Christmas Recipes

Ingredients:1) Eggs - 4.2) Tepid water - 4 tsp.3) Superfine sugar - 1/2 cup (4 oz./115 g).2) Plain flour - 1/2 cup (2 1/4 oz./60 g). 3) Cocoa - 1/4 cup (1 oz./25 g).4) Baking Powder - 1 level tsp.5) Butter (for greasing).6) Icing sugar (for dusting).

For the Filling:1) Unflavoured gelatin - 3 tsp.2) Bailey's Irish Cream - 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./115 ml).3) Superfine sugar - 1/4 cup (2 oz./55 g).4) Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp. 5) Whipping cream - 1 cup (8 fl. oz./225 ml).

• Instructions:1) Turn over the oven temperature to 400 degree Fahrenheit (Gas Mark 6).

2) Pour water in a bowl. Add in the eggs and whip until frothy.

3) Add the sugar little by little, beating the mixture lightly.

4) Combine the flour, cocoa and baking • together in a separate bowl. Fold gradually into the egg mixture.

5) Carefully line a jelly roll pan (35 cm X 40 cm) with greased baking paper. Pour the runny mixture onto the paper and spread evenly.

6) Bake the mixture for about 15 mins, or until firm.

7) Turn the firmed mixture out, upside down, onto a clean towel sprinkled with icing sugar. Peel off the baking paper.

8) Beginning at one long side, wrap the sponge up with the tea towel inside. Raise it onto a wire rack and let cool.

9) Pour 2 tbsp. of water into a small bowl and scatter the gelatin over it. Let rest for 5 mins.

10) Place the bowl in a pan full of warm water to let the gelatin dissolve.

11) Combine the Bailey's Irish Cream, sugar and vanilla together in a small bowl. Add in the dissolved gelatin and stir. Chill for about 15-20 mins or until the mixture begins to thicken.

12) Whip the cream until it stiffens. Fold into the setting mixture.

13) Unroll the sponge and spread the Bailey's Irish cream uniformly over it. Roll it up again and refrigerate for approximately an hour.

14) Garnish with rosemary and red currants (you can skip this if you prefer otherwise). Serve.

Chocolate

Log

Christmas Tree Stack

Ingredients:For the cookies:1) Plain flour - 3 cups (13 oz./375 g).2) Icing sugar - 1 3/4 cups (8 oz./225 g).3) Cold unsalted butter - 1 stick (4 oz./115 g), cut into pieces.4) Water - 1 tbsp.5) Egg - 1, lightly beaten. 6) Some extra icing sugar (for decoration).

Instructions: 1) Pour 1 cup of icing sugar into a bowl. Sift it with the flour.

2) Use your fingertips to rub in the butter until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.

3) Add the water and egg. Combine the ingredients of the bowl well to make a firm dough.

4) Enclose the mixture in plastic food wrap and refrigerate for about half-an-hour.

5) Turn up the oven temperature to 350 degree Fahrenheit (Gas Mark 4).

6) Grease two or three large baking sheets.

7) Next, take the dough out from the fridge. Knead this lightly until soft enough to spread out.

8) Spread out the dough on a floured surface to about 5 mm thickness.

9) Cut out various star shapes from the dough using six star-shaped cookie cutters of graduating sizes, from 1 1/2" (the smallest) to 4" (the biggest). Make two shapes of each size.

10) Lift the shapes onto the greased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 mins.

11) Take the baked stars away from the oven and cool for one or two minutes before laying in a wire rack to cool off completely.

12) Sift the remaining icing sugar in a bowl to make icing. Add in 2 tbsp. of water, little by little. The icing should be thick enough to quickly form a thick coating on the back of the spoon.

13) Use a pastry bag fitted with a fine nozzle to pipe icing around the edge of each cookie.

14) When the icing has set around the edges, fill the center of the cookies with icing. Dilute this a little by adding a few drops of water.

15) When the icing has nearly hardened, arrange the cookies into a tower keeping the bigger ones at the bottom and the smaller ones at the top.

16) Press these down lightly to let the icing hold these together.

• Dashing through the snow,In a one-horse open sleigh,

O'er the fields we go,Laughing all the way.Bells on bobtail ring,Making spirits bright.

What fun it is to ride and sing,

A sleighing song tonight.

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells,Jingle all the way,

Oh, what fun it is to rideIn a one-horse open sleigh.

Jingle bells, jingle bells,Jingle all the way,

Oh, what fun it is to rideIn a one-horse open sleigh.

JINGLE BELLS

We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New YearGood tidings to you Wherever you are Good tidings for Christmas And a Happy New YearOh, bring us a figgy puddingOh, bring us a figgy puddingOh, bring us a figgy pudding And a cup of good cheerWe won't go until we get some We won't go until we get some We won't go until we get some So bring some out here

We wish you a Merry Christmas