Cranberry Mostarda

This is one of the first recipes I ever pinned on Pinterest. The original recipe called for cherries but pitting cherries is just so much work so I never got around to making the recipe.

Then when looking for ideas for our Christmas gift baskets, I had the bright idea to make it with cranberries instead!

The result is a savoury, rich cranberry sauce that would be fantastic over pork or duck. It would probably also be pretty yummy over melted brie.

Adapted from Family Style Food, makes approximately 3 cups

Ingredients

1 pound cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Directions

Combine the cranberries, sugar, vinegar, wine and spices in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat for approximately one hour until thickened.

Stir in the mustard and remove from the heat.

To can, ladle into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Gently tap to remove bubbles, wipe the rim clean and place the lid on the jar. Tighten just until finger tip tight. Process in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the jars without tilting and allow to cool upright for 24 hours. Any jars that have not sealed should be refrigerated. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

If you don't want to jar, the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

♥  Amy

Candy Cane Marshmallows

A colourful treat I made for our Christmas gift baskets. I dusted mine with red sugar for an extra festive effect.

These are heavenly in hot cocoa.

Adapted from Martha Stewart, makes 48 1" marshmallows

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
4 packages gelatin
3/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 egg whites
Red or pink food colouring
Icing sugar, for dusting

Directions

Coat an 8" square pan with oil or cooking spray. Dust the pan with icing sugar.

Beat the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

Stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Continue to heat over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches 260 F on a candy thermometer.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the second 3/4 cup of water. Stir in the extract. Gently, whisk the gelatin into the hot sugar mixture.

With the stand mixer running on low speed, slowly add the sugar mixture to the egg whites. Increase the speed to high and whisk until the mixture thickens, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Add drops of food colouring, if desired. Swirl with a toothpick to create a marble effect. Allow the marshmallows to cool at room temperature for at least three hours.

Gentle remove from the pan and cut into 1" squares. Dust lightly with icing sugar.

♥  Amy

Recipe Rewind: Sugar Cookies with Egg Nog Frosting

Adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet, makes three dozen cookies

Ingredients

6 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups icing sugar
6 tablespoons eggnog
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream. Beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. The dough will be very sticky. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into rectangles. Wrap each rectangle with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

Dust the dough and counter top with flour. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a large round cookie cutter cut the dough into circles and transfer the circles to the baking sheet.

Bake for 7 minutes or until starting to turn golden.

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Add in the eggnog 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. Add the nutmeg and beat to combine.

Frost the cookies using a knife or spatula. Refrigerate overnight to allow the frosting to set and the flavours to develop.

♥  Amy

Paleo Dairy-Free Eggnog

David loves eggnog. It took me several trips to the grocery store to make the eggnog ice cream because the eggnog kept disappearing before I could get it into the ice cream.

Unfortunately store bought eggnog contains a long list of undesirable ingredients including modified milk ingredients, processed sugars and preservatives - a long cry from the traditional recipe of milk, eggs, spices and rum!

Needless to say I was quite happy to find a paleo eggnog recipe on Pinterest. It is not quite as creamy as traditional milk-based eggnog but still delicious.

Adapted from Allergy Free Alaska, makes 1 litre 

Ingredients

4 cups almond milk
3 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon honey or sweetener of your choice, optional
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, or more to taste, freshly grated if possible
3/4 cup rum, optional

Directions

Slice the vanilla bean down the middle lengthwise. Scrap out the seeds. Add both the pod and seeds to a medium saucepan. Add the the almond milk, cloves and cinnamon. Over low heat, slowly bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep.

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and honey. Whisk until light and fluffy.

Slowly add the hot milk to the eggs, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Return the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan. Add the nutmeg. Heat over low temperature, stirring constantly for two minutes until heated through.

Chill overnight before serving. Add rum immediately before serving if desired.

♥  Amy

Eggnog Ice Cream

I got nominated to make dessert for Christmas dinner on both sides of the family this year. We celebrated with Dave's family this past weekend and I made sticky toffee pudding with eggnog ice cream.

The cake was an epic failure since it simply refused to bake. I cooked it almost 30 minutes longer than the 40 minute recommended time and it was still molten in the middle.

The ice cream, however, was fantastic.

Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from David Lebovitz Perfect Scoop, makes 1 litre

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 cups eggnog
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon brandy
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, salt and sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pour the eggnog into a large bowl. Set a fine mesh sieve over top.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Pour some of the warm milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Transfer the yolks into the sauce pan and stir to combine with the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens to form a custard that will coat the back of a spatula. Stir constantly, making sure to scrap the bottom of the saucepan.

Add the custard to the eggnog, straining it through the sieve. Add the vanilla extract, rum, brandy and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Refrigerate until chilled thoroughly or overnight.

Transfer the custard to the ice cream maker. Freeze mixture according to ice cream maker instructions.

♥  Amy

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Nothing says Christmas like the smell of gingerbread!

 

Adapted from Taste of Home, makes 16 large cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus additional for dusting
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses, beat until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in extra sugar if desired.  Place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart, press to flatten slightly.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. 

♥  Amy

Thin Mint Cookies

My second batch of Christmas cookies. These are reminiscent of the Girl Guide mint cookies and are very addictive. Be sure to cut them thin or they will turn out hard instead of crispy.

From Baking Bites, makes 2 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

10 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. With the mixer on low, add the milk, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Gradually add in the dry ingredients.

Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 1-1/2 inch diameter log. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for an hour until the dough is very firm.

Preheat the over to 375 F. Remove the dough from the freezer and slice the dough into rounds no more than 1/4 inch thick. Place the rounds onto a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm at the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Add the peppermint extract. Dip each of the cookies into the melted chocolate and allow to set on a wire rack.

Amy

Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting

It is officially the Christmas baking season!

Nothing says Christmas like eggnog so I couldn't resist this recipe. Soft fluffy sugar cookies topped with rich eggnog frosting... these cookies are heavenly...

Adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet, makes three dozen cookies

6 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar 
3 eggs 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
4 cups icing sugar 
6 tablespoons eggnog 
1 teaspoon nutmeg


In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream. Beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. The dough will be very sticky. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into rectangles. Wrap each rectangle with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

Dust the dough and countertop with flour. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2-1/2 inch round cookie cutter or a glass, cut the dough into circles and transfer the circles to the baking sheet. 


Bake for 7 minutes or until starting to turn golden.

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Add in the eggnog, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. Add the nutmeg and beat to combine. 

Frost the cookies using a knife or spatula. Refrigerate overnight to allow the frosting to set and the flavours to develop.

Enjoy!


Amy