How To
The information below will give you the "know how"
to do some of the food preparation tasks related to Christmas.
Baking Mincemeat Pies and Tarts
To Bake Mincemeat Pies: Line two 9
inch (23 cm) glass pie pans with prepared pastry. Fill each pie shell with
3 cups (750 mL) mincemeat. Cover with pastry; flute edges.
Brush top of pies with light cream or milk. Cut vents in pastry.
Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F (180°C)
and bake 40 - 45 minutes longer or until mincemeat is bubbly and pastry is
golden. Yield: Two 9 inch (23 cm) pies.
To Bake Mincemeat Tarts: Line tart
pans with prepared pastry. Fill each tart shell three-quarters full with
mincemeat. Cover completely with pastry; cut vents in pastry.
Alternatively, decorative cut-out shapes of pastry may be used for tops.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 17 - 20 minutes or until mincemeat is bubbly and
pastry is golden.
Buttered Crumbs
To make buttered crumbs, either fine dry or soft bread crumbs may be
used. Combine 1/4 cup (50 mL) fine dry crumbs and 1 tbsp. (15 mL) melted
butter or margarine. If using soft crumbs, combine 1 cup (250 mL) soft
crumbs and 1 - 2 tbsp. (15 - 25 mL) melted butter or margarine.
Chocolate Dessert Cups
Melt 1 cup (250 mL) chocolate chips and 1 tsp. (5 mL) shortening in top of
double boiler over hot, not simmering, water. Cool slightly. Place 8
paper baking cups in muffin pans. Using a narrow pastry brush, thickly and
evenly coat inside pleated surface and bottom of each cup. Chill until
set, then coat any thin spots again. Chill until very firm, about 1
hour. Carefully peel paper from each cup. Pack carefully between
layers of wax paper in a rigid container. Store in refrigerator for up to
1 month.
Cranberries
Store fresh cranberries in refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze, without
prewashing, in their plastic bag for up to 1 year. Cranberries are easy to
use. Simply sort and rinse in cold water before using. Do not thaw
frozen cranberries before rinsing. Add whole or chopped to recipes.
One 340 g package equals about 3 cups (750 mL). Basic Cranberry Sauce
Decorating Fruitcakes
After seasoning, fruitcakes may be decorated with candied fruit and nuts and
then glazed. Fruitcakes may also be glazed, then topped with almond paste
and covered with frosting.
Clear Glaze (for light or dark fruitcakes):
Combine 1 cup (250 mL) sugar, 1/2 cup (125 mL) water and 1/3 cup (75 mL) light
corn syrup in a saucepan; heat slowly until sugar is dissolved. Boil until
a small amount dropped in cold water forms a slightly firm ball or until 240°F
(115°C) is reached on a candy thermometer.
Applying Almond Paste
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Allow fruitcake to season thoroughly before applying
almond paste.
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Almond paste is usually applied to fruitcakes within 2
weeks of serving time.
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Brush a glaze onto cake to ensure almond paste adheres to
cake. Let stand for 24 hours.
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Working quickly, roll out almond paste between 2 layers of
wax paper to desired thickness. The wax paper facilitates handling the
paste and prevents it from becoming greasy.
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With a sharp knife, cut through wax paper and almond paste
to exact dimensions of cake. Remove trimmings and top layer of wax
paper.
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Invert paste onto cake so wax paper is facing up.
Gently roll top with a rolling pin. Peel off wax paper. Wrap
cake.
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Let wrapped cake stand for 24 hours before decorating with
Royal or Pearl Frosting.
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One package (1/2 lb/225 g) of almond paste will cover the
top of an 8 inch
(20 cm) cake with a 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick layer.
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If necessary to soften almond paste, try this tested
method from the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen. Place almond paste,
sandwiched between two slices of fresh bread, in a zip-lock plastic
bag. Let stand at room temperature until almond paste is softened,
about 2 - 4 days.
Decorating with Sauces
Get creative! Paint dessert plates with delicious splashes of colour
for a festive garnish. Try these tasty sauces to complement a special
dessert. Fine-tipped food grade plastic squeeze bottles make it easy to
decorate with sauces.
Raspberry Sauce: Puree one 425 g package of
frozen sweetened raspberries (thawed) in a blender or food processor.
Force puree through a fine sieve to remove seeds, if desired. Sweeten to
taste with sugar, if desired. A dash of lemon juice enhances the flavour.
Strawberry Sauce: Substitute one 425 g package
of frozen sweetened strawberries (thawed) for raspberries. Follow method
as for preparing Raspberry Sauce.
Mango Sauce: Peel and cube 2 mangoes.
Puree mangoes, 3 tbsp. (40 mL) sugar and 2 tbsp. (25 mL) orange juice in a
blender or food processor.
For a Festive Touch
Place a lace doily or Christmas stencil on top of an unfrosted cake.
Sift icing sugar over doily. Remove doily from cake and serve.
How to Cook Stuffing
It is recommended that stuffing be cooked separately from the turkey.
Follow recipe directions or use the following method. Place prepared
stuffing in a tightly covered greased casserole dish or foil package. Bake
at 325°F (160°C) for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. If desired, turkey drippings
or chicken broth or stock may be sprinkled over stuffing for extra moisture and
flavour. Cooked stuffing may be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Stuffing that has been cooked separately from the turkey is safe to freeze for
up to 1 month. Reheat stuffing from the frozen state and serve
immediately.
Making Cookie Houses
Cookie houses are fun to make from graham wafers. Simply cement graham
wafers together with Royal Frosting or Decorator Frosting and decorate with
candies, raisins or nuts. Each house requires seven graham wafers.
Use one graham wafer for the base, four for the walls and two for the roof.
Quick Tricks
with Cranberry Sauce
Try adding any of the following ingredients to canned cranberry sauce:
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freshly grated peel from oranges or lemons
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chopped fresh fruits, such as pears, pineapple, apples or
mangoes
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chopped dried fruits, such as apricots, cherries or
blueberries
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chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme
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ground allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg to
taste
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coarsely chopped toasted nuts, such as walnuts or pecans
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a favourite liqueur or wine, such as Grand Marnier,
kirsch, Madeira or port
Reheating Christmas
Puddings
Christmas puddings may be reheated using one of the following methods.
To reheat in the oven, remove wrappings from pudding. Wrap in foil and
reheat at 300°F (150° C) for 1 hour or until hot. Cover tightly. Set pudding mold on a trivet in a large saucepan and steam 3/4 - 1 hour or until hot.
Roasting Chestnuts
Chestnuts are usually readily available in grocery stores during the holiday
season. When purchasing chestnuts, choose firm ones with a glossy brown
shell. Avoid chestnuts that have dull or blemished shells or those that
are shriveled. In bygone days, chestnuts were commonly roasted over an
open fire. Chestnuts may also be roasted in the oven using the following
method. Using a sharp knife, score an "x" on the flat side of
each chestnut. Placing in a baking pan; sprinkle with water. Cover
and roast at 400°F (200° C) for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and
sprinkle chestnuts with additional water. Return to oven and roast,
covered, for an additional 15 minutes. Wrap chestnuts in a clean tea towel
to steam. Peel shells to remove the nut meat while chestnuts are still
warm.
Seasoning and
Storing Fruitcakes
Seasoning fruitcakes improves the flavour and makes them easier to cut.
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Allow cakes to cool in pans on racks. When cooled,
remove cakes from pans and then remove wax paper.
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If desired, brush cakes with sweet sherry, brandy, rum,
port, liqueur or fruit juice. Do not use red or white wine.
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Wrap each cake in paper toweling or cheesecloth and then
in plastic wrap.
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Store in an airtight container in a cool place but not in
refrigerator or freezer.
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Check cakes carefully at least once a week. Rich
moist cakes mold very easily. If mold is present, discard cake.
If cakes have not moistened in 2 weeks, apply more liquor or fruit juice.
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If cakes are too moist, remove from container and
wrapping. Allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
Rewrap and freeze.
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Dark cakes usually take 4 - 6 weeks and light cakes
take 3 - 4 weeks to season. Do not freeze before
seasoning.
Sending Cookies by Mail
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Choose firm crisp cookies such as gingersnaps or sugar
cookies for mailing. Fragile, tender cookies will tend to break and
crumble. Soft cookies, such as hermits will go stale and may
mold. Frosted cookies do not travel well.
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A sturdy cardboard box is ideal for packing cookies.
Line with foil or plastic wrap and place a cushioning layer of crumpled wax
paper, paper toweling, popped popcorn or styrofoam packing chips on bottom.
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Wrap two cookies at a time, bottoms together, in wax paper
or plastic wrap. Place wrapped cookies, side by side, in a single
layer on bottom. Layer remaining cookies with cushioning between each
layer.
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Fill open spaces in corners or along edges with cushioning
so there is no movement in box.
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Tape the lid securely to seal the edges. Overwrap
the box with an outer paper layer.
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Print the mailing and return address on box with ink.
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Mark package "Fragile"; send "First
Class" to ensure cookies arrive as fresh as possible.
Softening Almond Paste
If necessary to soften almond paste, try this tested method from the ATCO
Blue Flame Kitchen. Place almond paste, sandwiched between two slices of
fresh bread, in a small zip-lock plastic bag. Let stand at room
temperature until almond paste is softened, about 2 - 4 days.
Storing Christmas
Puddings
Most steamed puddings keep well refrigerated for several weeks.
Freezing puddings may be desirable for longer storage. When freezing
puddings, wrap in plastic wrap, then overwrap in a double layer of aluminum
foil. Place in freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 year. Thaw in
refrigerator for 6 - 8 hours before reheating.
Whipping Cream
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Before using whipping cream, read the recipe
carefully. One cup (250 mL) "whipping" cream is measured
before whipping. One cup (250 mL) "whipped" cream is
measured after whipping.
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Thoroughly chill cream, bowl and beaters before whipping
cream.
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One cup (250 mL) whipping cream equals 2 cups (500 mL)
whipped cream.
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Whipping cream may be frozen for later use in cooking but
it will not be suitable for whipping.
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Whipped cream garnishes may be frozen by whipping cream
before freezing. Place dollops of whipped cream on baking sheet and
freeze. Store in freezer container and use frozen.
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Whipped cream may be flavoured with any of the
following: a few drops of flavouring extract, liqueur, grated lemon or
orange peel, cinnamon or cocoa.
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