Iron Chef Christmas Entry Thread

Here is the Iron Chef Christmas Entry Thread.

This thread is for posting entries only, rules and discusssion posted here.

The competion has already opened, and will be running until Sunday 3rd Januray, 2010, at Midnight. This should give you sufficent time pre and post Christmas to get your entries in!

 

Amfibius' Christmas Black Forest Trifle

This is a complex multi-layered dessert that took me 2 days to make. The components of the dessert are as follows:

- Chocolate biscuit base
- Flourless chocolate sponge
- Kirsch soaked cherries
- Cherry syllabub
- Chocolate-cherry ganache
- Kirsch jelly
- Cherry syllabub topping
- Garnish with kirsch jelly and candied angelica



Some of the ingredients





Making the flourless chocolate sponge. Egg whites, and egg yolks are beaten seperately, then molten chocolate and butter is poured in with the yolks. The two are folded together very carefully and poured into a cake tin. Do this right, and you have a lighter than air sponge, without any trace of heaviness you get from most sponges.



The completed cake. Repeat 3 times to make enough for all 25 trifles.



Cherries soaking with kirsch and some cinammon.



Plastic wine glasses about to be filled with the trifle.



Chocolate biscuit base at the bottom.

For the cherry syllabub: Beat 4 egg yolks together with cream and kirsch over a double boiler. Continue stirring until thickened, then add 2 softened gelatine leaves.



Cherries sitting on the chocolate base, sponge, and cherry syllabub. After this, the trifles go into the freezer so that when the jelly mixture is poured in, little bits of syllabub won't break off and cloud the jelly.





The completed dessert.

 

I definately didnt take these photos with the intention of posting them for the xmas thread however at the risk of Amfibius being left alone id thought id make it a little bit more fun.
This is a recipe shared by mrs dan77 so let us call it

mrs dan77's:
Kahlua ice-cream plum pudding Dark chocolate cream sauce & chocolate dipped strawberries



Soak some fruit mix inc the peel (yes i love peel) in ALOT of Kahlua over night




Par melt some ice cream and add the Kahlua soaked fruit mix together well


line a container with baking paper and fill with the boozy mix - this will make it easier when removing it after it has set






whip some cream, melt some dark chocolate and mix half of each in a bowl
now spoon each of the ingredients into a glass of your choice in any order.
Dip a couple of cherries in the chocolate mix and place ontop
Serve with a long spoon

The best part of this is that there is multiple layers of chocolate that set hard
Pushing through each one and finding a creamy fruity layer underneath makes it feel like youve uncovered a little present


I also made some Xmas spuds
They contain Dessicated Coconut
Icing Sugar
Condensed Milk
Chopped Apricots

then out in the fridge to set and coat them in Melted white or milk chocolate
and some edible decorations







Suckling Pig

the taste was magnificent!
The suckling took 6.5 - 7 hours to cook properly
i started with a small amount of charcoal and built the fire up gradually.
It was basted inside and out in freshly squeezed lemon and a fruity olive oil
every hour i used my coffee grinder to blitz rock salt into a fine powder and rubbed it into the skin (although it got a bit hot to touch later so i would sprinkle it over / or use my basting brush)

There was so much crackling it was incredible. I dropped the pig closer to the heat source and added some wood charcoal. The flames that built from this kissed the pig skin and make it crackle perfectly!

Over all it was alot of work and definately well worth it.
The best pig and crackling any of us had tasted before.













Weber - Moroccan Lamb & Honey Mustard Basil Lamb

 

AussieHuskies Christmas Feast

So heres the feast from my yearly orphan christmas:
Roast Turkey
Roast Pork
Roast Chicken
Leek and Bacon Stuffing
Roast Vegies
Spanakopita
Smoked Salmon with Sour cream and dill
Shaved ham with mustard
Gratin Dauphinoise
Caesar Salad
Pavlova
Christmas Cake

Now, not all of these require recipes (The ham, chicken, and salmon) but for the rest I'll list my recipes, and chuck in photos where I remembered to take them. I also did uber garlicy butter herb bread, but it got eaten before I thought to take a pic, so I didnt include it.

Roast Turkey:
Ingredients

• 3.4Kg Turkey
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2L Vegetable stock
• 1/2 tbsp pepper corns
• 1 tsp Allspice berries
• 1tsp Candied Ginger

Method:

1. Combine everything except the turkey in a pot large enough to hold the Turkey, then bring to the boil, then allow to cool.
2. Once the brine has cooled, rinse the Turkey in cold water, then add the turkey to the brine and add enough cold water to cover, leave overnight in the mix.
   
3. Rinse the turkey inside and out, place on roasting racks, stuff and tie up the legs, fold the wing tips under the breast, and rub in peanut oil.
   
4. Place the turkey in an oven preheated to 250C for 20-25 minutes.
5. Remove the turkey from the oven, add a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the breast, wrap the baking tray in 2 layers of alfoil and return to the oven while dropping the temp to 155C and cook until the breast hits 72C, remove and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
   

Roast Pork:
Ingredients

• Dutch Cinnamon
• 1.4kg Pork shoulder

Method:

1. Rub the pork in the cinnamon
2. Wrap the roast tightly in 2 or 3 layers of alfoil
3. Bake for 4 hours at 100C, Or in this case, 150C for 2 hours
4. Remove the alfoil, save all of the juices (You should have around 250ml of juices, if you dont you havent sealed it properly)
5. Bake for another 20 minutes to crispen
   

Leek and Bacon Stuffing:
Ingredients

• 3Tbsp Thyme
• 3Tbsp Dill
• 3 finely diced medium button mushrooms
• handfull of walnuts and hazelnuts, diced
• 4 rashers of smokey bacon
• 3 large leeks, finely sliced
• 5cm of Kumera, peeled and diced
• 50g butter
• 2 Slices worth of breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp panko

Method:

1. 
   
2. In a large heavy based saute pan, melt the butter then add the leeks, fry on a low heat until carmelised (10-15min)
3. Add the kumera to a pot of boiling water and boil until soft
4. Add the bacon into the leeks and fry, when cooked add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
5. Throw in the herbs and nuts, then remove from heat.
6. When the kumera is soft, drain and then mash.
7. Add 2 Slices worth of breadcrumbs, and the panko
8. Add the Kumera
9. Fold together, if its too dry add a little stock.

Roast Vegies:
Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Rock Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Taragon
• Kumera
• Pumpkin
• Garlic

Method:

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes, Peel and dice the pumpkin & kumera
2. In a large pot, add tepid water, a tsp of salt, and a dash of olive oil
3. Add the potatoes and bring to the boil
4. Boil until the outer layer of the potatos are soft
5. Drain in a collander, lightly swirling the potatoes to graze the surface
6. Add the vegetables into a tray, add all the herbs, salt, and pepper and cover liberally with olive oil
7. Bake until golden, you may need to bring the oven up to 200C in the last 5minutes to accomplish this.

Spanakopita:

Ingredients

• 1 pack frozen finely chopped spinach
• 200g Ricotta
• 240g Fetta
• 3 Sliced Spring onions
• 4tbsp chopped Dill
• 4tbsp chopped Parsley
• 5 cloves of diced garlic
• Filo Pastry
• knob of butter
  

Method:

1. Fry the white parts of the onion in the butter until soft, add in the garlic and green sections of the onion.
2. Fry for 2 minutes then add the spinach and herbs and turn off the heat.
3. Thoroughly mix through the fetta and ricotta.
4. Lay out a sheet of filo, brush with butter and repeat until you have 4 sheets thick. Spoon in your spinach mix, then fold the filo shut, seal with butter.
5. Bake until golden
   

Gratin Dauphinoise:
Ingredients

• Potato
• Cream
• Milk
• Garlic
• Jaarlsburg
• Pepper
• Bacon
• Butter

I havent listed amounts because it will depend on how much you make up, but it should be a 3/2 ratio of cream to milk.
Method:

1. Peel and finely slice your potato (Mandolin is very helpful)
2. Smear your baking dish with butter, then sprinkle the bottom liberally with garlic and shredded onion.
3. Put down two layers of potato, then sprinkle garlic, a small amount of finely grated cheese, and crushed pepper, then repeat 3 times.
4. Add in your cream and milk up to the top layer of potato
5. Cover with cheese and bacon.

Caesar Salad:
Ingredients

• Bacon
• Caesar Salad Dressing
• 4 Eggs
• Parmesaan Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Salt
• Fluffy White bread rolls
• Cos Lettuce, Inner leaves work best

Method:

1. Harboil the eggs, allow to cool, then peel and quarter
2. Slice the bacon into small peices then fry until crispy
3. Create 1cm cubes with the bread, roll in olive oil and garlic salt, then bake until golden
4. Slice the lettuce, add in all the ingredients and toss.

Pavlova:
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 6 eggwhites
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 & 1/3 cups caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 250ml Thickened Cream
• 1tbsp Powdered sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Beat eggwhites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until soft peaks form.
3. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until thick and glossy then add the other 3 teaspoons cornflour.
4. Fold through vanilla and vinegar, the mix should be firm and stiff, if its not you may need to whip it a little more.
5. Spoon meringue onto baking paper. Shape into a circle, place into the oven then reduce to 100°C. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until dry and crisp. Turn off oven and open oven door. Cool completely in oven.
6. Whip the cream and the icing sugar together until it holds firm peaks, then cover the pavlova
7. Slice up some fruit and cover (I used passionfruit, blackberries, and mango)

Christmas Cake:
Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour
• 250 g butter
• 250 g soft dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 kg mixed dried fruit (With and Glace Cherries Peel)
• 50 g glace cherries
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sweet vermouth or rum or scotch
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup sherry wine
• 1/4 cup port wine

Method:

1. Soak the fruit (Excluding the extra cherries) in the Alcohol in the fridge for 3 days and stir twice a day, You can substitute any of the liquors for any others you like as long as their fruity.
2. Beat the Butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters until the the mix is pale, light and fluffy and has almost doubled in volume.
3. Break the eggs into a cup then add them in to the butter mix 1 tbsp at a time otherwise the mix will curdle, Dont worry if the mix curdles, just keep stiring and eventually it will stop curdling.
4. Sift together the flour and spices then alternate between folding in 1 cup of flour, then 1 cup of fruit mix stirring after each addition until its all gone.
5. Line a 20cm (8inch) round cake tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture, knocking it a few times to release any air bubbles and flatten the top. Using the extra cherries make a pattern on top of the cake.
6. Place the cake tin on a newspaper lined baking tray and seal the top of the cake tin in alfoil ensuring the alfoil is not touching the cake with 1cm or so to spare.
7. Put the cake in the centre of a pre heated oven at 150C and bake for 3 and ¾ hours, If the cake starts to brown to quickly reduce to 130C and place baking paper over the top of the tin.
8. For best flavor wrap the cake in baking paper and store it in a air tight container for 3 months to let the taste mature.
9. Serve with Brandy Custard!.

God!, That took forever to write up!, heres a pic of it all at the end, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as my friends did eating it all!.

For anyone wondering, the brine helps to make the turkey cook more evenly by saturating the flesh with an even amount of liquid, this makes the breast deliciously soft and moist, theres never any left.
Cramming everything into the oven was interesting, we had to do a trial run and use some very creative methods to get all the pans and their roasting trays to fit!.

 

mrs dan77's Christmas goodie basket

Every year, I make a goodie basket for my Dad for Christmas. He loves it! Here is this year's offering.

• Christmas Cake
• Brandy Butter
• Marinated Labna Cheese
• Hazelnut Dukkah
• Sourdough Rye Bread
• Pistachio and Cranberry Shortbread
• Spice Cookies
• Marinated Olives
• Berry and Red Wine Sauce

​

For the Christmas cake(s): I Made 7 this year, hence the large quantities. This is loosely based on an old traditional Scottish recipe handed down the family (but modified heavily!)
1.5kg Butter
1kg Brown Sugar
18 Eggs
1 Cup Treacle
2 Cups Glucose Syrup
5L pre-soaked Fruit in Rum/Sherry
1.5kg Plain Flour
2 Cups Cocoa
1 1/2 cup Milk
2 Tspn Baking Soda
1 Cup-ish mixed spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Allspice, Clove, Coriander)

Pre-soak your mixed fruit in a dark rum/dry sherry mix for at least two weeks before making the cakes.

Beat Butter & sugar to a cream, add eggs one at a time, then syrups, then flour & spices. Here, I reserved 1/8 quantity for making spice cookies in another bowl. Lastly, add soda dissolved in hot milk & mix thoroughly.

Bake in slow oven 130 degrees Celc for approx 5 Hours with cakes wrapped in foil and thoroughly lined tins with a waterbath underneath to prevent moisture loss.


For the Brandy Butter:
1 kg Butter
700ml Brandy
250gm Cornflour
750gm (or to taste) Pure Icing Sugar

Beat butter and sugar to a cream. Add cornflour and brandy alternatively until all used up. Spoon into small containers to give as gifts with the Christmas cakes.


For the Marinated Labna Cheese:
1kg Natural Premium Yoghurt
Pinch of Salt
Oil
Fresh Herbs

Mix the salt intot he yoghurt. This helps speed up the process of drawing the moisture away. Pour the yoghurt into a large piece of cheesecloth (you can just use a pre-rinsed new Chux cloth) and pull up the corners to make into a ball. Suspend the ball of yoghurt over a bowl in the fridge, and leave for about a week, or until the yoghurt ball has halved in size and is now pliable.

Shape into bite-sized balls, and roll in finely chopped fresh herbs. I used a mixture of garlic chives and parsley. Place in a clean jar, and pour oil over the top to completely cover.


For the Hazelnut Dukkah: With respect to this recipe:
1 1/2 cups Hazelnuts, roasted and rubbed to remove skins
80g (1/2 cup) sesame seeds
2 tbs coriander seeds
2 tbs cumin seeds
3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp flaked sea salt

Pulse hazelnuts in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add salt. Dry-fry remaining ingredients in a heavy pan until fragrant, and stir in. Transfer to airtight jars to store.


For the Berry and Red Wine Sauce:
250gm Strawberries
250gm Blueberries
250gm Raspberries
125gm Blackberries
125gm Dried Cranberries
1L Red Wine
1 Vanilla Pod
2 strips Orange Zest
1L Wtaer
250gm Caster Sugar

Simmer all ingredients on the stove, scraping off the foam as it rises, for about 2 hours, until reduced to 1/4 of it's original volume. Pick out the vanilla pod husk, and the orange rind strips and discard. Blend the pulp into a sauce - some lumps are still ok! Pour the hot sauce into clean, sterilised jars and seal so that they create a vacuum.


That's all I'm going to be able to write up, for the sake of time and space.


Here is the completed hamper.


Click to view full size!


All of my pix are in OCAU pics - I'm not going to have time to load! Oh well, good luck guys!