Gingerbread Almond Wreath

Walnut & Sultana Monkey Bread

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.

Family Fruit Mince Tart

1. Blend or process butter, and sifted flour and icing sugar until crumbly. Add egg yolk, extract and the water; process until ingredients come together.

   Enclose in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.

   Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line 18cm x 30cm rectangular loose-based flan tin.

   Lift pastry into tin, press into sides, trim excess; prick base all over with a fork. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes.

   Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C.

   Place tin on oven tray; line pastry with baking paper then fill with bakers weights. Bake 15 minutes. Cool.

   Add fruit mince in an even layer over tart base.

   Roll pastry scraps on floured surface, cut out desired shapes. Brush each pastry shape with beaten egg and place pastry egg-side down on fruit mince.

   Bake tart about 20 minutes or until browned lightly. Dust with a little sifted icing sugar before serving.

    

Quick and Easy Christmas Pudding

1. Place fruit and brandy in microwaveable bowl and heat for 1 minute or until warmed through. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift flour and mixed spice over butter mixture, then stir in breadcrumbs and fruit mixture. Mix well.

3. Grease and flour a 1.5L microwaveable bowl. Spoon mixture into bowl and smooth top. Cover with a pleated, double-layer of baking paper secured with kitchen string.

4. Cook in microwave on defrost setting (300W) for 30 minutes, rotating the bowl after 20 minutes. Test with a skewer inserted into pudding. If it doesn’t come out clean, microwave at 5 minute intervals until done. Leave pudding to stand for 10 minutes before turning onto a plate. Serve with custard.

Zucchini Salad

Cut the zucchini into long, thin ribbons using a mandolin or vegetable peeler.

Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, season.  Pour over the zucchini, gently toss to combine then allow to sit for 10 mins to marinate.

Drain zucchini and arrange on a serving platter.  Sprinkle over pine nuts, sultanas, raisins and feta.  Scatter over mint leaves just before serving.

Hot Cross Bun Loaf

Place flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt in mixing bowl and briefly mix until combined. 

Add in melted butter, warm milk, egg, sultanas and currants. 

Mix with dough hook on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until a dough ball is formed and is coming away from the sides of the bowl. 

Leave the dough covered with clingfilm in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubles in size. 

Knock the air out of the dough and then shape it into a loaf. 

Place dough into a greased dough tin approximately 24cm x 13cm x 6.5 cm in size. 

Cover dough with cling film again and let rise for approximately 40 minutes or until it has risen to about 70% of its original size. 

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees. 

Cross Method 

Mix flour and water together until a thickish paste forms. Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag, pipe crosses down the center of the loaf, and then across the other way three or four times. 

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when you tap it. 

Let cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes.  

Drizzle Method 

Mix icing sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over loaf whilst still slightly warm.