Hairy Bikers Christmas Pudding Vodka Recipe.

This was loved so much a couple of years ago that it wouldn't be Christmas without a glass after dinner!.

Ingredients

·                                 300g/10½oz mixed dried fruit (sultanas, currants, raisins)

·                                 75g/3oz caster sugar

·                                 2 cinnamon sticks

·                                 2 tsp ground mixed spice

·                                 6 cloves

·                                 ½ whole nutmeg, finely grated

·                                 1 orange, zest only, finely grated

·                                 1 unwaxed lemon, zest only, finely grated

Preparation method

1. Mix the dried fruit with the sugar, cinnamon sticks, mixed spice, cloves, grated nutmeg and citrus zest in a largish sealable jar ( you can just pop it all into a large bowl and cover with cling film ! ).
2. Pour over the vodka.
3. Place in the fridge and leave for 3 days, stirring once each day.
4. Line a sieve with a double layer of fine muslin and place over a large, clean jug.
5. Pour the dried fruit and vodka mixture into the sieve and allow to drip through into the jug.
6. Pour into a sterilized bottle.

It all looks pretty murkey at first but - although it doesn't clear - it does look far more appetising by the time you get to drink it.

I'll post a photo when the straining and bottling takes place.

Debs

Christmas Pudding Vodka.

I made this a couple of years ago and it was so good that I now intend to make it every year. Going to buy ingredients today ready to make tomorrow!

Debs

Michel Roux Jr's Panna Cotta with Mango Coulis (mostly)..

Ingredients 

3 gelatine leaves 

2 tablespoons dark rum

600mls single cream

2 vanilla pods split with seeds scraped out

100g caster sugar

peel of one orange - no pith

500g wild strawberries ( optional given the season )

For The Coulis

2 large ripe mangoes

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 lime

Serves eight.

Soak gelatine leaves in the rum until soft. Whilst gelatine is soaking place cream, vanilla, sugar and orange peel into a large pan and quickly bring to a simmer, stirring to make sure that it does not catch. Take off the heat immediately and stir in the gelatine and rum mixture. Leave to cool stirring occasionally to avoid a skin!

Once cool strain into dishes or glasses and leave to set in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

Yes, this recipe states that it serves eight.....eight very small portions, It smells divine at this stage and I found it quite hard not to slurp one straight away! Into the fridge with you babies and on with the coulis..

Peel and chop up the mango and place in a blender with the sugar and lime juice - blitz to a smooth puree, pass through a sieve and pop into the fridge. 

Well, as usual we ate it before I remembered to photo it, but it looked exactly the same as above only served with bright yellow mango coulis! Did I like it mmmm, I think that three leaves of gelatine is a little excessive , next time I'll use two and a half as I like my panna cotta a little softer. The mango coulis was - in my opinion - horrible. It gets a nasty slimy consistency when blitzed that I can't stomach. Some fresh mango simply served with it would have been lovely or even better a nice raspberry coulis - I have never had anyone complain about that!

Debs

Ahh missed you blog....

Well, it has been an awful long time since I wrote anything here and there have been times when I've missed it so much. Having said that it can be all consuming and much of my time has been taken up with a new venture - namely jewellery making ( after a fashion ).

Given the time restraints of a new job, making jewellery which happens to look like food :), its no surprise that really something had to give. Anyway, I found myself missing this so much that it was time to resurrect it, albeit in a less intense manner and start blogging again.
Sam is now living in beautiful Devon and working as chef under Jim at The Trout..

http://www.thetroutinnbickleigh.co.uk/page8.html

Lovely food and a great pub! I miss him too much though, ah well, they have to fly sooner or later. I cook rather less than I used to so have decided to pick it up a little. I really don't have the time to devote to it any more unfortunately so I'm going to concentrate on learning a little more French cooking and posting my successes on here - might be a little flimsy on content of course! Today I have made a lovely panna cotta from Michel Roux jr's book ' Cooking With The Masterchef '  - nice little book but not enough photo's.

Debs