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Christmas – A time for laughing and sharing

Christmas will soon be upon us. Amidst the festive build up and associated stresses and financial concerns, I thought I’d share with you some amusing experiences and things that make me laugh.  I love Christmas. For me, it’s all about being with family and friends; it’s a time to forget (for a short period) the problems our world is facing and to simply enjoy being alive.  I will reflect upon past Christmases: happy times spent with my parents (now deceased), the beaming smiles on my children’s faces following Santa’s visit, and will look forward to the different kind of magic that Christmas brings now.

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Scrumptious Italian Christmas Pudding Cake

Italian Christmas Pudding Cake
Italian Christmas Pudding Cake

Italian Christmas Pudding cake

It just keeps getting better. This, trust me, is an indulgence you simply cannot do without. It bears absolutely no comparison to a Christmas Pudding but as an alternative, it wins hands down!! It is a delightful Italian Christmas dessert, light and fluffy and has the appearance of something aristocratic with all the scrumptious flavours of Christmas all rolled into one. Miss this and weep! Sheer Bliss!

Method

(To make this cake you need a 22-23cm Springform cake tin.)

Cut the panettone into 1cm slices and use a third of these to line the bottom of the tin, making sure there are no gaps. Drizzle 2 tbsp of the Kahlua over the panettone so as it becomes moist.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until very frothy. Then slowly whisk in the mascarpone and double cream then slowly add the marsala. Carry on whisking until the mixture is thick and more firm.

Nigella Lawson
Truly one of the most influential charismatic cooks of our time.

Source:
Nigellissima

625g Panettone
6 x 15ml tbsp Kahlua Lq
2 Eggs
75g Caster Sugar
500g Mascarpone
250ml Double Cream
125ml Marsala or Sweet Sherry
75g Glace Cherries
125g Chocolate Chips
100g Pistachio Nuts
2 x 15ml tbsp Pomegranite Seeds

£14.15

£1  per portion: 

12 – 14 Slices

Remove a good cupful of the mixture and store in the fridge for later. Add the glace cherries to the mixture followed by 100g of the chocolate chips and 75g of the chopped pistachios and fold in.

Now use half this mixture and put on top of the tin lined with panettone.

Now use a further third of the panettone slices to cover the mixture you have just added and remember, no gaps. Drizzle with a further 2tbsp of liqueur.

Now place the remainder of the filling on top and cover with the remainder of the panettone slices. Use the final 2tbsp of liqueur on this final layer.

Cover the tin with clingfilm and press down on the cake to make sure all the layers are well seated.

This can then be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days until needed.

Before you serve, remove from the springform tin, place on a presentation dish and add the cupful of filling you saved to the top surface, levelling as best you can.

Now scatter the remainder of the nuts, and chocolate chips over the top, adding the pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy!!

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Food Allergies & Intolerances: Are they fashionable obsessions?

“We are a kitchen, not a hospital” (Raymond Blanc).  On the BBC Good Food Show Raymond Blanc argued that it is now ‘fashionable’ to have a food intolerance. He is not the only chef to have complained about customers claiming to have food allergies and intolerances. In July this year an Australian chef vented his anger on Instagram with customers ‘who aren’t honest about what they can eat’.  He gave an example of a customer who had a ‘shellfish allergy but loves oyster sauce’. He said “you make it really damn hard for people with actual allergies and dietaries to go out to eat. Are they right?

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Christmas Rocky Road

Christmas Rocky Road

For all Chocoholics!! If it’s a little festive indulgence you’re looking for this year – this is the recipe for you. Ideal for those intimate parties and family get-togethers, this rich passionate finger-licking treat will please everyone. Packed with your favourite goodies – how can you go wrong​

rocky rheindeer
rocky picking
rocky bowl
rocky-road-crunch-bars-562a5c08801ed

Nigella Lawson
Truly one of the most influential charismatic cooks of our time.

Source:
Nigella Christmas

 

250g dark Chocolate
150g Milk Chocolate
175g Soft Butter
4 x 15ml Tablespoons of Golden Syrup
200g Amaretti Biscuits (Not the soft ones)
150g Shelled Brazil Nuts
150g Red Glace Cherries
125g Mini Marshmallows
1 x 15ml Tablespoon of Icing Sugar

£11.00

45p per portion

24 Bite Size Bars

Method

Chop up both types of chocolate small and put into a pan with the butter and syrup over a gentle heat.

Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and bash them to get various sized crumbs.

Put the brazil nuts into another bag and repeat the above action.

Take the pan off the heat and add the biscuits, nuts, place cherries and marshmallows making sure all the ingredients are coated with chocolate.

Tip into a foil tray (236mm x 296mm)smoothing the mixture as best you can. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the slab mixture from the refrigerator and place on a chopping board. Sift the icing sugar over the top.

Cut the chocolate slab 6 x 4 and place on a presentation dish.

Website

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How to encourage customers to donate money to a charity without embarrassing them

Charity begins at home.  Many believe this proverb means that you should look after your family and friends first, but I would argue that it means that charity begins in the home where your children learn what charity really is. One of my daughters, a student, sent me this photograph a couple of days ago:

How to encourage customers to donate money to a charity without embarrassing them
Wish for Water Mexican restaurant called Ojo Rojo, where customers can donate to the charity

She explained that small boxes have been placed on each table at a Mexican restaurant called Ojo Rojo, where customers can donate to the charity ‘Wish for Water’. She told me that she and her friends put their loose change into the box. She said that she was happy to donate because although she could only afford to give away her loose change, she did not feel embarrassed at not being able to donate more.  There was no pressure to donate – just the opportunity.  Our conversation inspired me to write this post.

Continue reading “How to encourage customers to donate money to a charity without embarrassing them”

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Caterers and Food Waste – what can a caterer do?

How caterers can help people suffering from food poverty and help save the environment.

Caterers tend to be very busy this time of year – ordering and preparing food to serve to their customers who are celebrating the advent of Christmas. But how much of this food will be wasted? How much will end up in landfills? Could some of the food be given to the homeless or others suffering from food poverty? I’m writing this blog because there are caterers who divert food destined for the landfill and make it available to those people in need, and I thought it might be of interest to you.

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10 ways a caterer can help with homelessness and foodbanks

Homelessness is increasing significantly and foodbank use continues to rise. What can a caterer do to help?  There are already a number of caterers helping others, so I decided to write  a detailed post about what they do in the hope that it helps other caterers who may be thinking that they too want to help.
Homelessness 
  • 47 is the average age of death of a homeless person (Crisis)
  • 4,134 people are estimated to be sleeping rough on any one night (Homeless Link)
  • 132% rise in rough sleepers since 2010 (Crisis)
  • 16% rise in rough sleepers since 2015 (Crisis)
  • Over 125,000 homeless children living in Britain today (Shelter)
  • 62% of single homeless people may not show up in official figures (Crisis)
These are just the statistics – the human suffering is immense. How many homeless people are there where you live and shop? How many pass by your cafe or restaurant on a daily basis?  As a caterer, could you help just one person?

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Is there a caterer who can save you money?

My aim is to save you money and to spread a bit of kindness.

We all need food to survive. We don’t have a choice – or do we?  Can a caterer make a difference?

Suits have choice caterer
A quote from Harvey Specter of Suits – ‘You always have a choice’ got me thinking.
(For those of you who have never heard of Harvey Specter, he plays the smooth, over-confident and hugely successful lawyer in the TV series Suits, with memorable one-liner quotes).

  • Does this apply to food? Yes it does. Some people are forced to make a choice between paying the rent or eating. Others are making choices to eat cheaper fast foods instead of more nutritious ones.
  • Does this apply to a caterer? Of course it does. From baking a cake, when you choose the recipe, ingredients and utensils you will use, to choosing a caterer to provide your wedding breakfast, you always have a choice.

If you have no financial constraints then the choice you make is relatively straightforward. The problem occurs when you know what you need or want but can’t afford it.

The important thing to remember here is that you may still have a choice – there may be other ways for you to get what you want. There may be others that can help (caring caterer’ ). You may have to ‘think outside the box’ and/or compromise, but there are often alternatives for you to consider.

I’m here to help you look at the alternatives.  Hopefully, as this site grows, others will come up with suggestions too. Continue reading “Is there a caterer who can save you money?”