Christmas Recipes

Eggnog (No alcohol) Wassail Adult Drinks Roasted or Boiled Chestnuts Mince Pie Filling ("Mincemeat" without meat) Stollen Marzipan Eggnog (no alcohol) 2 eggs Juice of 1 orange 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 TBSP vanilla 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/2 pint whipping cream (heavy cream) 1 quart milk In blender or with mixer, mix eggs, orange juice, Sweetened Condensed milk, vanilla, and spices. Pour into punch bowl. Whip the cream to soft peaks and add. Add milk and stir. Makes 1/2 gallon. Wassail "Wassail" originally referred to the caroling that earned the carolers a cup; later it came to mean the drink itself, and the wassail bowl was born. The word "wassail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "waes hael," meaning "be well." The custom is for the host to raise a glass and cry "waes hael!", to which everyone responds with the cheer, "drinc hael!" (drink well!). Wassail has its own carol (click here to hear). The lyrics of the song, and the recipe for Wassail follow:   Wassail song Oh here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green, Oh here we come a-wandering So fair to be seen. Refrain: Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too, And God bless you and send you A Happy New Year, A Happy New Year. Our wassail cup is made Of the rosemary tree, And so is your beer Of the best barley. (Refrain) Call up the Butler of this house, Put on his golden ring; Let him bring us a glass of beer And better we shall sing. (Refrain) Bring us out a table, And spread it with a cloth; Bring us out some mouldy cheese, And some of your Yule loaf. (Refrain) Wassail Recipe 1 bottle burgundy or claret 6 eggs 1/2 cup water 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 2 cloves 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon mace 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups sugar 6 baked apples Heat the bottle of red wine. Meanwhile separate the eggs. Beat the yokes and whites separately, then fold both together (egg whites should be stiff). Put spices in water and heat for afew minutes to release flavor. Now pour all into a punch bowl (er, wassail bowl) along with baked apples. Serve warm. Adult Drinks Hot Buttered Rum Mix 1 lb Brown Sugar 1/2 lb salted Butter 1 tsp ground Nutmeg 1 tsp ground Cinnamon 1 tsp ground Cloves 1 tsp ground Cardamom 1 tsp Vanilla Blend all ingredients in a food processer or mixer and store in the refrigerator. To make a drink add a shot of dark rum along with 1 or 2 TBSP of mix to a mug of very hot water. Christmas Hot Chocolate 6 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa 6 TBSP. sugar Pinch of salt 2 1/2 cup milk 2 1/2 cup light cream 1/2 tsp. vanilla (or more) Rumpelminz or other Peppermint Schnapps Whipped Cream Mix cocoa, salt, and sugar. Add milk. Heat to dissolve. Add light cream and vanilla. Heat to just under boiling. Mix very well and pour into warm mug. Stir a shot of Rumpelminz into each glass and top with whipped cream. Roasted or Boiled Chestnuts First, select chesnuts with firm, brown, shiny shells, avoiding those that are dull, shrivelled, cracked, or that have any pinholes in them. With a very sharp knife, make an X in each shell so they won't explode during cooking. To roast over an open fire: put in a popcorn type popper made for use in the fireplace, and cover. Roast a few inches away from the heat source, shaking the pan so they won't char. Cook until skins are black, but not charred -- about 5 to 10 minutes. Peel and eat. To roast on the stove-top: put them in a chestnut pan (they have holes in the bottom). Sprinkle with water and shake across the burner for about 5-10 minutes. Peel and eat. To boil: Simply boil for 10 minutes. Peel and eat. Mince Pie Filling ("Mincemeat" without meat) Mincemeant pies are supposed to be baked in an oblong shape to recall Jesus' crib. The cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are said to symbolize the gifts of the Magi. These pies were once made illegal by Puritan Oliver Cromwell, Lord Chancellor of England, because it was considered a "popish" dish. 3 1/2 pounds small pippin apples (about 7), peeled, cored, chopped 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes 1/2 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup dried currants 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup unsulfured (light) molasses 1/4 cup brandy 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 TBSP dark rum 1 TBSP grated orange peel 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Pinch of salt Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cook over low heat until apples are very tender and mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool filling completely. (Can be prepared up to 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Pour into pie crust and top with a top crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and mince bubbles, about 40 minutes. Cool completely and serve with whipped cream, hard sauce, or ice cream. Stollen 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/4-ounce packet dry yeast 1/2 cup warm (105° to 115°F) milk 1/3 cup sugar 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 TBSP, melted 2 TBSP cognac 1 cup blanched almonds, chopped 1 1/2 cups raisins, chopped 1/3 cup mixed candied citrus peel 1 TBSP grated zest of lemon sifted confectioners sugar Into a large bowl, sift 3 cups of flour with the salt. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in half the milk. Make a well in the center of the flour and salt mixture; then add the yeast and milk, sugar, 2 sticks of butter, and cognac. Mix well to combine, adding enough additional flour to form a smooth, elastic dough. On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough out and knead for 3 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in it, turning to coat well with oil. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for about 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough. Knead in the almonds, raisins, citrus peel, and zest. Allow the dough to rise once more until almost doubled in bulk. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a 10-inch round. Fold the round almost in half, flatten, and shape to form an oval. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the stollen with melted butter. Bake, brushing with butter every 10 minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. (When cooled, may be wrapped in several layers of foil and store in the refrigerator--the cake will keep for 3 to 4 weeks.) Dust with confectioners sugar and serve. Marzipan 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar ½ pound of very finely ground blanched almonds or prepared almond paste 2 egg whites ½ teaspoon of salt ½ teaspoon of almond extract Food colorings (see recipe) Blend all of the ingredients but food colorings together until smooth and completely blended together. Wrap or cover tightly and chill until firm. Let come to room temperature, then divide dough as needed, add any liquid coloring, if using, a very few drops at a time to desired color. Knead until blended and then form into shapes. Or form into shapes before coloring, then paint with liquid food colorings added to water. Or, form into shapes before coloring, and then use powdered food coloring, let dry for 6 hours, and then set the colors by holding the marzipans over steam for a few seconds (this method is said to make the best-looking marzipan). Tips: Shape into roses and other flowers, Saints' symbols, liturgical symbols, Christmas symbols (stars, ornaments, trees, wreaths, poinsettia, Christmas Roses), Easter symbols (eggs, bells, lilies), fruits, vegetables, letters, numbers, a pig for the Danish or Norwegian Christmas pudding, etc. Alternatively, roll flat and cut using cookie cutters. Use toothpicks to make creases, dimples or designs. Gently roll shapes against graters, mashers, tea strainers, toothbrushes (reserved for the purpose, of course), etc., for textural effects. Cloves can be used for stems top or bottom on fruit shapes. Cocoa powder works well for making the color brown. Marzipan shapes or balls can be dipped in mixture of 16 oz. Hershey's special dark chocolate and 5 squares unsweetened chocolate melted together (in double boiler or microwave).

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