Christmas decorations, party invitations, cake-mixing ceremonies, gifts and Christmas films – the vibe is festive and happy. Desserts form an integral part of the celebrations. We have dug out some popular traditional Christmas easy dessert recipes for you.
Chocolate and Almond Rum Ball by Chef Manish Mehrotra
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge eggless 250 gm
Dark chocolate (55% -70%) 100 gm
Single cream(20-25%fat) 150 ml
Almonds 100 gms
Castor sugar 100 gms
Instant coffee powder 10 gms
Dark rum 15 ml
Method:
Heat cream in a pan, give it a boil and remove from heat. Add the chocolate and keep aside till slightly cool and then mix well.
Toast the almonds in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 8-10 mins. Roughly chop the almonds.
Heat castor sugar in a pan and caramelise, add the roughly chopped almonds and remove the nougat on to a parchment paper. Crush the nougat with a rolling pin till slightly coarse.
In a mixing bowl crumb the chocolate sponge till breadcrumb consistency, add half the chocolate ganache, instant coffee powder dissolved in a teaspoon of water, rum, and mix with hands till the mixture is even in consistency.
Now add 2/3 of the crushed almond nougat into the mix and form in to small round balls (35-40 gm) and refrigerate.
Once slightly set, coat the rum balls with the remaining chocolate ganache.
Garnish with almond nougat and serve
Spiced Almond Banana Jaggery Cake by Chef Manish Mehrotra
Ingredients
Butter, unsalted 1/2 cup
Jaggery powder 1/2 cup
Cinnamon, ground 1 ½ tsp
Nutmeg, ground 1/4 tsp
Almonds, sliced 1/2 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Eggs, large 3 no
Orange zest 2 tsp
Banana, ripped & mashed 1 1/4 cups
All-purpose flour 3 cups
Baking powder 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Buttermilk 2/3 cup
Method:
Melt 1/4 cup of the butter. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into an 8-cup pan; brush the butter over pan sides and bottom. Mix together the jaggery, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almonds. Sprinkle bottom of pan with half the jaggery mixture; combine the remaining mixture with the remaining melted butter; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat remaining 1/4 cup butter with granulated sugar until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended. Beat in mashed banana.
Mix all-purpose, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to banana mixture along with the buttermilk; stir until well blended.
Pour half the batter into prepared pan. Spoon remaining jaggery sugar mixture evenly over top; cover with remaining batter.
Bake in a 180° oven until a long wood skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the cake on a rack about 5 minutes, then invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve the cake warm or cool.
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Gingerbread cookies by Chef Chandan Singh, Pastry Chef, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida
Ingredients
Refined flour 1000 gm
Cocoa powder 60 gm
Honey 500 gm
Ginger powder 20 gm
Cinnamon powder 10 gm
Cardamom powder 45 gm
Clove powder 5 gm
Method:
In a bowl, add refined flour, cocoa powder, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, clove powder and honey. Mix all the ingredients well.
Gradually beat the flour mixture on low speed until it is mixed properly.
Next, divide the dough into two equal portions and press each dough balls into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours or for overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees once you are ready to bake the cookies.
Now, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into 1/4 inch of thickness. Cut the cookies into your desired shapes, using a cookie cutter and place them on the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and cool completely.
Decorate the cookies as per your choice and enjoy.
Traditional Christmas Plum Cake by Chef Chandan Singh, Pastry Chef, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida
Ingredients
Butter 1000 gm
Sugar 600 gm
Egg whole 18 gm
Refined flour 600 gm
Raisin 500 gm
Orange peel 200 gm
Prunes 200 ml
Black current 200 ml
Cashewnut 200 gm
Dry cherry 300 gm
XXX Rum 1100 ml
Cardamom powder 15 gm
Cinnamon powder 25 gm
Nutmeg powder 10 gm
Clove powder 10 gm
1 tbsp baking powder
Method
First, soak all the dry fruits in brandy or rum.
In the next step take butter in a mixing bowl, add sugar and eggs. Beat the mixture well till it’s fluffy and creamy in texture. Add orange zest.
Now add refined flour, baking powder and all the spice powders in the egg mixture. Whisk thoroughly.
Add the soaked dry fruits and give a good mix
Now transfer the cake mixture to a greased pan and bake at 170 degrees for around 45-50 min.
Once done, remove from the oven. Cool completely and decorate with your Christmas decorations.
Apple Salad With Walnut, Cranberries and Pomegranate by Chef Larry Paul, Corporate Chef, British Brewing Company
Ingredients
Apple ½
Lemon Juice ½
Green Lettuce 120 gms
Red Onion ¼
Dried Cranberries 25 gms
Feta Cheese/Goat Cheese 2 tbsp
Butter 30gms
Walnut 100gms
White Sugar 40gms
Pomegranate 10gms
For Dressing
Apple Cider Vinegar 2 tbsp
Olive Oil 4tbsp
Djon Mustard 1.5 tsp
Sugar 1.5 tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Method
Heat butter in a pan once its melted add in the sugar and let the sugar 40 gms melt once its melted add in the walnuts and mix well to coat over slow flame .Once coated remove from flame and spread over a plate for it to cool. Once cooled take half of the portion and roughly chop leaving the remaining intact.
Cut thin slice of the apple and squeeze the lemon over it so that it does not discolor also cut the onions in to thin slice.
Simultaneously put the berries in a bowl and pour in hot water and leave it to absorb for 10 min post which drain off the water.
For the dressing add all dressing ingredients together and beat or shake well.
PROCEDURE FOR BUILDING THE SALAD:-
In a Bowl add in the washed and clean lettuce add in half the amount of whole walnut half the apple and all the onion .
Drizzle over it half the dressing and fold all together well.
Portion it in to a salad bowl and top it with remaining apple slice chopped walnut and drizzle the remaining dressing.
Finish it off with feta cheese or Goat cheese as preferred and the pomegranate.
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