Christmas Dinner 2011

Mixed Berries & Mango Trifle

King Prawn Cocktail

Marinated Mini Bocconcini With Prosciutto

Quince Glazed Ham

Blood Orange Duck

Christmas Cake

Menu

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Prawn Cocktail

Marinated Mini Bocconcini with prosciuttos

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Quince Glazed Leg Ham

Duck al Orange with Pumpkin & beans Salad

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Mixed Berries and Mango Trifle

Christmas Cake with Brandy Cream

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Coffee or Tea
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这两个礼拜一直忙着为家人准备的圣诞晚餐终于在星期天顺利完成。我的责任已完成，可以功臣身退了。因为家婆的厨艺了得，所以这个特别的晚餐，我一点都不干马虎，就是连菜单也想了很久，idea也换了很多次。准备食材，餐具，布置，打扫，买礼物，样样都要办，这里没有“kakak”帮忙，全都要自己做，真的有点吃力。其实想想，难得可以为家人准备一个丰富温馨的晚餐，再辛苦也是值得的。

这道晚餐，每一道都是很传统的西方圣诞菜肴。我没有准备过leg ham 和鸭子的经验，这次是很大胆的将这两道菜安排为当晚的主菜。因为鸭子需要用blood orange 来准备，由于季节已过，所以走了很多家商店才找到这个橙。我很高兴不必用一般的橙来取代blood orange。其实，两种橙的味道都没多大相差，但是橙汁的颜色就大有差别了。那只leg ham 重6。5kg要把它推进烘炉真是很是费力的事，还要每20分钟glaze一次，进出oven几次才吃力呢！幸好butcher 已把腿处理得很好了，只需在晚餐前，再抹上quince glaze温热就是一个很漂亮又好味的腌肉。

圣诞甜品又怎能少了我们一家人都很爱的trifle呢？这一个trifle是我精心为家人设计的。有一天趁早茶时刻，就拿了一张A4纸，把trifle的层次给拧出来。因为那天试了mango chocolate tart觉得两者很搭配，所以用了同一个concept来做trifle的底层，只是把芒果jelly 改了用instant jelly。这道trifle是当晚的highlight。我家公说，这是他这一生吃过最好吃的trifle。听了真的很安慰喔！我的家婆第二天还特地跑来我家向我要了食谱，我 重复的画了 trifle的层次给她。家婆说要做这个甜品给即将赴约的party。看起来这个trifle魅力不浅喔。

Mixed Berries and Mango Trifle

Ingredients: 

1 punnet strawberries

1punnet blueberries

1punnet raspberry

1 punnet mulberries

1 jam roll (cut into 1.5cm slices)

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Vanilla Custard (I used store bought Paul’s premium Castard)

Mango jelly layer:                                                   

1 pkt 1 mango, flesh chopped                                          

Aeoroplane mango jelly

Chocolate mousse layer:

200g milk chocolate

150ml thickened cream

Mascarpone cream layer:

500g mascarpone

thickened cream

1/3 cup chopped pistachios, chopped

1 tsp green food colouring

1 tbs orange zest

1 tbs lemon zest

  Trifle Layers:

Arrange with berries topping

Mascarpone Cream

Vanilla Custard & top with raspberries

Arrange sponge in the middle

Arrange halved Straweberris around the trifle glass

Vanilla Custard

Pistachio Mascarpone

Sponge Jam Roll

Chocolate Mouse

Mango Jelly

Method:

1. Set the mango jelly with the chopped mango as per jelly box instruction. Refrigerate until jelly is set.

2. Meanwhile, chopped milk chocolate into small pieces. Put thickened cream in a saucepan and cook until just before boil. Pour the cream into chocolate and stir until chocolate melted. Leave it to cool and pour onto mango jelly. Place in the fridge for an hour.

3. To prepare Mascarpone cream, whipped thickened cream till soft peak, add in mascarpone and whipped until stiff peak.

4. Divide mascarpone into 2 portions. 1 portion mix in chopped pistachios and green colouring and the other portion add in 1 tbs of Grand Marnier, lemon and orange zest.

5. When the chocolate mousse is set, arrange jam roll onto of the mousse and drizzle with Grand Marnier. Top with pistachio mascarpone.

6. Layer half of the custard on top of green mascarpone.

7. Arrange halved strawberries around the trifle bowl and arrange jam rolls in the middle and top with another half custard.

8. Arrange some raspberries on top of the custard layer.

9. Lastly, layer the mascarpone cream on the top layer. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

10. Arrange the reserved berries to serve.

 Recipe created by Helena 

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I'm submitting this to to Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted byHankerie

Neil Perry Prawn Cocktail

 Ingredients: (makes 6)

  1 Iceberg lettuce, outer leaves and core removed, finely shredded

2 lemon wedges, plus extra to serve

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

6 cherry tomatoes 1 Avocardo (cut into thin slices) 18 large cooked king prawns, peeled, tails intact and intestinal tracts removed

Cocktail Sauce:

140ml thick good quality mayonnaise
1 tbs tomato sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

pinch of cayenne pepper

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Method: 1. For sauce, combine ingredients and season to taste with sea salt and ground black pepper.

2.  Divide lettuce among 6 cocktail glass, squeeze 2 lemon wedges over and drizzle with oil. Season to taste, top with prawns and serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

 Recipe adapted from :http://gourmettraveller.com.au/prawn_cocktail.htm

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Marinated Mini Bocconcini With Prosciutto

Ingredients:

200g baby bocconcini cheese 

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 fresh long green chilli, seeded chopped finely.

2 tbs olive oil

5 slices thin prosciutto

1 cup of firmly packed basil leaves

Method:

1. Combined bocconcini, garlic, chilli and oil in a medium bowl. Stand for 30 minutes. Drain bocconcini, reserve marinade.

2. Halve prosciutto slices crossways then halve lengthways.

3. Wrap a piece of prosciutto and a basil leaf around each bocconcini, secure with a toothpick.

4. Serve bocconcini drizzled with the reserved marinade.

 Recipe adapted from : Women's Weekly, Christmas Entertaining 2011/2012, pg 73

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Quince Glazed Ham

I bought the glazed ham from my butcher, I re-glazed my leg ham using quince paste before serving.

Ingredients:

100g  quince paste, roughly chopped  (I used Maggie Beer's Quince Paste)

110g brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cloves

2 tbs port

2 tbs Dijon mustard

Method:

1. To make glaze, combine quince paste, sugar, clove, port, mustard, orange zest and orange juice in a small saucepan, stir over low heat for 5 minutes until smooth and combine. Stir in breadcrumbs then cool for 10 minutes.

2 Preheat oven to 160C and brush ham with glaze. Bake ham in the oven until thermometer inserted into the meat shows 65C.  Basting with glaze every 20 minutes. Serve with peach chutney.

Peach Chutney

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped red onion, 3 peeled, chopped peaches, 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp ground allspice and 1 tsp salt, and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Add 75g brown sugar and 80ml red wine vinegar, and stir for 3 minutes. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Cool, then stir in 1 1/2tsp chopped thyme.

Reference: Master Chef Magazine, Issue 19, Dec 2011/Jan 2012, pg.38

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Blood Orange Duck

1x 2kg duck

500ml blood orange juice

255g  orange marmalade

110g caster sugar

125ml white vinegar

2 blood oranges halved

3cm ginger, peeled and sliced

cracked pepper

Method:

1. Pierce the duck all over with a wooden skewer. Cover with boiling water for 30sec and pat dry with absorbent paper. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 180C. Place the blood orange juice, marmalade, sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring until sugar dissolved. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil for 12-15minutes or until thickened. Strain and devide between 2 bowls, setting one bowl aside.

3. Place the orange halves and ginger in the cavity of the duck and fasten with a metal skewer. Place the duck on a wire rack in a baking dish line with aluminium foil and brush with the blood orange sauce. Roast for one hour, basting with the sauce every 20 minutes. Cover with foil and roast for a further 20-30 minutes or until cook through. Sprinkle with pepper and serve with the reserved blood orange sauce.

Recipe adapted from : Donna Hay Magazine, Spring Issue 59, pg164

Blood Oranges

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我上一个post出了一道谜语，今天给大家揭晓谜底：

是牛奶巧克力哈哈，所以我说这个包装和物质本身是根本扯不上关系的。能猜到的话真的是厉害！

Michel Cluizel French Chocolate - "Sardines En Chocolat Au Lait" Milk Chocolate Sardines, 5 Piece Tin Can, 75g/2.65oz.

http://www.worldwidechocolate.com/shop_cluizel_tincan_sardines.html