Christmas crackle cookies

Brown butter crackle cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 150G (5¼ OZ) UNSALTED BUTTER, CHOPPED
  • 1¼ CUPS (200G/7 OZ) CSR RAPADURA SUGAR
  • 2 EGGS
  • 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
  • 2½ CUPS (385G/13½ OZ) WHITE WINGS PLAIN FLOUR
  • 1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
  • 1 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON
  • CSR PURE ICING SUGAR, FOR ROLLING

METHOD

  1. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until foaming. Whisk for 2–3 minutes or until the butter is a deep golden colour. Set aside to cool slightly
  2. Place the butter and rapadura sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and beat on low speed until combined. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour or until firm.
  3. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2 trays with non-stick baking paper.
  4. Sift icing sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll tablespoons of the cookie dough into balls, then roll in the icing sugar to coat.
  5. Place dough balls on prepared trays and bake for 10–12 minutes or until cookies are just golden and set. Set aside on trays to cool.Makes 26

 


Pumpkin & apple chutney

If you happen to be passing a farm store, pumpkins and apples are fully available. Make this delicious apple and pumpkin chutney to enjoy through the winter with curries, cold cuts and cheese.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
100g ginger, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
15 cardamom pods, smashed open
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into small cubes
500g Bramley apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
500g light brown sugar
300ml cider vinegar

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan, then gently fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard and cumin seeds and turmeric and fry together for 5 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and apples to the pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the ingredients are softened.

Stir in the sugar and let it melt around the vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour in the vinegar, season with 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly for about 30 minutes or until the apple has cooked down and the pumpkin pieces are tender. There should be a little syrupiness in the pan.

Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. They chutney can be eaten straight away or left to mature in a dark place. Store for up to six months.


Easy Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon buns are everywhere at the moment. It takes time and patience to make your own which is definitely worth. However, we're all often short of time. If you want a quick fix but haven't go the time, try these easy cinnamon buns with ingredients available at any store.

Makes 12 buns

Ingredients
240 g can ready-made croissant dough
50g unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

Method
Heat oven to 170C. Line a 20cm cake tin with a square of baking paper so the corners stick up (this will help you to lift the buns out).

Unroll the croissant dough from the can and lay it out on your work surface. Cut it into three sections along the dotted lines, but don’t cut the diagonal line. Spread over half of the butter.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Using one square of dough at a time, sprinkle over 2-3 tsp of the sugar and roll up the dough. When you have three rolls, cut each one in half and then each half in two. Arrange the rolls in the tin – they will rise and spread a little. Stick the end bits in among fatter pieces from the centre of the rolls so they cook evenly. Bake for 15-18 minutess or until the buns are risen and cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining sugar-cinnamon mix with the remaining butter until you have a thick caramel (don’t worry if some of the butter separates out, it will soak into the dough). If it's too grainy, add a little boiling water from the kettle to the it down and smooth it out.When the buns are cooked, brush over the caramel. Leave to cool a little, then eat warm.


Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Chicken with Rice

This recipe is inspired by one of favourite authors and chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 Tablespoons olive oil
8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
salt and pepper
10 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
300 g basmati rice
600 ml boiling water
small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
small bunch dill, chopped
small bunch coriander leaves, chopped
50 g raisins
100 g Greek yoghurt seasoned with 2 Tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, to serve

Method
Heat a (Le Creuset) casserole pan over medium heat with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onion for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion has caramelised and turned a deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.

Meanwhile, place the chicken thighs in a bowl with a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Mix everything well together. Heat the casserole pan with the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and brown the chicken (with the spices) for 5 minutes on each side until a lovely golden colour. Remove the chicken from the pan, leaving the oil and the loose spices in the pan. Add the rice and toast off for 1-2 minutes. Add the caramelised onions, salt and pepper to taste and the raisins. Stir well and then add the chicken thighs, pushing them well into the rice.

Pour over the boiling water, cover the pan and cook over a very low heat for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Take the pan off the heat, cover with a clean tea towel, replace the lid and allow to to steam for 10 minutes. Scatter the herbs over the disk and loosen the rice with a fork. Taste if more salt and pepper is needed. Serve with the yoghurt.

We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours


Walnut Cake with Spiced Caramel Sauce

Ingredients
Cake
220 g butter, at room temperature
240 g caster sugar
4 eggs
160 g fine semolina
2 teaspoons baking powder
300 g walnuts

Caramel
300g caster sugar
300 ml cream
1 star anise
½ cinnamon stick
25g butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the walnuts on a baking tray and toast them lightly in the oven, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Grease a 24 cm round springform tin or small fluted tins, of your choice.

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, until well combined.

Place the walnuts in a food processor and blend until finely ground.

Stir the baking powder through the semolina and fold through the egg and butter mixture, followed by the ground walnuts.

Spoon the batter into the greased cake tins and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes (large cake) or about 20 minutes (for the small cakes). Remove from the oven, cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before turing out onto a wire rack to cool completely before covering with the caramel.

For the spiced caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a pan until it turns golden-brown. Pour the cream in carefully and bring to the boil, stirring well. Add the star anise, cinnamon and butter. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and smooth.

Strain through a fine sieve, cool completely and pour over the cake before serving.

We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours