Easy Holiday Recipes

Happy Holidays

Valentine's Day Recipes

Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake

250g choc-chip biscuits
75g butter, melted
3 teaspoons gelatine
¼ cup (60ml) water
2 x 250g packets cream cheese
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
300ml thickened cream
1/3 cup (80ml) Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
2 egg whites

Feature Box

Blend or process biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Transfer to a large bowl; add butter, stir to combine. Press biscuit mixture evenly over the base of a 24cm springform tin (inside top measurement 23cm); refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Sprinkle gelatine over the water in a small heatproof jug; stand the jug in small saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the gelatine dissolves; cool for 5 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cream; beat until thick. Stir in gelatine mixture and liqueur. Beat egg whites in a clean small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold into cheese mixture. Pour mixture over base in the prepared tin. Cover, refrigerate for about 4 hours or until set.

Serve cheesecake with chocolate sauce.

Chocolate sauce
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur

Combine the chocolate and cream in a small heavy-based saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth. Stir in the liqueur.

Irish Lamb Stew

2 lbs. Cubed, Boneless leg of lamb
2 Medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoon Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Rosemary
1 lb. Potatoes, cut into pieces
2 Small rutabagas, cubed
¼ cup frozen onions
3 tablespoon Oil
1 Clove of garlic, minced
2 cup Beef stock
Black peper to taste
1 Bay leaf
6 Carrots sliced
1 lb. Frozen peas
Cut lamb into cubes. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan, add lamb and cook until lightly browned, remove from pan. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add flour andd stir, heat until mixture browns. Gradually add stock while stirring. Return meat to saucepan. Add salt, pepper, rosemary and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is almost tender. Add potatoes, carrots and turnips. Cook 30 minutes longer. Add peas and onions and continue cooking until peas are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Fadge

2 lb Unpeeled "old" potatoes
1 Egg, beaten
½ Stick butter
3 tbs Flour
1½ tbs Chopped parsley
1½ tbs Chopped chives
1½ tbs Chopped lemon thyme - (these three mixed, opt)
Creamy milk
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Seasoned flour
Bacon fat or butter for -frying
Boil the potatoes in their jackets, pull off the skins and mash straight away. Add the egg, butter, flour and herbs (if using) and mix well. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, adding a few drops of creamy milk if the mixture is too stiff. Shape into a 1" round and then cut into eight pieces. Dip in seasoned flour. Bake on a griddle over an open fire or fry in bacon fat or melted butter on a gentle heat. Cook the fadge until crusty and golden on one side, then flip over and cook on the other side (about 4-5 minutes on each side). Serve on its own on hot plates with a blob of butter melting on top

Colcannon

4 cups mashed potatoes (Real Irish spuds only please)
1½ cups cabbage, cooked and chopped fine
½ cup butter (real butter is best)
½ evaporated milk or cream
¾ cup onion, chopped very fine
Few strips bacon/or bacon grease
¼ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
A thimble
A button
A ring
A coin (make sure you clean this well)

In large cooking pan, fry bacon, add onion and saute'. Discard bacon and grease. Add all of the above ingredients, except the cabbage and play pretties, and cook over low heat while blending together. Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped cabbage. The mixture will have a pale green cast. Stir occasionally until the mixture is warm enough to eat. Put in the pretties and eat very cautiously.

Serves about 6 healthy eaters.

Christmas Candy

1 pound (468 gms) white chocolate
1 cup small pretzels, broken into small pieces
1 cup pecans, chopped

Melt the chocolate. Stir the pretzels and pecans into chocolate and drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper. Handy edible gift suggestion.

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