Baking
Alex Mackay’s Spiced Black Rice Vinegar Mince Pies
This is a mince pie carnival; to start with, my mincemeat is inspired by some of the ingredients from the famous 13 Christmas desserts of Provence and made exotic by the addition of spiced black rice vinegar in place of Cognac. Eating a little of each is said to give you good fortune and I’ve mixed them all up so you can’t help but have a little luck! I’ve also made a brown sugar pastry with a sensual waft of vanilla and given you tempting ideas for original, pretty and delicious goodies to top them all off.
Billionaire’s Shortbread with Toasted Hazelnuts
Dulce de Leche takes the shortbread arms race to a higher level. We've added toasted hazelnuts for more crunch.
Chocolate Chestnut Truffles
Recipe by Amanda McGabhann of Skelligs Chocolate. These decadent truffles can be coated in cocoa powder or melted chocolate.
Chocolate Toffee Cinnamon Cake
A light cinnamon sponge topped with chocolate toffee sauce which caramelises once cooked.
Dulce de Leche, Plum and Almond Christmas Pies
Juicy plums and gooey Dulce de Leche make these Christmas pies irresistible.
Gingerbread Roulade with Dulce de Leche Cream Filling
A light gingerbread sponge with a gooey caramel centre.
Harriett's Decadent Christmas Cake
I’ve been trying to get my mother Marion’s fruit cake recipe off her for years and when she finally relented (all in the name of Merchant Gourmet!), what’s the first thing I did? Change the recipe! I’ve kept all the heavenly ‘squidge’ of my Mum’s recipe but taken out booze and added in the delicious spicy sweetness of our Spiced Black Rice Vinegar and the result? Well, the picture accompanying this recipe is the second cake I had to make in a week as the first sort of just disappeared
Lemon Polenta Cake with Raspberries
Polenta is a fantastic alternative to flour and can be used for sweet or savoury recipes.
