Struffoli

How much do you love these right now?

They are marble size fried balls of dough that comes out to play at Christmas time in most Italian home. The dough is simply made with some flour, eggs, butter and some aromatic. Traditionally a few teaspoon of orange or lemon zest is added to the dough. For this recipe, I swap the zest for some grounded cinnamon, ginger and a dash of nutmeg to spice up the dough nice and merry.

What tempted me most about making this is that after frying, the entire ball is coated in honey! This makes my head spin with excitement. The honey coat also gives out a pretty shine and helps each morsel adhere to each other. I imagine them hugging together tightly.

The best part about waking up on Christmas morning is getting my hands all sticky by breaking off each piece and having them with my morning coffee. And getting those tiny bits of sprinkle stuck under my teeth is just half the fun.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis. Click here for the recipe.

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Christmas Pudding Bonbons

I am really excited about doing this post. These little bonbons are so cute and super festive that it will definitely be the star of your party.

I saw this on Nigella Lawson’s show and I just couldn’t wait to try it out. The recipe calls for using left over or freshly cooked Christmas pudding. Then mix it up with some luscious melted chocolate, golden syrup and a little sherry to give that merry effect. This is truly lovely and will make you feel like a rock star with your guest this holiday. If you can’t find golden syrup at your local grocery store then don’t worry simply substitute it with some clear honey. It will be fine. I also tried substituting it with marmalade jam and it was heavenly. You simply can’t resist taking a bite out of this baby Christmas pudding. It’s all wrapped up in luxury chocolate and decked up with tiny Christmas hollies.

So if you’re hosting a party this holiday how about adding this to your menu or if you are going out this holiday and getting all dressed up in your sparkly new party dress then bring these along for your host or hostess.

Christmas Pudding Bonbons

Ingredients
125g best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
350g leftover, or freshly cooked and cooled, Christmas pudding
60ml sherry
2 tablespoons golden syrup or you can use honey or even marmalade jam
  
To decorate
200g melted dark chocolate
100g melted white chocolate
A small amount of tinted marzipan in red and green. Shape them up to look like hollies

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Crumble or break up the cold Christmas pudding into a bowl like how you would if you’re making cake balls. Then add in the sherry and golden syrup and mix it well.

Now, pour in the melted dark chocolate to the pudding mixture. Mix it up nicely till you get a smooth paste. Then grab a melon baller or use a 1 tbs measuring spoon as a guide and scoop to form balls of the mixture and place them on a line baking sheet and let it rest in the refrigerator till it firms up.

Now, here comes the fun part. Decorating them!
Dip the balls in melted dark chocolate using a fork or skewer to hold them. Then set it back on to the parchment and let it rest in the fridge for 5 minutes or till the chocolate is set.

Place the melted white chocolate in a piping and snip off the tip. Piped it on the top of the bonbons to replicate the Christmas pudding sauce. Then top it with the hollies made out of marzipan to complete the look.

 Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson

 

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Gingerbread Men

This is a little last minute for me but, I just baked this batch of gingerbread men and I couldn’t wait to share this post with you. To me, these cute little fellas really know how to set the Christmas mood in my kitchen. They leave a lovely earthy scent that beats any scented candles out there. It can be very intoxicating.

Every year I try to dress them up differently to welcome the holidays, sometimes I give them tiny bow ties and sometimes i give them cute little buttons. This year I piped a bright red hearts on to each of them with some royal icing and they turn out looking pretty darn sweet.

I am putting a rush on this post, just so I will make it in time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas!!

I am really excited about Christmas Eve and I just can’t wait to cook my thirteen pound bird. She is a real beauty and I am hoping, delicious too. This year I am going with simplicity. It won’t be anything over the top, just the good old fashion Christmas Eve dinner with lots of egg nog. Then for the next couple of days, we will be having a whole lot of left overs. So, it’s kinda like, Christmas all over again.

 

 

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Mini Star Topped Mince Pie

Every Christmas, my sister and I would go crazy buying different boxes of mince pie from different stores in search for that perfect pie. This all started when we tried our very first bite about six years ago in Winchester, England. Needless, to say we both feel in love with this delicious Christmas pie and ever since then, the quest for the perfect mince pie was on.

So this Christmas, I am making these little darlings in hopes that it will bring back those fond memories of the time we spend in Winchester.

You can dress up your mince pie anyway you like really. For me, I have always loved mine, mini and star topped. Just because it looks so cute and festive and also because i feel that eating Christmas treats that small won’t hurt my chances of fitting into my skinny jeans.

 

Recipe source: Nigella Lawson

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Christmas Time

Christmas to me is all about having fun. It is about stuffing yourself silly with “special edition treats” that you can only find around this time of the year. It is about watching Christmas movies on lifetime that some might consider cheesy. It is also about slipping in your Christmas wish list to your loved ones and hopefully, you’re not on their naughty list. And sometimes, it can also be nostalgic. And lately, I am all about that.

So for this post I would like to share with you – my friends, what I did last year.

I made a holiday cheese ball studded with pistachios and cranberries for my sister’s awesome Christmas party.

And my mom made her famous antipasti platter.

I also did my Christmas baking in this beautifully decked up kitchen. I know, right?

I brought a tray of these super cute cupcakes to my aunt’s Christmas Eve party.

Don’t they look cute?

I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe and then decorated them with fondant for that Christmassy look. There is a melted showman, some Christmas hollies, and the little gingerbread men.

These are some of my mom’s precious collections that she proudly displays every year.

And then, there is this pretty banister that is all dressed up for the season. It can’t get any better than that.

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