The Gift of Food
TOM SMART T
hey say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. That sentiment is certainly true of me. But is it just us men that are susceptible to a little treat for the taste buds? I suspect not!
Whether young, old or somewhere in between, nothing shows a subtle sprinkle of thought and a dusting of love like a hand-made, edible gift. Very few things are better received and you get the satisfaction of seeing the enjoyment broadcasted smile-wide as your treats are tucked in to. Christmas provides the perfect opportunity to set about this rewarding task with stockings to be filled and little ones to entertain. So crack out the baking trays and set about creating your home-made stocking fillers. Let your imagination run wild, for the festive season provides a canvas and paint pot like no other time of year with which to design your masterpieces. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
CHRISTMAS BELLS Makes about 30
225g butter, softened 140g caster sugar Finely grated rind of 1 lemon 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten 280g plain flour 1
/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt 100g plain chocolate chips
To decorate: 2 tbsp lightly beaten egg white 2 tbsp lemon juice 225g icing sugar 30 edible silver balls Food colouring pens
1 Put the butter, caster sugar and lemon rind into a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon, then beat the egg yolk. Sift the flour, cinnamon and salt into the mixture, add the chocolate chips and stir until thoroughly
28 | THE WESTCOUNTRY FOODLOVER
combined. Shape into balls, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
2 Preheat the oven to 1900C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
3 Unwrap the dough and roll out between two sheets of baking paper. Stamp out cookies with a 5cm bell-shaped cutter and put them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced well apart.
4 Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then, using a palette knife, carefully transfer
to wire racks to cool completely.
5 Mix together the egg white and lemon juice in a bowl, then gradually beat in the icing sugar until smooth. Leave the cookies on the racks and spread the icing over them. Place a silver ball on the clapper shape at the bottom of the cookie and leave to set completely. When the icing is dry, use the food colouring pens to draw patterns on the cookies.
Recipe courtesy of the Christmas Cookies book from Parragon's Love Food range
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