Spiced Christmas Hot Chocolate

I love nothing more than curling up in front of the fire with a great big mug of hot chocolate at Christmas time. To make my hot chocolate that little bit extra special, I add a few surprises to give it a delicious festive kick. Go on, throw on that onesie and pick your favourite festive flick.

- Image via Tumblr -

For four large mugs you will need...

3 mugs of milk 

1 cup of whipping cream

6 tbsp Cadbury's drinking chocolate 

50g dark chocolate 

Half tsp nutmeg 

Half tsp of hot chilli powder 

1 cinnamon stick 

Large Marshmallows (to serve) 

To make the hot chocolate...

In a saucepan heat your milk, cream and cinnamon stick. Add the drinking chocolate and dark chocolate and stir until combined. Once at the desired temperature, add the nutmeg and chilli powder. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve with heaps of large marshmallows (not the crappy small kind!). 

Mince Meat

Seens as December is upon us, I thought I'd make the mince meat for my Christmas Eve batch of mince pies. It's good to make your mince meat early to allow it to rest for a few weeks, but, if you run out of time in the lead up to Christmas - don't panic - leave it to sit for a couple of hours and it'll still taste delicious. Making it early did give me an excuse to indulge in that festive buzz without feeling too guilty about it so go on whip out your wooden spoon! 

I love my mince meat to be nutty, full of fruit and to have a real boozy kick so I have carefully chosen the following set of ingredients... 

250g Flaked Almonds

300g Raisins

400g Sultanas 

250g Currants

2 large cooking apples (grated)

Zest of one orange 

Zest of half a lemon 

Juice of half an orange 

1 250g box of shredded beef suet 

200g Dark Muscovado Sugar 

150g Demerara sugar 

1 tsp mixed spice 

1 tsp cinnamon 

200ml Brandy  

100ml Cointreau 

You can substitute and other flavoured liquore for Cointreau - disaronno works well, or, you can simply add a further 100ml of brandy. 

To make the mince meat, simply empty all of your ingredients into a large bowl and mix. Leave the bowl sitting for approx six hours - giving it a little stir each time you pass by. After the six hours have passed, fill your sterilised or dishwashed jars with the mix. 

The meat will last for upto six months at it's best.

American Style Banana Pancakes

The weekend certainly calls for a breakfast that's that little bit special. I don't know about you, but come Saturday, I've had a serious bellyful of porridge. I usually turn to eggs or fresh fruit smoothies but this weekend I decided to go all out and make American style banana pancakes. They're super easy to make - you can even prepare them the evening before and leave the mix chilling in the fridge overnight. For me there's nothing better than sitting around enjoying a delicious breakfast together on a lazy Sunday morning.

Ingredients 

260ml Milk
2 Large Eggs
4 tbsp Butter (melted)
270g Plain Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
4 tbsp Caster Sugar
2 bananas (sliced)

TO SERVE...
Fresh Berry Compote
Pecan Nuts
Natural Greek Yogurt
Maple Syrup

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Method

1) Using your electric mixer, whisk the eggs, melted butter and milk until combined. 
2) Sieve the baking powder into the mixing bowl, add the flour and the sugar and whisk again until combined. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes before making the pancakes.
3) To cook the pancakes, heat your pan with half a teaspoon of butter and coconut oil. Put three ladelfuls of the mix into the pan to form three separate pancakes and place the sliced banana on top like so...

Once ready, flip to ensure that both sides are cooked

 - they should be golden brown in colour.

Enjoy as you wish. I like to serve a portion of three pancakes with a dollop of natural greek yogurt, a spoon of mixed berry compote, crushed pecan nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup on top - yum!

TO MAKE THE MIXED BERRY COMPOTE, FOLLOW MY SIMPLE RECIPE 

BY CLICKING ON THE LINK ABOVE.

Quick and Easy Eton Mess

Eton mess is one of my all time favourite desserts. It's one of the absolute easiest to throw together and it always looks incredible! You can either make your own meringues or if you want to cheat a little, buy a pack in the supermarket. I had a couple of crushed meringues left over from an order this weekend and didn't want them to go to waste so I bought a few frozen berries and went for it.

To make your own meringues...

YOU WILL NEED...

3 Egg Whites 

150g Caster Sugar 

1 tsp Lemon Juice 

METHOD... 

1) Preheat your oven to 100C/ 225F/ gas mark .25, and line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper

2) Put the lemon juice into your mixing bowl and, using a piece of kitchen towl wipe the inside of the bowl

3) Empty your egg whites into the bowl and whisk on high speed until the mixture becomes white in colour and forms a peak when the whisk is lifted

4) Next add half the caster sugar and again beat on high speed until combined and the moisture forms a peak when the beater is lifted. Add the remaining sugar and beat once again on high speed. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without any of the mix budging. 

5) Pipe the mix into your baking tray and place in the oven for 1 hour 30 mins. When ready, leave to cool fully on the tray and then store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

For The Berry Compote...

YOU WILL NEED... 

A bag of frozen Summer berries

3 tbsp of Brown Sugar 

Juice of half  a lime

METHOD... 

1) Simply empty the bag of frozen berries into a pot with the sugar and lime juice

2) Stir and allow the mixture to come go the boil and then to simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

3) Allow the mixture to cool fully before storing in an airtight container. The compote can last for up to a week in the fridge. 

To Assemble... 

YOU WILL NEED... 

100ml Fresh Cream (whipped) 

Handful of fresh berries 

The compote you made earlier 

The meringues you made earlier (or the pack you bought in the shop!)

Simply layer each of the ingredients in a glass and top with fresh berries - enjoy!

Pavlova Gateaux with Chocolate Mousse, Fresh Cream & Berries

Dad's favourite dessert is pavlova loaded with fresh cream and strawberries but he also loves dark chocolate. For his birthday this year, to combine his two favourites, I decided to make a meringue gateaux filled with dark chocolate mousse and strawberries, topped with fresh cream, berries and dark chocolate shavings. 

Ingredients

FOR THE MERINGUE

9 Egg Whites

450g Caster Sugar

Lemon Juice or white vinegar (to wipe bowl)

FOR THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

200g Dark Chocolate 

2 tbsp Water

6 Eggs (separate and keep 6 whites but only 3 yolks)

Pinch of Salt

EXTRAS

250ml Cream (whipped)

Handful Dark Chocolate Shavings

Punnet of Fresh Strawberries (washed and sliced)

Method

FOR THE MERINGUE

1) Preheat your oven to 100C/225F/Gas Mark .25, and line two flat bakng trays with greaseproof paper. Trace around a small plate (approx 8 inches round) with a pencil to give yourself piping guidelines when the mixture is ready.

2) Whisk the egg whites on high in your electric mixer until they rise, become glossy and form a peak when the whisk is lifted.

3) Add  half your sugar and again, beat on high until the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted. When this occurs, add the remaining sugar and whisk on high for the final time until, once again, the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted.

4) Fill your piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle with the mix and pipe onto your baking tray filling the two circles you traced earlier. If you have some mix left over after this, pipe small meringe shapes, as you would icing on top of a cupcake - you can use these to decorate or to simply eat when they come out of the oven instead of having to wait for your masterpiece ! 

5) Bake the small meringues for 45 minutes and the two large for 1 hour 30 mins. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before assembling.


FOR THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

1) Using your electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and salt on high, like you did for the meringue, until the mixture becomes glossy and peaks when the whisk is lifted.

2) In a separate bowl, melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water. Once melted, add the egg yolks and mix. Then set the mixture aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3) After the 10 minutes are up, add the egg white mixture to the chocolate mixture, one spoon and a time and stir -always in the same direction.

4) Pour half the mixture into a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours before serving. You can pour the remaining mix into glasses to chill. You can serve these separatly to the cake.

TO ASSEMBLE...

Make a gateaux with the meringues, using the chocolate mousse as the filling. Spread the whipped cream on top and decorate with the mini meringues, berries and chocolate shavings.

Apple & Autumn Berry Crumble

Crumble is one of my all time favourite desserts - if it's on the menu I'll most definitely be ordering it. This seasonal apple and Autumn berry crumble is a must try. Once you experience the smell of it baking in the oven you won't be able to resist !After all everybody needs a little comfort food at this time of year.

Ingredients

(Makes 6 portions)

FOR THE FILLING

6 Cooking Apples (peeled, cored and sliced)

3 Cups of Frozen Berries (blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants work best)

6-7 tbsps Caster Sugar

FOR THE CRUMBLE

2 cups Plain Flour

1.5 cups Brown Sugar

Half tsp Cinnamon or Mixed Spice (sieved)

1.5 Cups Butter (softened)

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Method

FOR THE FILLING

1) Peel, core and slice the apple. Add it to your pot with 3 tbsp of sugar and 3 tbsp of tap water. Stew the apple by bringing to the boil and allowing to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Leave to one side.

2) In a separate pot, add the berries and the remaining caster sugar. Again, stew by bringing to the boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Leave to one side and, once cool, combine the apple and the berry mixtures.

3) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4.

4) To make the crumble, add the flour, sugar and cinnamon/ mixed spice to a bowl and combine. Cut the softened butter into cubes and, using your fingertips rub together until the mixture takes on the consistancy of breadcrumbs.

5) To assemble, fill each ramekin with the fruit and top with crumble. Place on a flat baking tray and stick in the oven for approx. 8 minutes until the crumble is golden brown in colour.

*You can store the fruit in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also store the crumble in a separate sealed container in a cool dry place for 4 -5 days before baking.*

These gorgeous mini ramekins from Viking Direct are ideal for making individual crumbles. There's something that bit nicer about tucking into your own little ramekin of deliciousness !Viking Direct have a massive selection of kitchenware and bakeware on their site - you'll be sure to find something you love.

The crumble is delicious served with a scoop of Carte D'or Vanilla Icecream on top, a dollop of Chantilly Cream or a spoon or two of Creme Anglaise -serious comfort food!

Blackberry Scones

I've become blackberry crazy over the past few weeks. I use them in everything - when they grow right outside the door surely it would be a sin not to use them up! I fancied fresh scones this morning but when I realised I had no raisins I didn't know what to throw in. I went for a few blackberries I had picked with my little godson the day before.They  worked a treat. The delicious smell of these bad boys baking will be sure to have the troops out of bed and at the breakfast table in no time. 

Ingredients 

MAKES 8 SMALL SCONES 

Plain Flour

100g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

Butter 

1 cup Milk and Water to bind 

Handful Blackberries 

Method 

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4 and line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper. 

2) Add all of the dry ingredients along with the butter (cut into cubes), to the bowl. Using your fingertips rub the butter into the floury mixture until combined. 

3) Add half the milk and water to the bowl and stir - continue to add until the mix binds like a dough. 

4) Empty the bowl onto your flour dusted work surface and fold in the blackberries. Roll until the dough is about an inch thick and cut with your scone cutter. 

6) Place the scones onto your lined baking tray and bake for 15- 20 minutes until golden brown. Leave the scones to cool on a wire rack or enjoy hot with melted butter - yum!!!

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*Store the scones in an airtight container

 (if they happen to last past the cooling rack that is!) *