Christmas Food!

Mini Focaccia

500g strong white bread flour

2 tsp salt

2 sachets of yeast

2 tbsp olive oil

400ml cold water

 

Chilli flakes, garlic and rosemary to garnish

 

Place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and 300ml of the water into a large bowl. Gently stir to form a dough then knead for ten minutes, gradually adding the remaining water. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. Divide the dough into roughly twelve equal balls then leave to prove for one hour in the mini loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7. Drizzle the loaves with oil, sprinkle with fine sea salt and the garnishes then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

 

Christmas Viennese Jam Tarts

Short crust pastry

Jam of your choice

 

150g unsalted butter

150g plain flour

30g cornflour

30g icing sugar

 

Cut out pastry circles to fit the tart tin. Fill each tart with a spoonful of jam. For the Viennese whirl topping, cream all the ingredients together and pipe onto the tarts. Bake at 180C/gas 4 for 15-20 minutes.

 

Irish Cream Trifle

This is my favourite dessert of the festive period.

Chocolate cake or chocolate Swiss roll

Big slosh of Irish cream

1 carton of custard

140g chocolate

600ml double cream

 

Break up the cake into a trifle dish. Soak with Irish cream. Top with the custard. Melt the chocolate and leave to cool. Whip the cream until peaks form. Set half the cream aside and whisk the chocolate into the remaining half. Layer the chocolate cream mix into the dish then top with the cream. Decorate with biscuits or chocolate of your choice.