Masala Chai

Ingredients
Water 1 ½ cup
Cinnamon Stick 1
Cardamom pods 8
Cloves 8 whole
Milk 2/3 cup
Sugar to taste
Tea leaves 3 tsp

Method
Put water in a saucepan. 

Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves and bring to a boil. 

Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the milk and sugar and bring to simmer again. 

Add the tea leaves, cover, and turn off the heat. Sit for 2 minutes. 

Strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.

Masala Chai by Zarnak Sidhwa

Chocolate Mint Fudge

Ingredients
Chocolate, chopped 500 gm
Condensed milk 400 gm
Butter 60 gm
Mint essence 1 tsp
Ingredients for Decoration
Milk Chocolate, melted 100 gm

Method
Melt chocolate, condensed milk and butter till smooth. 

Keep stirring. 

Remove from heat and add essence. 

Mix. 

Spread in a greased square pan and refrigerate till set. 

Cut in squares or triangles when set. 

Drizzle or pipe milk chocolate on the squares. 

Refrigerate till set.

Chocolate Mint Fudge by Zarnak Sidhwa

Spicy Dutch Biscuits

Ingredients

Butter 5 oz
Caster sugar 3 oz
Brown sugar 2 oz
Salt a pinch
Egg 1
Cinnamon ground 1 tsp
Ginger powder ½ tsp
Cardamom powder ½ tsp
Cloves ground ¼ tsp
Nutmeg powder ¼ tsp
Flour 9 oz
Almonds, ground 2 oz

Method
Beat butter, caster sugar and brown sugar.

Add egg, pinch of salt and add ground cinnamon, ginger powder, cardamom powder, ground cloves, nutmeg and flour. 

Mix well and chill dough for half an hour. 

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and cut out shapes with Christmas cookie cutters, bake on cookie trays at 180 degrees C for 8 minutes or till golden. 

Cool on awire rack and store in an airtight tin.

Spicy Dutch Biscuits by Zarnak Sidhwa

Christmas Cake with Marzipan, Fondant and Royal Icing

Ingredients for Christmas Cake:


For Cake:

6 oz (175gm) unsalted butter
8 oz (200gm) brown sugar
3 eggs
8 oz (200gm) flour
½ tsp baking powder
3 oz blanched almonds, chopped
1 tbsp ginger powder
1 tsp mixed cake spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pound 9 oz (700gm) of dried mixed fruit :
200gm black currants, large and tiny
100gm brown sultanas (munnaqa)
300gm golden raisins
100gm orange peel, washed and dried
2 oz red glace cherries, halved, washed and dried
Fresh Zest of 1 orange
100 ml (4oz) fresh orange juice
To add after baking:
Fresh Orange juice as required
Apricot jam as required for brushing over the cake.

Method :

Put sugar, butter, currants, raisins, sultanas and cherries with orange juice in a pan and slowly boil uncovered. 

Cool, add eggs once mixture is cold or it will curdle. 

Fold in cinnamon, flour, cake spice, orange zest, baking powder, ginger powder, chopped almonds, mix well and pour in a 9” tin. 

Tin should be greased and double lined on base and sides as well. 

Level the top of the cake with a spoon dipped in hot water. 

Bake at 150C for 45 minutes, turn down oven to 140C and bake for 1 more hour or 1 hour 15 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. 

Cool cake in tin overnight. Do not remove paper or cake from tin. 

The next day, poke the cake all over the top with a skewer and slowly feed in fresh orange juice. 

Wrap well in foil and keep outside. 

A week before using the cake, peel off the papers and pierce again and feed with orange juice. 

Place cake on a cake board 2 inches bigger than the cake. 

Blend apricot jam and sieve it to remove any fruit and brush all over the cake. Meanwhile, roll out the marzipan in between 2 sheets of cling, press down on cake. Smooth surface with your hands or cake smoother. 

If any excess marzipan is left, trim it. 

Let marzipan dry for a few days before applying the fondant icing. 

Make the fondant and roll in between two sheets of cling, icing sugar may be used to prevent it from sticking. 

Brush marzipan layer with orange juice and gently place fondant over cake. 

Smooth edges and trim any extra fondant. 

Let dry overnight. 

Do not add any decorations immediately. 

Do not refrigerate. 

On the sides of the cake, where the board is showing, apply Royal Icing, as it will immediately dry up, quickly smooth with a spatula, use the remaining royal icing as a glue to paste decorations on the fondant once dry. 

Tie a colourful ribbon around your cake. 

If desired, decorate the top with fondant decorations.

Christmas Cake with Marzipan, Fondant and Royal Icing by Zarnak Sidhwa

Fondant Icing

Fondant Icing

Ingredients
Icing sugar, sifted 500gm
Liquid glucose, warmed 1 tbsp
Glycerin 1 tsp
Egg white 1-1 ½

Method
In a bowl, mix 500gm icing sugar, glucose, 1 tsp glycerin and add gradually 1-1 ½ egg white till it turns into a soft ball. 

Knead 10 minutes till smooth and brilliant white. 

Add more icing sugar if mixture is sticky. 

Use immediately.

Note:
- Keep covered in cling wrap so that it doesn't dry out.
- If dry, just knead well again and it will be good to go. 
- Don't keep in fridge.
- Doesn't have a long shelf life because it has raw egg. 
- Can make it a day ahead to use.

Fondant Icing by Zarnak Sidhwa

Royal Icing

Royal Icing

Ingredients
Egg whites 2
Icing sugar, sifted 2 oz
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Method
Beat 2 egg whites till foamy and add 1 oz of the icing sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Beat till white and smooth.

Add remaining 1 oz of the icing sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice and mix again. 

Cover with a damp cloth to prevent from drying out or store in an airtight bowl till needed.

Royal Icing by Zarnak Sidhwa

Marzipan

Marzipan

Ingredients
Almonds (blanched & ground) 8 oz
very fine caster sugar, sieved 8 oz
Icing sugar, sifted 8 oz
Eggs 1 – 2
Almond essence 1 tsp

Method
In a bowl, mix 8 oz icing sugar, 8 oz very fine caster sugar, 8 oz blanched and ground almonds, 1 tsp almond essence and gradually add in 1-2 eggs. 

Knead to form a stiff paste. 

Wrap in cling and store in fridge.

Marzipan by Zarnak Sidhwa

Marshmallow Chocolate Drink

Ingredients
Milk 600 ml
Cream 142 ml
Dark chocolate 100 gm
Mini marshmallows as required
Grated chocolate for garnish

Method
Heat the milk, cream and chocolate, till dissolved. 

Serve in clear mugs and top with mini marshmallows and some grated chocolate.

Marshmallow Chocolate Drink by Zarnak Sidhwa

Mince Meat Tart

Ingredients for Short Crust Pastry:

Flour 350 gm
Salt 1 tsp
Caster sugar 30 gm
Unsalted butter, chilled, and cubed 1 cup
Ice cold water ¼ cup - ½ cup
Home-made mincemeat 3 Cups
Butter ¼ cup

Method
For Pastry: 

In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. 

Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 

Pour 1/4 cup water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together. 

Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. 

Divide the pastry in half, flatten each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using.

For Mincemeat Tart: 

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. 

Remove one round of pastry and on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and line a 9” pie plate or tin with it, gently push up pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of pan. 

Trim the edges of the pastry so you have about 1/2 inch overhang.
Fill the tart shell with 3 cups of the homemade mincemeat and dot with butter.

Then remove the second round of pastry and roll it into a round circle. 

Using a pizza cutter or fluted edged pastry wheel, cut the pastry into 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide strips. 

Using an offset spatula gently transfer the strips to the tart pan. 

Lay the strips, evenly spaced, across the tart and then turn the pan a quarter turn and lay the remaining strips across the first strips so you have a lattice pattern. 

Seal and trim the edges of the strips to fit the tart pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the pastry has lightly browned.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Mince Meat Tart by Zarnak Sidhwa

Home-made Mincemeat

Ingredients
Apples, peeled and grated 4 – 5 large
Apple juice 1 ½ cup
Dark raisins 3/4 cup
Golden raisins 3/4 cup
Currants 3/4 cup
Cranberries 3/4 cup
Mixed candied peel 3/4 cups
Dark brown sugar ½ cup
Unsalted butter 60 gm
Cinnamon ground ½ tsp
Allspice ground ½ tsp
Nutmeg ground ½ tsp
Cloves ground ½ tsp
Salt ¼ tsp

Method
Place all the ingredients in a large pan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. 

Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the mincemeat, stirring often, for about 25-30 minutes, or until the liquid is almost evaporated. 

Transfer the mincemeat to a large bowl and let it cool completely. 

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator, at least overnight, or up to a month.

Home-made Mince Meat by Zarnak Sidhwa

Steamy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients for Steamy Hot Chocolate:
Cocoa powder ¼ cup
Milk 4 cups
Chocolate, chopped 6 oz
Vanilla essence 1 tbsp
Salt a pinch
Whipped cream as required

Method
Put cocoa powder in saucepan. 

Stir in milk a bit at a time. 

Add chocolate and melt over medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

Bring to boil Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. 

Ladle into mugs; top with whipped cream, if desired.

Steamy Hot Chocolate by Zarnak Sidhwa

French Fruit Cake

Ingredients for French Fruit Cake:


Ingredients
Candied orange peel 3/4 cup
Walnuts coarsely chopped ½ cup
Raisins ½ cup
Golden raisins ½ cup
Flour 2 tbsp
Butter, softened ½ cup
Caster sugar ½ cup
Honey 2 ½ tbsp
Eggs 2
Cream or milk 1 ½ tbsp
Orange juice 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Flour 1 ½ cup
Baking powder ½ tsp

Method:

Toss the candied orange peel, walnuts, and raisins with 2 tablespoons flour. 

Set aside. 

In a bowl, beat butter, sugar and honey. 

Beat in the egg, then the cream or milk, orange juice and vanilla. 

Stir together the remaining 1 ½ cups flour and the baking powder; beat into the creamed mixture. 

Stir in the fruits and nuts. 

Turn the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Lower the heat to 165 degrees C. 

Bake the cake 45 minutes longer, or until it tests done with a toothpick or skewer. Transfer to a rack to cool.

French Fruit Cake by Zarnak Sidhwa

Roasted Carrot Soup

Ingredients for Roasted Carrot Soup
Carrots, chopped 1 kg
Onion, chopped 2
Garlic 3 cloves
Butter 2 tbsp
Bay leaf 1
Thyme 1 tsp
Parsley stalks 3 – 4
Chicken or vegetable stock 1 ½ liter
Tomato paste 1 tbsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Sausages, chopped 2

Method

Put carrots, onion, garlic and thyme in a baking dish and drizzle butter and roast at 180 degrees C for an hour, till vegetables are done, turn them once during baking. 

Tie bay leaf and parsley together and add all vegetables and sauce to a pan add in the bay leaf and parsley, tomato paste and chicken or vegetable stock. 

Boil and then simmer and remove the parsley and bay leaf. 

Purée soup in a blender and return to a clean pan, reheat and season with salt and pepper. 

Heat a tbsp of oil and sauté the finely chopped sausage and sprinkle over the soup. Serve immediately.

Roasted Carrot Soup by Zarnak Sidhwa

Christmas Baking Week - Dec 17, 2012 to Dec 21, 2012

Recipe Line Up for Christmas Baking Week of December 2012 - Dec 17, 2012 to Dec 21, 2012

1. Roasted Carrot Soup, French Fruit Cake And Steamy Hot Chocolate

2. Home-made Mince Meat, Mince Meat Tart And Marshmallow Chocolate Drink

3. Christmas Cake, Marzipan, Fondant Icing And Royal Icing

4. Zarnak went to Lahore for shooting of Christmas promo. 

5. Spicy Dutch Biscuits, Chocolate Mint Fudge And Masala Chai