Christmas Chronicles Recipe Thread 2023 - Partner to the Read-along thread!

[YuletideSolace]

Welcome one and all to the thread where I will list all of Nigel's recipes for easy reference.

May we all be Yet More Nigel this year!

To add to above recipe, you will need a deep rectangular cake tin measuring 20cm x 9cm (on base) and baking parchment.

🎄3 DECEMBER 🎄

Mince pies and the shop windows of Nuremberg

A jolly good mince pie (makes 18 small pies):
Unsalted butter, 75g
Lard, 75g
Plain flour, 150g
An egg yolk
A little cold water
Good quality mincemeat, 375g
Icing sugar, for dusting
You will need a 12-hole tartlet tin, each hole measuring 6cm x 2cm deep

Mincemeat and mascarpone tarts (makes 12):
For the pastry:
Frozen puff pastry (Nigel doesn't make his own! But he stipulates that it must be made with butter), defrosted, 500g
Good quality mincemeat, 300g
Mascarpone, 120g
To finish:
An egg
Caster sugar, for dusting
You will need a 12-home patty or muffin tin, an 8-9cm cookie cutter and a 7.5cm cookie cutter for the tops

A crumble top:
Plain flour, 220g
Butter, 100g
Light muscovado sugar, 3 tablespoons

Christmas tarts (without mincemeat; makes 24):
Unsalted butter, 150g
Plain flour, 295g
Salt, a pinch (optional)
A little cold water
For the filling:
Golden syrup, 200g
Sultanas, 75g
Candied peel, 50g
Mixed spice, a pinch
Butter, 25g
Soft amaretti Disaronno, 4, or 4 tablespoons plain, soft cake crumbs
A large egg
You will need 2 x 12-hole tart sheets, or 24 small tart tins with a width of 4cm and a depth of 1cm

Fig and orange shortbreads (makes approximately 12-16):
For the fig paste:
Dried figs, 150g
Golden sultanas, 100g
For the shortbread:
Butter, 200g
Golden Icing sugar, 90g
Vanilla extract, a few drops
Ground almonds, 140g
Plain flour, 190g
Shelled pistachio nuts, 80g
The zest of an orange
To finish:
Icing sugar
Dried rose petals

🎄5 DECEMBER 🎄

Krampusnacht, and a cake that smells of sugar and spice

Dark chocolate spice cake (makes 12 little cakes):
Ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons
Ground ginger, 2 teaspoons
Ground mace, 1/2 teaspoon
Self-raising flour, 250g
Dark chocolate, 100g
Marzipan, 80g
Dates, stoned, 200g
Golden syrup, 200g
Butter, 125g
Dark muscovado sugar, 125g
Crystallised ginger, 3 balls
Candied orange peel, 70g
Large eggs, 2
Milk, 240ml
To finish:
Dark chocolate 150g
Preserved ginger in syrup, 3 lumps
You will need a 24cm square cake tin

Leeks, beans and Italian sausage is my fave so far

Yes that one's great. I also really like the one with aubergine and lentils.

I like quite a few of the recipes and am looking forward to making them again this year.

Place marking for now - I have a rather mixed relationship with old Nige, but I've read the Christmas Chronicles the last two years and no doubt will again, be nice to make some of the recipes!

It might be me, but I can't see the Leeks, Beans and Italian sausage recipe here. It's on 5th November in the book..

Ah thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior I might have missed it in C+P'ing!

Will check if MNHQ can insert it for me.

Recipe has been inserted - we'll just have to look out for it as it's not formatted the same way as the rest!

Will slow down a bit and double check from now on.

Thank you for listing the recipes! I've got people coming around for a Halloween dinner and I think I might try out the hot apple drink as a welcome drink.

The hot apple drink is a favourite recipe in our house - can’t wait.

Yes we really like the apple drink too - much more so than mulled wine. We often mix it up by adding extras according to mood and it always turns out delicious.

Thanks for posting. Leeks, beans and sausages is a classic, I'll be digging it out again for Guy Fawkes this year. I can also recommend the salmon and potatoes (18th November). Has anyone tried the "dark" Christmas pudding? I make the lighter one every year, it's beautiful, but always mean to try the heavier one.

Yes we like the salmon and potatoes with dill too, and DH especially likes the hot-smoked salmon. A good classic recipe and no faff at all.

This year I'm really looking forward to the pork, miso and pickled pears, which I don't think I did last year.

Also the black pudding, celeriac mash and baked apples.

We haven't done the dark pudding yet, but I want to try it. We're not making a cake or a pudding this year, though, so it'll have to wait!

Thank you for the thread!

From the recipes posted so far, I can definintely recommend the Leeks, Beans and Italian Sausausge; Orange and Poppy Seed Cake; Pot Roast Partridge; Braised Brisket; Lamb Boulangerie and Dark Chocolate Spice Cake

Hopefully I'll make a few of these again over the next two months (definitely the sausages and brisket) but also would like to try:

Gnudi; Aubergine and Lentils; Roast Cabbage with Cheese Sauce; Banana Cardamon Cake and Malt Loaf.

Hello @PricklyBob! I’ve made all of those too (and can also highly recommend them) except for the dark chocolate spice cake. I think this is the year I’ll make that one!

My aim for this thread is really just to have the recipes available to check ingredients/make shopping lists ahead of time (as I don’t like to dip into the chapters early as it ruins the enjoyment for me). I think it’ll be nicer to have most of the related discussion on the main thread, but if it happens organically here as well then that’s okay too (just don’t want to step on @RainbowZebraWarrior’s toes and take away from that lovely space!).

I don’t know if I’ll try to make the gnudi...we’ll see! I really want to be stress- and pressure-free, so I’m only going to try the things I really want to eat.

Love the aubergine dish; one of my favourites in the book. Also like the sound of the cabbage and cheese sauce (two of DH’s favourite things so it’ll get a big thumbs up from him). I made the banana and cardamom cake but will have to try it again as last time there wasn’t enough of a cardamom element to it - I think the ground spice I had was a bit too old. I’ll use freshly ground this time.

I will write up some more of the recipes this weekend, hopefully.

Hey @YuletideSolace my lovely. This is a fabuloue partner to the read along thread and don't worry about stepping on any toes as it's meant to be a group effort. I only started the thread this year as I couldn't find one already and I was getting twitchy myself haha. Also, I know how much valuable input you've given in previous years and I love your enthusiasm. I also love your anecdotes and Danish references. One of my favourite words that I like to repeat which I think you introduced me to last year is tandsmør (I hope I've got that right 😊)

@RainbowZebraWarrior It’s a great word isn’t it! 😊😊

Ok I’m happy, then, for discussion around food/recipes to happen here as well as there!

Really looking forward to getting into reading, hopefully this evening. Although we’re bashing up our floor today and continuing into this weekend, so I might be too tired even to read!

@PricklyBob have you ever made Delia’s Italian chocolate and nut cake (I think that’s what it’s called, although I might be mixing it up with one of Nigella’s...)? If you have, I was just wondering which one you think is nicer - that one or Nigel’s spiced chocolate cake? I’m not sure I should make both (DH and I both try to be careful for health reasons) but I don’t know which to choose!

Hi @YuletideSolace to be honest, I don't bake much - usually find it too fiddly and I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Nigel's cake is one of a few recipes which intrigued me enough to try. I haven't tried any others like this but definitely recommend Nigel's cake. In fact there are a few bakes in this book which I've tried, which must say something about Nigel's writing, or my love for the season, or both!

Thank you! I think I’ll let my girls (grown up women now, mind, but they’ll always be the girls to me )pick when they visit.

I’ve just been watching Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen. So cosy and comforting! I’m feeling thoroughly festive now, and I’ve decided that I must make a passion fruit and lychee pavlova this year.

Made the hot apple drink for a dinner party over the weekend and it went very well - I have had requests for it for various events coming up!

It's good isn't it?

I dislike cooked fruit / hot fruit drinks, so I'll skip the apple drink. I did make the orange and apricot Brandy a couple of years ago which was delicious. I gave up alcohol in January though so I need to come up with something else.

Just looking at putting my order in for Christmas meats with Waitrose. Going to go for the slow cooker turkey I had last year and a Porchetta. I've ordered some of Waitrose crumble topped mince pies this week as they are on offer (£3.75 a pack or two for £4.50)

I made some notes last year for Nigel Nibbles I wanted to try out this year. I'll have to Google the recipes as I don't know which book they are from. Ones that took my fancy are: Stilton Puffs, Spiced Biscuits and Blueberry Marzipan Muffins. Hasanyone tried any of them? I think I likely saw the recipes on his Simple Christmas series which was probably aired about 20 yrs ago.

Thank you @YuletideSolace . This is really helpful. I’ve got the book and the candle. Now need to get the ingredients and the winter foliage.