‘Tis the reason to feast...

Here’s a quick guide to some traditional
Christmas recipes rustled up by chefs.

Stollen Bread

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Flour: 500 gm

Butter: 250 gm

Castor sugar: 50 gm

Spice: 15 gm

Vanilla essence: 5 ml

Lemon zest: 1 piece

Marzipan: 50 gm

Yeast (fresh): 50 gm

Milk: 90 ml

Eggs: 3

Sultana: 250 gm

Almonds: 150 gm

Mixed peel: 150 gm

Rum: 200 ml

Method: Soak sultana, almonds and mixed peel in rum. Mix all the other ingredients to a clear dough. Fold through the fruit and nut mix. Rest dough for one hour. Scale and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Roll dough. Bake at 200°C.

(Courtesy: Rahul Kumar, Chef de Cuisine, Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru ORR (Outer Ring Road)

Mince pie

Ingredients

Mincemeat: 600gm

Satsumas: 2, segmented

Apple: 1, finely chopped

Lemon zest: 1

Little icing sugar: For dusting

For the pastry

Plain flour: 375 gm

Unsalted butter, softened: 260 gm

Castor sugar for sprinkling: 125 gm

Egg: 1 large, plus 1 beaten egg for glazing

Method: Place 375 gm plain flour and 260 gm softened unsalted butter in a bowl and rub together to a crumb consistency. Add 125 gm castor sugar and 1 large beaten egg, and mix together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and fold until the pastry comes together, be careful not to over mix. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 10 min.

Scoop the large jar of mincemeat into a bowl and add two segmented satsumas, one finely chopped apple and the zest of one lemon. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Roll out the pastry to 3 mm thick. Using a round cutter (about 10cm), cut out 16 bases and place them into muffin trays. Put 1½ tbsp mincemeat mixture into each.

Brush the edge of each pie with a little beaten egg. Re-roll out the pastry to cut 7 cm lids and press them on top to seal.

Glaze with the beaten egg, sprinkle the extra caster sugar, then make a small cut on the tops. Bake the mince pies for 15-20 mins until golden brown.

Leave to cool before releasing them from the muffin trays and dusting with a little more icing sugar before serving.

(Courtesy: Chef Avijit Deb Sharma, Executive Chef at Novotel & ibis Benagluru Outer ring Road)

Coco Christmas Pancakes

Oats pancake with Christmas spice, apple and cinnamon infused coconut oil
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Rolled oats: 1½ cups

Milk: 1½ cups

Eggs: 2

Salt: a pinch

Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

Sugar: 2 tsp

Apple (roughly cut): 1

Cloves powder: ¼ tsp

Nutmeg powder: ¼ tsp

Dry ginger powder: ¼ tsp

Baking powder: 1 tbsp

Infused cold pressed virgin coconut oil - cinnamon: 5 tbsp

Maple syrup: as accompaniment

Cranberries: as accompaniment

Method: Add oats into a grinder and grind to a fine powder. Add milk, break in eggs, salt, vanilla, sugar, apple, cloves powder, nutmeg powder, dry ginger powder and baking powder into the grinder. Add 2 tbsp of cinnamon infused cold pressed virgin coconut oil. Grind everything together to make into a batter which is thick but pouring consistency.

Adjust the consistency a little with some milk if required. Heat a non-stick pan and pour a little batter into the centre. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes. Drizzle the cinnamon infused oil and flip the pancake to cook on the other side. Drizzle some infused oil again.

Once done, remove and serve with maple syrup. Garnish with cranberries.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Infused cold pressed virgin coconut oil - curry coriander: 4 tbsp

Cumin: 1 tsp

Fennel seeds: 2 tsp

Onion roughly cut: ½ cup

Garlic chopped: 2 tsp

Ginger chopped: 1 tbsp

Green chilli: 1 no

Celery chopped: 2 tbsp

Pumpkin roughly cut: 3 cups

(yellow or butternut squash)

Dried figs: 4 nos

Salt: to taste

Pepper powder: a pinch

Curry powder: 1 tbsp

Turmeric: ½ tsp

Chilli powder: ¼ tsp

Water/Stock: 1 ltr

Clove & Ginger powder : a pinch

Method: In a pan, heat curry coriander infused cold pressed virgin coconut oil and add cumin and fennel seeds. Once it crackles, add onion, garlic, ginger, celery and green chilli. Sauté for 3-4 mins and add roughly cut pumpkin, dried figs, sprinkle salt and pepper and on low heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Now add turmeric, chilli powder and curry powder, give it a quick stir and add water. Bring to a boil, simmer and cover. Cook till pumpkin is tender. Remove from heat and puree it completely. Bring back on heat, sprinkle clove and ginger powder, check for seasoning. The soup has to have a thick velvety consistency, correct using some water if required. Serve hot, garnish with a teaspoon of curry coriander infused oil.

(Courtesy: Chef Kunal Kapur)