Christmas Recipes
Our Christmas afternoon tea is proving popular in the Garden Room, so we asked chefs Dominik O’Connor and Martyn Edmonds to share some of the recipes.
Cranberry and orange scones by Martyn Edmonds
Ingredients
375g self-raising flour
85g butter
39g caster sugar
100ml buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
40g dried cranberries
Zest of an orange
1 egg, beaten
Method
1. Line a tray with baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 180C fan.
2. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter.
3. Stir in the sugar. Add the buttermilk and eggs, then mix into a soft dough.
4. Add the cranberries and orange zest and mix until well-combined. Don’t be tempted to over-mix, as you may tear the cranberries.
5. Roll out the dough and use a 4cm fluted cutter to create 12 to 14 scones.
6. Brush each scone with beaten egg and then bake for 15 minutes.
At The Principal York, we serve our scones with clementine marmalade and clotted cream.
Mulled wine macarons by Martyn Edmonds
For the macaron shells
Ingredients
150g ground almonds
150g icing sugar
110g egg whites
¼ tsp red food colouring (gel or powder)
150g caster sugar
25g water
Method
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds and icing sugar.
2. Whisk in 55g of the egg whites. Once fully incorporated, add the red food colouring and mix together.
3. In separate bowl, whisk the remaining 55g of egg whites until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
4. Place the water and sugar into a saucepan and heat to 118C.
5. Once the sugar has dissolved, gradually pour the syrup over the second bowl of egg whites, while continually whisking. Keep whisking until the mixture has cooled.
6. Fold the meringue mixture into the almond mixture.
7. Line three trays with silicone mats. Pour the macaron mixture into a piping bag and using a round nozzle, pipe 2.5cm rounds onto the trays.
8. Leave to dry out for one hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 130C.
9. Bake for 18 minutes then allow the shells to cool.
For the mulled wine cream
Ingredients
250ml red wine
Cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1tsp allspice
1 large piece of orange peel
1 large piece of lemon peel
4 tbsp sugar, or to taste
140g butter
280g icing sugar
3 tbsp mulled wine syrup
Method
1. Place all ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil, and then simmer until reduced by half.
2. Pass the liquid through a sieve to remove the spices.
3. Butter the butter until pale, then add the icing sugar and mix until fully combined.
4. Mix in the mulled wine.
5. Add to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
To assemble the macarons, pipe the mulled wine cream onto half of the shells, then place the rest of the shells on top.
Martyn’s recipe for mulled wine is perfect for creating a delicious winter tipple – use a full bottle of red wine and keep the spices in the same quantity.
Principal York Christmas sausage rolls by Dominik O’Connor
Ingredients
1kg sausage meat
100g cooked and diced bacon, fat removed
150g dried apricots, finely diced
30g sage leaves, finely chopped
3 shallots, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
200g sheet of frozen puff pastry, semi-defrosted
3 egg yolks, beaten
Method
1. Heat up a non-stick pan, add a little oil and fry the shallot, garlic and sage on a medium-low heat (cooking gently without adding colour).
2. When cooked, add the apricot and bacon. Mix well and set aside to chill.
3. When chilled, using a large mixing bowl, mix the sausage meat and the chilled cooked ingredients together.
4. Add the mix to a piping bag, filling no more than three quarters full. Cut the end of the bag about 5cm up, giving you a large hole to pipe the mix through.
5. Pipe the mixture in one even line down the middle of the pastry sheet.
6. Brush the pastry either side of the mixture with egg yolk and roll the pastry over creating the sausage roll. Push out any air pockets in the mixture, and then gently crimp the end to create a seal.
7. Trim any loose pastry to keep your crimp line straight. Brush the sausage roll with the beaten egg yolk and place in the fridge for one hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 180C fan.
9. Egg wash again immediately before cooking for a beautiful golden brown colour.
10. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Then slice into five to six portions.