Something glowing in a glass, a delicious morsel of homemade food and I am a happy guest. But on the whole I prefer being the host; greeting someone at the door and getting them a drink and passing round plates of simple handmade snacks is something to relish.
Welcome though a cocktail is, the food is always what people remember. An element of crispness is vital. A crumbly biscuit of parmesan freckled with black sesame seeds; a diminutive potato cake, its edges crisp and warm from the frying pan. And, in the case of something sweet to eat, a crackle-crusted almond cookie, its core chewy as fudge, will work a treat.
To make life a little easier, I offer just one or two cocktails with a back-up for those who find such drinks an anathema. A mulled cider will spread cheer and work nicely with cheese wafers or potato pancakes, which I will top with crisp curls of sauerkraut or pickled cabbage. For the almond cookies there will be a mimosa of pomegranate and sparkling wine as pretty as a fairy light.
Mulled cider with potato cakes
If, like me, you rather enjoy the idea of being in the kitchen while your guests make merry, then these light, crisp fritters are for you. I don’t advise you to make them in advance, they are a spur-of-the-moment thing. The quicker they go from pan to plate the better. Makes 12
For the potato cakes:
potatoes 750g
onion 1, medium
garlic 1 clove
plain flour 4 tbsp
eggs 2
vegetable oil a little, for frying
ruby coleslaw or pickled cabbage 12 tsp
poppy seeds 1 tsp
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Peel the onion and grate or slice as finely as you can, then add it to the potatoes. Season with half a teaspoon of salt then transfer to a colander or fine sieve and set aside over a bowl or plate for 15 minutes.
Peel and crush the garlic to a paste. Squeeze the potato mixture in your hands to remove any excess liquid, then place in a mixing bowl and stir in the crushed garlic and the flour. Season with a little black pepper. Break the eggs into a small bowl or cup, beat briefly with a fork, then stir into the potato.
Warm a thin layer of oil in a shallow, nonstick pan. Divide the mixture into 12 and pat them into small flat cakes. Lower them, a few at a time, into the hot oil and let them fry for about 5 minutes on each side, turning them with a palette knife. They should be pale gold in colour and lightly crisp. Remove from the pan and drain briefly on kitchen paper. Top each with a teaspoon of coleslaw or pickled cabbage and sprinkle with poppy seeds. The quicker these are eaten the better.
For the cider:
cider 1 litre
apple juice 500ml
brandy 80ml
soft brown sugar 50g (to taste)
orange 1
star anise 2
cloves 4
cinnamon stick 3
Pour the cider, apple juice and brandy into a stainless-steel saucepan and warm over a moderate heat. Stir in the sugar. Remove 2 or 3 long strips of peel from the orange and drop them into the pan, then scatter in the star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks.
Bring the mixture almost to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. The overall flavour should be spicy and appley rather than taste too strongly of brandy. Taste and adjust the sugar as pleases you, introducing more brandy if you wish.
Ladle into glasses.
Crisp spiced cheese biscuits
Something else to serve with the mulled cider, or indeed any drink you may offer this Christmas. Enough for about 8 guests
For the biscuits:
plain flour 100g
Aleppo pepper 1 tsp
butter 75g, cold
egg yolk 1
parmesan 50g, finely grated
black sesame seeds 1 tsp
You will also need a baking sheet lined with baking parchment
Season the flour with the Aleppo pepper and a grinding of black pepper. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips. (You can do this with a food processor if you prefer.) Break the egg yolk into the crumbs of flour and butter and add the grated parmesan and black sesame seeds, stirring with a fork.
On a lightly floured pastry board or work surface, bring the dough together into a ball. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 23cm x 17cm and as thick as a couple of £1 coins one on top of the other.
Tear or cut the dough into pieces roughly 4cm x 6cm. Keep the shapes quite random, placing them on the lined baking sheet. Chill for 20 minutes, then preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and bake the biscuits for about 15 minutes until crisp and golden.
Leave the biscuits in place on the tray for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack using a palette knife.
Pomegranate mimosa and orange almond cookies
Makes 16
For the cookies:
egg whites 2
caster sugar 190g
ground almonds 285g
almond extract 1 or 2 drops
orange zest finely grated
icing sugar 80g and more for dusting
You will also need a baking sheet lined with baking parchment
Put the egg whites in a scrupulously clean mixing bowl, making sure there is no trace of egg yolk among them. (It will prevent them from stiffening.) Whisk until they are loose and frothy, then add the caster sugar and beat until thick, firm and glossy – the mixture should be able to stand in peaks. This can take quite a while.
Stir in the ground almonds and the almond extract – be careful not to add too much, the flavour can be very intense. Stir in the orange zest. Roll the mixture into balls, about 40g in weight. Put the icing sugar in a shallow tray or bowl, then roll the amaretti in the sugar. Leave, covered in the sugar, for 10 minutes, then put them on a baking sheet and dust them generously with more icing sugar.
Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 12 minutes until ivory in colour. They should feel lightly crisp outside, soft and giving within and their crusts should be cracked. Set aside on a cooling rack – though they are at their most charming when still warm and slightly gooey within.
For the pomegranate mimosa
Serves 4
fresh pomegranate juice 80ml
sparkling wine 320ml
Pour the pomegranate juice into glasses and top up with the sparkling wine.
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