Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles

What's Christmas without chocolate and booze? Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog kindly chose alcohol as the ingredient for this month's We Should Cocoa to allow us all to indulge :) I thought about what to make and in the end decided on some boozy truffles as they make great gifts and it's quick and easy to make. I added a lot of Irish cream so these are quite strong but I'm sure I won't get many complaints :)

As usual, I'm entering this to several blog challenges this month.

We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog. The theme this month is alcohol.

Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Festive Food Gifts and I think these would make a great festive gift packed in a nice box.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food. These would be a welcome addition to any party but keep it away from the little ones as it's quite boozy!

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Secret Recipe Club Holiday Treats Party 

 Irish cream, double cream, milk and dark chocolate 

 Heat cream 

 Pour into chocolates and mix 

 You can see that I added a lot of Irish cream! 

 Rolled in cocoa powder and icing sugar. 

250g dark chocolate

250g milk chocolate

250 mls cream

Good glug of Irish Cream 

cocoa powder and icing sugar to coat 

• Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. 
• Place them in a heat proof mixing bowl.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. 
• Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. 
• Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate.
• With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. 
• Whisk in the liqueur - 2 tablespoons or more depending on taste.
• Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. 
• With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm. 
• Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to roughly make a round ball.
• Roll in icing sugar or cocoa powder.

Roasted Tomato, Basil and Gruyere Quiche

I have a savoury recipe to share for a change. My work had a Xmas buffet lunch where everyone brings something so of course I offered to make cake. One of my colleagues prefers savoury food and has been asking for another quiche as she really enjoyed the one I made previously so I dutifully obliged and found this recipe on BBC Good Food. I did also make a cake but I'll save that for another day.

This is a really simple recipe with only 3 key ingredients - tomato, basil and cheese. It was really tasty and would be perfect for the festive season as the colours are very festive.

As usual, I'm entering this to several challenges this month

Cooking with herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage.

Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food.

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

 flour, basil, olive oil, butter, tomatoes, cream, eggs, cheese 

 drizzle olive oil on tomatoes, season and roast in the oven 

 adding chopped basil 

 my tart shell after blind baking 

 sprinkle grated cheese 

 add roasted tomatoes 

 pour in the egg/cream mixture 

 sprinkle more grated cheese on top 

 

Recipe adapted slightly from BBC Good Food

For the pastry
280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
140g cold butter, cut into pieces

8 tablespoons cold water 

For the filling

300g cherry tomatoes
drizzle olive oil
100g Gruyere cheese, grated
2 eggs
300ml double cream
Approximately 15-20 basil leaves, shredded, plus a few small ones left whole for scattering

• Rub the butter and flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add water one tablespoon at a time until a dough forms. 
• Roll into a ball, wrap with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. 
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and line your tart tin. 
• Use a small ball of pastry scrap to press the pastry into the corners of the tin. 
• Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Place the tomatoes in a baking tray/roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for at least 30 minutes or the tomatoes are well roasted with slightly charred skin. 
• Prick the base of the tart with a fork.
• Line the tart case with kitchen foil or baking paper and fill with baking bean. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and foil/paper and continue baking for 5 - 10 minutes until the pastry is light brown. 
• Remove the tomatoes and pastry from the oven. 
• Whilst the tart and tomatoes are in the oven, make the filling by beating the eggs in a large bowl.
• Gradually add the cream followed by the chopped basil. 
• Season with salt and pepper. 
• When the tart case is ready,sprinkle half the cheese over the base, scatter over the tomatoes, then pour over the cream mix. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake for 20 -25 minutes or until the filling is set and the pastry is golden brown.
• Allow to cool completely before trimming the edges of the pastry and serving 
• Scatter over small whole basil leaves before serving 

Nigella Christmas Cornflake Wreaths

This is a Nigella recipe which is simple yet effective. It's a fun project to do with the kids and they will absolutely love these as it's sweet and crunchy and cute! The Christmas sprinkles add a lovely festive touch. It's a no bake recipe that can be made up to a week ahead. It will also keep in the freezer for 3 months.  

I'm entering this to a few challenges this month

AlphaBakes which I am hosting this month and co host with Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is X for Xmas Cornflake Wreaths.

Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Festive Food Gifts.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food.

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is Quick and Easy. These are not technically biscuits but they'd easily fit in a biscuit barrel :) 

Family Fodies hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Vanesther from Bangers & Mash. The theme this month is Kids Christmas and I'm sure most kids love cornflakes. They will also have fun making these with you.

Dead Easy Desserts hosted by Sarah from Maison Cupcake. This can definitely be prepared in under 30 minutes, excluding chilling time.

Secret Recipe Club Holiday Treats Party 

 cornflakes, mini marshmallows, vanilla extract, butter, sesame seeds, christmas sprinkles 

 Melt butter, then add marshmallows 

 add in crushed cornflakes and sesame seeds 

 shape into wreaths and add some christmas sprinkles 

Recipe is taken from Nigella Christmas page 210. If you do a google search for Nigella Christmas Cornflake wreaths, you can find the recipe online. 

Cinnamon and Date Cake

The festive baking continues and this time I have a really simple recipe that will be guaranteed to impress. If you are short on time, whizz up this cake and impress your guests. It's a very simple cake but it's full of flavour. The cinnamon is subtle but definitely present and the dates gives the cake a lovely, sweet stickiness and more importantly does not taste like dates!

I'm entering this to several blog challenges

One Ingredient Challenge hosted by Laura from How to Cook Good Food and co hosted by Nazima from Franglais Kitchen. The ingredient this month is dates.

The Spice Trail :Cooking with Cinnamon hosted by Vanesther from Bangers & Mash

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food. This would be really quick and easy to make and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

Cooking with Herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is cooking with Herbs and Christmas spices so I think my cinnamon will qualify.

 Boil the dates in water 

 whizz in a food processor 

 I bought this cake tin from Ikea

 ready to go in the oven 

 It was a little burnt so I covered it with icing and festive sprinkles! 

 

Recipe adapted from about.com 

300g pitted dates

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

170g butter

375g self raising flour

4 eggs

200g light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

• Preheat the oven to  180C.
• Place the dates in a medium sized saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the dates.
• Bring to the boil and remove from the heat.
• Drain the dates and whizz in a food processor until it has a paste like consistency.
• Add softened butter, eggs and sugar to the food processor and mix.
• Add in the flour and baking powder and continuing mixing until well mixed.
• Pour into a cake tin and bake for about 40 - 50 minutes (depends on the size of your tin). Do keep an eye on your cake as it browns quickly - I'd recommend checking after 20 minutes and then at 5-10 minute intervals as you may need to cover the cake with foil.
• Decorate with icing sugar and sprinkles or leave plain.