Showing posts with label celebration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebration. Show all posts

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Party Inspiration - Christmas in July

Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July

I love Christmas. So much. And I love all of the food traditions that go with it. The seafood and trifle and biscuits and BBQ roasts and every type of salad under the sun. Sun being the operative word. Growing up on American and British tv and movies and seeing snuggly winter Christmases makes you yearn just a little bit for a roaring fire and eggnog and all hot foods. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas! I was blessed enough to spend a Christmas in Germany on a high school exchange, and I was in New York City one year for the unveiling of the Macy’s and Saks’ Christmas displays and there really is something special and all-together more “Christmassy” about a winter Christmas. I would never give up our summer Christmases for the world…but that doesn’t mean I can’t have both. Whenever I can, I host or attend a Christmas in July party and get all winter-festive!
Recently I hosted a Christmas in July Party with the same friends that have a normal Christmas party. Everyone volunteers to bring a dish, the house gets decorated and we eat all of the traditional winter Christmas foods we grew up seeing on tv.

Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in JulyParty Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July - place settings
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July

Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July- place settings
Given that it’s only for a day, not a season, I kept the decorations to a minimum. My least favourite chore of all time it taking down the Christmas tree, so there’s no way I’m doing it twice in one year! We had mulled cider and egg nog and a chocolate peppermint version of the Puerto Rican Coquito. There was roasted meats and vegetables. There was bonbons and santa brownies and a whole bunch of Christmas spirit. And it was such a great night. Lance even wrapped up some “re-gift’ presents so everyone received something from “Santa”.

Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
 Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Over the coming days, I’ll post recipes of the dishes that I contributed to the party, but in the meantime, here are some photos to whet your appetite and give you ideas if you were considering hosting your own Christmas in July.
To start with, there is gingerbread. This for me is still the ultimate gingerbread recipe, which Lance used to build a whole castle.
Party Inspiration - Christmas in July
Party Inspiration - Christmas in JulyParty Inspiration - Christmas in JulyParty Inspiration - Christmas in July
And coming:

Have you ever been to a Christmas in July party? What was your favourite winter tradition in it?

Monday, March 10, 2014

Happy Birthday Skamp's Kitchen - Ricotta, Hazelnut and Fig Cake


Skamp’s kitchen had it’s anniversary on the 4th of February. Yay! I put the call out on my facebook page – how should I celebrate my blogiversary? The overwhelming response was cake. Especially if that cake was shared with my fans! So, there was nothing for it, but to make cake when I got home from work. One friend had the good idea of making a fig cake, given that I was posting a bunch of fig recipes lately, and it just happened that I had a few left.
 

I decided to make a gluten-free cake, so that when I took the leftovers to work, a few co-workers who can’t eat gluten could still have a piece. And seeing as we were just coming out of January when everyone was still being good with their new years’ resolutions to eat healthier, I also made it with no processed sugar and all healthy fats from ricotta and hazelnuts. The result was a delicious, healthy, moist and nutty cake that didn’t last too long in the work kitchen.
 

But because I was celebrating, when Lance and I ate ours, I added an extra drizzle of honey. And some melted chocolate. And ate it with chocolate ice cream. Delicious. A dusting of icing sugar would also be a nice touch.
 


Ricotta, Hazelnut and Fig Cake
(adapted from Taste.com.au)
250g ricotta cheese
4 eggs, separated
1 vanilla bean, cut and seeds scraped out
½ cup honey
250g hazelnut meal
1 tsp ground ginger
6 figs, sliced into rounds
Optional – chocolate or honey to drizzle

Preheat oven to 150C, grease and line a springform cake tin

Beat the ricotta, egg yolks, vanilla and honey until smooth. Add the hazelnut meal and ginger, mix until fully incorporated.

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the hazelnut mixture. Pour the mixture into a cake tin, and spread with a spatula. Gently press fig rounds into the top.

Bake for 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from the cake tin to a wire rack.

Serve drizzled with extra honey, or melted chocolate. Or both!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Fathers' Day - Chocolate Beer Ice Cream


One of the funniest memories I have of my dad was from when I was in high school. As part of the Home Economics course, students used to occasionally sell their cooking to the teachers and staff at the high school. It used to raise money for the department and school, so my mum who worked in the high school library would often bring home various things they'd cooked. Generally, the food was pretty good.

One time, they did a proper fundraising drive and took orders for various individual sized pies by the dozen. Mum bought a dozen chicken, a dozen beef and a dozen apple pies that went into the freezer and as needed, would get taken out and heated in the oven. I came home late one night and felt like a chicken pie for dinner and going through the freezer, couldn't find any. Mum told me not to be ridiculous, they'd left one there for me. She came over to have a look and lo-and-behold, there was no chicken left, only apple. You could tell by the pastry shape cut and stuck to the top pie crust. Mum was completely flummoxed. Where had it gone? Which was when dad piped up, "I think I'm eating it."
"What do you mean, you're eating it? I just gave you dessert!"
"Yeah, it's a chicken pie."
"No, it's apple pie and ice cream."
"No. It's a chicken pie. With ice cream. I did think it was weird when you gave it to me."
"So why didn't you say something?"
"I don't know, it's good, so I ate it."

Now whenever I see chicken pies on a menu, I think of dad and his unusual dessert and can't help but laugh. So in honour of Fathers' Day, I'm making him this beer ice cream. I think it'll go better with chicken pies than vanilla ice cream! It's malty and rich and all sorts of delicious! Happy Fathers' Day!!


 



Chocolate Beer Ice Cream
adapted from here
355mL chocolate stout
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cacao nibs, lightly crushed in a mortar & pestle
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 large egg yolks
2 cups thickened cream

Simmer 235mL of the chocolate stout in a frypan until it has reduced by half, set aside to cool slightly. Put the remaining beer, vanilla, cream and crushed cacao nibs in a bowl, stir to mix. Add the reduced beer and mix well.

Prepare an ice bath, and place a large bowl in it with a fine mesh sieve over this.

Whisk the sugar, salt and eggs in a large saucepan until smooth. Then whisk in the cream & beer mixture. Slowly heat the mixture to medium high, constantly stirring until the mixture thickens. About 10 minutes.

Pour the cooked mixture through the sieve into the bowl in the ice bath and stir constantly until the mixture cools. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours until cold.

Churn in ice cream maker as per manufacturer's instructions, then freeze again until firm. At least a few hours. I did mine overnight due to time restraints.