Ginger and Orange Christmas Pudding

We were happy to take up the invitation to be part of StirUpSunday last week with Sainsbury's Bloggers.  They had a special recipe by Dan Lepard for those with dietary requirements (restrictions) which sounded appetising.  The recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan and can be Nut Free if you omit the pecans.

The ingredients we used were -

100g dark brown sugar
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Valencian Orange Extract
50ml orange juice
75ml golden ale (we used Green's gluten free)
50g golden linseed (blitzed to a powder in our hand blender)
200g mixed dried fruit
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
100g pecans, chopped (leave these out if you want a nut free pudding)
200g glace ginger, chopped
50g plain flour (we used Dove's Farm Gluten Free Plain)
50g dairy free spread (plus more for greasing the pudding basin)
75g white bread, ground to soft crumbs (we used Genius Gluten Free seeded)

The linseed was blitzed ready for use and an orange was juiced.










The sugar, spices, orange extract, juice, ale and linseed were placed in a bowl before being mixed together (we used a hand mixer).  Next we added the fruit, grated carrot, pecans and ginger and stirred them through before adding the flour and mixing.

Having melted the sunflower spread, it was added to the sugar/spice mix together with the breadcrumbs.

Sous Chef J had used some more sunflower spread to grease the pudding basin which was then filled.

When the pudding basin was filled and levelled.

A layer of greaseproof paper, pleated in the middle,  was placed on top of the pudding and then the same was done with a piece of foil.

This top was held in place by using string to go round the top of the basin - it was also used to make a handle and then the whole pudding was placed in a large pan, on top of a jar lid, and the pan was half filled with boiling water.  The lid was placed on the pan and was checked regularly to ensure the pan did not boil dry.

After three hours of being steamed the pudding looked like this!

The pudding will be stored in a cool place before being steamed for a further three hours prior to serving.

Hazelnut and Walnut Cake

We spotted this recipe in the Waitrose Kitchen Magazine, November 2013 issue, and thought it looked like something that'd convert to being Gluten Free quite easily... specially since there's only 2 tablespoonsful of flour in the ingredients.  It could probably also be adapted to be dairy free by using a dairy free cooking spread like Pure (which we use in baking our Quick Mix Chocolate Cake).

These are the ingredients we used -

150g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
90g walnut pieces
90g blanched hazelnuts
175g light brown soft sugar
2 Tablespoons Gluten Free self raising flour (we used Dove's Farm)
1 teaspoon Gluten Free baking powder (again, we used Dove's Farm)
3 eggs, beaten
1 orange, zest only
pinch of salt
icing sugar for dusting

The nuts and 50g of the sugar were whizzed in our small Braun hand blender - they're shown in the green bowl in the pic.  To this, we added the flour, baking powder and salt (shown in the red bowl) and mixed well.

In another bowl, we used our electric hand mixer to cream the butter and remaining sugar.  Once fluffy and light in colour, the eggs were added in small amounts.  Next, the orange zest was added, followed by the nut and flour and combined thoroughly.

Having lined a 20cm tin, we poured in the cake mix and baked in a pre-heated fan oven (160ºC) for 35-40 minutes until a skewer came out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.  We checked the base of the cake for 'sogginess' and were delighted there was no sign of a dreaded soggy bottom!



The cake was cooled in the tin, removed when cool and dusted with icing sugar prior to serving.

We served the cake with a dollop of Rodda's clotted cream.

Having had a hearty wedge of cake each, some of slices were placed in a plastic pot and frozen for a treat at a later date.

Orange and Honey Roasted Chicken

Working our way through the Waitrose weekend paper a while back, we saw this recipe and thought it sounded like our sort of thing.

Needless to say, we didn't *quite* follow the recipe completely... but that's the norm for us!




So, the ingredients we used were:-

500g Chicken Thighs (recipe says 8 drumsticks)
2 blood oranges - zest of both, juice of one
2 Tbsp runny honey
2 Tbsp Tamari sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil




The chicken thighs were placed in an oven proof dish and scored to break through the skin in parts.  Then they were seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.




Sous Chef J placed all the sauce ingredients in a glass pot and took a few pics as he liked the layering of liquids.

Once mixed thoroughly, the sauce was poured over the chicken pieces.






Finally, the dish was placed in a pre-heated oven 180ºC for 30 minutes until cooked through.  Whilst the oven was on, we also roasted some potatoes and steamed broccoli as accompaniment.

Having prepared the dish, we're pretty sure this would transfer well to being cooked in a slow cooker and that's how we'll make it next time.