Most of us remember fondly the traditional Christmas foods which our mothers and grandmothers produced each year. Simon & Alison are confident the recipes in this book will inspire you to cook your own Christmas meals & treats. Great recipes included for attractive food gifts to put under your tree.

• Delicious, moist Christmas cakes
• Festive roast chicken and fabulous glazed ham
• Beautiful biscotti and biscuits
• Panforte
• Colourful Christmas pickles

Sample Recipe

CHRISTMAS PUDDING TRUFFLES

We like these truffles dressed up so that they look like mini-Christmas puddings. If you feel that this is too time-consuming, serve them as plain truffles rolled in coconut. They taste very good both ways.

1 cup currants
2 tsp very finely grated orange or tangelo rind
1/4 cup rum, whisky, brandy or citrus juice
250g (2 1/2 cups) crumbs from a chocolate or plain cake
125g (5/8th cup) chocolate chips
For decoration: 75g white chocolate, 1 tsp oil, about 6 red cherries, about 6 green cherries

Put the currants in a sieve and pour boiling water through them, then put them in a bowl with the very finely grated rind from a tangelo or orange, and the spirit of your choice or the same amount of juice from the orange or tangelo.

Leave the currants to stand while you crumb the cake, and then melt the chocolate chips, heating until liquid. This will take about 4–5 minutes on medium in a microwave oven, and a little longer in a large metal bowl standing over a pot of hot but not boiling water. When the chocolate has melted, stir it into crumbs, then the currant mixture.

Mix well together, then roll into small, walnut-sized balls, or balls which will fit nicely in small foil or fluted paper confectionery cups. Roll in coconut if not decorating further. Refrigerate until cold.

Warm pieces of white chocolate with the oil in a clean bowl, in a microwave oven for about 3 minutes on medium or over hot water, as before. Stir until smooth.

Chop the cherries. Have red cherry pieces chunky, and the green pieces pointed like leaves.

Spoon a little of the warm white mixture on top of a little pudding, helping it to look as if it is flowing, if necessary.

This takes a little experience, but is mainly a matter of having the truffle cold and the melted mixture semi-liquid. Before the white chocolate sets, put about three little red berries in the middle of the icing, and a couple of green leaves around them.