The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater: Read Along Thread

[Dillidilly]

Here we go people!

I thought we could start reading the Introduction from October 15th at a gentle pace to allow people to join the thread. Then all set for Chapter 1 on November 1st.

The Christmas Chronicles is currently just over £20 on Amazon. Maybe people could share all the options for those who are just joining us, who still want to get a copy.

I'm hoping this thread will be a lovely, gentle, uplifting transition into the Christmas period where we can share our thoughts, recipe attempts and inspiration from Nigel x

We always get a Pandoro from Aldi or Lidl. They have always been very nice. This year I was briefly tempted by the glorious looking ones at sous chef.com but I came to my senses. Sadly, I’m really not on Nigel’s budget.

Also quite tempted by these baking moulds www.lakeland.co.uk/32709/12-Decora-Individual-Panettone-Paper-Baking-Moulds?src=gfeed&gclid=CjwKCAiA7dKMBhBCEiwAO_crFFYP6J2vZFwa7P9qXfVudZw6JOw89P7YQaMFkMOYA9klNOKcEVvNORoCLHEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

(Pandoro is cheaper because it’s generally just a plain cake, whereas you can get some very expensive pannetone. I’m sure they’re lovely but I just can’t justify it...I got DH a pannetone from Wilko this year, mainly because I wanted the lovely tin it came in!)

@herecomesthsun that would definitely give you poncing points!

I made Nigel’s orange and poppy cake yesterday. I think it was slightly overwhipped because I don’t have a mixer so I used my new electric whisk for the first time (have made do without one for a long time as I usually just do simple hand-mixed cake batters) and omg it was POWERFUL - I used it on the lowest setting and I’m genuinely a little bit frightened of the Turbo setting. It rose a lot in the middle at first kind of like a soufflé but it settled down a bit.

It tastes really lovely. I adapted it a little as I don’t have a rectangular tin and I already had chopped candied peel.

Sorry for the terrible photo. Here’s one of the whole cake.

Nigella has a lovely recipe for citrus cake today. Tempted, as we have lots of oranges, lemons, ground almonds & cardamom that vaguely need using. Might need to use ordinary rather than rice flour though.

www.nigella.com/recipes/scented-citrus-cake?utm_source=mailer_rotd&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Scented_Citrus_Cake_20211117

She is lovely, has a "recipe of the day" and ongoing cooking chat on twitter. People ask her about substituted ingredients and post pictures of their bakes and she answers in an friendly way. She seems quite chuffed that people like her recipes.

Nigel’s cake uses orange, lemon and ground almonds as well. I’d love to see Nigella’s if you end up making it!

[quote footchewer]@herecomesthsun "I haven't opened our panettone yet, it is too long before Christmas!"

Agreed. and the same goes for mincemeat on 17 Nov. Naughty Nigel.

@LaChatte - No way our stupidly expensive lovely panettone would end up as a sandwich.

Could you let me know where you got yours from? I've never bought one, but we were given one for Christmas last year (I think it was a fortnum's one but not 100% sure should have written down ffs when will I learn? ) and it was the best thing I have ever smelled in my life. (Nigel was looking decidedly smug on 17 December.) Would a Waitrose one suffice (currently £7.50, down from £10) or are we talking digging out the family savings here?[/quote]
I'm in France so probably not very helpful ! Locally we have an artisanal pasta shop run by an actual Italian. He drives down to Italy and brings back cheeses and things depending on the time of year (so in November and December it's panettone).

Also our local chocolatier makes them but they sell out on the first day so you have to be quick (and rich, they're around 30€ for a medium sized panettone).

The chocolatier ones have chocolate as opposed to fruit in obviously. They are amazing although to be bought in parallel with a traditional one.

Can I ask you lovely people for some advice on Nigel's Christmas cake? In the chapter "The Cake" on page 136 he talks about the presence of cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice in the cake as what separates a Christmas cake from a normal fruit cake. But in the actual recipe on page 138 there's no mention of them. Does anyone add these in? And by what amount?? Or are they needed at all? Thanks in advance, this is my first year doing the cake - I've done the puddings the last few years and they are wonderful.

I made the aubergine mushroom and lentil dish, I won't be making it again, or at least if I do I'll be making a few adjustments! It was OK but definitely not worth the effort.

@LittleSF

Can I ask you lovely people for some advice on Nigel's Christmas cake? In the chapter "The Cake" on page 136 he talks about the presence of cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice in the cake as what separates a Christmas cake from a normal fruit cake. But in the actual recipe on page 138 there's no mention of them. Does anyone add these in? And by what amount?? Or are they needed at all? Thanks in advance, this is my first year doing the cake - I've done the puddings the last few years and they are wonderful.

Looking online he doesn't seem to include any spices. There's a Guardian article about his Christmas cake and he goes through his choices.

@LittleSF

Can I ask you lovely people for some advice on Nigel's Christmas cake? In the chapter "The Cake" on page 136 he talks about the presence of cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice in the cake as what separates a Christmas cake from a normal fruit cake. But in the actual recipe on page 138 there's no mention of them. Does anyone add these in? And by what amount?? Or are they needed at all? Thanks in advance, this is my first year doing the cake - I've done the puddings the last few years and they are wonderful.

Delia’s recipe makes a 20cm tin as well, so I’d just look hers up - actually I’ll find it in the book for you - and use her spice ratio.

Let me see:

1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

She doesn’t use cinnamon, presumably because mixed spice contains it.

Delia’s Creole cake has

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 grated nutmeg
1/2 ground cloves

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/christmas/christmas-cakes-icings-and-toppings/creole-christmas-cake

The creole cake would have more spices for a better balance because of the alcohol content, I think.

I really wanted to make that this year!

(Or maybe it’s just a bigger cake?)

Although with the amount of feeding that goes on with our Christmas cake I reckon it ends up boozier in the end...

(Sorry for multiple posts to make one comment)

I've made the cake word for word from Nigel and me and dm commented about the lack of spice. But we shall see

How often are you feeding the cake "every few days" seems rather boozey

He probably feeds it every few days because he makes it quite late compared to many.

We feed ours once a week.

I only feed mine once every couple of weeks as I don't like it to actually taste of booze, just want the preservative effect and to keep it moist really.

As if by magic a post from our local Italian coffee shop / deli has just popped up on FB with all sorts of Christmas goodies, must investigate next time I'm in town.

Must add we make ours late so we only feed it 5-6 times all together. I don’t like it to get too wet and soggy.

Thanks guys - I found a link to this version of the Christmas cake from 2008 where there’s the merest pinches of those spices, i think I’ll add them in -

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/07/baking-dessert?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I went to my local chocolatier this afternoon to buy myself a cake in secret to peruse the entremets, when lo and behold they'd just brought out the panettone, I couldn't believe my luck! That is until I asked what variety they'd done this year: WHITE chocolate and orange. A chocolatier. White effing chocolate. They don't even sell white chocolate BECAUSE IT'S NOT BLOODY CHOCOLATE. I obviously bought one anyway.

I obviously bought one anyway