Limoncello

I clearly remembered my first time trying Limoncello-in Sorrento few year ago! The owner of the Airbnb where we stayed welcome us with her homemade limoncello by her family. After that first short I never look back. I bought a bottle of limoncello at the airport and once I finish that bottle I start searching online for homemade recipes. Found and tried several and finally after a few tweaks here and there I am happy with this recipes. I love this and it would make a great hostess gift or a holiday gift as well!

Ingredients:

• 1l Vodka
• 6-7 unwaxed lemons, preferably Amalfi if you get one
• 750g sugar
• 750g boiling water

Method:

Zest all your lemons and pop the zest into a tall jar. Make sure not to go too deep. You want only the zest, not the white portion of the peel.

Add the vodka and seal the jar, adding a layer of cling film for added security.

For the next seven to ten days leave your lemon zest to steep and infuse in the vodka. Every day give your jar a gentle shake to disrupt the mixture slightly.

Add you sugar to the boiling water, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Leave the syrup cool down before adding the syrup to the zest mixture. If the jar is not big enough, move everything into a bigger jar if needed.

Reseal the mixture once combined and leave to steep and infuse for another seven to ten days. Remember to give the jar a shake every couple of days during this period.

After conducting the very important taste test, strain the mixture into a jug ready to pour into the bottles. Make sure your bottles are clean and sterile and have a good stopper or seal to them. Divide your mixture between bottles. I like to decorate my bottles with ribbons and brown paper tags. 

Eggnog Trifle

Make this Christmas extra-special with this wonderful Eggnog Trifles!. This Christmas-themed dessert is a crowd-pleaser if there ever was one. It is a simple yet delightfully flavourful recipe that requires little prep time but delivers tremendous holiday flavours. 

When it comes to the holidays, having festive desserts that are perfect for feeding a crowd is a must! Trifles are always my go-to because they are so gorgeous and elegant with lovely layers of delicious dessert perfection. I knew that for Christmas this year, I just had to make an eggnog trifle. After a long search I found this recipe on bbcgoodfood.

Ingredients:

• 375g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 800ml double cream
• 250ml full-fat milk
• 165ml brandy, marsala or sherry
• 1 vanilla pod
• 35-40 cream-filled profiteroles (without chocolate), shop bought are fine
• 1 large orange, zested plus 1 tbsp juice
• 50g crunchy amaretti biscuits
• 4 medium clementines, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

Method:

For the custard: Whisk 150g sugar, the egg yolks and cornflour in a bowl until pale and smooth. Pour 300ml cream, the milk and 65ml of the alcohol into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add to the cream with the pod. Heat until steaming but not boiling, then pour the hot liquid onto the yolks, whisking as you go. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a clean saucepan and discard the vanilla pod. Return to a low-medium heat and whisk for about 10 minutes until very thick. If you get lumps, simply whisk them out. Pour the custard into a jug and cover with clingfilm directly on the surface. Chill for 1½ hours.

Arrange half the profiteroles in the base of a 2 litre trifle bowl. Spoon 2 tbsp of the remaining alcohol over the profiteroles along with the orange juice, then crumble over the biscuits. Trickle the custard over the profiteroles base. Arrange the remaining profiteroles on top of the custard, working around the edges first, then filling the centre. Arrange the clementine slices around the edge of the bowl, tucking them around the profiteroles.

Whisk the remaining alcohol, 500ml cream, 50g sugar and the orange zest until holding soft peaks. Spread the mixture over the profiteroles, right to the edge of the bowl, then return to the fridge until you are ready to serve. Can be made a day ahead up to this point.

For the meringue, put the egg whites, the remaining 175g sugar, 1 tbsp water and a good pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk until thick and leaving a prominent trail from the beaters-this will take about 4 minutes. Take the bowl off the heat and continue whisking for another 3 minutes until cooled slightly and very stiff.

Spoon the meringue onto the trifle, creating peaks and troughs with the back of a spoon. Use a blowtorch to scorch the meringue if you have one. Do not hold too close to the bowl if it's made of a delicate glass!!

Best served straight away, but will keep for a day in the fridge.

Parsnip, Chickpea and Apricot Nut Roast

A modern take on the nut roast, this makes a great vegan/vegetarian centrepiece for Christmas Day or a special dinner. Found this recipe on Tesco magazine and decided to give this recipe a try. To my surprise, it's amazing and truly delicious!

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 900g parsnip, peeled and trimmed
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 10g fresh thyme, leaves picked, plus extra springs for garnish
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp milled flax seeds
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained
• 100g ground almond
• 200g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
• 75g walnut or pecan halves, chopped
• 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 190ºC/170ºC for fan assist oven. Generously grease a 900g/2lb nonstick loaf tin with 1 tbsp oil. Peel 2 parsnips (about 200g) into wide ribbons with a peeler, then overlap the ribbons across the base and long sides of the tin to line it, leaving any excess hanging over the sides of the tin. Set aside.

Cut the remaining parsnips into 4cm pieces and toss with 2 tbsp oil on a baking tray. Spread out in a single layer, season and roast for 25-30 minutes until soft to the point of  knife.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 7-8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, thyme and paprika and cook for 2 minutes more.

In a large bowl, mix the flax seeds with the tahini, lemon zest and juice, and 3 tbsp warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to plump up.

Tip the onion mixture into the bowl of a food processor with the chickpeas, ground almond and half of the roasted parsnips. Pulse to a coarse puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add to the flax mixture, along with the remaining roasted parsnips, the apricots, nuts and parsley. Season and stir well to combine.

Spoon into the prepared tin, pressing down firmly and evenly. Bring any overhanging parsnip ribbons over to cover the top. Cover the entire loaf with foil and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 15-20 minutes more until golden and firm. Rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a serving dish. Top  with thyme sprigs to serve.

Gingerbread Tiramisu

Turn a beloved, creamy Italian dessert into a festive treat with pumpkin spice and gingerbread.

A delicious dessert with the spices which every one craves for at holiday season: gingerbread spices. The end result: a creamy, sweet tiramisu full of flavours.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 loaves shop bought gingerbread *
• 230g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 230g mascarpone, softened at room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup eggnog, divided *
• ½ cup double cream, whipped to a stiff peak
• 1 cup espresso or strong coffee
• finely crushed ginger biscuits for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 150ºC/130ºC for fan assist oven.

Cut the gingerbread in 1x3-inch finger sized pieces.

Place on a greaseproof paper and bake for 20-30 minutes until crisped and dried out.

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and mascarpone until fluffy.

Whisk in brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and ½ cup eggnog.

Fold in whipped cream and set aside.

Place remaining ½ cup eggnog and espresso in a shallow dish, and dip crisped gingerbread into mixture.

In a 9x9 banking dish, drizzle a tablespoon or two of espresso mixture on the bottom, top with gingerbread ladyfingers, followed by ½ the whipped cream, remaining ladyfingers, and top with remaining whipped cream and crushed ginger biscuits.

Refrigerate a few hours to overnight before serving.

Notes: for gingerbread I used shop bought McVitie's Jamaican Ginger Cake 

for eggnog recipe, please refer to the link below:

https://yummymummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2022/01/traditional-eggnog.html

Traditional Eggnog

 

Eggnog is a traditional drink dating back hundreds of years. Eggnog historically also known as milk punch or an egg milk punch  when alcoholic beverages are added, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and whipped egg white. Spirits including rum, whisky, brandy and bourbon are commonly added. It may also be served with sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Eggnog is hugely popular in the US and Canada - and in recent years, it's become more popular in the UK as well.

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 75g sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 whole clove
• pinch cinnamon
• ½ cup double cream
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp whiskey/bourbon, or to taste
• 1 tbsp rum, or to taste
• 2 egg whites, optional

Method:

In a large bowl, use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat egg yolks until they become somewhat lighter in colour. Slowly add the sugar, beating after each addition. Beat at high speed or whisk until fluffy.

Combine milk, clove and cinnamon in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat on medium heat until the milk mixture is steamy hot, but not boiling.

Add the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook the eggnog on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. It helps to have a candy thermometer, but not necessary; if you have one, cook until the mixture reaches 70ºC. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle (if the mixture does curdle you may be able to save it by running it through a blender).

Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the clove and and curdle bits that may have formed. Let cool for one hour.

Stir in vanilla extract, nutmeg, whiskey/bourbon and rum. Feel free to omit for kid-friendly eggnog and proceed to chill.

Optional: If you want to include egg white, beat with electric mixer until they reach soft peaks. Add a teaspoon of sugar and continue to beat until they reach stiff peaks. Gently fold into eggnog.

You can also reheat the combined eggnog and egg white mixture until it reaches 70ºC, then remove from heat and let cool, then chill. The mixture will lose some of its fluffiness from the beaten egg whites, but not all, and the eggnog will be much airier than without the egg whites.