Рецепт Checking Out the Foodie Christmas
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Checking Out the Foodie Christmas
And there goes another Christmas. This one was very low-key for us, even more so since our host for Christmas dinner had to cancel at the last minute due to sickness, which meant Christmas dinner was steak and brownies at my mother-in-law's house. I did cook on Boxing Day though as my in-laws were coming to us for dinner. Other than that, very little cooking for me.
On Christmas Eve, we made up a batch of red velvet cupcakes to share with the staff of a local O'Charley's. We're regulars, the manager is a friend, and so when we found out they had to stay open until 10pm on Christmas Eve, we thought we'd surprise them.
For Boxing Day, I wanted to do something that was Christmassy but not a repeat of the turkey dinner (that wasn't). I remembered that last year, my mum bought me The Hairy Bikers' 12 Days of Christmas cookbook. What should I find among the Boxing Day recipes but a delicious looking Turkey and Ham Pie to be served cold. Of course my pastry went wrong so Nic was sent on an emergency run to buy premade pastry. Other than that though, it went without a hitch. It's like Christmas dinner in a pie.
Topped with cranberry and kumquat relish, cut into it and you find a tasty mix of meat.
Great stuff.
To follow the pie, I decided to go with trifle. Now, as quintessentially English as trifle may sound, I have to admit that am not a big fan of English trifle. Jelly with sponge in it - blech! (And yes, I choose to make that a proper technical term). But this Gingerbread Trifle skips the jelly, instead offering spicy gingerbread in homemade custard, topped with cream.
To make the gingerbread:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup molasses (NOT the blackstrap - I've made that mistake before)
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbs ground ginger
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup water
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and mix.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda. Alternate between adding the flour and the water to the butter, mixing well between each addition.
Pour into a 13x9 pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350F.
You only need half for the trifle.
Next make your custard. This was my time attempting this so I was pleasantly surprised. The key is to keep stirring.
In a large pan, mix 1 1/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup flour and a dash of salt. Whisk in 5 cups of milk. Cook over a medium heat (no hotter or it will scald). You need to stir constantly, and cook until the mix is thickened and bubbling. Then add 6 beaten egg yolks. Keep stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tbs vanilla.
Now it's time to make up the trifle. Layer gingerbread and custard in a trifle bowl, finishing with a layer of gingerbread. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip and finish with a decorative handful of chopped Heath bars.
And of course, the best part of Christmas: leftovers. Since I didn't cook an entire turkey, I won't be eating every permutation of fowl over the next week but I will be enjoying more pie and trifle tonight. No complaints here.