Christmas cookery bookclub

[glorious]

Normally we pick a couple of specific books or blogs, each cook whatever we like the sound of and compare notes.

For November and December we're going free range and sharing any festive cooking we do, whether from new books, old favourites, or even family recipes (we'll have to promise to be nice about those!)

Everyone is welcome so do join in and share your favourites or warn us all off the ones you wished you hadn't tried.

Actually, hob nobs would work well, but you might need more butter than the recipe suggests to bind it for the base. They are pretty salty these days, which would work brilliantly.

(My DH thought it was a bit too salty. The kids, in-laws and I disagreed, but you may want to scale down the salt a little. Imo it is supposed to be salty sweet :))

I'm going to make the MomoFuku Pie this weekend but don't have any bread flour, can I get away with plain flour, its only 3oz?

I don't really know why it uses strong flour - it's just a biscuit.
I would think plain would be fine

Fwiw, it was quite a crumbly base anyway, mine didn't form a pastry-like shell, more like a cheesecake base.

How was the pie?

We made Christmas pudding play dough at the weekend, does that count? ! It smells delicious.

Off to Berlin tomorrow. Mmm sausages and lebkuchen.

I came down with a gastric flu so pie is unmade!

This weekend I'm busy with Thanksgiving baking but the Pie is next on my hit list.

Enjoy Berlin, will you be visiting the Christmas Market?

Oh no treacle what a shame. What did you do for Thanksgiving?

Yes we've been enjoying the glüwein Christmas markets

This week I've got nigellas pomegranate vodka done ready for Christmas cocktails.

I've made Christmas pudding vodka- hairy bikers 12 days if Xmas. It's maturing nicely.

I was loath to throw the 500g of vodka swollen dried fruit away though so made BBC good foods vodka Christmas cake- obviously using the vodka soaked fruit I had so not following their fruit mix. It was fabulous. No maturing with a vodka cake so edible on the day. Wonderful, I'm making another lot of the vodka to have another cake later on on the month

I also made nigellas sausage meat bosomed turkey from Christmas- it was a turkey crown so didn't want to go full on in brining. It was glorious. It really looked the part and was incredibly tasty. I don't think I'll go back to brining tbh.

I also made hairy bikers sprouts ( better than nigellas), hairy bikers roasties( worse than nigellas) nigellas pigs in blankets( that's not really a recipe but lovely nonetheless)

If anyone has an old sainsburys Christmas book- there is a leftover turkey and pesto lasagne that I tried which was delicious, a great leftover idea.

I didn't get a bread sauce done but only I like it and the quantities are large so hard to scale down enough for one. Maybe I'll try it next time

Pregnant, how do the hairy bikers do sprouts?
I think I am going to roast mine this year, as I cannot stand overboiled mushy ones. No pancetta or bacon as we're veggie.

I'm getting some in my veg box this week, so going to do some a la 101 cookbooks, golden crusted sprouts

Also going to do her tofu and sprouts, seems similar to Ottolenghi's, but with pecans, yum :)

The hairies rely on meat and goose fat so they're out. The golden crusted look lovely though, I've sprouts left so I think I'll try that

glorious pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. I usually do more but illness threw me a bit.

Had a lovely Thanksgiving lunch today at our American neighbours, the real deal.

Have my eye on the date tomorrow though...let the Christmas food preparation get underway! Inspired by pregnant I think I'll start with a Christmas cocktail....

The cranberry tart in Nigellas Feast is really nice and if you make plenty of the cranberry jam (its really easy) it is good for xm,as breakfast or gifts.
Also cranberry stuffing is lovely(same book)
I have done the whole turkey brining business the last few years but not sure whether to bother this year

Pregnant pause--if i was you i would make myself a packet of breadsauce
Interesting about sausage stuffed turkey (hmm) I was just looking at that in a mag yesterday. Also Thomasina Myers recipe fro sprouts with a bit of chili might liven things up

Best ever roasties---Par boil and sprinkle with semolina and throw into hot fat. Nice and crunchy

I always make Delia's Creole Christmas Cake with a glazed fruit and nut topping as nobody here likes marzipan. It's really moist and rich with lots of booze in it. That's the only downside, you have to have weird things like cherry brandy and angostura bitters, but 1 bottle lasts for years. I use ginger wine instead of barley wine.

Tried that JO gravy last year (if you mean the one with star anise in it) and it was vile. The dog had it and I went back to trad gravy.

I too hate the JO gravy. I don't mind spiced gravies but his just doesn't taste right.

Please don't make packet bread sauce it is vile!. The real thing takes no time at all. Nigella doesn't even make breadcrumbs, just tears the bread in, so even quicker. It freezes really well. I sometimes defrost it in a pan with a splash of milk if I forget to get it out of the freezer!

Packet bread sauce vile--how can you say that ,it is delicious! And i do make homemade too and yes its better i just meant if the op needed a little secret supply!!

Never had packet bread sauce here but that has reminded me that MIL doesn't do any so I'll need to take my own supply for Christmas. I absolutely love it!

DD and I will be making gingerbread men today, probably this recipe: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/68611/double-ginger-gingerbread-men
No particular reason I've picked it except it was the first I came across without egg, which DD is allergic to.

Oh and treacle those are probably my two favourite puddings

We didn't make the gingerbread as DD is ill and was too grumpy. But I did get the Primrose Bakery Christmas book out of the library and it looks fun. I need to bake something for work next week so I may choose one of the simpler ones in there.

I made a batch of frangipane mince pies from the domestic goddess book this afternoon. They are lovely as usual. I have always been using shop bought mincemeat. I'm thinking of trying to make my own next year. Looking on eat your books, Dan Leapard has a few mincemeats recipes in short and sweet. And I also have ones from delia and nigella. Whose recipe do you use and get good results?

What cooking and baking have you done this week for Chrismas?

I make the mincemeat with apples from domestic goddess and really like it. you can eat it from the jar without any nasty suety aftertaste

We made gingerbread yesterday. DD got covered in flour and I've eaten way too much but otherwise it was good. A really nice flavour (link above).

I have got gingerbread planned too, but might need not get around to it. I have a 2mo so nothing much gets done except in weekend when DH is at home!
Will have a look at the mincemeat recipe in domestic goddess. I love that book.

We made Nigella's peppery Christmas biscuits for the tree, except I didn't put very much pepper in them as I want them to be eaten and not hang around on the tree too long (ants)...

This week I'm making Nigella's mincemeat (apple one), I'm overseas and can't buy it here. I need a mince pie soon, its almost the second week of December

Definitely overdue a mince pie treacle . Are there any good Christmas foods where you are?

We made the Toblerone cupcakes from Primrose Bakery Christmas yesterday. I'm not big on cupcakes but they are very grown up and chocolatey on the bottom and very sweet and honeyed on the top.

I'm also part way through the giant jaffa cake.

I make Delia's mincemeat and then do mince pies as per Dan Lepard's in short and sweet - the rich ones, with cream cheese and almonds in the pastry. Yum :)