Hi everyone, it’s Robbie Cheadle with you today and I’m sharing my review of A Homemade Christmas by Carol Ann Taylor. Carol has also contributed one of the delicious recipes from this book. Thank you, Carol!
My review of A Homemade Christmas by Carol Ann Taylor
A Homemade Christmas is a delightful collection of recipes from an excellent cook and baker. This book is a treasure trove of delicious traditional recipes from the supporting dishes like garlic buttered peas, cranberry sauce, three kinds of gravy, and sage and onion stuffing, to the main event which could be turkey, ham or roast pork. For the more adventurous, there are a few recipes with an Asian flair to spice things up such as beef brisket with an Asian twist and Thai fried peanuts with basil leaves.
Well known Christmas snacks including pigs in blankets, sweet mincemeat, and sausage rolls make an appearance, together with recipes for traditional Christmas cake and homemade marzipan, Christmas pudding and fruit salad, for those watching their calory count.
My two favourite sections of this book are the sections relating to the use of Christmas leftovers. I love that as leftovers are always a ‘problem’ after a large and overdone meal. I had a laugh while reading about using leftovers for stuffed flat breads and bubble and squeak. It reminded me of Geoffrey and Una Alconbury’s New Year’s Day Turkey Curry Buffet which used up the Christmas leftovers (If you don’t know, this reference is from Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding – the book!).
Lastly, there is a wonderful section on Edible Gifts. I am a big fan of edible Christmas gifts so this section is very welcome.
After reading this book, I have made some changes to my proposed Christmas menu and am looking forward to trying out a few of these recipes. I follow Ms. Taylor’s blog so I know the recipes will all work well and there is no risk of recipe failure.
Christmas Wreath Recipe by Carol Ann Taylor
There is nothing like a beautiful Christmas Loaf, and this one is a new family favourite from last year…First published in my “Homemade Christmas,” available on Amazon…
One large baking sheet, greased with a little butter and sprinkled with polenta or cornmeal…As I couldn’t get a large baking sheet, I used a 13×13-inch square tray.
Ingredients:
500 gm white bread flour plus extra for dusting
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp dried quick-action yeast
350 ml lukewarm water
100gm block mozzarella, cheddar or gruyere cheese
75 gm Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1.5 tsp dried Italian Herbs
1.5 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary plus extra sprigs for garnish
50 gm butter melted, plus extra for greasing the baking sheet
2 tbsp polenta or yellow cornmeal
Sea Salt flakes to garnish
8-10 Peppadew peppers from a jar, well drained for the garnish.
Let’s Bake!
Sift the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a mixing bowl or a stand mixer if using. Make a well in the centre and add the 350ml of lukewarm water. Then, gradually mix to form a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface if you are not using a stand mixer and knead for about 10 minutes (a good arm workout) until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to prove in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, cut your block of cheese into 1.5-inch cubes. Mix your parmesan with the Italian herbs and the chopped rosemary in a shallow dish. Add your melted butter to another shallow dish. Set to one side.
Once your dough has doubled in size, then knock the dough back and knead until smooth. Divide into 25 equal-sized pieces. I find it easier to weigh my dough and divide the weight by 25, then weigh each piece so they are the same size.
Put an upturned ramekin mine was 10cm in circumference into the middle of your prepared baking tray. Take one piece of dough and knead it a little, then press a piece of your cubed cheese and press into the middle of the dough ball with your finger. Pinch the dough together, and using your palm, roll the dough into a ball.
Take your dough ball, lightly rolling it in the melted butter and then roll it in the parmesan mixture. Place the balls onto your baking pan, starting in the middle and leaving about a 5cm gap between them to allow for the dough to spread.
Repeat this until all your balls are coated and you have a nice wreath all ready to prove. Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for about 40-60 minutes until the balls have doubled in size.
When ready, place the tray in a pre-heated oven at 190C/170C FAN/375°F and bake your bread wreath for about 40-50 minutes until cooked and golden brown.
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