NYE Mincemeat and Apricot Plait

Happy New Years (Eve!!!) This is a quick recipe that I've rustled up this evening for my family - our last of 2012. It's super super quick (because it cuts corners) and is a very easy way of using up your leftover mincemeat. I wish you could have seen the one I made before because it was far better than the pictured (unfortunately we ate it already :D)

Mincemeat and Apricot Plait (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
225g ready-made puff pastry
1 jar of good-quality mincemeat (for example; Robertson's)
15 dried apricots
1 beaten egg

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C

1. Clean and then grease your work top surface
2. Roll out the puff pastry until about 1cm thick and in a rectangular shape
3. Place it so that the short end is facing you and the longer sides are running vertical 
4. Gently score, lengthways, markings of the thirds 
5. Evenly spread the mincemeat down the centre third 
6. Dice the apricots and place ontop of the mince
7. With the outer thirds, cut diagonal strips about 5cm thick on each side (so as they match), ensuring that they still remain attached to the middle body of the pastry
8. Begin with the left side and lay the top strip over the filling
9. Move to the right side and do the same
10. Continue until all the strips have been laid over the filling and resemble a plait shape
11. Now brush the pastry lightly with the egg and place in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and opaque
12. Serve cold with cream, custard or ice cream

Chocolate Yule Log

Glad Tidings! As Christmas is ever approaching - only 3 days to go :) - my search for culinary dishes more complex in taste AND decoration is beginning to hasten. Today, I decided to try Mary Berry's Chocolate Yule Log after searching on the internet and the result pool returning dry. In comfort, I turned to BBC iPlayer and found a Christmas episode of the Great British Bake Off. The chocolate log by Mary Berry looked absolutely delicious and rich so, with skepticism, I gave it a try. The part of the recipe I was most apprehensive about was making a cake that was thin enough to be rolled and then having to roll it without it cracking. Safe to say, this part was a great success and the entire cake turned out far far better than expected. You should be in complete comfort for this recipe as if I can do it, so can you. All that is required is a relaxed and focused mind, gentleness and slow working.

Chocolate Yule Log
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
100g caster sugar
65g self-raising flour
40g cocoa powder
icing sugar to dust

300ml double cream

300ml double cream
300g dark chocolate
OR 
Betty Crocker 'Rich & Creamy' Chocolate Frosting

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C

1. Grease and line a swiss roll tin (a metal cooking tin that it large so the mixture will spread very thinly)
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and slightly thicker (It should resemble a loose meringue mixture) 
3. Sift in the self-raising flour with the cocoa powder into the egg mixture and gently fold in, careful not to knock out the air of the mix
4. Spread thinly into the tin, ensuring that the mixture reaches the sides and bake for 8-10 mins (I found that mine was fine with only 8 mins)
5. Meanwhile, cut a piece of greaseproof paper that is larger than your tin that is now in the oven and dust liberally with icing sugar
6. Insert a skewer into the mixture once removed from the oven to check that it is cooked (it should come out clean without any sticky residue)
7. Quickly yet carefully, turn out the cake onto the parchment dusted with icing sugar and peel off the backing
8. Now, score a line about 2.5cm in, on the long side of the cake and roll tightly from this end, rolling the greaseproof paper inside of the cake (The scoring ensures that the cake will roll tightly and therefore won't unbind whilst cooling)
9. Leave to cool completely
10. Whisk 300ml of double cream until stiff
11. Once the cake is cooled, gently unwrap and spread the cream evenly inside
12. The re-roll without including the greaseproof paper
13. Roughly, cut about one third of the log at an angle and attach to the side of the longer end so that it resembles a thick branch (Place this on a serving dish)
14. Now make the ganache that will coat the log by heating 300ml of cream until scalding then removing from the heat
15. Add the chocolate broken into squares and stir continuously until melted
16. Place in a piping bag with star nozzle and pipe long verticle lines atop of the cake until completely covered 
17. To finish, sprinkle icing sugar over the top to create a snowy effect

OH YEAH Brownies!

These brownies are from a recipe I picked up on the internet but they are the best that I've ever had the pleasure of making!

Brownies
Ingredients:
100g butter in chunks
200g milk chocolate in chunks
4 eggs
250g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
30g cocoa powder
100g plain flour

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Individually place each chunk of chocolate with one of butter in a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water until melted. Then add the next pair of chunks
2. Continue until all is melted then leave to cool until room temperature
3. In this time, grease and line a square or round medium cake tin
4. Separately, whisk the eggs with the caster sugar until very pale and marginally thicker
5. Fold the chocolate into the above mixture until completely combined, taking care not to remove the air 
6. Sift together the baking powder, cocoa and plain flour in a separate bowl and the fold into the wet mixture
7. Spread into your tin and bake for 30 minutes
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool - the top should be a light orange/brown colour and slightly cracked. (N.B. If it is like this but a skewer reveals that the inside in still wet, do not return to the oven/ or panic - this is normal. Leave it to cool.)