Blackberry Vodka

The allotment/field is still yielding plenty of blackberries and there's only so many pies you can eat so I decided to try making something to give as gifts this coming Christmas.

Ingredients
1 bottle of cheap vodka
100g caster sugar
Lots of blackberries

* pour out around a quarter of the vodka and save to drink later
* tip the sugar into the bottle and shake to mix
* add blackberries to the bottle until full
* shake well and store for a few months, shaking occasionally

In December I plan to filter out the blackberries and decant into nice bottles. I might add a bit more sugar if it doesn't seem sweet enough. It's a bit experimental!

Cranberry Sauce with Orange

Ingredients
150g sugar
225g fresh cranberries
125ml orange juice/water
Orange zest

* put the sugar and water/juice in a pan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved
* add the cranberries and zest, and cook on a low heat until all the berries have burst and are softened

Christmas cake 2

Glazed fruits make a pretty alternative to the traditional marzipan and royal icing. I used cherries, pineapple and apricots, but any dried or glace fruits would work.

Ingredients
1 heaped tbsp apricot jam
2 tbsp brandy
Dried or glace fruits of your choice

* in a small pan mix together the jam and brandy and gently heat
* brush the top of the cake with about 1/2 the jam mixture
* arrange the fruits over the top of the cake and glaze with the rest of the jam.

Mincemeat Pinwheels

I know I could make my own puff pastry, but frankly I can't be bothered when you can buy it ready made!

Ingredients (makes 12)
1 sheet ready made puff pastry
1/3 jar mincemeat

* cut the pastry into squares, approx 8cm
* place 1/2 tsp mincemeat in the centre of each square
* make diagonal cuts from the mincemeat out to the corners of the square
* fold in alternating corners over the mincemeat to create the pinwheel shape.
* transfer to a greased baking sheet and bake at 220C for 10 minutes or until golden
* dust with icing sugar to serve

Christmas cake

I always used to make a really dark, rich cake with the traditional marzipan and royal icing. It tasted great, but it was a bit much. Last year I decided to try something different and came across this recipe from DeliaOnline which is lighter in colour and flavour. The apricots and pineapples make it really fruity.

Ingredients
100g glace pineapple, chopped
175g glace cherries, chopped
225g sultanas
110g dried apricots, chopped
3 tbsp brandy
110g walnuts, chopped
110g candied peel
75g crystallised ginger, chopped
225g butter
80g light muscavado sugar
145g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g plain flour
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp ground cinnamon

* mix together the apricots and sultanas with the brandy and leave to soak overnight
* add the other fruits to the bowl and mix well
* cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy
* add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one
* sift in the flour and spices, and fold in, then fold in the fruits and nuts
* tip the mixture into a lined 20cm round cake tin and level the top
* bake at 170C in the middle of the oven for 1 hour, then cover the top with a double layer of Brown paper, lower the oven temp to 150C and bake for another 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
* leave to cool in the tin