Let's Make Christmas Two

The next gift idea for Christmas is based on those chocolates and sweets that I first started making when but a youngster.  Now in days B.C. (Before Children) I would make huge quantities of sweet treats and due to demand even sold some at work.  The money from those then funded all the ones that I gave away to family and friends.  I used to make at least 20 varieties but these days, with the demands of family, it is usually just some of the favourite sorts.  So here are the recipes for four different truffles.  

The Rum Truffle recipe is the one my mother always makes.  The other three came from my grandmother's friend, who taught me.  As they are rather old recipes they are in imperial measurements, which I have to say I still use most of the time!  With all the recipes I was taught that once you have added egg yolk keep over the heat for 2 minutes stirring all the while so that they keep longer.

Chocolate Rum Truffles

6 oz  Plain Chocolate
1 oz  Butter
2  teaspoons Rum
1  Egg yolk, lightly beaten
2  teaspoons Evaporated Milk or cream
Plain Chocolate vermicelli or cocoa powder


Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water.  Add the butter and mix, then keep stirring and add in a thin stream the Rum, beaten egg yolk and evaporated milk or cream.  Mix well then remove from the heat and put in a cold place for at least an hour.  


Take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into balls in your hand, then roll in the chocolate vermicelli or cocoa powder.

Orange Liqueur Truffles

2 oz  Milk Chocolate
1 oz  Butter
3 oz  Icing Sugar
1 Egg yolk, lightly beaten
Grated rind of a small Orange
1 teaspoon Cointreau 
Milk Chocolate vermicelli or extra icing sugar.


Pour Cointreau over orange rind.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water.  Mix the egg yolk with the cointreau and orange and then pour in a thin stream into the melted chocolate, stirring all the time.  Continue to stir for a couple of minutes and then remove from the heat and mix in the icing sugar.  Beat well then leave the mixture to cool.  Work the mixture with a wooden spoon before shaping and rolling in vermicelli or icing sugar. 

Alpini Truffles

2 oz  Milk Chocolate
1 oz  Butter
3 oz  Icing Sugar
1  Egg yolk, lightly beaten
4 oz  Hazelnut spread
Quarter oz of Hazelnuts
Milk chocolate or blended Milk and Dark chocolate for dipping


Toast the hazelnuts and chop them into small pieces.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water.  Pour the egg yolk in a thin stream into the melted chocolate, stirring all the time.  Continue to stir for a couple of minutes and then remove from the heat and mix in the icing sugar, and lastly the chopped hazelnuts and hazelnut spread.   Beat well then leave the mixture to cool.  Shape into rough logs  and leave to firm for an hour. 

Melt the chocolate for dipping in a bowl over a pan of hot water and dip the logs.  Before the chocolate sets on top mark with the back of a fork.  When set dust with icing sugar.

Cherry Brandy Truffles

3 oz  Plain Chocolate
1 oz  Butter
2 oz  Ground Almonds
2 oz Icing Sugar
Almond essence
12  Glace cherries
Cherry Brandy liqueur
Plain chocolate for dipping


Soak the cherries and 1 teaspoon of the syrup from the pot in  Cherry Brandy liqueur.  I normally leave for at least a week, often longer. 

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water.  Add 2 teaspoon of the syrup and liqueur, a few drops of almond essence and, lastly, the almonds and sugar.  Mix well.  Form into balls and press half a cherry into the top.


Leave to firm for an hour.  Melt the chocolate for dipping in a bowl over a pan of hot water and dip the cherry truffles then leave to set.

Let's Make Christmas

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat..."  Well, the goose may be getting fat but although we have had a goose for a number of years now, we have decided to have a turkey this year!  I really should get the Christmas cake made so it has plenty of time for weekly doses of alcohol.  However that it still on the 'To Do List', along with rather a lot of other things but I have started making Christmassy things.

As many of you know I enjoy all kinds of making things, cookery and craft.  I think the value of homemade became engrained in me as a child growing up in a family where making was a part of everyday life.  Fruit and vegetables were jammed, pickled, salted or, once we had a freezer, frozen.  I loved helping to make the sweet treats for Christmas especially as some such as Rum Truffles,  Date Balls and Marzipan Dates were only ever made at Christmas.  As I got slightly older I wanted to increase my repertoire and went on a few one day sweet making courses that were run by a friend of my grandmother.  Now I don't need much encouragement to start making and over the years there has always been at least some homemade gifts.  When I read Vanessa's Let's Make Christmas post I quite agreed with her comments and know that homemade presents are always appreciated.  Vanessa has organised a wonderful Christmas event, a great exchange of ideas and I am really looking forward to meeting fellow bloggers. 

I am hoping to take three homemade gifts along and the first must be Mulled Wine Jelly.  Made from the lovely crop of grapes in the garden,  despite the disaster of the jelly bag!

This is roughly based on a recipe for 'Grape Burgundy Jelly' from Harrods Book of Jams, Jellies and Chutneys.  A book that I have had a very long time.  It was published in 1986 and it was probably about then that I bought it and have used it a lot over the years.  Their recipe says, "The delicate flavour of grapes makes a lovely jelly, and the touch of red wine gives this luxury recipe a certain quality, as well as a beautiful magenta colour.  It is delicious on fresh bread or toast, and is also an interesting accompaniment to hot roast meats."  I have to add that it goes well with cold meats too, and we also add a spoonful to gravies, it is great with Pot Roast Chicken and all sorts of things.  Only tonight my younger son used a spoonful in the Mexican Pork Chilli he was making.

Mulled Wine Jelly

700g   ripe black grapes
300 ml   water
sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
150 ml   red wine
225 ml  pectin (if needed)


Remove the grapes from the stalks, and crush them ( I use a potato masher). 

Put the grapes and water into a preserving pan.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Cool slightly and then strain through a jelly bag overnight.


Measure the juice into the cleaned preserving pan and to every 600 ml of juice add 350g sugar.  Stir in the lemon juice and wine.


Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved and then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  If using pectin remove from the heat and stir it in, skim if necessary and pour into warmed jars and cover.  As my grapes are fresh picked I find I do not need the pectin so test for a set on a cold plate and then pour into the jars and cover.

Last summer (2010) my younger son bought me an orchid, it flowered for a number of weeks and then I was left with just the leaves.  I kept it on the kitchen window sill and every week soaked it in water for an hour just like the information label had said.  Slowly over the summer a new stem grew, and then little buds, and then some more.  I have had orchids in the past but they have never flowered again so you can imagine just how thrilled I am with this one!

Isn't it a beauty and just look at all the buds still to open.  Now I have only given it water I wonder what would happen if I fed it as well.

Despite being a grey and gloomy end to October, Hubby and I went to Bedford this afternoon for a walk by the river.  It has been years since we have been there although it is not that far away.  The swans, ducks and geese were keen to see if anyone had any bread but we were a disappointment to them and they swiftly moved on to check out others.

 It was a good place for a walk with old bridges and new.

The trees were in full autumn splendour.

I was surprised that at the end of half term there were so many conkers on the ground.  There were dozens of them and lots of very busy squirrels who would sit most photogenically right up until the moment I was ready to press the shutter and then they were off before you could say, "bushy tails!"

This majestic fellow was very busy searching for his tea and reminded me of Kenneth Grahame's Ducks' Ditty.

All along the backwater,

Through the rushes tall,

Ducks are a-dabbling.

Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,

Yellow feet a-quiver,

Yellow bills all out of sight

Busy in the river!

Thinking of 'The Wind in the Willows', is anyone else following the adventures of Mole, Toad and Ratty on their Grand Tour?  Well it all started with a great idea by Pom Pom, and if you want to know more then check it out here.

The boats were not being used today although I would have enjoyed a leisurely trip down the river.  Just as we were about to leave at 4 o'clock, the sun suddenly burst through under the low clouds.  You can just see in the photo that the street lamps were on and twinkly strings of lights were lit but the sun outshone them all.  It was good to have that extra hour today from the clocks going back but it was dark by the time we got home and that is the bit I don't enjoy.