Julia Smith - Delicious Christmas Treats: A Complete Collection of Christmas Dessert Recipes

C hristmas time is one of the most joyous times of the year. With a spirit of giving and happiness in the air, Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays of our life.

Cooking is the main component of Christmas. With the whole family gathered at one location, food is the glue that binds us together.

But, what do you cook which will wow all your guests, and wont make you spend an eternity in the kitchen, away from all the revelry is a question every one faces!

In this eBook, we have provided you with a bunch of recipes both sweet and savory. The recipes are easy to make, and will assure that you spend Christmas in the living room (or if it is warm enough, in the backyard) with your family and not in the kitchen, like you always spend it every year.

We would like to thank you for downloading this eBook and hope that the recipes that we have provided will help you celebrate Christmas with even more joy!

C hristmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. - Washington Irving

Hear hear!

Hosting family dinners for Christmas can be a lot of work, especially for all you women. You need to make sure your house is spic and span (so that your mother-in-law cant complain about the dust on your mantel, and how youre trying to kill her son who has a dust allergy!), make sure all the expensive crystal filigrees are on the topmost shelf (after all, there are going to be kids in the house who can break them) and cook that perfect, satiating and delicious meal for a whole bunch of people (who cant wait to find something wrong with your cooking!)

On the other hand, you are creating family traditions, and most of all memories. In years to come, you will forget your hard work, forget you burned a finger or someone broke your vase, but, you will remember the amazing time you have.

Similarly, everyone will forget if you had a speck of dust on your carpet or your dog slobbered on them and even forget that your little one spilled red wine on their expensive white suit, but they will always remember the efforts you put into cooking the meal for them!

So, make it a point to cook a delicious, hearty meal that everyone will remember and cherish for life. After all, Christmas just comes around once a year!

In the next chapter we have provided you with a bunch of delicious, mouth-watering recipes, which will make you the new Masterchef of your family, we guarantee!

I ngredients:

• Candied Cherries: 8 ounces
• Candied Mixed Citrus Peel: 4 ounces
• Raisins: 1 cup
• Dried Currants: cup
• Dates: cup, pitted and quartered
• Almonds: 2 ounces, blanched and thinly sliced
• Brandy: cup
• All-Purpose Flour: cup + 1 cup
• Baking Soda: teaspoon
• Cloves: teaspoon, ground
• Allspice: teaspoon, ground
• Cinnamon: teaspoon, ground
• Salt: teaspoon
• Butter: cup, softened
• Brown Sugar: 1 cup, packed
• Eggs: 3
• Molasses: 6 tablespoons
• Apple Juice: 6 tablespoons

Preparation:

1. Mix together the citrus peel, almonds, cherries, dried currants, dates and raisins in a medium sized bowl. Pour in the brandy and lightly mix and let the mixture stand overnight. (If you do not have time, let it stand for at least 2 hours)
2. Lightly dredge the overnight soaked fruits with the cup flour.
3. Switch on your oven and crank up the heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) and let it preheat. Lightly spray a 3 inch deep 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray it with the cooking spray again. Keep aside.
4. Sieve together the remaining 1 cup all-purpose flour, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Keep aside.
5. Lightly cream the butter in a large bowl using a manual or an electronic hand blender; do not over beat or else it will split.
6. Slowly add in the brown sugar and eggs, taking care the ingredients incorporate and there are no lumps.
7. In another bowl, combine the molasses and apple juice together.
8. Alternatingly add the flour mix and the apple juice mix into the butter mix, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
9. Add in the dredged fruit, and fold clockwise.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and pop into the preheated oven.
11. Let it bake for 3 to 3 and half hours or until a skewer poked in the center comes out clean.
12. Let the cake rest for a while before lifting it using the parchment sheet.
13. Place on a cooling rack and let completely cool before wrapping it loosely in a waxed paper.
14. Store the cake in an airtight container, away from direct sunlight.

I ngredients:

• Peppermint Candy Canes: 15, small sized
• White Chocolate: 1 pound

Preparation:

1. Place some aluminum foil in a jellyroll pan, making sure it covers all corners.
2. Cut the white chocolate into chunks and place in a bowl. Boil water in a vessel and place the bowl with white chocolate on it, making sure the bowl doesnt touch the water.
3. Keep stirring until the white chocolate completely melts and there are no lumps left in it.
4. Put the peppermint candy canes between two waxed paper sheets or in a plastic bag. Break the peppermint candy canes into uneven chunks using a pestle, rolling pin or mallet. Do not crush into a powder.
5. Mix the peppermint candy cane chunks into the melted white chocolate and mix well.
6. Pour the mix into the prepared jellyroll pan and smoothen with a spatula.
7. Pop into the freezer and chill for about an hour or so until the chocolate hardens.
8. Once chilled, slam the pan on the table top and break the brittle into pieces.

I ngredients:

• Milk: 2 cups
• Cloves: 3, whole
• Vanilla Extract: teaspoon + 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon: teaspoon, ground
• Egg Yolks: 6
• White Sugar: cup
• Light Rum: 1 cup
• Light Cream: 2 cups
• Nutmeg: teaspoon, ground

Preparation:

1. Heat together the milk, teaspoon vanilla extract, cloves and ground cinnamon in a thick bottomed saucepan over low heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Pour in the hot mixture slowly, continuously whisking it.
4. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium heat for 3 minutes. Keep stirring it all the while, until the mixture thickens. Make sure this mix doesnt start bubbling.
5. Strain the hot mix to remove the cloves and cool the mixture for about an hour.
6. When the mixture is at room temperature, mix in the 1 teaspoon leftover vanilla extract, ground nutmeg and rum, until all the ingredients are incorporated.
7. Chill in the fridge overnight and serve cold.

I ngredients: