Maple Syrup & Pecan Pudding

Ingredients
1 tsp vegetable oil
7 oz pkt pecan nuts
3.5 oz almond meal
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 banana, roughly chopped
3/4 cup maple flavoured syrup
Dairy-free vanilla ice dessert (Fruccio brand), to serve
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush four 6 inch ramekins or dariole cup-shaped moulds with the oil to grease. Reserve 12 pecan nuts. Place the remaining pecan nuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the almond meal, eggs, banana and 1/4 cup of the maple syrup. Process for 2 minutes or until the mixture is combined.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the greased ramekins and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Place on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Meanwhile, place remaining pecan nuts on a baking tray in oven for 3-4 minutes or until toasted and golden brown. Set aside to cool, then chop.
To serve, use an oven mitt to remove the puddings from the oven and turn out onto serving plates. Drizzle each with the remaining maple syrup. Sprinkle with the toasted pecan nuts and serve immediately with the vanilla ice dessert.

Egg Nog Panna Cotta

Ingredients
1/4 cup cold water
2 sachets powdered gelatine
2 1/2 cups cream
1 1/4 cups store-bought ready-made custard
1/3 cup brandy
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice powder
2 tablespoons icing sugar mixture, sifted

Peach and cherry compote
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 yellow peaches, cut into wedges
2 white peaches, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon lemon juice, extra
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen thawed cherries
Directions:
Place water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine over the water and set aside for 5 minutes or until gelatine has set and is spongy.
Place the cream, custard, brandy, mixed spice and icing sugar mixture in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture is well combined. Whisk if any lumps form.
Once the custard mixture is hot (but not boiling), slowly add the gelatine mixture. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until the gelatine has fully dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour into a greased rectangular (5-cup capacity) tin. Cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or until set.
To make syrup
Place the water, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and add the peaches. Simmer for 1-2 minutes then remove the peaches with a slotted spoon. Set aside to cool slightly, then peel away the skin (reserve skin).
Sprinkle peaches with extra lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, return the syrup to the heat, add the peach skins and increase heat to high. Simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the syrup has reduced and thickened slightly. Cover and chill completely.
To serve, turn the chilled panna cotta on to a large serving platter. Top with the peaches and cherries and drizzle with a little syrup.

Christmas Ice-Cream Terrine

Ingredients (serves 12)
1 x 3 pints vanilla ice-cream
3 x 3.5 oz pkts multicoloured glace cherries, halved
2 x 3.5 oz pkts blanched almonds
1 x 4 pints chocolate ice-cream
1 cup Blackwood Lane fruit mince
Fresh raspberries, to serve
Icing sugar, to dust
Method
Line bases and sides of two 4 inches-deep, 4 x 8 inches (base measurement) loaf pans with non-stick baking paper, allowing the 2 long sides to overhang. Place the vanilla ice-cream in the fridge for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Transfer to a stainless-steel mixing bowl and fold in the cherries until combined.
Divide the ice-cream mixture among prepared pans and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Tap firmly on the work surface to remove any air bubbles. Cover with foil and place in the freezer for 4-6 hours or until very firm.
Meanwhile, cook the almonds in a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat, tossing, for 3-4 minutes or until toasted. Set aside to cool slightly. Coarsely chop.
Place the chocolate ice-cream in the fridge for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Transfer to a stainless-steel mixing bowl. Fold in the fruit mince and almonds until well combined.
Spoon the chocolate ice-cream mixture over the vanilla ice-cream mixture in the pans and smooth the surface. Tap firmly on the work surface to remove any air bubbles. Cover with foil and place in the freezer for a further 10-12 hours or until very firm.
Remove ice-cream terrines from the freezer and turn onto serving platters. Remove the baking paper and top the terrines with raspberries. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Creamy Eggnog Cheesecake

1 cup Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope Knox Unflavored Gelatine
1/4 cup cold water
1 (8-ounce) package Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup eggnog
1 cup cold whipping cream, whipped
Mix cracker crumbs,
1/4 cup of the sugar, the butter and nutmeg; press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
Sprinkle gelatine over water in small saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Cook on low heat 3 minutes or until gelatine is completely dissolved; stirring occasionally.
Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add gelatine, then eggnog, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate until slightly thickened.
Gently stir in whipped cream. Pour over crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.
Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; remove rim. Cut cheesecake into 8 slices to serve.
Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator

Chocolate-Candy Cane Cake

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
4 eggs
1 container (8 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, chopped
18 small candy canes, coarsely crushed (about 1 cup), divided
1 tub (8 oz. ) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed.

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, stopping frequently to scrape side of bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min. or until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate and 2 Tbsp. of the crushed candy canes. Spoon evenly into prepared pans.
BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans with metal spatula or knife. Invert cakes onto wire racks; carefully remove pans. Cool completely.
PLACE one of the cake layers on serving plate; spread evenly with 1 cup of the whipped topping. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and side of cake with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy canes just before serving. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

Holiday Bourbon Fruitcake

INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped candied orange peel
1 cup chopped candied citron
1 cup chopped candied pineapple
1 cup halved red candied cherries
1 cup halved green candied cherries
1 cup dried currants
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup orange juice
2/3 cup bourbon whiskey
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup bourbon whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg whites
DIRECTIONS:
On the first day, combine the candied orange peel, candied citron, candied pineapple, red and green candied cherries, currants, raisins, walnuts, and almonds. Combine the orange juice and bourbon; pour over the fruit and nuts. Stir and then cover tightly. Let the fruit marinate in a cool place for 1 full day, or at least 20 hours.
On the second day, line two 9x5 inch loaf pans with parchment paper or aluminum foil and grease the inside with cooking spray. Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk to blend.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Stir in the egg yolks until blended and then mix in the applesauce, bourbon and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Fold into the batter. Gently mix in the fruit and nut mixture with all of its juices. Divide evenly between the prepared pans. Cover loosely with a towel and let the batter stand overnight in a cool, dry place.
On the third day, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Place a large baking pan on the bottom shelf and pour boiling water into it until almost full. Place a baking sheet on the center shelf and place the fruit cakes on the baking sheet.
Bake for 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Check the water level and refill if needed. Cover the cakes with a sheet of parchment paper, taking care not to let it touch the shelf. Continue to bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour more. Cool fruitcakes in the pans, set over a wire rack. Once cool, remove the cakes from the pans, and leave the parchment paper on. Sprinkle with more bourbon if desired and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in a tin or other sealed container overnight before serving

Festive Fruit Cakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 cup pecan nuts
1/2 cup blanched brazil nuts
100g glace pineapple
1 cup pitted dried dates
1 cup red and green glace cherries
3.2 oz butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon brandy or rum
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup apricot jam

Glace fruit and nut topping
3.5 oz glace apricots, chopped
3.5 oz glace pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup red and green glace cherries
1/2 cup pecan nuts
1/2 cup blanched almonds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Grease eight 3/4-cup capacity pudding moulds or texas muffin holes. Roughly chop almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, pineapple, dates and cherries. Place in a large bowl.
Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add brandy and mix well. Add butter mixture to fruit mixture and stir to combine. Sift over flours. Stir until well combined. Divide mixture among moulds.
Make glace fruit and nut topping: Combine glace fruit and nuts in a bowl. Spoon evenly over cake mixture, gently pressing down on topping.
Bake cakes for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cakes in moulds for 2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Spoon jam into a small, heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 30 seconds or until warm. Brush jam over cakes. Allow to set.

Fire Adds Wow-Factor to Holiday Desserts

Although most people are focused on champagne or hors d'oeuvres, it could be more fun to focus on dessert. Whipping up impressive desserts needn't consume your day, either.
Two simple ingredients -- fire and ice (cream) -- can add serious class to any dessert, including those you purchase.
First, the fire. So long as they are intended, flames add panache to just about any dish. They also can add flavor (usually thanks to the alcohol that provide the flame) and texture.
For liquor to burn well, it needs a high alcohol content. To avoid having to heat the alcohol before igniting it (necessary with most liquors) use 151-proof rum, which ignites easily at any temperature. In fact, it is so flammable, don't cook with it.
Use it for dramatic effect around a plated dessert. For example, use biscuit cutters to cut round pieces of sliced pound cake, brownies or other purchased cakelike dessert.
Next, use a melon baller or other scoop to remove a small section from the center of the cake or brownie, then fill that section with ice cream of a contrasting color (vanilla for brownies and chocolate for pound cake).
Place the dessert in the center of a small serving plate with enough of a lip to contain a small amount of liquid. Garnish as desired, then carefully pour about one-half ounce of 151 proof rum around the cake.
After they are put on the plates, arrange the desserts on the table. You do not want to carry flaming liquid, nor are these appropriate for your guests to hold cocktail party-style.
After everything is set (warn guests to keep hair and clothing clear) use a match or lighter to ignite the rum. It should burn off in about a minute. It will be a dazzling display that heats the brownie and softens the ice cream -- a wonderful hot-cold contrast.
If you prefer your desserts to be less of a fire hazard, consider using unusual ingredients to create doctored ice cream sundaes. Simply soften vanilla ice cream in the microwave, mix in the ingredients of your choice, then freeze again for several hours.
Good choices this time of year include fig jam, crumbled baklava, crushed gingerbread cookies and smashed hard mint candies or candy canes. Whatever you mix in, reserve extra for drizzling over the top of the ice cream.
For added garnish, melt dark chocolate (or dark chocolate "melts," which are rounds of chocolate intended for these sorts of projects and are available at craft and cake supply stores), then spread it in a thin layer over waxed paper.
While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle it with the same ingredient you mixed into the ice cream. Crushed candy canes are especially nice. Let it harden, then break into large chunks. These chunks then can be wedged into the whipped cream on top of your sundae for garnish.
Or try chocolate transfer paper, an easy way to decorate melted chocolate. These are sheets of plastic (available at craft and baking supply stores) coated with an edible print (such as snowflakes) on one side.
To use, simply melt chocolate and spread it thinly over the sheet. Let the chocolate harden, then break into chunks. Or, when the chocolate is nearly hard, use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the chocolate.
When you peel the chocolate away from the transfer paper, the underside will be decorated with the pattern that was on the paper.

From the Augusta Chronicle

History of Fruitcake

Typical American fruitcakes are rich in fruit and nuts.
Mail-order fruitcakes in America began in 1913. Some well-known American bakers of fruitcake include Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, and The Claxton Bakery in Claxton, Georgia. Both Collin Street and Claxton are southern companies with access to cheap nuts, for which the expression "nutty as a fruitcake" was derived in 1935. Commercial fruitcakes are often sold from catalogs by charities as a fund raiser.
Most American mass-produced fruitcakes are alcohol free, but traditional recipes are saturated with liqueurs or brandy, and covered in powdered sugar, both of which prevent mold. Brandy or wine-soaked linens can be used to store the fruitcakes, and some people feel fruitcakes improve with age.
In the United States, the fruitcake has been a ridiculed dessert. Some blame the beginning of this trend with Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. He would joke that there really is only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family. Carson is no longer alive but the tradition lived on with "The Fruitcake Lady" (Marie Rudisill), who made appearances on the show and offered her "fruitcake" opinions.
For the last twelve years over 500 people have shown up in Manitou Springs, Colorado each January for the Great Fruitcake Toss. "We encourage the use of recycled fruitcakes", says Leslie Lewis of the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce. The all-time Great Fruitcake Toss record is 1,420 feet, set in January 2007 by a group of eight Boeing engineers, who built the Omega 380, a mock artillery piece fueled by compressed air, pumped by an exercise bike. Dan w. Etion was the original founder and showed his idea to his brother named Stene G. Etion.

Chistmas Tree Cakecut

Cut a Carrot Sheet Cake into 3 square cuts, graduating in size by about 1/2 inch. Place the largest square on the bottom of a plate or shallow bowl. Add the following layers by rotating 1/4 turn, with the result resembling a Christmas Tree. Use a frill pick to secure a Maraschino cherry on top. Drizzle raspberry and caramel dessert sauce around the cake like ribbons and ornaments, then garnish with sifted powdered sugar to simulate snow. Place holiday candies as presents at the base, if desired.

Ingredients:

Cake

2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled

1/4 cup all purpose flour

6 large eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons bourbon

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Frosting and caramel sauce

11/4 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

11/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Fresh bay leaves or lemon leaves

Powdered sugar (for sprinkling)

6 large bananas, sliced (optional)

2 pints butter pecan or pecan praline ice cream

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 17x12x1-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment; butter paper. Pulse nuts and flour in processor until nuts are finely chopped (not ground). Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in very large bowl until foamy. With mixer running, gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar, beating just until stiff peaks form. Using electric mixer, beat yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and bourbon in large bowl until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add yolk mixture to egg-white mixture. Sprinkle nuts over; gently fold until almost incorporated. Add butter; fold gently just to blend. Pour into prepared baking sheet, spreading batter gently to form even layer.Bake cake until edges begin to brown and cake is firm to touch, about 14 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

For frosting and caramel sauce:

Stir 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes (time will vary, depending on size of pan). Remove from heat; immediately add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk in butter, bourbon, and salt. Stir over medium heat until any caramel bits dissolve. Transfer 1 cup caramel sauce to small pitcher. Add chocolate to remaining caramel in saucepan. Let stand off heat 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Transfer to bowl. Let frosting stand until spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.

Spread 1 cup frosting over cake in even layer. Beginning at 1 long side and using parchment as aid, roll up cake jelly-roll style. Starting 1 inch in from each end of cake, cut off 3-inch-long diagonal piece from each end. Arrange cake, seam side down, on platter. Spread cut side of each 3-inch cake piece with some of frosting. Attach 1 cake piece, frosting side down, to top of cake near 1 end. Attach second piece to side of cake near opposite end. Cover cake with remaining frosting. Run fork in concentric circles on cake ends. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with waxed paper and let stand at room temperature.

Garnish platter with leaves. Sprinkle cake lightly with powdered sugar. Cut cake into slices and serve with bananas, if desired, ice cream, and sauce.