Recipe Store

Culinary Vacations for Lovers of Food and Wine

Holiday Season Recipes from Around the Globe.

We’ll start out in England.

I thought I'd share my favourite personal Holiday Season recipe with you - my mother's English Trifle.  As part of our holiday season tradition, we always had many English goodies at our home.  The Christmas Cake that my mother would painstakingly bake and cover in brown paper bags months in advance, then we'd have mincemeat tarts and then of course the Plum Pudding with Custard.  But...my all time favourite was always...and still is, my mom's delicious English Trifle.

My Mother's Yummy English Trifle Recipe.

1 sponge or pound cake

¼-1/2 cups Spanish Sherry 

1 package Strawberry Flavoured Jello 

1 cup strawberries (fresh if available in season or frozen)

3 tbsp Bird's Eye custard powder (my mother's favourite)

1 cup whipped cream

Slivered Almonds 

Line the bottom of a glass serving bowl with cubed cake and sprinkle the cake with the sherry (or your favourite liqueur).  Slice the strawberries and pour the fruit over the cake cubes, stir slightly.  Make the Jello and use any juice left over from the fruit.  Allow the Jello to partially set and then pour over the cake and berries.  Mix the custard sauce as per the instructions on the container and pour custard over the Jello/cake mixture.  Place into your refrigerator to set.  Mix whipped cream and pour over top of custard.  Top with toasted slivered almonds.  Voila!

England

Holiday season recipes wouldn’t be complete without at least ONE cookie recipe – and here is my personal favourite!  It’s quick, simple and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Shortbread Cookies

3 cups flour

1 small package potato flour

1 lb butter

1 cup icing sugar

Directions:

Cream butter & icing sugar.  Mix 2 flours together then add the butter mixture.  Mix well, roll out and cut your cookies. Bake 300 F for 20 minutes – watch closely, don’t over bake!

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Next Stop...The Philippines

This recipe came in from Ava who experienced an 8-day Casa Italiano Gourmet Safari culinary vacation with us.

Royal Bibingka (Rice Cake)

3 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 cups all purpose flour (or rice flour)

1 ¼ cup coconut milk

½ cup grated cheese

Directions:

Beat eggs until light & creamy, add sugar gradually beating well.  Sift flour & baking powder together and mix with coconut milk.  Mix together & pour batter into 2 - 9" cake pans that have been lined with wax paper (traditionally wilted banana leaves were used). Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.  Remove & sprinkle with cheese, bake 20 minutes more & brush twice with margarine (or butter) while baking. When fully baked, brush again with margarine & sprinkle with sugar – serve with freshly grated coconut.

Chef’s Note:

If you are adventurous, salted duck eggs can be cut into slices & placed on top of batter before baking (available at Asian stores, this is the authentic version with the contrast of sweet & salty). The tradtional method of baking was in a clay stove & the ideal thickness of the cake is ¾ inches.  Enjoy!

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Next stop, Italy

Here is a recipe for ‘Il Serpiente’ from Paola & Simonetta of our Chianti Classico culinary vacation:

Il Serpe (Serpente)

300g very-finely-ground almonds

3 stiffly-whisked egg whites   

A handful of pine-nuts

150g very-finely-ground candied lime

300g sugar

2 coffee beans

Mix almonds, sugar & candied lime together, adding the whisked egg whites a little at a time. The mixture must be dense (not too runny). Form the mixture into the shape of a snake. Decorate with the pine-nuts in a herring-bone pattern. Use the coffee beans for the eyes and a piece of candied lime for the tongue. Cover the head and tail with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 30 minutes.

Chef’s Note:This is a typical recipe of Chianti which is prepared by the family at Christmas.  This cake represents a snake & it is a good luck symbol against vipers.

Here is another recipe from Italy from Gloria and Anna of our Florence Cuisine and Culture culinary vacation.

Tasty Bites 

1 whole cauliflower

1 stick butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 cup Gruyere cheese (Swiss cheese)

2 cups whole milk

2 eggs

salt and white pepper to taste

To make the Béchamel sauce:  Melt ½ stick butter and add the flour. When perfectly blended add the milk at room temperature, slowly so lumps don’t form. Add salt, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

Cook cauliflower in pieces in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well. Put in a skillet with remaining butter, salt and white pepper and cook slightly.

In a blender mix cauliflower, Gruyere cheese, Béchamel sauce and half the Parmigiano Reggiano.  Separate the eggs, add the 2 egg yolks and beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the mixture.

Grease and flour muffin molds or any small molds you may have. Divide the mixture in each mold: approximately 2 tablespoons for each. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano on top and put into preheated oven - 350°F – for about 15 minutes.

Once baked, place each Tasty Bite on absorbent paper.  For a Festive display put each bite in red or gold paper cups on a tray and decorate with pieces of fresh cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Trim with a golden or red ribbon.

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France

Here is a recipe from our very own Art de Vivre Loire culinary vacation, its Monique’s special chocolate tarte that she serves for Christmas every year.

Tarte au Chocolat (Gourmet Chocolate Tart)

1 pastry shell

355ml sour cream (1 1/2 c)

150ml milk (2/3 c)

300gr dark chocolate

2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven 200°, bake the pastry for 10 minutes.  Break chocolate in small cubes. Pour the sour cream & milk into a pan. Boil the mixture & add chocolate away from heat. Beat the eggs with a fork & add to the chocolate mixture very quickly (this is the most delicate part of the process).  Reduce the heat 160° C (320° F) & pour the preparation over the pastry.  Bake for 18 minutes et voila!

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South Africa

Here is a recipe straight out of South Africa for a typical Hannukah dish.  Thanks to Debbi Arnold for sharing her favourite Latke recipe.

Classic Potato Latkes

1 kg potatoes

1 onion

2 eggs

30 grams flour (or matzo meal)

salt/pepper

oil for frying

Directions:

Peel & grate potatoes on a fine grater.  Grate onion & mix with salt/pepper, adding to the potatoes, (having first drained off the water).  Stir in flour, beat eggs & add to mixture. 

Heat oil in large frying pan & drop dessertspoons of the potato batter into oil.  Leave space between each Latke because they spread.  Fry till golden brown on each side, drain on paper towel & serve hot. Serve with sour cream and apple sauce. Yummy!

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Canada

Here is a very special family cookie recipe that brings back very special memories of childhood and delicious milk and cookies...mmmmm.  My 5-year old son Colton DeKnock helped to make these cookies, he added his special touch - sprinkles and loved rolling the dough balls (much like snow balls).  These cookies are delicious and melt-in-your-mouth.

Ginger Chocolate Chip Sparkle Cookies.

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1 tsp ginger, ground

½ tsp cloves, ground

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

¼ cup molasses + 2 tsp

2 eggs

½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. 

2) Soften butter and add to the bowl, blend well. 

3) Add molasses and eggs and mix.  Knead into dough and add chocolate chips. 

4) Use a tablespoon to measure the amount of cookie dough and roll each cookie into a ball. 

5) Roll the cookie dough ball in sugar (or sparkles if you prefer). 

6) Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes – don’t over bake, so that cookies stay nice ‘n moist.

Serve with a nice tall glass of cold milk or a decadent French chocolat chaud (rich hot chocolate).  Bring 4-1/2 cups half-and-half or whole milk to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and add 4 oz. each bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate, let stand 5 minutes until chocolate is melted.  In a small bowl, stir 3 Tbsp cocoa (Dutch-processed) and 1 Tbsp sugar together. Whisk sugar/cocoa mixture and add 1 tsp vanilla extract into the milk until the mixture is frothy.  To serve, spoon a dollop of whipped cream on top and sprinkle with cocoa.  

If you have questions about any of these recipes don’t hesitate to ask us – the recipes are in the chef’s own words.