With Julia Merrington
Cumquat Marmalade
This simple Cumquat Marmalade is a lazy cook’s version, based loosely on a Stephanie Alexander recipe. It does require a bit of chopping but is the most delicious marmalade ever, and makes a great Christmas gift because it seems to be everyone's favourite preserve. We strongly suggest making double qualities so you can keep some yourself - you will regret it if you don’t!
Yields about 6 jars. Preparation time, 30 minutes. Total cooking time, 50 minutes. You will need a large heavy bottomed steel or jam pan, 6 clean jam jars and 6 lids.
Ingredients
- 1.5K firm ripe cumquats, washed, with stalks removed.
- 1.5kg white sugar (approximately)
- Water (see recipe)
- 6 clean jam jars
Method
- Using a sharp knife, slice the cumquats in small wedges, removing and reserving any pips.
- Place the chopped fruit into a large bowl with the pips tied in clean muslin or in a tea ball infuser. Pour in enough cold water to just cover the chopped fruit and allow to sit for about 1 hour.
- Use a cup measure to transfer the chopped fruit and liquid and pips to a large steel pan or jam pan. Count how many cups as you go.
- Transfer the pan to the stove on a medium heat and simmer until the cumquats are soft (about 30 minutes)
- Add the same number of cups of sugar as cups of fruit and water (for 8 cups of fruit and liquid add 8 cups of sugar), and cook on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Turn the heat to high and boil, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes or until the marmalade reaches ‘setting point’.
- Note: You’ve reached the setting point, when you spoon a few drops of marmalade onto a cold plate, and when slightly cooled (about a minute), the marmalade wrinkles slightly when pushed with a teaspoon.
- Ladle the hot marmalade into warm clean jars and screw on the lids. Allow to cool. Wipe with a damp warm cloth, label and store in a dry cool place for up to one year.
Chocolate Reindeer Cupcakes
This is a fun and tasty Christmas recipe to make with the kids for friends and family. We advise aprons!
Makes 12. Prep 40 mins. Cooking time: 15 mins.
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge
- 100g selfraising flour, sifted
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
- 2 cups icing sugar mixture, sifted
- 100g butter, softened
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cocoa
To decorate
- 24 white chocolate bits (for eyes)
- 12 red and brown chocolate beans (for noses)
- 24 pretzel knots (for antlers)
- 12 white chocolate buttons (for their snout)
- 50g dark chocolate, melted (for eyes)
You'll need
- 12 large red or red patterned patty pans
- Small clean paintbrush
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a 12 hole patty pan tin with the paper patty pans.
- For the chocolate sponge. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the softened butter and caster sugar and process until light and fluffy. Add the salt and vanilla extract and process again. Add one of the eggs, half the sifted flour, the second egg and then the cocoa and remaining flour. Process until you have a smooth batter, scraping the mixer bowl down at least once to make sure it's all fully combined.
- Using 2 dessert spoons, divide the batter evenly between the 12 patty pans (each will be about half full of batter). Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and cooked through (check this by inserting either a metal skewer or thin knife. If it comes out clean, the cakes are ready). Remove from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly before icing and decorating.
- For the icing. In a stand mixer add 100g of softened butter, vanilla extract, the sifted cocoa and icing sugar mixture. Process till smooth and fluffy. Spread the chocolate icing onto each cool cupcake starting in the center until each little cake is covered. Reserve a little chocolate icing to make the reindeer faces.
- Place two small pretzel knots together just overhanging the edge of each cake to make the reindeer antlers. Place the large white chocolate button below the pretzels to make a snout and pipe a little chocolate icing in the centre to stick down either a brown or red chocolate button to make your reindeers’ nose.
- Just below the pretzel antlers, stick down 2 small round white chocolate bits to make the eyes. Using a clean paintbrush, place a tiny dot of dark chocolate in the centre of each eye and your reindeers are ready for tasty Christmas adventures.
Malibu white chocolate truffles
These are a luxurious gift, perfect for the special grownups in your life, but they are VERY moreish so make double!
Makes 24. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 200g good quality white eating chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup thick pure cream (not thickened)
- 25g butter
- 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 1 tablespoon Malibu coconut liquor (leave this out for kids)
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened desiccated or shredded coconut, to coat
Method
- Place the cream, butter and chopped chocolate in a small heavy pan on a very low heat. Melt slowly, stirring often, until everything is melted and combined.
- Remove from the heat add the Malibu and coconut. Mix well, transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 4 hours or until totally cool and set to a very thick paste consistency.
- Remove the white chocolate and coconut mix from the fridge and use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to scoop out rough balls of the mixture about 2.5cm across. Place a generous amount of desiccated coconut in the palm of your clean hand, place the rough chocolate ball on top of the coconut, scatter with a little more and roll between your two palms into a smooth ball totally coated with coconut.
- Transfer the completed snowball to a plate loosely scattered with more shredded coconut and repeat with the rest of the white chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tip: Because they contain cream, these snowballs should always be stored in a refrigerator and used within one week. They won’t last that long anyway!
