Reindeer Raisin Bites
Preparation 30 MINS (Plus refrigeration)
Cook
Serves 24
Method
- Add dark and milk chocolate, raisins, and almonds (excluding reserved almonds) to a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped.
- Transfer chocolate to a bowl, pour over the hot thickened cream, add butter and salt and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until firm but still able to be scooped with a spoon.
- To make truffles, scoop 2 heaped tbsp of the mixture and use clean hands to roll into a ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Roll balls in the chocolate sprinkles to coat.
- Cut pretzels in half and insert 2 into each ball for antlers.
- Just below the antlers, insert slivered almond to form reindeer’s ears.
- Use white icing to stick an Ovalteenie to each ball to form a snout.
- Use white icing to create two eyeballs just above the mouth. And a dot to each eye with the black gel.
- Use the white icing to attach a red mini M&M to the top of each Ovalteenie to give your reindeers noses.
- Refrigerate for a further hour to set the icing. Serve cold.
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate
200g milk chocolate
120ml thickened cream, heated
70g butter – softened
200g SUNBEAM Australian Raisins
100g SUNBEAM Slivered Almonds, 48 pieces reserved to decorate
24 mini pretzels, to decorate
Chocolate sprinkles, to decorate
24 Ovalteenies, to decorate
24 red colour mini M&M’s
Designer Icing White 140g
Food Colour Gel Black 15g
Recipe Collection
Tomato & Raisin Chutney
- Place tomatoes, onion, sugar, vinegar, raisins, spices and salt into a large saucepan. Heat over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Increased heat and bring to a simmer, cooking for approximately 1 hour, until thickened and reduced. Stirring often throughout cooking time to prevent sticking to the bottom.
- Place washed and rinsed jars into an oven so they are hot. Remove to a benchtop and pour chutney between the jars. Wipe clear covers with vinegar and place over the top of each jar, sealing with an elastic band. Allow to cool before screwing jar lids on and decorating for giving as gifts.
Once opened, store chutney in the refrigerator.
Christmas Slice
Preheat oven 150°C (fan-forced).
- Line a loaf tin (20cm x 10cm) with baking paper.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined.
- Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake for 40mins. Allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar and slice thinly.
Moroccan Chicken with Raisins, Almonds and Honey
Pat chicken dry with paper towel, and sprinkle both sides of meat with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil into a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat.
When oil is shimmering, add half the chicken pieces and cook 5 – 7 mins per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Reduce heat to medium, and add onion, garlic, ras el hanout, cinnamon stick, and ginger to the hot oil. Stir well, then cook for 5 mins, until onions have started to soften.
Return chicken and any resting juices to the pot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1.5 hrs, until the chicken is tender.
Remove cinnamon stick and add raisins and honey to the pot. Gently stir to combine and increase heat to medium. Simmer uncovered, for a further 30 – 45 min, until the sauce has reduced and the raisins are plump. Stir through lemon juice.
Garnish with almonds and parsley. Serve with crusty bread, rice, or couscous.
Rum & Raisin Trifle
Place the raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed peel, almonds and dates in a bowl and pour over 3/4 cup rum. Cover and allow to macerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Keep additional raisins seperate and add 1/4 cup rum these will be used for garnishing the trifle.
Pre heat the oven to 140 degrees C.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well.
Place the butter mixture, soaked fruit mixture, flour bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and allspice in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Line a 20cm square cake tin with two layers of non-stick baking paper.
Spoon in the mixture and bake for 2 hours or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Cool in the tin. Once the cake has cooled remove from tin and freeze to semi-firm
Cut the fruit cake into 3cm pieces and decoratively line the base of trifle bowl & pour over the extra rum
Layer custard over fruit cake and repeat cake & custard layers if desired.
Whip caster sugar & thickened cream until stiff and add to trifle
Garnish with rum soaked raisins, and crushed ginger snaps
To make spun sugar, combine sugar with the water in small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves; bring to the boil.
Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, without stirring, until mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat; stand until bubbles subside. To make spun sugar, drizzle toffee between 2 wooden spoons over baking paper-lined oven tray.
Shape & stand at room temperature until set.
Rainbow Couscous & Sultana Salad
In a small saucepan, bring water and salt just to the boil. Add couscous and stir once. Cover pan, remove from heat and set aside 10 mins, until water is absorbed.
Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Add sultanas, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, and onions, and tosswell.
Drizzle salad with half of the dressing and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle salad withwalnuts and feta. Serve with remaining dressing.
Tips
- Store salad in a covered container in the fridge, for up to three days.
- Couscous can be substituted with cooked and cooled quinoa, if preferred
White Christmas Tree Bites
- Line the inside of 12 ice-cream cones with baking paper, using a stapler or sticky tape to secure paper.
- Place white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (ensuring bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir until the chocolate has melted and is smooth. Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool then add all the other ingredients and stir to coat. Spoon into the prepared lined cones Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set before serving.
