Make Christmas extra special this year with homemade whisky infused desserts.
Whisky and Orange Cream
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Whisky and Orange Cream
- ½ orange
- 3 tablespoons Famous Grouse Blended Scotch whisky
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar
Directions:
- Juice half an orange for festive flavouring
- Combine cream, icing sugar and fresh orange juice in bowl and whip until cream thickens
- Quickly fold in the whisky
Flaming Surprise Christmas Pudding
Ingredients:
- 250g mixed dried fruit dried (such as cranberries, currants, dates, cherries, apricots and diced figs)
- 50g candied peel
- 75ml Famous Grouse Blended Scotch whisky
- 1/2 lemon (zest and juice)
- 1/2 orange (zest and juice)
- 1 whole, peeled mandarin
- 1 grated cooking apples (with peel)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped nuts
- 100g grated butter
- 60g brown sugar
- 400g white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (beaten)
- 125g self-raising flour (sifted)
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
Directions:
Put the peeled mandarin (whole) in a pan of water and bring to the boil. Leave in simmering water for 30 mins until tender and remove mandarin. Pour away some water from the pan leaving roughly 300ml. Add the white sugar and 25ml whisky to the remaining water in the pan. Pierce holes in the mandarin and place back in the pan
Combine dried fruit, 50ml whisky, apple and candied peel in a pan. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes then remove from heat, cover and leave to cool.
Mix lemon, orange, chopped nuts and syrup in a bowl.
Mix the brown sugar, eggs, butter, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Then add the almond fruit mixture and the cooled whisky infused fruit from the pan.
Line the pudding bowl with syrup and spoon in the mixture. Half way down, rest the mandarin in the centre and continue spooning in the mixture. The mandarin should be nestled in the centre of the pudding.
Cut a piece of baking parchment (butter on one side) and foil big enough to cover the top of the bowl - fold a pleat into the centre to allow the pudding to rise. Place the parchment on first (butter side down) and then seal in place with the foil on top. Hold the parchment and foil in place by tying string around the lip of the bowl and make a handle. Make certain the foil covers the bowl well to avoid any water getting to the pudding.
Fill a pan with boiling water (so the water comes half way up the pudding bowl) and heat on a low-medium heat. Place an upturned saucer at the base of the pan to prevent your bowl from cracking. Ensure water is simmering, then gently lower the pudding bowl in and rest on top of the saucer - cover the pan with a lid.
If the water is producing steam then the pudding will cook. Make sure not to remove the lid within the first 30 minutes, otherwise your pudding could collapse. After this, check on the pan and top up with water when necessary.
Leave to simmer for 3 hours in total and check with a skewer: insert into the centre of the pudding through the foil. If the skewer comes out clean it is ready. If it’s not ready simply patch up the hole with more foil and replace in pan.
When ready, remove from the pan and cool. Remove the foil and parchment and replace with new. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 5 weeks.
To reheat, steam the pudding for 1 hour in the same way as before and turn out onto serving plate when ready.
Pour hot whisky over the pudding and ignite, ready to serve to your guests.
Swerve with whisky cream for the ultimate ‘Merry’ Christmas pudding!
Mince Pies
Ingredients:
- 210g quality Mincemeat
- 160g Shortcrust Pastry
- 1 egg
- Famous Grouse Blended Scotch whisky
- Icing sugar and edible glitter for dusting
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6/fan 180°C
- Butter the base of a 6 hole tart/muffin tray
- Roll out puff pastry. Using a fluted cutter, cut 6 circles from pastry and place in tray.
- Spoon 2tsp in each pastry case.
- Using a smaller cutter or festive shaped cookie cutter i.e. star, cut 6 lids for the mince pies.
- Dab a small amount of water on the underside of the lids and seal on top of the pies.
- Beat a small egg and brush a small amount over the top of the pies for a luxurious glaze.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden
- Remove from oven and move to a wire rack – allow to cool
- Lightly dust with icing sugar and edible glitter for serving. Can be served hot or cold
- Serve with whisky cream to compliment the mince pies.
- The mince pies will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container, so you can enjoy them again and again!
- The mince pies can be frozen for up to a month – they need to be defrosted and warmed up in the oven.
From the team here at Whisky Marketplace we wish you a very ‘Merry’ Christmas and a Happy New Year!