Recipes for "christmas recipes"

Pulse feta, garlic, cream cheese, and honey in a food processor until very smooth. Transfer to a plate and give it some swoops with a spoon to make it pretty.

Top with pomegranate seeds, candied nuts, thyme leaves, freshly ground black pepper, zest, and a drizzle of honey.

In a medium bowl, combine all the dried fruit, rum, and orange juice together. Let soak overnight. (The almonds don’t get soaked.) Or microwave the mixture, uncovered, for 2 minutes, or until the fruit is warm. Cover with a plate and let soak for at least 1 hour.

To make the dough, we first start by making a sponge. To make a sponge, add 2 cups of flour and the yeast to the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Set the mixer to stir or low just until the yeast and flour are combined.

Add the warm milk and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat the mixture for one minute. This is your sponge.

Detach the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for one hour.

(If using active dry yeast, place the warm milk in the bowl first, stir in the yeast, and let it stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 cups flour, salt, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg.

Once the sponge has risen, return the bowl with the sponge to the base of the stand mixer and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.

Set the mixer to medium speed, add the lemon zest to the sponge, and mix to combine. Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until each is incorporated and the dough looks like thick batter. Add the egg yolks and beat until incorporated. Beat in the sugar.

Switch the mixer to low speed and gradually add 2 1/2 cups of the flour and spice mixture to the bowl (reserve the remaining 1/2 cup). Once the dough becomes stiff and shaggy, switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook attachment.

Knead the dough on low speed for 4 to 6 minutes, then add the remaining flour and spice mixture 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to knead with the dough hook for an additional 4 to 6 minutes. When it’s ready, the dough should be soft and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

In a large bowl, add the vegetable oil. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, turning it a few times so it is coated all over with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled. If you have a cold kitchen this might take as much as an hour longer.

Drain the fruit. Use one hand to steady the bowl and knead in the fruit and almonds with the other. When most of the fruit has been incorporated, scrape the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for a minute or two or until all the fruit and nuts are well incorporated. Let rest for 10 minutes to relax the dough before shaping.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On the work surface, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.

Pat one piece of dough into an 8-inch round. Fold one-third of the dough towards the middle and fold the other flap over it, leaving a gap of about one inch between the top flap and the edge of the dough so there is a ridge. Cup your hands on the outside of the dough to taper the ends and form the dough into an oval. In the end the dough should look like an oval with a ridge on top.

The loaves may not look picture perfect at this point, but they will bake into decent shapes and all will be forgiven with the final dusting of powdered sugar.

Repeat with the remaining dough pieces and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (2 loaves per sheet).

Cover the loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

About 20 minutes before the loaves finish their final rise, preheat the oven.

Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, then swap the top and bottom sheets and rotate each pan 180° and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the loaves are nicely browned. (Total baking time is 40 to 45 minutes).

If the loaves seem to be browning too quickly, cover them loosely with a piece of foil. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the loaf. It should register 190°F.

Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack or racks then set the racks on top of the baking sheets or parchment.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, ginger, and nutmeg.

While still warm, brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the melted butter until all of the butter is used. Sprinkle with the spiced sugar. Let cool completely.

When thoroughly cool, wrap the loaves in plastic wrap and then in foil. Store in a cool, dry place (not refrigerator) for at least 3 days before cutting and for up to 2 weeks. (You could keep them in a bread box.)

Before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar shaken through a strainer. Serve with butter, honey, or jam, if you like.

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Gather all ingredients.

Place warm milk and yeast in a bowl. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Place yeast mixture, 2 cups bread flour, white sugar, butter, egg, and salt in a large mixing bowl; stir well to combine. Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.

When dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead in candied citron, currants, golden raisins, and cherries. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. Deflate dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll marzipan into a rope and place in the center of the dough.

Fold dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet.

Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake stollen in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Let cool on a wire rack, then dust with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Gather all ingredients.

The day before you plan to serve the prime rib, remove roast from the package and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Set roast on a baking sheet, and place in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to allow beef to reach room temperature.

Rub the roast all over with horseradish and Dijon mustard. Mix kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and garlic powder together in small bowl; sprinkle over the roast.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place celery, carrot, and onion into the bottom of a roasting pan; place the roast on top.

Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and roast until the meat is browned and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 130 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium-rare.

Remove from oven, transfer roast to a platter, and cover with a tent of aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. The temperature of the meat will rise about 10 degrees during resting time.

To make au jus sauce: Skim excess fat from pan drippings in the roasting pan. Place the pan over a burner set to medium heat; stir in beef base and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, scraping and dissolving any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the pan.

Strain out and discard vegetables. Combine cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl; whisk the mixture into sauce.

Allow sauce to thicken slightly; pour into a gravy boat and serve with roast.

Serve and enjoy!

1. In a bowl, melt together the butter, peanut butter, and chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.

2. Combine the Chex and pretzels in a large bowl. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mix overtop and stir until evenly coated. Pour the cereal and pretzels into a large Ziploc bag. Add the powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake until the cereal is well-coated. Let dry, then add the M&Ms.

3. Store the puppy chow in the Ziplock bag or in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Gather all ingredients.

Soak the fruit: Place cranberries, currants, cherries, mango, and citron into a medium bowl and stir to combine. Pour in rum and mix again. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature for at least 24 hours.

When ready to make the fruitcake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Cut a 6-inch circle of parchment paper. Spray a 6x3-inch round pan with cooking spray. Place the parchment circle in the bottom of the pan, and spray it with cooking spray.

Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated.

Whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a large bowl; set aside. Stir molasses and milk together in a separate bowl until well combined. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with molasses and milk mixture, beating batter briefly after each addition.

Stir in soaked fruit and pecans. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

While the fruitcake is baking, cut one piece parchment paper and one piece cheesecloth, each large enough to wrap around the cake.

Remove fruitcake from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then drizzle 2 tablespoons rum over top.

Moisten the cheesecloth with 1 tablespoon rum. Place it on top of the parchment paper, and unmold fruitcake onto it. Brush the top and sides of fruitcake with remaining 3 tablespoons rum.

Wrap the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake, then wrap with the parchment paper.

Transfer the wrapped fruitcake to airtight container or tin. Seal the container and let age at room temperature for at least 10 weeks (if possible) before serving.

Enjoy!