Christmas 2018: Here are recipes to make Yuletide merry

Chocolate and Almond Rum Ball by Chef Manish Malhotra

Chocolate and Almond Rum Ball

• Serves: 4-5
• Preparation time: 20-25 mins
• Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients and Quantity

• Chocolate sponge eggless 250 gm
• Dark chocolate (55% -70%) 100 gm
• Single cream(20-25%fat) 150 ml
• Almonds 100 gm
• Castor sugar 100 gm
• Instant coffee powder 10 gm
• Dark rum 15 ml

Method:

• Heat cream in a pan, give it a boil and remove from heat. Add the chocolate and keep aside till slightly cool and then mix well.
• Toast the almonds in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 8-10 mins. Roughly chop the almonds.
• Heat castor sugar in a pan and caramelise, add the roughly chopped almonds and remove the nougat on to a parchment paper. Crush the nougat with a rolling pin till slightly coarse.
• In a mixing bowl crumb the chocolate sponge till breadcrumb consistency, add half the chocolate ganache, instant coffee powder dissolved in a teaspoon of water, rum, and mix with hands till the mixture is even in consistency.
• Now add 2/3 of the crushed almond nougat into the mix and form in to small round balls (35-40 gm) and refrigerate.
• Once slightly set, coat the rum balls with the remaining chocolate ganache.
• Garnish with almond nougat and serve

Almond Strawberry Cake by Chef Manish Malhotra

Almond Strawberry Cake

• Serves: 3-4

Ingredients and Quantity

• Almonds ½ cup
• Strawberry (Fresh) 12-14 pcs
• Whipping Cream 1 cup
• Holy Basil leaves (Tulsi) 1 tsp
• Sugar (powdered) 3 tbsp

Method

• Toast the almond flakes in the oven at 180°C for 4 minutes.
• Cut the strawberries into 1 cm dices.
• Whip the cream along with sugar. Do not over whip it or the butter will separate.
• Mix the almond flakes and strawberries into the cream along with hand torn holy basil.
• Garnish with almonds and sliced strawberries.

Stollen Muffins by Richa Talwar, Sustenance

Stollen Muffins

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup candied orange peel
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup yogurt
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

Topping

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• confectioners' sugar

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan; or line it with papers, and grease the papers.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, sugar, candied orange peel and raisins.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, and melted butter.
• Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; this should only take a few stirs with a bowl scraper or large spoon. The batter will be stiff.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full.
• Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean.
• Remove the pan from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a rack.
• Brush the tops of the muffins with the melted butter, then dust with sugar.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake by Richa Talwar, Sustenance

Gingerbread Bundt

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger,
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon,
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg,
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves,
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 cup water

Glaze

• 1/3 cup rum or water
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175°C. Lightly grease a 10- to 12-cup bundt-style pan.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the molasses.
• Add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the water, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
• Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
• While the cake is baking, make the glaze by stirring together the water spice and sugar. Set aside.
• Remove the cake from the oven, cool it in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack.
• Brush the cake with the glaze, and allow it to cool completely before serving.

Christmas Cookie by Chef Suresh Thampy, Executive Chef, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport.

Christmas Cookie

Ingredients:

• Butter 100 gm
• Castor Sugar 125 gm
• Eggs 1 no
• Refined Flour 150 gm
• Soaked Fruit 150 gm
• Vanilla Essence 10 ml
• Baking Soda 5 gm

Method

• Cream together your butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for your cookie dough until they are light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes on a medium/high speed.
• Add in eggs gradually (one at a time). After the butter and sugar is creamed together, it is time to add the eggs and vanilla extract. You want to add the eggs into your creamed butter and sugar mixture one at a time, and mix just until combined. This will ensure you won’t break your creamed mixture and you don’t want to beat any air into the eggs at this point.
• Add your dry ingredient and mix as little as possible. The next step in making cookie dough using the creaming method is to mix in the dry incgredients along with baking soda.
• Now shape the cookies into your desire shapes and garnish it with liquor soaked fruit.
• Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 9 minutes