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.
225g cold unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
225g plain flour
100g semolina
100g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
½ tsp vanilla extract
75g pecans or walnuts coarsely chopped
a sprinkle of icing sugar, to dust
a sprinkle of cinnamon, to dust
Mincemeat mixture
450g good-quality mincemeat
1 dessert apple, peeled, cored and cut into tiny pieces
1 tbsp brandy (optional)
1 tsp mixed spice
finely grated zest of 1 small orange
Preheat the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3, and grease a shallow baking tin (about 18cm x 28cm)
Put the mincemeat into a bowl and stir in the chopped apple, brandy (if using), mixed spice and orange zest.
Put the plain flour, semolina and the 100g sugar into the bowl and rub with the fingertips until the mixture just begins to stick together into pea-sized lumps to form a crumble mixture. (This is much quicker if done in a food processor).
Tip half the mixture into the baking tin and press firmly over the base in an even layer using the back of a metal spoon.
Spread the mincemeat mixture over in an even layer. Stir the chopped pecans or walnuts and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar into the remaining crumble mixture. Sprinkle it evenly over the top of the mincemeat.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. Remove the tin from the oven; leave to cool.
To remove, carefully run a knife around the edge of the tin to loosen, then cut into 12 bars and remove from the tin.
Delicious with a dollop of clotted cream or at Christmas brandy cream.
The book for November was ‘An Elderly Lady must not be Crossed by Helene Tursten’. Everyone enjoyed the book and the overall score was 9 – many gave it a 10. Several of us laughed out loud at the antics of the elderly lady. Stories follow 88 year old Maud as she prepared for and then goes on a safari trip to Africa (from the UK), a trip she has been planning for a long time, but also looking forward to right this moment because she is under suspicion for murder. The author said, of the book “She learned that it was smart not to reveal that all her senses were in full working order. Instead she allowed people to act in accordance with their own preconceptions. This was often a useful source of information and Maud could form her own opinion and situation.” (Pat G)
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 