Christmas Chocolate Fruit Truffles

Preparation 25 Minutes

Cook 2 hours Minutes

Serves 28

Method

  1. Heat cream in small saucepan until just below boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Set aside for 1 minute, then stir until melted.

  2. Combine 1/2 cup of the currants and half of the hazelnuts in a bowl and set aside for decorating. Place remaining currants and salt in a bowl, pour over the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm enough to roll.

  3. Scoop tablespoons of the chocolate mixture and use clean hands to roll into balls. To decorate, roll balls in the reserved currant and hazelnut mixture, remaining hazelnuts or coconut. Store in the refrigerator and allow to soften slightly before serving.

Ingredients

3/4 cup pure cream

400g dark chocolate, chopped

300g SUNBEAM Australian Currants

120g SUNBEAM Skinless Hazelnuts, chopped

Pinch sea salt

Toasted shredded coconut, to decorate

Recipe Collection

Beef & Apricot Tagine

1. Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add spices and cook a further minute until fragrant. Add to the pot of a slow cooker.

2. Using the remaining oil, sear beef in batches until well browned. Add to the slow cooker with the stock, tomatoes, cinnamon and orange peel. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.

3. Add the apricots and chickpeas in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Season well. Serve beef with almonds and coriander and accompany with rice and yoghurt.

*For a faster cooking time, cook on High heat for 4 hours.

Christmas Cheesecake

Preaheat oven 160 degrees (140 degrees fan).

  1. Brush base and sides of 25cm springform pan with butter.
  2. Process biscuits, extra melted butter and almond meal in a food processor until fine crumb. Press into base and sides of pan.
  3. Combine ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, cornflour, butter, eggs and vanilla bean paste in food processor. Blend for 2 mins then fold through sour cream and fruit.
  4. Pour filling over base, cover with foil and bake for 1.5 hours. Remove cake from oven, allow to come to room temperature before refrigerating overnight.

To make Toffee

  1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread nuts evenly over tray.
  2. Add sugar to a medium, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar completely dissolves then remove from heat immediately and pour over nuts.
  3. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes then allow to set. Serve cheesecake topped with shards of broken nut toffee.

Sultana & Cornflake Cookies

Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth, add egg, beat until combined. Stir in sultanas and sifted flour.  Fold flour, 1 cup cornflakes, sultanas through mixture. Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture in lightly crushed cornflakes, place about 3cm apart on greased oven trays; flatten slightly. Bake in oven about 20 minutes or until browned. Cool on trays.

Date Cookies

  1. Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Line oven trays with baking paper. Place oats, flour, dates and pepitas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Remove to a mixing bowl.
  2. Place butter and honey in a small saucepan and heat until melted. Add to oat mixture with the banana and mix well. Spoon tablespoons of mixture onto prepared trays. Bake for 20 minutes or until just golden. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Vegetable Tagine

  1. Add oil to a large pot and cook onion, garlic and ginger for 3-4 minutes until tender. Stir in spices and cinnamon stick, cooking a further minute until fragrant.
  2. Add the sweet potato, capsicum, cauliflower, stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Add zucchini, chickpeas and prunes and cook a further 5 minutes uncovered. Season well.
  3. Serve tagine with almonds and parsley, accompanied with rice.

Christmas Cake Gift Jar

As a gift idea

  1. Place flour in bottom of jar and add spices and bicarbonate of soda
  2. Pour in fruit and push down lightly
  3. Next place brown sugar and finish with slivered almonds.
  4. Attach a gift card with the following instructions:

YOU WILL NEED
250g butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup brandy

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven 150°C. Double line a 20cm round tin with baking paper
  2. Combine gift jar contents, butter, eggs and brandy and stir until combined
  3. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

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