until it becomes thick, which takes about three to five minutes. Stir frequently; do not let the mixture boil this time. Remove the eggnog from the burner. Let it cool before serving.
======================================
Braised pork belly
Ingredients
- 360 gm pork belly
- 15 ml olive oil
- 5 gm garlic
- 5 gm cloves
- 5 gm star anise
- 5 gm cinnamon
- 50 ml white wine
- 25 ml apple juice
- 100 ml demi-glace powder, 150 ml stock
- Salt and pepper
- 10 gm onion
- 40 gm roasted potato
- 30 gm cabbage
- 15 ml red wine jus
- 20 gm butter
- 10 gm carrot
- 10 gm leeks
- 10 gm celery
Method
Clean the pork belly and make a spice mix with cinnamon, cloves, star anise and black pepper. Rub it on the pork belly and keep it aside for six hours. Roll the belly and tie it with a thread. On a hot pan, add olive oil and sear the pork on high heat. Once it’s seared well, take it off the pan and add onion, celery, leeks, carrot and garlic. Deglaze the pan with white wine and add demi glace (mix the powder with a little water), apple juice and stock and bring to a boil. Transfer the pork belly in a small container and pour the liquid and the sautéed mix of onions, celery, leeks, garlic etc. on it. In a pre-heated oven, cook the pork belly at 140ºC for about three hours till it’s soft. Serve hot with roasted potato, braised cabbage and red wine jus (wine that has been reduced over heat for a while).
========================================
| Santa hat cookies You will need cookies with a cream-filling, fresh cream and strawberries. Whip the fresh cream and put it in a piping bag, you can also use a spoon. Pipe a certain amount of cream on the cookies, top it with a strawberry (the base needs to be cut so that it can sit on the cream) and add little cream on the strawberry to make it look like the end of a Santa hat. They are colourful and are a hit with children. | Chocolate cake trees You’ll need chocolate cake, coloured icing (preferably green or red) or sturdy lollipop sticks. Slice the cake in a triangle and then decorate it with icing in a zig-zag pattern to resemble the decoration on a tree. You can also add a few cherries for that festive look, then insert the lollipop sticks. | White christmas cookies You will need cookies, white chocolate, red and green food colour. Melt the chocolate and let it cool. Dip half of the cookie in the chocolate and set aside to dry. Meanwhile, use a little of the white chocolate and mix it with the red food colour, do the same with the green colour as well. Use the green and red mix to make leaf patterns on the cookie and add three red dots (holly berries pattern, as seen in the photo) |
Have recipes, do share
If you have traditional recipes for Christmas that you would like to share with us, send them to info@deccanmail.com with ‘Palate Pleasures’ in subject line. Do attach your photo along with the photo of your dish. Please make sure the recipe is original.
