2 Easy Kenwood Christmas Recipes To Treat Your Taste Buds
November 26, 2015 | Cooking & Kitchen | Fun Tips | No comments
When it comes to cooking, we’re all looking for little shortcuts we can take or techniques which make even the most complicated of dishes that little bit easier. It’s therefore no wonder that to help with the baking process, many of us are turning to food mixers.
A couple of years ago, The Telegraph produced a list of their Top 10 Food Mixers for Christmas, and unsurprisingly, two of the top ten came from Kenwood – the Kenwood kMix and Kenwood Chef Major Titanium.
Both of these mixers, along with others within the Kenwood range, make baking a lot easier. And with the festive period fast approaching, below we’ve shared two festive recipes for you to try with your Kenwood food mixer – to give your taste buds a treat this Christmas.
It Isn’t Christmas Without a Christmas Pudding:
After enjoying your turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Day, although you may be full to the brim, there’s always room for a slither of Christmas pudding (it’s also great cold on Boxing Day and beyond).
Whilst you may have your favourite Christmas pudding recipe already – whether it’s Delia’s, Nigella’s or one that has been passed down through the family, why not try this one – using your Kenwood?
Ingredients:
- 200g (each) of currants, raisins and sultanas
- 150ml sweet sherry
- 175g butter
- 175g brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 150g self-raising flour
- 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 50g flaked almonds
- Juice of 1 orange
- Grated rind of ½ an orange and ½ lemon
- ½ tsp mixed spice
Method:
The method for creating this Christmas pudding can be done in as few as five steps, although it’s worth noting to get the most from the flavours, it’s best to make it before the end of November.
- Place the currants, raisins and sultanas into your Kenwood mixer’s bowl, along with the sweet sherry, mix the ingredients together on the slowest speed for a minute using the Kenwood K Beater.Once the ingredients have been mixed, pour them into a glass bowl, cover in cling film and leave to soak for 2 hours.
- Beat together the butter and brown sugar on speed 2 for 2 minutes, using your K beater. As the butter and brown sugar become creamed, beat the eggs and pour them slowly into the mixture, allowing them to become mixed for another minute.Fold in the flour, add the soaked fruit and sherry along with the rest of the ingredients and mix for another minute.
- Grease your pudding basin before spooning the mixture in. It’s important to make sure you leave a gap of roughly 2cm at the top.Once the mixture is in the basin, cut some greaseproof paper, roughly 3cm larger than top of your basin, grease it and then place it over the pudding before securing with string and adding 2 layers of foil.
- Place the pudding into a saucepan of boiling water, which reaches two-thirds up the basin – reduce to heat and simmer for 6 hours. Remember to regularly check the water levels, and top up when necessary.
- Remove from the heat, leave to cool and then replace the greaseproof paper and foil with new paper / foil, place the pudding into the fridge and leave it there until needed. Ideally, your pudding should be left for a minimum of 2 weeks. When ready to eat, re-heat by steaming for 2 hours.
[source: http://www.kenwoodworld.com/uk/cooking-with-kenwood/recipes/kitchen-machines-recipes/desserts/christmas-pudding]
Santa Loves Them…And So Will You – Homemade Shortcrust Pastry Mince Pies:
From the weeks before Christmas, to the weeks after and leading into the New Year you cannot beat homemade mince pies. Whether warm with brandy butter and a nice glass of wine / whiskey or cold with a coffee whilst relaxing, they’re the perfect Christmas snack.
Ingredients for Shortcrust Pastry:
- 125g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 55g butter
- 2-3 tbsp cold water
Method:
Creating the perfect shortcrust pastry using a Kenwood will take some time and patience. But, by following these steps, you should be able to create the perfect shortcrust pastry for your mince pies.
- With the butter cut into cubes, place it into the mixer along with the flour and salt, mix on the slowest speed using a K-beater, and continue mixing until there are no lumps of butter left. The mixture should resemble breadcrumbs.
- Lift out your K-beater and add the water whilst mixing the ingredients together with a flat spatula. To make sure you’ve got the right amount of water, test the mixture every so often between your fingers. If it comes together you’ve added enough water.
- With a dough like mixture, take it out of the bowl and knead it lightly by hand on a clean worktop, before rolling the dough into a ball, wrapping in cling film and placing in the fridge to chill.
- After an hour roll out the dough and use a cutter to create the mince pie cases, place the bases into a greased tin, fill with your mincemeat (we recommend you try this mincemeat recipe), place the lids on using a bit of egg wash to seal and then cook when ready for 20 minutes at 220⁰C.
[source: http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/Shortcrust-Pastry-By-Machine/3399]
These are just two of the multitude of recipes you can create with ease this Christmas using your Kenwood food mixer, helping you cook up a treat during the festive period. Why not share your favourite recipes which required a Kenwood food mixer in the comments below, and help fellow readers create some culinary delights.
Tags: Christmas Pudding, Christmas Recipes, Cooking Recipes, kenwood, Mince Pies
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