Spiced almond biscuits

One of the most captivating Christmas cookbooks is Anja Dunk’s Advent a book of ‘festival German bakes to celebrate the coming of Christmas’. It’s full of the most amazing recipes and beautifully illustrated with lovely photographs and linocuts.

Anja writes: “These biscuits are traditional Advent sweet treats in both the Netherlands, where they are usually eaten around the 6th December (St Nikolaus day), and in Germany, where they are eaten throughout the whole run-up to Christmas.

Usually they’re decorated with images relating to Nikolaus, and more often than not have windmills depicted on them. You can also buy special wooden rolling pins with pictured squares carved into them specifically for rolling this dough out at home. I don’t have one of these and I certainly don’t have the patience to create the intricate decoration it would involve without using one. Instead I use pretty cutters (I think snowflakes work best) to cut out festive shapes.

Usually almond Spekulatius have a flaked almond base, but I’ve switched things up and adorned mine with them on top instead. These snappy (by this I mean crunchy and good to snap) biscuits are best eaten alongside a black coffee and are also brilliant crushed into a powder and mixed with melted butter to create a Christmas cheesecake or chocolate torte base.”

Spiced almond biscuits (Spekulatius)

Makes about 30

150g (1 cup plus

2 tbsp) plain (allpurpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

50g (½ cup minus 1 tbsp) rye flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

120g (²⁄‚ƒ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

Pinch of fine sea salt

125g (½ cup plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp

1 egg

To finish

Milk, for brushing

50g (1¾oz) flaked (slivered) almonds

Put all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the butter and mix it into the flour using your fingertips until it has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and bring everything together into a dough with your hands. (Alternatively, simply put all the ingredients into the bowl of an electric free-standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until an even dough is formed.)

Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F and line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm/1/8in thickness. Cut out shapes with your cookie cutter and gently transfer them onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1cm/3/8in between each to allow for spreading. Re-roll the dough offcuts into more biscuits. Brush the tops with milk then sprinkle some flaked almonds onto each one, pressing them down gently to ensure they stick.

Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes until golden all over. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container, where they will keep well for up to 4 weeks.

Advent is published by Hardie Grant at £25. Photograph and recipe © Anja Dunk.

See also Ren Behan’s Polish spiced cookies

Côte de Boeuf with Dauphinoise Potatoes

Here’s a fantastic treat for a romantic night in from the Pipers Farm Sustainable Meat Cookbook by Abby Allen and Rachel Lovell.

Pipers Farm is a Devon-based farmer and meat supplier and this book is a great guide as to what to do with different cuts.

Côte de Boeuf with Dauphinoise Potatoes

Serves 2

1 Côte de Boeuf

A drizzle of olive oil

50g (1 3/4 oz) salted grass fed butter

2 garlic gloves, bashed

1 small bunch of thyme

For the dauphinoise potatoes

200ml (7fl oz) double cream

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

¼ bulb of nutmeg, grated

375g (13oz) waxy potatoes, peeled and finely sliced

Grass-fed butter, for greasing

Pure sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

Remove the cote de boeuf from the fridge at least an hour before you plan to cook, to bring it to room temperature. Season well with salt and pepper.

To make the dauphinoise, warm the cream in a small saucepan with the thyme, garlic and nutmeg. Season the cream really well with salt and pepper. It’s important to get it almost ‘overseasoned’ as it will have the job of seasoning the potatoes to do as well. Place the potatoes in a bowl, pour over the cream and mix together thoroughly.

Grease a small baking tin with butter. Layer up the potatoes in the dish until it is full. Place a sheet of baking parchment over the potatoes and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking parchment from the surface and return the potatoes to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until the top has taken on some colour.

Heat a wide, heavy-based frying pan until hot. Add a drizzle of oil to the outside of the cote de boeuf and place in the pan, fat side down. Use a pair of tongs to hold the piece of beef in place and carefully render down the fat, creating a lovely golden crust.

Remove the beef from the pan and drain off any excess fat. Increase the heat until the pan is very hot, then add the beef, cut-side down, and fiercely sear for 2 minutes on each side.

Once again, remove the beef from the pan and leave the pan to cool a little. Now add the butter, bashed garlic and sprigs of thyme to create an aromatic butter. Return the beef to the pan and continue to cook on each side. It is useful at this stage to have a digital thermometer probe to keep track of how the beef is cooking. For rare aim for a core temperature of 48-52C (118-126F); for medium aim for 55-58C (131-136F) and 60C+ (140F+) for well done. If you don’t have a temperature probe, cooking the beef in butter for 4 minutes on each side should work well.

Transfer the beef to a tray, pour over the butter and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Carve into thick slices and serve with the rich dauphinoise potatoes and a sharp salad.

What to drink: It’s definitely an occasion to splash out on the wine which could be any medium to full-bodied red you enjoy - Bordeaux or other cabernet-merlot blends, Northern Rhone syrah, a Tuscan red, an Argentnian malbec ....

From Pipers Farm The Sustainable Meat Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom for Considered Carnivores by Abby Allen and Rachel Lovell, published by Kyle Books at £30

Duck casserole with red wine, cinnamon and olives

One of my favourite recipes from my recently reissued book The Wine Lover’s Kitchen which is full of recipes for cooking with wine.

Red wine and cinnamon are natural partners and work together brilliantly in this exotically spiced, Moorish-style casserole. I suggest you use a strong, fruity wine such as a Merlot, Carmenère or Zinfandel. 

Duck casserole with red wine, cinnamon and olives

Serves 4

2 duck breasts

4 duck legs

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

350 ml/1 ½ cups full-bodied fruity red wine (see recipe introduction), plus 2 tablespoons extra

250 ml/1 cup passata/strained tomatoes

2 small strips of unwaxed orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

100 g/1 cup pitted mixed olives marinated with herbs

½ teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried oregano

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

couscous or pilaf and leafy green vegetables, to serve

an ovenproof dish

Preheat the oven to 200 °/180°fan/400 ° F/Gas 6.

Trim any excess fat from all the duck pieces and prick the skin with a fork. Cut the breasts in half lengthways and season all the pieces lightly with salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon oil in an oven proof dish and add the duck pieces, skin-side upwards. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and pour off the fat (keep it for roasting potatoes). Reduce the oven temperature to 150 °C/130°fan/300 ° F/Gas 2.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a flameproof casserole, add the onion and celery and fry over a low heat for 5-6 minutes or until soft.

Stir in the garlic, increase the heat and pour in the red wine. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add the passata/strained tomatoes, orange zest, cinnamon, olives and herbs. Transfer the duck pieces to the casserole and spoon the sauce over them. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover and transfer the casserole to the preheated oven for about 1¼ hours until the duck is tender. Spoon the sauce over the duck halfway through cooking and add a little water if the sauce seems too dry.

Take the casserole out of the oven, remove and discard the cinnamon stick and orange zest and spoon off any fat that has accumulated on the surface. Stir in 2 tablespoons red wine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with couscous or a lightly spiced pilaf along with some cavolo nero or other dark leafy greens.

Note: You can also make this casserole a day ahead. To do so, cook it in the oven for just 1 hour, then let it cool, cover and refrigerate overnight. The following day, skim off any fat, then reheat it gently, adding a final dash of wine just before serving.

What to drink
Any robust southern French, Spanish, Portuguese or southern Italian red would go well with this recipe. As would a good, gutsy Zinfandel.

For other pairings see 9 great wine pairings for duck

From The Wine Lover’s Kitchen by Fiona Beckett, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£22) Photography by Mowie Kay © Ryland Peters & Small.

 

 

Beef, Stilton and Onion Pie

This is just one of the amazing pies in Calum Franklin’s The Pie Room which will happily give you projects to work through all winter. He says it’s for ‘wintry days when the roads are blocked and you are snowed in’ but I’d be perfectly happy to have it on a grey November day. However one can’t argue with Calum’s conclusion that it’s ‘rich, decadent and best followed by a nap on the couch’.

Beef, Stilton and Onion Pie

SERVES 4–6

300g rough puff pastry (or shop-bought puff pastry) There is obviously a recipe for rough puff pastry in the book.

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for brushing

For the filling

600g beef chuck steak, cut into 4cm dice

100g plain flour

40ml vegetable oil

4 Spanish onions, peeled and halved but with the roots left on

400g chestnut mushrooms, halved

1 teaspoon table salt

300ml red wine

2 bay leaves

3 thyme sprigs

2 litres beef stock

100g Stilton cheese, broken into 2cm nuggets

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

pie dish (25cm long and 5cm deep)

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C/gas mark 9.

To prepare the filling, put the beef in a roasting tray, dust with the flour and toss the beef until all the flour has been absorbed by the meat. Add 20ml of the vegetable oil to the tray and toss well to make sure the meat is evenly coated. Put the tray in to the preheated oven and roast the beef for 20 minutes until browned and any juices released during cooking have evaporated.

While the beef is roasting, cut each onion half into six wedges through the root to leave petals. Put a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the remaining 20ml of vegetable oil and warm for 1 minute. Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until the onions have started to brown. Add the mushrooms to the pan with half the salt and continue to cook for a further 3 minutes until the mushrooms have just softened. Next, add the red wine, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a simmer.

After 20 minutes, remove the beef from the oven and check it is nicely browned. If not, return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes. When the beef is ready, tip the onions, mushrooms, herbs and red wine into the roasting tray over the top of the meat. Put the frying pan back on the heat and pour in the beef stock – half at a time, if necessary – and bring to a simmer. Add to the tray with all the other pie filling ingredients.

At this stage, take the time to make sure the beef is not stuck to the bottom of the roasting tray: using a wooden spoon, dislodge any caramelised chunks of meat. Working carefully as the tray is hot, tightly cover the top of the tray with aluminium foil. Return the tray to the oven and continue to cook at 220°C fan/240°C/gas mark 9 for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4 and set a timer for 1¾ hours.

While the filling is braising, prepare the pastry. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 5mm thick circle large enough to cover the pie dish. Slide the rolled-out pastry onto the lined tray and chill in the refrigerator for at least 25 minutes. Set aside any pastry trimmings for decoration.

After the beef has been braising for 1¾ hours, remove the tray from the oven and, using a dish towel to protect your hands, carefully peel back a corner of the foil. Spoon out one chunk of beef and check to make sure it is tender. It is okay if the beef has a little bite left in it, but it should not be chewy. If necessary, pop the tray back in the oven for a further 15 minutes and check again.

When the beef is ready, carefully remove all the foil from the roasting tray. Place a colander over a large bowl and tip in the filling. Let the mixture strain for a couple of minutes, then place the contents of the colander back into the tray and spread around to cool down. Transfer the strained liquid from the bowl to a large saucepan, bring to a simmer over a medium heat and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with the pepper and the remaining salt, adding a little at a time, stirring and tasting until it has the correct level of seasoning. Pour the reduced liquid over the mixture in the tray and set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to speed up the process. Once the mixture is cool, transfer the filling to the pie dish and level the surface. Nudge the nuggets of Stilton into the filling, distributing them evenly across the surface but avoiding the sides.

Increase the oven temperature to 200°C fan/220°C/gas mark 7.

Brush the rim of the pie dish with the egg wash, brushing about 2.5cm down the sides of the dish. Lay the pastry circle centrally across the top of the dish, allowing it to rest lightly on top of the filling. (The pastry lid should not be taut as it may droop during cooking and tear.) Press firmly down on the pastry against the egg-brushed rim of the dish to seal all the way round. Lightly brush the pie lid with more egg wash and decorate however you prefer using the reserved pastry trimming and then brush that with egg wash. Return the pie to the refrigerator and chill for a further 20 minutes.

Place the dish on a rack in the centre of the preheated oven and bake the pie for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the core temperature of the filling has reached at least 70°C on a digital probe thermometer. Alternatively, poke the tip of a knife through the pie into the middle of the filling and leave it there for a few seconds – it should be hot to the touch. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the dish around in the oven to ensure an even bake. Serve the pie simply with some boiled new potatoes and slow-roasted carrots.

What to drink: This justifies a really good red Bordeaux or other top notch cabernet sauvignon.

See also The best wine and beer pairings for steak pie

Extract taken from The Pie Room by Calum Franklin (Bloomsbury Absolute, £26)

Photography © John Carey (edited for the web)