Christmas Desserts

A big rich Christmas dinner can make   Christmas even more special. Though the main course for the Christmas dinner may be more or less the same in every family, the after-dinner desserts are full of variety. Maureen Brown, the mother’s favourite is eggnog, a traditional Christmas drink, made of egg and milk, sometimes blended with an alcoholic beverage.

“First you beat egg yolks. Then combine yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Gradually add milk. Cook, stir constantly, until the mixture coats a spoon. Remove from the heat. Chill well,” said Mrs. Brown. “Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites and whipped cream into custard. Stir in brandy and rum. Chill several hours. Add vanilla, if desired, and sprinkle with nutmeg.”

Because of his Norwegian origins, Matthew Brown, the father, likes to eat lefse, a Norwegian traditional Christmas food. It is a thin, flat potato pancake, about the consistency of a tortilla and cooked using a similar method. The mild, starchy, slightly sweet taste of lefse is enhanced with the addition of peanut butter, brown sugar, or lutefisk (a Scandinavian favourite that begins with fish).

Time for the family gatherings again! Want to give something sweet and lovely to your family other than the common Christmas gifts? BTM is honoured to introduce you to three guest chefs (in alphabetical order) who will demonstrate how to produce your own Christmas desserts from their native countries or make your own creation: Kevin Michael Curry, United States

Curry, 30, is reputed to be the best pastry chef in town, which can be verified by his long list of honours and awards. To name a few there are his HOFEX 2005 gold medal award for chocolate showpiece and his FHA 2002 gold medal for pastry chocolate showpiece. He is now the executive pastry chef at the Westin Beijing and you can savour his amazing works at the hotel’s deli “Treats.” (Tel: +86 10 6606 8866)

Renaat Morel, Belgium

Morel’s most impressive titles include that of top 60 chefs in the world, head of the Beijing Association of Expatriate Chefs and chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant. Morel awaits you at his second cognominal restaurant, east of the Kempinski Hotel and west of the Maple Drive-in. (Tel: +86 10 6437 3939/6363)

Hans-Jürgen Voll, Germany

A native of Hamburg, Voll has spent the past eight years in China working at German restaurants throughout the country. This cooking veteran is now practicing his operation skills at the recently opened Die Kochmützen, a classic Landgasthaus-style tavern in the Jianwai SOHO community. (Tel: +86 10 5869 3830)Chocolate cake

1. Ingredients: pumpkin crust, hazelnut sauce, 

    chocolate sauce, garnishing materials

2. Use a round mold to cut the crust into    

    shape, and pour the hazelnut sauce equally

    over the crust.

3. Stir and pour the chocolate sauce equally

    over the hazelnut sauce and place the cake

    in a fridge to cool.

4. Take away the mold, and garnish in your own

    characteristic way.

From the editor:

A. Pumpkin is the chef’s recommendation

    and you can get it at Treats; you are also

    encouraged to try crusts of other

    flavours or your DIY crust.

B. A mold is a must to make sure that you

    produce a cake of a good shape and do

    not hesitate to try some unique shapes.

C. There is no clear time limit for cooling

    the cake, so take it out when the

    chocolate is hard.

D. To garnish and serve in a special way will

    highlight the cake; Treats has some

    lovely mushrooms awaiting your visit.

 

Christmas tree

1. Ingredients: spoon cake, butter, coffee powder, chocolate sauce,

    sugar water (mixed with a little rum), garnishing materials

2. Cut three rectangular pieces of different sizes of the spoon cake

    and cover its surface with sugar water and then butter.

3. Place the cake pieces level by level and cut them into the

    trapezoid shape, namely, the flank of the cakes is a trapezoid;

    and again cover the surface with butter mixed with coffee

    powder, which makes the trunk.

4. Cut the remaining cake into the shape of thick sticks and paste

    the sticks onto the trunk, draw bark-like designs on the trunk with

    forks, and cover the stick and ends of the trunk with butter.

5. Mix the chocolate sauce (heated if necessary) with butter, put the

    sauce into a funnel and make some thin sticks.

6. Mix butter and green pigment to make the leaves, or garnish of

    your own creation.

From the editor:

A. This is a Christmas cake unique to Europe.

B. Garnishing is significant; if you are not sure how to garnish,

    maybe try to find some molds, such as the mold of a leaf or

    flower, to aid you.

C. You can find special paper to make a funnel, but the simplest

    way is to use a plastic bag and cut a hole in one end.

 

Braised Apple with Marzipan on Vanilla Sauce

1. Ingredients: sour apple, marzipan, almonds,

    icing sugar, rum, raisins (softened after

    dipped in rum), egg, sugar, milk, vanilla stick.

2. Mix the icing sugar, raisins, almonds,

    marzipan and rum and stir them into a paste.

3. Dig out the core of the apple and insert the

    paste into the hole; place the apple in the oven

    and heat it for 35 minutes at a temperature of

    210-220 degrees Celsius.

4. Mix the sugar, milk and vanilla stick and heat

    them to a boil; add egg and continue to boil.

5. Take out the vanilla stick, peel it apart and add

    the vanilla seed to the egg sauce.

6. Pour the sauce and place the apple on the

    plate and garnish.

From the editor:

A. The time for heating the apple is not fixed; it

    depends on its size and crispness.

B. A vanilla stick is available at Jenny Lou’s at a

    cost of 71 yuan; vanilla powder is an accept

    able substitute.

C. No matter how many braised apples you

    prepare, placing one apple on one plate is

    strongly recommended, which will leave you

    with enough space to garnish.