Mincemeat and Marzipan Festive Crown

Ah Christmas, how we love you - and how fat you make us. But in this case it was worth it! This recipe combines sweet zesty fruit with crisp pastry and crunchy nuts, far superior to stodgy stolen in my opinion!

This is my take on tv baker Paul Hollywood's Christmas Couronne, or crown (here for the recipe). It's a yeasted dough, rolled out flat and layered with orange marzipan and my home-made mincemeat, rolled up and then twisted into shape. Once baked I topped it with almonds, cherries and water icing with a hint of orange flower water. Delicious.

After icing

Five minutes later...

White Chocolate Mince Pie Croquembouche

I wanted to make an attractive and tasty centrepiece for my party so I set myself a change: the dreaded Croqembouche, a tower of profiteroles filled with a mincemeat cream, held together with crunchy caramel and drizzled with white chocolate.

It consists of several scary things I've never done before: choux pastry, caramel, creme patisserie, and using a piping bag! I've always been a bit terrified of all four but gave it a go!

Choux pastry

I remember once watching tv cook Lorraine Pascal, who I otherwise love, talking about how choux was allegely "the easiest pastry"! Having done it now I suppose that's true: you don't have all that cutting and roll, but you do need a strong arm for mixing and constructing anything from it is very fiddly.

Choux involves boiling up milk, adding flour, then slowly stirring in eggs to a smooth paste. It's slightly hard work but quite easy. I recommend fellow amateur baker and Great British Bakeoff alumnus Ruth Clemens' choux recipe, it's easy to follow and gave exactly the quantity I wanted, which was about 70 smallish profiteroles. I made them a couple of days before.

Creme patisserie

"Creme pat" is basically egg custard with some added flour, There are so many creme patisserie recipes around it was hard to know which to use! I made mine slightly thicker than usual, then mixed with some leftover mincemeat which I'd blitzed to a paste.

Piping... I've never piped before and that was probably the worst part. Getting a creamy mixture into profiteroles without them bursting or being underfilled was a real pain. I guess it just takes practice!

Caramel

Caramel always scared me because I've seen horror stories of people burning it, burning themselves, and making a terrible mess of their surfaces! I followed some good advice from a trusty old book: use a sugar thermometer to raise the temperature to 154C rather than doing it by eye, and wear rubber gloves so you don't burn yourself!

Assembly

The caramel is used to weld the profiteroles together into a pile - the trick is using enough caramel so they stick together, but not too much so they're impossible for your guests to pick apart! As a rookie I used too much, particularly the ones at the bottom (when I was just starting), so they had to be chipped apart with a knife!

A great trick I saw on Youtube was making spun sugar using two forks. I have to say spun sugar really does look beautiful with its golden hairlike strands. Dip two forks into the caramel, stick them together by the profiterole pile then pull them apart, forming fine hairs you wrap around as decoration. I'll definitely use that trick again.

Finally I briefly zapped some white chocolate in the microwave, left it to melt, then drizzled it over the pile. Piping would've been prettier but after 70 profiteroles I was sick of piping by that point!

Festive party snacks

It's well into the party season and Merry Christmas to you all! I had my festive party at the weekend so thought I'd share a few snack ideas which are easy to make and should satisfy your guests! The centrepiece is a Croquembouche or profiterole pile - that's more tricky so I'll cover it in another episode!

Mince Pies

So many people say they don't like mince pies because they've only ever eaten those Mr Kipling-types with thick claggy pastry and mincemeat that tastes of nothing! A really good mince pie should have crisp pastry and a really rich flavoursome filling, oozing festive cheer.

I've already covered my mincemeat recipe, which is rich and zesty with citrus. And rum. I won't reinvent the wheel by giving you a pastry recipe, Paul Hollywood's sweet shortcrust pastry recipe is what I used and it's great. Some people like big deep-filled mince pies, but for parties I prefer smaller, bite-sized ones you can just pop into your mouth. I use tart tins, a dozen to a tray. With nice thin crispy pastry, Paul Hollywoods recipe makes several dozen.

Crostini

I covered crostini in my Summer party recipes. You can make these bits of crunchy toasted bread several days before, then top with anything you fancy: cream cheese, Stilton, roasted cherry tomatoes, roast vegetables: go wild. I topped mine with mushroom paté, with a grating of nutmeg just to keep it festive.

Palmiers

Palmiers look so pretty on a plate and people assume they're complicated with their pretty swirls, but actually they're really quick to make! If you're pushed for time buy sheets

of pre-rolled shortcrust or puff pastry.

This time I lightly blitzed a mixture of sundried tomatoes, olives, rosemary and goats cheese into a thick chunky paste, and spread it evenly over a rectangle of pastry. Take one side of the longest side and roll it up tightly, like a Swiss roll, until it reaches the middle. Turn and do the same the other side, so you have two rolls next to each other. Pop in the fridge for half an hour to firm up, cut into slices, pop them onto a backing tray and cook in a hot 200C hot oven for about twenty minutes until golden.

Dips

Dips are an essential part of any buffet, great with corn chips, crisps and sticks of carrot, celery and cucumber. Plain yoghurt is an exellent base for dips: I often mix it with fresh herbs, especially mint or dill, garlic, maybe lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt.

Tomato salsa is always a crowd pleaser but the stuff you buy often seems a bit funny to me and goes off quickly. I use half a tin of tomatoes, a handle of cherry tomatoes, a couple of spring onions, a few small fresh or dried chillis, a little bit of garlic, salt, possibly a splash of wine vinegar, and chop them all up together. Make it as chunky or smooth as you like.

Cucumber bites

These are really the easiest thing in the world. Top and tail a cucumber, slice it in half and use a teaspoon to scoop out the centre of each half. Fill the scooped core them with a topping: cream cheese, hummus, paté, anything you fancy, then chop into finger-width slices. Arrange on a plate and dust with black pepper, cayenne or herbs for that final touch. Simple!

Homemade mincemeat

I'm making mincemeat - I know, I left it really late! Fortunately my method of warming through the fruit helps it along. Best made a month or so in advance, but even if not, it's still way better than the sickly sweet stuff you buy in jars.

The smell of citrus, dried fruit and spices really gets me in the festive mood. I like mine citrusy and not too sweet. Candying your own peel seems a pain but it's really pretty quick. Lemons are great but grapefruit adds a sharpness and a floral note. I use butter instead of suet - you can get vegetable suet but it's just palm oil, butter tastes much better. I like using rum instead of the traditional brandy, in practice it doesn't make much difference.

• 150g currants
• 150g sultanas
• 150g raisins
• 2 oranges
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 cooking apple, peeled and grated
• 190g soft brown sugar
• 1 nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 100g butter, chopped
• 100ml spiced rum (or brandy)

1. Peel the citrus fruit and chop the peel.
2. Squeeze the remaining flesh to make juice.
3. In a small saucepan heat 100g (roughly half) of the sugar with the juice of a grapefruit.
4. Put the chopped peel in the hot syrup - add a splash of water if it doesn't quite cover the peel. 
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the peel is translucent and tender.
6. In a larger pan, add all the remaining ingredients, excluding the alcohol. Pour over the candied peel mixture and stir.
7. Warm on a gentle heat for about ten minutes so the butter and sugar melt. There's no need for it to boil, just a gentle heat so the fruit plumps up.
8. Leave to cool, then stir in the alcohol.
9. Put in a small covered bowl or container and leave for 2 days before bottling in sterilised jars.

Mincemeat is great in mince pies but you can also use it in flapjacks, baked apples, pastries, any other number of recipes. Before using it, loosening up the mixture with some fresh lemon juice gives it an extra fresh kick.

Variations

Many people add chopped almonds or cranberries to mincemeat - try it if you like but I consider these nasty surprises when encountered in a mince pie!

I prefer using spiced rum but the traditional brandy is fine, or sherry. For an alcohol-free alternative, add the juice of an orange at the end.

Roast mushroom risotto

I've covered risotto tips before but thought I'd post my mushroom risotto. It was delicious and totally hit the spot to warm up on a wintery late autumnal night!

I also have a new camera phone, I think it takes better pictures...

Mushroom risotto is pretty much bog standard vegetarian fair, I improve the flavour by slow roasting the mushrooms first to give them more of a kick. Wild mushrooms are in season so use them if you're lucky enough to get your hands on them!

• 400g rice serves four
• 1 litre rich vegetable stock
• Large knob of butter or olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• Lots of mushrooms (I don't know, a punnet?)
• 2 cloves garlic
• Glug of white wine or white Vermouth

1. Heat the oven to 170C and roast the mushrooms whole for about 20 minutes
2. Meanwhile dice the onion, take a large pan and fry the onions on a moderate heat with a splash of oil and knob of butter, until pale
3. Add the rice and mix thoroughly so the grains are coated and they start to go very slightly nutty
4. Splash in the wine and stir until the alcohol evaporates.
5. Add about 500ml of the stock, stir thoroughly and wait for it to absorb, stirring occasionally.
6. By now the mushrooms are done, removed from the oven and roughly chop, saving a few pieces to garnish.
7. Once the rice has absorbed the first lot of liquid, add a glug more, enough to cover the rice, and stir in the mushrooms and garlic.
8. Keep adding more stock and stirring until you've used all the liquid. The grains should be tender and just barely al dente. Add plain water if it needs.
9. The finished consistency should be gooey like rice pudding, it should slide off a spoon but not be runny.
10. When done, take off the heat, add another knob of butter for a final flourish.
11. Serve on hot plates with either chopped parsley or sage, a few mushroom slices, and a grate of Parmesan or Pecorino.

Chocolate chilli

Dark cocoa and fiery chillies are a classic Mesoamerican combination, they were eaten (and drunk!) together for centuries before Europeans turned cocoa into a sweet creamy confection.

I've seen lots of chocolate chilli recipes but they're often too sweet and greasy - I use bitter cocoa powder, hot dried chillies and black turtle beans to make a rich dark chilli.

• 500g black turtle beans
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 4 heaped tsps cocoa powder
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 chopped dried birdseye chillies (or 3 tsp chilli powder)
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 squares of milk chocolate
• 2 tsp Swiss Marigold stock powder

1. Soak the beans for 8 hours or overnight - change the water a couple of times as this prevents bean-bloat.
2. Drain and rinse, then boil them for about 30-40 minutes until tender.
3. In the meantime, splash some oil into another pan and gently fry the onion and carrot until translucent, about five minutes.
4. Stir in the cumin seeds and fry for another minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, stock powder, garlic and chilli and cook on a moderate heat for about ten minutes.
6. Drain the beans when they're cooked but reserve the rich black cooking liquid.
7. Put the cocoa in a cup and mix with a bit of the cooking liquid so it forms a paste. This is just to stop the cocoa forming lumps.
8. In a large saucepan, combine the beans, cocoa and tomato mixture. Add enough of the bean cooking liquid to cover the beans.
9. Gently simmer for about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more of the cooking liquid if it gets too dry.
10. Five minutes before serving, stir in the chocolate chunks.

Serve with rice or corn chips. My serving suggestion is to put a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream on top, with a sprinkling of paprika, a scattering of chopped parsley or coriander, and just a little finely grated chocolate.

Variations

Black beans are perfect for this recipe but if you can't find them, classic kidney beans are fine. Use tinned ones to save time.

This makes a moderately spicy chilli, feel free to add a lot more.

I often bulk this out with dried soya mince, which adds protein.

Chargrilled aubergines with goats cheese and parsley pesto

This is my version of chef Simon Hopkinson's "favourite aubergine recipe" and I can see why. Its mixture of hot smoky aubergine, silky pesto and the contrast of cool cheese, is simply delicious. He says it would make a lunch or supper but for a hearty appetite like mine it's just a starter!

He recommends feta but I rather like the richness of a nicely goaty goat's cheese, and the warm nuttiness of walnuts add some much needed bite. Serve with pitta bread to mop up the oil and juices!

Per person:

• 1 long oval aubergine
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• Handful of walnuts
• Good olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt
• Goats cheese, cut into chunks

1. Pierce the skin of the aubergine around the neck of the aubergine, just under the leaves. Run the knife down the length of the aubergine the up the other side to the top. Give the aubergine a quarter turn, then do the same. These cuts allow you to peel off the skin more easily once it's done.
2. Crank up your grill to a high heat, and place the aubergine under the grill for five minutes or so until the skin is blackened. Turn and repeat four times unless the whole aubergine is chargrilled. Let it go as black as you dare and your smoke alarm will allow!
3. While the grill is on, briefly brown the walnuts for a few minutes making sure they don't burn, then chop.
4. Mix the walnuts with the parsley, garlic, vinegar and enough good olive oil to cover. Mix together, either just mixing or crush together in a pestle and mortar.
5. When the aubergine is nicely blackened, remove from the grill and peel off the skin. If it's really juicy leave it to cool and drain for a few minutes.
6. Transfer to a plate with one cut side up.
7. With a knife slice down, and spread open the aubergine like a fan.
8. Spoon the pesto mixture onto the aubergine, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
9. Dot with cool goats cheese, and enjoy!

Variations

Simon Hopkinson's original recipe uses feta and lemon juice.