Some people are natural-born shoppers. And Christmas is the time when they excel at this extreme sport. They flounce through the shops waggling their credit cards and come home laden with gifts for their nearest and dearest, having somehow managed to avoid comedy ties, socks that play Jingle Bells and gingerbread-scented bath bombs. If that's you, I salute you. But I am not of your tribe. I'm the one at the all-night garage on Christmas Eve wondering whether Dad would prefer a jerry can or a set of jump leads.
At least I used to be. Now things are different, because I've discovered one sure-fire way to make yourself popular at this time of year – give something delicious you've made yourself. If you feel the need to give a cake slice that plays For He's AJolly Good Fellow and Happy Birthday (I was actually given one ofthese once, so I know they exist) as well as a cake, so be it, but it's the cake that will be most appreciated.
That's why, at this time of year, you're more than likely to find me filling jars and bottles with chutney, pickles, sloe gin, jams, even spice rubs and blends. (My chorizo seasoning mixture is one such winner. To make it you need: 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika, 2tsp hot smoked paprika, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1 tbsp sea salt, 1½ tsp lightly toasted fennel seeds, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. To "activate", mix these ingredients with a kilo of coarsely ground sausagemeat and atrickle of red wine, then leave in aTupperware box for 24 hours. Make little patties out of the mix and fry until well browned – serve with scrambled eggs on toast for the perfect hangover comfort breakfast.)
Do, however, target your edible gifts to the known tastes of the recipients, or at least hedge your bets with a trio of different goodies. Not everyone wants another jar of chutney in the larder. But few can resist some homemade sweet treats, especially if chocolate gets a look-in. When it comes to this part of Project Present, I can usually rustle up an army of willing kitchen elves to join me in my work – today's recipes are perfect to share with the kids, not least because small hands are notably adept at rolling, scattering and dipping in melted chocolate. Dotry it. After a couple of hours, you'll have a large enough stash of treats for the trickiest giftees on your list. And don't forget to leave something tasty out for Santa.
Pfeffernüsse
These look like such perfectly glossy little snowballs (pictured overleaf), it's almost a shame to bite into them – though you most certainly should. They're spicy and toothsome and fragrant, with all the scents of the season. Makes about 40 biscuits.
2 eggs
230g soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp marzipan, warmed to asoftpaste
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 egg whites
Around 500g icing sugar
1 tsp kirsch (optional)
Line two or three baking sheets with baking parchment. Beat the whole eggs and sugar until fluffy and pale, then beat in the marzipan. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and pepper, then sieve this mix over the beaten eggs and stir to combine. Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface, knead into a smooth dough, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2.
With lightly floured hands, roll themixture into about 40 balls of around 3cm in diameter and place on the baking sheets. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until starting to turn golden around the edges. Peel the balls off the baking parchment while they're still warm, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the icing, you will need around one part egg white to four parts icing sugar, so weigh your eggwhites before you start. In ascrupulously clean bowl, beat the whites until stiff. Sieve the icing sugar and gradually fold it into the beaten whites until smooth. Stir in the kirsch, if using.
Dip each biscuit into the icing until coated all over, then place on awire rack to allow the excess todrip off. Put them back on the parchment-lined trays and return to the now cooling oven, with the door open, for five minutes to help them harden. Make sure the icing is fully hard on top and bottom before you try to move them.
The cookies will be very hard at first, though they will soften slightly with time. The flavours will develop and improve if you keep them in anairtight tin for a week or so.
Crystallised orange and lemon peel
These make a wonderful treat withliqueurs or coffee after dinner, either in their glistening, naked state or dipped into melted chocolate. Makes about 50 pieces.
4 organic, unwaxed, thick-skinned oranges (navels are good for this)
4 organic, unwaxed, thick-skinnedlemons
500ml water
500g caster sugar
300g dark chocolate (optional)
Wash the oranges and lemons, then score through their skins from top tobottom until you reach the flesh; do this several times, working your way around the fruit, so you can pullthe skin off each one in six to eight strips. Bring two pans of waterto aboil and simmer the slivers of orange and lemon skin inseparate pans for four minutes. Strain and repeat twice more to remove any bitterness.
Put the water and sugar in a pan, and heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then add all the strips of blanched peel and simmer very gently for two hours – do not boil. Lift out the peel with aslotted spoon and set aside to cool completely on a rack.
When the peel is cold, you can either just toss it in a little more caster sugar or go a step further and dip it in chocolate. To prepare the chocolate, melt it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and then, using tongs, dip inthecitrus pieces until they are completely submerged (or dip them in just enough to cover only half of each strip). Transfer to a tray lined with baking parchment until set. They will keep for a month or so ifsealed in an airtight container.
White and dark chocolate bark
These look wonderfully glamorous, but are simplicity itself to make – even the smallest members of the family will enjoy scattering the fruit and nuts over the top. Makes two generous pieces of chocolate bark.
For the white chocolate
400g white chocolate, broken up
180g walnuts, lightly toasted andchopped
100g dried cranberries
For the dark chocolate
400g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken up
150g almonds, very lightly toasted and roughly chopped
60g dried apricots, roughly chopped
40g raisins
4-6 pieces stem ginger, roughly chopped or thinly sliced
A good sprinkling of flaky sea salt (optional)
The method is the same for both "barks". Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a heatproof bowl over apan of barely simmering water and put two-thirds of the broken-up chocolate into the bowl. Melt the chocolate slowly, stirring, until smooth, then remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate until melted. Return to the heat and warm until it just reaches apouring consistency – melting the chocolate in this way tempers it so itwill stay glossy when it sets.
Pour the melted chocolate on to the foil-lined tray, spreading it out with a spatula until it's a bit more than 0.5cm thick. Scatter over the dried fruits and nuts. For a slightly more adult treat, sprinkle some sea salt over the dark chocolate one. Chill until firm, peel off the foil andbreak into irregular pieces.
Spiced nuts
This winning combination of sweet, salty and spicy nuts makes a great nibble with drinks, especially ifyouwarm them slightly in the oven just before serving. It's also adelicious way of using up any nuts you might have left over after making Christmas cakes, puddings and mincemeat. Makes 500g.
1 egg white
25g light muscovado sugar
2 tsp flaky sea salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp five spice powder
500g nuts – a mixture of cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts and macadamia nuts works well
Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until thick and foamy. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients, apart from the nuts, then fold in the nuts and stir until well coated with the spicy mixture. Tip on to a large baking sheet and spread out into a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then take the baking sheet out of the oven and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon, scraping off any nuts that have stuck to the sheet (they're quite sticky at this stage). Return to the oven for seven minutes longer, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet – they'll crisp up as they do so. If you like, add an extra sprinkling of sea salt at this point. When they're completely cold, seal in an airtight jar and eat within three weeks.
