1 chicken or vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 500ml boiled water
60g brie
Cranberry sauce (optional)
Method
Chop the bacon into small pieces.
Fry the bacon in a pan. Add the chopped onion and leave to soften. Add the rice and stir well.
When the rice starts to go clear, add half the stock. Leave the rice to cook and absorb the liquid. Then keep adding the remaining stock a little at a time until it reaches the desired texture.
Chop the brie and stir through until it is mostly melted.
Add a dollop of cranberry sauce on top if you’d like, and serve!
Use your slow cooker to get ahead with your preparation for the big day. This recipe also freezes well. If you like a bit of spice in your red cabbage then you can add half a teaspoon of mixed spice.
1 large red cabbage, shredded
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
50 ml cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Add all ingredients to slow cooker, stir and cook on low for 5-6 hours
Chop onions and saute in butter until translucent. Chop nuts until fine and mix in breadcrumbs. Add stock and yeast extract, herbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Tip into a greased shallow baking dish, level surface and top with a few breadcrumbs. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden.
Our popular annual Wreath making workshop was joined this year by a paper Snowflake workshop. Using withy rings made by Val P and Wendie, with boughs and branches galore, members made fantastic and creative wreaths for their festive decorations. Val S (above) shows off her beautiful wreath that she finished with dried hydrangea heads and fabric poinsettia flowers.
The paper snowflakes in red and white add a Nordic touch, and delighted members at how effective they are for a window display.
Many thanks to Shirley and Dani Battle for their organising and instruction.
Karen has worked hard this year to provide an interesting and varied selection of restaurants and cafes for the Meet and Eat subgroup, with Senara proving a popular choice amongst members. So, for their Christmas meal, it was back to Penwith College, where the Senara restaurant gives the catering students real life practical experience as part of their course. From the Twelve Days of Christmas theme of the menu, to the delicate meringue swans, the efforts of the student were highly appreciated, and the rooms was filled with the smiles and laughter of members.
Fresh lemon and ruby port impart a delicious flavour to this virtually sugar-free fruit cake, cover with icing for our traditional decoration, or if you prefer just marzipan, try the cherry topping.
Makes one 23cm (9in) cake, cuts into 24
485 Calories a slice
CAKE:
575g (1¼lb) mixed dried fruit
225g (802) sultanas
175g (6oz) stoned chopped dates
2 medium lemons, grated rind and juice
150ml (¼ pint) ruby port
225g (8o2) butter, softened
250g (9oz) plain flour
4 eggs
1 tbsp black treacle
1 tsp each ground cinnamon and mixed spice
100g (3.53oz) packet pecan nuts
100g (3.53oz) packet blanched hazelnuts
175g (6oz) glace cherries
TRADITIONAL DECORATION:
4 tbsp apricot jam
675g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
450g (1lb) white marzipan
2 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp glycerine
½ small lemon, juice only
30cm (12in) round cake
1 tbsp brandy
125g (402) silver sugar almonds
sprig of holly, washed and dried
First Line a 23cm (9in) round, loose-based cake tin with greaseproof paper. To make the cake, put all the fruit except the cherries in a saucepan with the lemon rind, juice and port. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and stand the saucepan in a bowl of cold water to cool the fruit quickly.
Place the butter, flour, eggs, treacle and spices in a large bowl and beat together well. Fold in all the soaked fruits and the nuts until well combined. Finally, stir in the cherries, being careful not to break them up. Turn into the lined tin and flatten the top.
Bake at 150”C (300F) gas 2 for 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool overnight in the tin. Turn out the cake and remove the lining paper. For a traditional decoration, heat the jam with 1 tbsp water and brush on to the outside of the cake. Dust a clean work surface with a little icing sugar, roll out the one-third of the marzipan to fit the top of the cake, trim away the excess and then roll the remaining marzipan to fit around the sides. Leave to dry overnight.
To make the icing, beat together the egg whites and glycerine (this prevents the icing becoming too hard). Add the icing sugar 3 table spoons at a time, beating well after each addition. After adding half the icing sugar beat in the lemon juice. Continue adding the remaining icing sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Place the marzipaned cake on the cake board, then brush with brandy. Spread the icing over the cake with a palette knife then use it to make peaks all over the cake. Decorate with almonds and, just before serving, top with a sprig of holly. The cake will keep undecorated for up to 1 month, although it is ready to cut the next day.
Cherry Topping
If you are not fond of icing, its difficult to think of new ways to decorate a Christmas cake. We’ve used cherries and marzipan, which looks stunning and is not as rich as our iced version. Makes one 23cm (9in) cake, cuts into 24. 335 calories a slice.
One 23cm (9in) Rich Port Christmas cake
To decorate:
4 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp icing sugar
225g (8oz) white marzipan
6 glace cherries, halved
30cm (12in) round cake board
1 metre (40in) red satin ribbon, 4cm wide
Sprig of holly, washed and dried.
To decorate the cake, heat the jam with 1 tbsp of water and brush a little over the top of the cake. Reserve any remaining jam. Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan just big enough to fit the top of the cake. Trim off any excess and then make 24 indentations with your thumb round the edge of the marzipan. After every other thumb mark score the marzipan gently with a sharp knife into slices. Place under a heated grill for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned, rotating it once or twice, but take care not to let the cake ‘catch’. When cool dip each half cherry into the reserved jam and put two in every alternate slice. Tie the satin ribbon around the cake, making a large bow at the side. Decorate with a sprig of holly. To Freeze: wrap the marzipan topped cake in greaseproof paper then foil. Use within 3 months. To serve: Thaw overnight in a cool place. Grill and decorate as above.
Easy Pistachio Sables – delicious served with drinks
15g shelled unsalted pistachios
40g strong white flour
40g unsalted butter at room temperature
40g grated parmesan
pinch of cayenne
Chop pistachios quite small. Mix all ingredients into a ball. Form a sausage shape approx 18 cm long. Wrap and chill until firm. Cut into 0.5cm slices and bake on a baking tray at 180 degrees for 13 – 15 minutes. Cool on a wire tray.
For their final Craft Club meeting of the year, members met for a fun packed festive themed morning, making baubles, cross-stitched motifs and cards. What a lovely way to round off 2022 and look forward to trying a selection of new crafts in the year ahead. Many thanks to Gail for her enthusiasm and planning for all of the events.
Preheat oven to 180C° / gas mark 4 / fan oven 170C°
Put the flour, Gruyere, cheddar, 25g Parmesan, butter cubed and seasoning in a good processor and made a dough. You may have to bring it together by hand at the end. If you haven’t got a food processor rub all the ingredients together by hand and bring together.
Flour a work surface and kneed the dough lightly until more pliable. Cut in half.
Roll one half into an oblong shape approx 20 cm x 30 cm. Cut dough into two oblongs measuring approx 10 cm x 30cm.
Brush the two oblongs with beaten egg and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
Now cut the dough into straws measuring between 0.5cm to 1cm (or whatever you prefer).
Place the straws on the baking sheets and spread them out slightly.
Bake them for 15 minutes swapping the baking sheets over and turning them round half way through the cooking time.
When cooled transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Either store in a airtight tin or freeze in an old ice cream container and get out what you want to eat to defrost, they don’t take long to defrost but they are yummy.
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 