Mendiants

SWEET & TREATS

Mendiants

Mendiants or if translated “Beggars” are often made with a candied fruit, almonds and pistachios. I decided to use cranberries, crystallised ginger and pistachios as this combination glistens with the colour of Christmas.

Traditionally from Provence, Mendiants form parts of the 13 desserts given at Christmas. The colour of the fruits and nuts applied to the chocolate evokes the symbols of the four orders of beggars of the Church, reminiscent of the robes of the orders of beggar monks of the Church of the Middle Ages:

Franciscans / gray brothers (founded in 1209) represented by raisins
Carmelites / brown brothers (founded in 1206-1214) represented by hazelnuts, walnuts
Dominicans / white brothers (founded in 1215) represented by almonds cut in half
Augustinians, the brothers of St. Augustine /dark purple (founded in 1244-1256) represented by figs, cranberry berries

These little gourmandises take minutes to create and will make the perfect treat for your Christmas guests, so let’s get cooking

Traditionally from Provence, Mendiants form parts of the 13 desserts given at Christmas.

Prep Time10 min
Cook Time20 min
Total Time30 min
Serving Size30/40 Mendiants

Cuisine
- French
- Provence
Course
- Dessert
- Treat
Suitable for Diet
- Vegan
- Vegetarian

Ingredients

200g of 70% Dark chocolate
30g Crystallised ginger
30g Dried cranberries
30g Pistachio nuts – chopped
Sea salt flakes

Method

1

Lay two sheets of non-stick baking paper on a flat surface. Turn the paper over and place on a cool flat surface or baking tray.

2

Prepare all your topping ingredients. So chop the ginger, cranberries and place in small bowl to be used. Lightly toast the pistachios and keep aside.

3

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl and cook au bain-marie. A bain-marie is the method of cooking above hot water in a small saucepan – Fill the saucepan with water up to a quarter and bring to a gentle simmer. Place the bowl on top, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl (your bowl needs to be large enough not to fit entirely into the saucepan). Melt the chocolate without stirring and remove from heat but keep the bowl in the saucepan so it remains melted.

4

Using a teaspoon, spoon the chocolate onto the baking paper in batches of five. Decorate with pistachios, ginger, cranberries and a few sea salt flakes.

5

Continue in batches with the rest of the chocolate but you will need to work quickly, it will get messy with a lot of chocolate to lick!!!

6

When set, carefully peel off the paper and place into small cellophane bags, tie with a pretty ribbon to make a thoughtful and delicious gift for Christmas.

7

Leave to cool and set, but avoid to put them in the fridge since the chocolate will lose its glossiness.

Enjoy… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥

“Etoile” Rose Wine Festive Punch

DRINKS

"Etoile" Rose Wine Festive Punch

This festive punch is perfect for Christmas or any special occasion. For this I used the beautifully crafted and elegant Etoile from Mirabeau. The floral notes together with the citrus fruit felt like the ideal pairing to holiday seasonal flavours such as pomegranates, peaches, thyme… Etoile also means stars in French and it felt perfectly appropriate to bring that little bit of Christmas sparkle to our table.

Prep Time10 min
Cook Time10 min
Total Time20 min
Serving Sizeapprox. 10

Cuisine
- French
- Christmas
- Provence
- Party Inspiration
Course
- Drinks
- Cocktails

Ingredients

750 ml Etoile Mirabeau en Provence Rosé Wine
250 ml Gin
2 Grapefruit
1 Lime
4 Peaches
1 Piece stem ginger - finely sliced plus 2 Tbsp of the syrup
2 Tsp. Honey
The seeds of 1 Pomegranate
Few Sprigs Thyme
Lots of Ice

Method

1

Juice one of the grapefruits and slice the other. Slice the lime and peaches.

2

In a 2-3 litre large bowl put in a generous serving of ice. Pour 1/2 the wine and add all of the remaining ingredients on top. Stir gently to combine, then serve, topping off with a little Rosé. keep on ice and greet each guest with a glass as they arrived to your party.

Joyeux Noël… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥

Pumpkin Christmas Wreath with Tahini & Mustard Sauce

SAVOURY

Pumpkin Christmas Wreath with Tahini & Mustard Sauce

I always go foraging to make a wreath to hang on the door at Christmas and have now added another wreath to the festivities, an edible one. Full of delicious seasonal pumpkin with a rich sauce with Grey Poupon Dijon mustard to fight off the winter chill.

Prep Time1 hr 25 min
Cook Time1 hr 25 min
Total Time2 hr 50 min

Cuisine
- French
- English
- Christmas
Course
- Main Course
Suitable for Diet
- Vegetarian

Ingredients

2 Rolls ready made puff pastry
2 kg of Butternut Squash
3 Medium onions
250g Chestnut mushrooms
180g Chestnuts
100g Dates
2 Sprigs of thyme
1 Bay leaf
2 Sprigs oregano fully chopped
200g Feta cheese
60ml Maple syrup
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half a lemon

For The Sauce

250 ml of yogurt
4 tbs of Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 tbs of tahini

Method

1

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F

2

Peel the pumpkin, remove seeds and cut into cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper – Roast for 35 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft under the touch of a knife. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel to cool completely and absorb excess liquid.

3

In the meantime, prepare your mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms and cook in a little olive oil on a medium heat with the onions, bay leaves, chestnuts and garlic. Cook for about 6-8 minutes. You are just slightly cooking them.

4

Set aside with the pumpkin and makes sure they are fully cooled before continuing with the next steps.

5

In a large bow mix the feta, the dates, the thyme, the finely chopped rosemary, the maple syrup, lemon zest and juice. Mix without mashing and add the mushrooms and pumpkin.

Now assemble:

6

Whisk egg and 1 tsp water in a bowl. Place the pastry sheet, long side facing you, on a lightly floured sheet of baking paper. Spread the mixture lengthways in a strip down the centre of the pastry. Brush edges of long sides with egg. Bring pastry away from you, wrap to enclose filling. Securing the edge by crimpling with a fork.

7

Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill slightly. Remove from fridge and brush inside of short ends with egg. Bring ends together to form a circle and press to seal. Place in the fridge for another 15 minutes to rest.

8

With the remains of the pastry cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. I used 2 different stars shapes. Decorate your wreath and carefully transfer onto a large baking tray. Brush with egg and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Cool on the tray for 15 minutes.

For the sauce:

9

Mix the yogurt, mustard, and tahini together and decorate with pumpkin and sesame seeds (optional).

To Serve:

10

Serve on a board with foliage and ribbons at the top (to hide the seal) with the sauce in a bowl in the centre.

Joyeus Noël… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥

Mustard Glazed Ham

SAVOURY

The Perfect Glazed Ham for Christmas

Christmas Secret with Grey Poupon

This tasty ham is just perfect for the festive season, covered with a rich clementine and Grey Poupon Dijon mustard glaze just oozing with flavour.

Prep Time25 min
Cook Time2 hr
Total Time2 hr 25 min

Cuisine
- French
- English
Course
- Main Course
- Special Occasion
- Christmas

To cook the Gammom

2kg/4lb 8oz Unsmoked boneless gammon joint, tied
2 Bay leaves
6 Black peppercorns

To roast the ham

Cooked Gammon (Ham above)
2 Bay leaves
Handful cloves
2 Clementines
Star anise
Thyme
Rosemary
Salt & Pepper

For the glaze

3 Tsp. Grey Poupon mustard
Clementine juice (2)
Garlic crushed
1 Tsp.Ground ginger
Seasoning

Cooking the Gammom

1

Place the gammon joint into a saucepan with lid, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Drain the water from the saucepan, add fresh cold water, bay and peppercorns and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer the gammon for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz. (If your pan is not quite large enough to cover the joint completely, turn the gammon over halfway through the cooking time.)

2

Remove the gammon from the water and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Roasting the ham

3

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and in a large roasting tin make a bed of 2 clementines (halved), star anise, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

4

Use a small knife to remove the rind from the gammon joint, leaving as much of the fat intact as possible. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, and push a clove into the centre of each ‘X’. Place the gammon on top of the clementines and herbs into the roasting tray.

For the glaze

5

Mix 3 teaspoons of mustard with the juice of 2 clementines, the crushed garlic, ground ginger and seasoning. Brush half of it evenly over the ham covering all side. Roast in the centre of the oven and baste every 15-20 minutes with the rest of the glaze rotating the tin so that all sides brown evenly.

6

The ham is ready when the surface is glossy and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if the top begins to look too brown. Remove the gammon from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

7

Pour any juices that have collected in the kitchen foil into a small pan, and warm through. Carve the gammon, place on a large platter and spoon over the warmed juices.

Serve with fresh sourdough bread, pickles of your choice and a large dollop of Grey Poupon Mustard…. Oh and of course a crisp cold glass of white wine.

Enjoy… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥

Florentines

SWEET & TREATS

Florentines

The perfect Christmas gift or treat made and eaten with love

This is a super easy and delicious little recipe …

These delicate biscuits use a mixture of honey, festive cranberries and golden crystalised ginger with delicate almonds all generously coated in bitter dark chocolate.

Beautifully wrapped this will make the perfect edible gift for your loved ones or even to treat yourself at that special Christmas moment of indulgence

Prep Time45 min
Cook Time15 min
Total Time1 hr
Serving Sizeapprox. 40

Cuisine
- French
- Italian
- Christmas
- Edible Gifts
Course
- Dessert
- Snack
- Afternoon Tea
Suitable for Diet
- Vegetarian

Ingredients

50 g Ginger
50 g Cranberries
100 g Sliced almonds
85 g Caster sugar
30 g Honey
300 g Dark chocolate

Method

1

Preheat your oven to 170°C. (338°F.) Butter a muffin tray.

2

Finely chop the ginger and cranberries, add the sliced almonds and keep aside. Heat the sugar and honey until simmering; stir over low heat for 2–3 minutes, or until all the sugar has dissolved. Using a wooden spoon carefully mix the sugar and fruit.

3

Using a teaspoon put a little of the mixture in each muffin hole. Gently flatten with the back of the spoon to form flat-ish discs. Transfer to the oven and when the discs start to bubble around 10 minutes, remove and cool for about 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 160°C ( 320°F) and bake the discs for another 10 minutes. Cool completely and transfer to a rack laying them upside down.

4

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a bowl; melt over a bain-marie. Remove the bowl from the heat just before all the chocolate has melted, keep the bowl over the hot water and gently stir until all the chocolate has melted.

5

Using a teaspoon add a layer of chocolate to the flat side of each Florentine, be aware this is a messy job so you might want a to lay some parchment paper under the rack to collect the dripping chocolate so as to not waste it (you could add a few nuts and dried fruit on the tip to make chocolate bark)… back to the florentine; let cool completely and voilà….

Enjoy… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥

Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling.

―Edna Ferber

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Mendiants

Pear Royale with Hibiscus & Crème de Cassis

SWEET & TREATS

Pear Royale with Hibiscus & Crème de Cassis

A delicious autumn dessert with a modern twist. The addition of the Hibiscus not only compliments the sweetness of the pears with the tartness of the flowers but also gives it its spectacular colour. Easy to make and the perfect end to a celebration dinner.

A sophisticated yet rustic French classic made in minutes and that is sure to add vibrancy and a little je ne sais quoi to any gathering or dining table.

A delicious autumn dessert with a modern twist.

Prep Time10 min
Cook Time50 min
Total Time1 hr
Serving Size6

Cuisine
- French
Course
- Dessert
- Special Occasion
- Festive Dinner
Suitable for Diet
- Vegetarian

Ingredients

6 Pears
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Star anise
1 Bottle of Prosecco
4 Tbsp. Creme de cassis
A handful of hibiscus flowers
2 Tbsp. Muscovado sugar
6 Bay leaves (optional)

Method

1

Fill a saucepan with the Prosecco, star anise, cinnamon stick, creme de cassis, hibiscus flowers and sugar.

2

Peel and core the pears and place in a the saucepan making sure they are completely covered with the liquid. Place a disc of greaseproof paper on top and bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer.

3

Simmer the pears for between 30 – 40 minutes. You will know when they are ready when inserting a wooden skewer and the pears are soft but with a tiny bit of resistance.

4

Once pears are cooked, drain, reserve the liquid, put back in the saucepan and cook on a medium heat until it forms a nice syrup.

5

Serve each pears in an individual bowl with a drizzle of the syrup and a bay leaf for special effect 🙂

Enjoy… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥

Mulled Fruit Punch

TEAS & DRINKS

Mulled Fruit Punch

Celebrate the holidays with this delicious non-alcoholic punch, perfect to share with all the family.

Raspberry and cherry juice gives this drink its gorgeous red hue. Garnish with a rosemary sprig for a festive touch and impress your guests using hibiscus flowers, not only do they bring more colour to your festive drink, but it will give you that special little “Je ne sais quoi!”

Celebrate the holidays with this delicious non-alcoholic punch, perfect to share with all the family.

Prep Time10 min
Cook Time30 min
Total Time40 min
Serving Size10-12

Course
- Drinks
- Christmas
Suitable for Diet
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Alcohol Free

Ingredients

1/2 Litre water
1/2 Litre Raspberry juice
250 ml Cherry juice
1 Handful of cranberries
1 Apple – sliced
1 Tbsp. Maple syrup
2 Star anise
3 Cinnamon sticks
10 g Dried hibiscus flowers
Few sprigs of rosemary and cinnamon sticks to serve

Method

1

Boil 1/2 litre of water. Turn off the heat and add the hibiscus. Let steep for 15 minutes, then remove the flowers. Set the hibiscus water aside.

2

In a large separate pot, bring the maple syrup to a simmer, add cinnamon sticks, star anise, and the cardamom pods, leave to gently simmer for 10 min.

3

Add the raspberry and cherry juice, as well as the hibiscus water that you have set aside and simmer for another 10 min. Carefully transfer to a heatproof server and garnish with the cranberries & apple.

4

Serve warm and if you’re like me and like a little festive magic, you can decorate with a few fresh rosemary leaves and cinnamon sticks.

Enjoy… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥