The Cookery Thread

[Bunnylump]

Oh, right. It's just that I have made a traditional Christmas cake using the same recipe for the past 30 years, and decided to try a different one. I was just a bit alarmed at the instruction" the outside will crack slightly when it is cooked, if you insert a skewer into the middle of the cake it will come out slightly sticky." Well, that's happened, but I don't know how sticky is acceptable, and am now unsure whether or not it is cooked in the middle.

Thinking of making a new design up for the top (assuming it works!) too. For the past two years I have decorated the cake half with traditional marzipan and icing and half with glace fruits. Any suggestions for a radical design? I like a challenge.

[SparkOut]

"slightly sticky" implies that the acceptable amount of stickiness is "slight".

Don't tell me I'm not helping

[Bunnylump]

Well, I decided that if it isn't cooked in the middle, who cares? The outside bit will be OK, and who's looking? My family, and they don't matter.

I was thinking of decorating using fondant icing for a change. However, I find the shop bought stuff tastes disgusting, so I might try making it myself. I have a design in mind which has a deep red "sky" silhouetting some white pine trees. Who knows what it'll look like...but it'll be fun giving it a go. One year, I did a relief Father Christmas face (so he was looking up at me) and I felt awful putting the knife into his jolly face...

[Wulfruna]

I'm so happy with my recipe used for thirty+ years that I would not risk changing it! Maybe if it is "slightly sticky" now, it will have settled down into a drier state in a month's time?? Mind you, I always turn mine over and bodge the bottom with a thick knitting needle and pour a tablespoon of brandy over it to mature for a month - which improves the texture greatly I will be doing all this next weekend.......
Otherwise I just stick to the traditional marzipan (bought) and royal icing (home-made), because I really enjoy decorating it - always done on Christmas Eve afternoon whilst listening to the Festival of Carols from Cambridge on Radio 4.

[Wulfruna]

Incidentally, we have a salutary tale in our family which now goes back 50 years! My mother always made her own Christmas puddings and had a well-tried recipe which she always used. However, one year she decided to try something different. It just so happened that this was the year when I had got married and so my new husband was with me visiting my family for his first Christmas with them. Imagine the horror when the pudding turned out an absolute disaster and had to be thrown away.....
Perhaps that has coloured my caution about experimenting at Christmas

[Bunnylump]

Yes, that is an absolute must (the carol concert that is.) I just have to get my act together a bit sooner than that with my cake decorating, mainly because I make too many silly things for Christmas day!!

[chazzie]

because I really enjoy decorating it - always done on Christmas Eve afternoon whilst listening to the Festival of Carols from Cambridge on Radio 4.

I always like these traditional stories, .....I always think back to the times when one part of Christmas Eve was the afternoon, when I used to go round to my godmothers house with presents from the family, and we would have a glass of sherry (well once I was about 14!) and catch up on news from the year .... although she hasnt been with us for some time now - I always think of her on Christmas Eve.

[Laura]

Hmm. Christmas Eve is my dad's birthday, and my mum and dad's wedding anniversary. It's all go in our household.

And we have trouble making the Christmas cake last the day in our family. It's my favourite sort of cake (I've been known to have an extra one baked at Christmas to save for my birthday in April), and even the little ones love it. Although last year, Flossy who was just two at the time, did insist on eating each raisin individually. You can imagine the crumbs, I'm sure!

[Bunnylump]

Yes, I certainly can!

It'll be weird here because K's going to A's parents for Christmas day (it's his family's "turn" ) and I don't even know if we'll have Dibble here because he's threatening to go to M's parents who are just buying a flat in Paris. How strange to NOT be putting out the mince pies and whisky for Father Christmas and the carrot (which one of the reindeer traditionally has to have taken a bite out of before the morning!

And yes, they do still want to do all of that stuff, AND get a stocking. And yes, I do know that one is 27 and the other is 24. But the good part is that I get a stocking made for me now too!

Chazzie, that's one of the big parts of Christmas, isn't it? Remembering people who used to be around and part of all the tradition. Our Christmas dinner table always has an empty place where we used to have my Mum sat, holding court and telling us all the same stories we'd heard 300 times before!! It always seems so strange to no longer have to get dinner early enough for her to be able to make us all watch the Queen at 3pm.

So this year Christmas day itself could be REALLY odd. Just me, him and the cat.

[giraffe]

We were all set to be in Eastbourne this year for Christmas with my mother in law. I am still trying to get my head round the fact that I am now doing Christmas at home, and despite having done it here many, many times I am struggling to get focussed. I guess once the funeral is over I might feel more inclined to think about Christmas.

[Laura]

Gosh, yes, that has got to be a very strange and difficult situation to get used to. It's one of those things that probably won't feel quite right whatever you decide to do, but you can't do nothing, so you just do the best you can.

We've got our first Christmas without my grandma, but it's also my granddad's 91st birthday on Christmas day so that will be a bit strange too I imagine.

[giraffe]

That does sound tricky.

In some ways for us it will be business as usual, because pretty much every year we are here with my mum, and possibly MIL as well, but we were looking forward to it being totally different. We had lunch booked at a seafront hotel, who have kindly given us a refund, and we have even managed to get a refund on our rooms at the Premier Inn that were unchangeable, because we have rebooked with them for next weekend! We discovered after she had died that she hadn't booked the guest room at the sheltered flats (which she told us was booked. I think she must have asked if it was available and not confirmed that she wanted it ), so two of us would have been roomless if Christmas had gone ahead as planned. I have started to look in the supermarket at food, with half an eye to Christmas and it will probably all fall into place in the end, with dinner on the table at 1pm sharp! (I pride myself on getting it out on time )

[Bunnylump]

Christmas will be especially difficult for you this year, Giraffe. But these things go on, come what may. In some ways that's a good thing because it forces one to get on with it and focus on something else. And I totally understand what you mean about needing to get past the funeral first. When is it, by the way?

[giraffe]

This Friday. It has been quite complicated trying to gather everyone together, booking flights, ferries, trains, buses etc.

[Bunnylump]

Hope it all goes smoothly. x

[Bunnylump]

NEway

Back to cooking.
This was easy peasy and very tasty.

Easy Lamb Tagine with Olives

1kg of leg of lamb, diced
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves (I removed the skin)
1x350g jar pitted black olives in brine (drained.)
2 onions, chopped
olive oil
half a small jar of capers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 bottle of red wine

Preheat oven, gas 2

Fry the onions slowly in an ovenproof / flameproof casserole dish (which has a lid) in the olive oil until they are gooey and caramelised.

Add all the other ingredients and give it a good stir. Bring to the boil, then put it into the oven for two hours.



I served it with couscous, to which I added sliced, roasted aubergines, peppers and mushrooms and a big handful of chopped mint, chives and coriander. I added a dressing of orange juice, white wine vinegar and olive oil.

[LAT]

That sounds yummy.

This year for the first time in very many years we will be more than the four of us on Christmas Day. So it will be strange and challenging in a different way for me.

[Bunnylump]

Oooh, who have you got coming? Anyone exciting?

[LAT]

Not particularly!

[LAT]

Does anyone have any good recipes for Jerusalem artichokes? Back in the spring I bought a cheap pack from Waitrose that had onions and shallots plus three Jerusalem artichokes to plant. I just harvested the first lot and have a large number of the artichokes waiting for me to do something exciting with them.