What 'yummies' do you always make / are going to make for Christmas?

[RememberToPlaywiththeKids]

I've done christmas pud, mincemeat and about to do cake - all delia's (will they all taste the same i wonder?!!)

I'd like to make some special things that I can take as tokens when we go to other people's houses over the festive period.

Sofa - what is peppermint bark?

And how do you do your hot choc mix, if you don't mind sharing?

sofaqueen

whats your truffle recipe? pllleeeeeease?

I need to make some and have lost my old faithful recipe in the house move.

Lychee, the Rocky Road recipe is available if you google "Nigella Christmas Rocky Road recipe" - tis the first recipe that comes up on the BBC website. Sorry I haven't yet mastered the art of doing links on here. I tweak it a bit. We're not too keen on brazils so tend not to have them in the house but it works fine with pecans or hazels (or both!). She specifies 400g of chocolate overall - I think it's simpler to think in terms of whole bars rather than faffing around with half bars, although that does mean there is chocolate lying around then... I find if I am making it where there are likely to be children eating it, and even for some adults, I reduce the amount of dark chocolate so would use 3 x 100g bars of milk and one of dark. It also doesn't have to be Amaretti biscuits - you could use others or Amarettis in combo. Sometimes I chuck in a handful of other dried fruit too. It really is a flexible recipe.

Have seen a few nice recipes for bark on American websites. Basically, it's where you melt chocolate then pour it onto a flat surface into which you scatter fruit and/or nuts - dried cranberries might be very popular for instance at Christmas scattered into white chocolate with some chopped pecans. When the chocolate is cooled, it is simply broken into pieces - the rough texture of the surface gives rise to the name. Bag up into a pretty bag and ribbon and you're done!

peppermint bark is an American chocolate Christmas thing which is fabulous, and I can't believe it hasn't come over! I melt Valrhona dark choc and spread it on a cookie sheet covered with greaseproof paper. Let it harden, then melt white chocolate and pour on top for a second layer. Whilebstll soft, liberally sprinkle smashed up peppermint candy canes. Let cool and break into large chunks. I make huge quantities of this, and it disappears very quickly.

homemade hot chocolate mix: in a food processor, mix up about a pound and a half of chopped up Valrhona dark chocolate and half a pound of Valrhona milk chocolate until finely mixed. Whisk in 2cups of cocoa and 2 cups of vanilla sugar (made with caster sugar and 2 deseeded vanilla beans and pods which macerate overnight). You can jazz it up with spices (cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili - whatever you fancy). It truly does beat commercial products, and is easy to make.

truffles are really easy - just a ganache (chocolate melted in cream then cooled) flavoured in whatever way you want, then rolled or dipped in something else. A simple one is to just make a dark chocolate one and roll in cocoa. Another idea is a gingerbread one where you make the ganache with a mixture of dark and white choc, and the cream is seeped in spices(ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and treacle), then dipped into melted dark choc. I've done white chocolate ones flavoured with jasmine tea which worked well. The process is messy, but not difficult. Do you need more specifics? I'm lying in bed with the iPad, and can't be arced to get up to get the recipe for the ganache, but will post it tomorrow.

thanks sofaqueen
I know how to make a ganache, was wondering if it was ganache truffles or the kind I used to make when a child with melted choc, crushed biscuits and rum. Will go google.

the peppermint bark sounds yummy.

Nigellas Xmas cupcakes (sooo good)
Mince Pies
Xmas Cake
Xmas pud (making next weekend)
home made tree decorations

oooh sofaqueen - treats indeed!!
Would milk choc work instead of the dark for the bark do you think and what sort of quantities of choc do you need for what sized cookie sheet? I'm not sure if we have Valrhona choc here - is it just one with a high percentage of cocoa solids?

I would love more specifics on your truffles too if you can bear it?!?!?!

Hello RememberToPlaywiththeKids. Yes, you can use milk chocolate instead of the dark (Valrhona Dark is actually on about 65%, so not super dark). The advantage of dark is the contrast you'll get with the white chocolate. You can certainly use milk, but the flavour will be different. I use 500 grams of dark chocolate and 500 grams of white to cover a standard baking sheet. Valrhona is not required, I just love it (their dark is so smooth and not bitter). I would use the best quality chocolate you can find, as it does make a difference here. BTW, the 250g bars of Valrhona dark are available on Ocado.

only, not on!

oh that's great thank you!! What size is your cookie sheet? I think mine is rather big....

Oh wow - peppermint bark sounds amazing. Thank you. :)

These are great. Yummy, very easy to make {made with DS last year, they keep on the fridge and make fab spur of the moment gifts

Since my mum got ill, I make Christmas turkey with lots of (unwanted input) from my budding Jamie Oliver!
Always do clove ham
Mince pies to my mum's recipes as no-one else makes them the same!

Had a year of tiramisu instead of trifle but failed miserably in my attempted conversion.

As you can tell we go for a v traditional christmas.

Thinking this year of doing a fabulous starter and a different dessert - seen a baileys cheesecake or baileys bread and butter pudding

Nigella's christmas chutney - gorgeous

ooh, these all sound so lovely!

Aside from the obvious I always do orange and walnut shortbread as gifts. White choc and cranberry muffins also.

This year we've done lots of preserves as gifts.

Oh and dh always wants buns for boxing day.

Last year I soaked sultanas in rum, let them dry then dipped them in chocolate. Absolute pain to dip but very yummy.
Ruthie the best Bailey's bread and butter pudding I have tried is Gordon Ramsey's with french stick.

We try not to eat wheat so i make a fab lemon and almond cake (no one likes Chris cake anyway). i do make pudding but also a choc and chestnut log thing which is easy and looks lovely.

oooh please could I have your recipe for your lemon and almond cake??? It sounds JUST up my street!!!

Of course but i can only post approx 3 lines on here so it may be in 3 parts! Ingr.: 1 large org. lemon, half a pound almonds, same of sugar, (I use less). cont...

1 tsp. baking powder, almond oil, flour for tin. METHOD. boil whole lemon for 1 - 2 hrs. cut to remove pips when cooled then liquidise.Separate eggs and beat yolks till creamy.

That Hairy Bikers Christmas book is fab, I bought it the other week. The Christmas pudding vodka appealed to me, then I realised it is in fact pure vodka so might not drink a lot of it

Almond cake cont..!! Eggs and sugar beaten (sorry) then whisk whites and add with lemon and baking powder. Prepare flan tin and bake at 200c for approx 1 hr.

Cheese and marmite pinwheels - roll out a sheet of puff pastry, spread with marmite and sprinkle over grated cheddar. Roll up into a long sausage, seal the long edge, slice into rounds and bake until golden brown. Utterly delicious. Would work nicely with red pesto and cheese, I think.

The apple and date chutney sounds wonderful - I might have a go at that! And I am going to check back for the lemon and almond cake recipe too - it sounds like a similar method to Nigella's clementine cake so far - and I love lemony things.

lemon cake cont... This is a moist cake but you can leave in oven for longer if you think it too wet. Let it cool in the tin. this is based on Claudia Roden's recipe(she uses oranges).

How many eggs, please ppeatfruit?