• Place one anchovy fillet on top of one pickle half.
• Cover with the other pickle half, creating a stuffed pickle, and secure with a toothpick.
• Serve the stuffed pickles cold or at room temperature.
• Enjoy this delightful and simple tapa!

Prepare the Marinated Fresh Anchovies:

• Follow the instructions for preparing Marinated Fresh Anchovies as per the previous recipe (Marinated Fresh Anchovies (Boquerones en Vinagre)).

Roast the Eggplant:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Using a vegetable peeler, peel the eggplants in thin, alternating strips to create a stripe effect.
• Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a roasting pan.
• Season with salt, pepper, and brush with olive oil.
• Roast for 15 minutes or until tender.

Prepare the Tomato Sauce:

• In a food processor, combine the coarsely chopped tomato, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Process until smooth.
• Divide the tomato sauce among 4 small individual plates, about 2 teaspoons each.

Prepare the Herb Drizzle:

• In a small bowl, combine the finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, finely chopped garlic, and salt.

Assemble the Stacks:

• Drain the marinade from the anchovies.
• On a serving platter, create layers by arranging half of the roasted eggplant slices in a single layer, followed by half of the marinated anchovies in a single layer.
• Repeat with the remaining eggplant and anchovies, and cut the layers in half crosswise.
• Drizzle the herb mixture over the roasted eggplant.
• Serve:
• Arrange the layers of eggplant and anchovies on top of the tomato sauce on each plate and serve.

• Prepare the Marinated Fresh Anchovies:
• Follow the instructions for preparing Marinated Fresh Anchovies as per the previous recipe (Marinated Fresh Anchovies (Boquerones en Vinagre)).
• Arrange the Dish:
• Arrange the prepared anchovies on individual plates or a serving platter.
• Sprinkle finely chopped pickled beets and onions over the anchovies.
• Serve:
• Serve the dish cold or at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld.
• Enjoy this delightful combination of fresh anchovies, pickled beets, and onions!

Prepare the Fruit Mixture:

• Drain the cherries in a sieve over a bowl and cut them in half.
• Peel and coarsely grate the pear.

Soak the Fruits:

• In a large bowl, combine the cherries, pear, raisins, sultanas, and brandy.
• Stir well and cover with cling film.

Heat and Melt:

• Heat the fruit mixture in the microwave on high for 3 minutes.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes to allow the fruit to plump up.
• Break the chocolate into squares while waiting for it to cool.
• Add the chocolate and butter to the hot fruit, stir, and let it cool uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Prepare the Pudding Basin:

• Rub 1 tbsp butter inside a 1-litre pudding basin.
• Butter the top sheet of two overlapping foil sheets.
• Fold a 3cm pleat across the middle of the foil.

Combine Ingredients:

• Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
• Sift flour, sugar, mixed spice, and cocoa powder onto the chocolatey fruit.
• Add breadcrumbs, eggs, and salt.
• Stir everything together with a wooden spoon, creating a wet mixture.
• Transfer it into the buttered basin.

Cover and Steam:

• Cover the pudding with the buttered foil, scrunching it over the edge of the basin.
• Tie string under the lip to secure.
• Place a heatproof saucer in a large saucepan, put the basin on top, and pour just-boiled water halfway up the basin.
• Cover the pan and steam the pudding for 2 1/2 hours.
• Check for doneness using a skewer.
• Steam for an additional 15 minutes if needed.

Maturing and Reheating:

• To store, let the pudding cool and mature in a cool, dark place.
• Don’t unwrap the foil.
• Can be made up to two months before eating.
• To reheat, steam for 30 minutes or microwave on medium for 5 minutes.
• Remove the foil when microwaving, covering with cling film instead.

Prepare Chocolate Brandy Sauce:

• Break the chocolate into squares.
• Put all sauce ingredients in a small pan and heat gently, stirring until smooth.

Serving:

• Serve the pudding topped with any remaining cherries, the chocolate sauce, and a dollop of double cream.

Step 1 – Prepare the Brownie:

• Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm brownie tin.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
• In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter and both types of chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water.
• Stir until smooth.
• While the chocolate and butter mixture cools slightly, whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl using electric beaters until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume.
• Whisk in the melted chocolate.
• Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and mixed spice until no pockets of flour remain.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top with a spatula, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• The top should be set and shiny but slightly wobbly.
• Leave the brownie to cool completely in the tin, then chill in the fridge until set.

Step 2 – Decorate the Brownie:

• While the brownie cools, brush the rosemary sprigs and glacé cherries with egg white, dab off the excess, and coat in caster sugar.
• Let them dry on a wire rack.
• Place the chocolate truffles on a sheet of baking paper or foil and spray with the edible gold lustre.
• Dust the chilled brownie with icing sugar to create a snowy surface.
• Top with crushed amaretti biscuit pieces.
• Insert the crystallized rosemary sprigs at random intervals.
• You can cut the brownie into pieces first and dust with icing sugar.
• Nestle a glacé cherry or gold truffle alongside each rosemary sprig.
• Add chocolate buttons and silver balls for additional decoration.

Step 1 – Make the Sponges:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
• Grease and line the base and sides of three 20cm cake tins with baking parchment.
• In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, mixed spice, and salt.
• Whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and water with the eggs until smooth.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and whisk until well combined.
• Scoop about a third of the cake mixture into one tin.
• Optionally, mix the food coloring into the remaining batter and divide among the other tins.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 2 – Make the Icing:

• Beat the butter with half of the icing sugar and the vanilla until smooth.
• Add the remaining icing sugar and the cream cheese, then beat again until combined.
• Be careful not to overmix.

Step 3 – Assemble the Cake:

• Place one red sponge on a cake stand or board and secure it with a small amount of icing.
• Sandwich with a gold sponge, generously layering with icing.
• Top with more icing and the final red sponge, placing it flat-side up.
• Use a palette knife to cover the entire cake with a thin layer of icing.
• Chill for 30 minutes.
• Once the crumb coat is chilled, use the remaining icing to completely cover the cake.
• Chill for another 30 minutes.

Step 4 – Make the Chocolate Drip:

• Melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of lightly simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts.
• Pour the melted chocolate into a disposable piping bag and set aside to firm up slightly.

Step 5 – Decorate the Cake:

• Remove the cake from the fridge.
• Optionally, use edible gold spray to add a shimmer to the surface.
• Once the white chocolate is at the right consistency, snip off the end of the piping bag and pipe drips down the sides of the cake.
• Fill in the top with the remaining white chocolate.
• Top with a gingerbread star tree or your choice of decorations.

Step 1 – Prepare Fruits:

• Grate the zest from the orange and squeeze the juice into a large bowl.
• Snip the apricots into small pieces and add them to the bowl along with the mixed dried fruit and marsala.
• Cover with cling film and leave to soak overnight.

Step 2 – Prepare Cake Tin:

• Grease the cake tin with butter, then line the base and sides with a double layer of parchment.
• Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3.

Step 3 – Make Biscuit Crumbs:

• Put 200g of the amaretti biscuits in a food bag and crush them into fine crumbs.

Step 4 – Make Cake Batter:

• In a large bowl, beat together softened butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
• Mix in the eggs one by one.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, and salt.
• Add the amaretti crumbs and mix until evenly combined.
• Fold in the soaked fruit and almonds.

Step 5 – Bake Cake:

• Transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin.
• Bake for 2 hours, then reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/fan 120°C/gas 1.
• Cover the cake with foil and bake for another 1 hour 30 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.
• Check for doneness with a cocktail stick.
• Allow the cake to cool on a rack.

Step 6 – Feed Cake:

• Poke holes all over the cake with a cocktail stick, then drizzle 2 tbsp marsala or sherry over it.
• Once cooled, wrap the cake in clean parchment and store in a cool, dark place.
• Feed it every seven to 10 days until ready to decorate.

Step 7 – Decorate Cake:

• Unwrap the cake and brush a thin layer of apricot glaze over it.
• Knead the marzipan until soft, then roll it out on a surface dusted with royal icing sugar to form a circle about 35cm across.
• Place the marzipan over the cake, smooth it down, and trim the excess.
• Spray the marzipan lightly with gold spray, then heavily spray almonds.
• Break four of the remaining amaretti biscuits into nuggets.
• Mix royal icing sugar with water until thick but runny, then spoon it over the cake and spread it to the edges.
• Decorate the cake with whole and broken biscuits, almonds, and sugar decorations.
• Dust with icing sugar through a fine sieve for a snowy effect.
• Allow the icing to set before serving.
• Enjoy your glittering Amaretti Christmas Cake!

• rease a 2-litre pudding bowl with dairy-free margarine.
• Line the base with a circle of baking parchment.
• Grease a large sheet of baking parchment, then lay it on top of a large sheet of foil, margarine side up.
• Fold a pleat in the middle of each sheet.
• Mixing Instructions:
• Roughly chop 125g of the figs and set aside.
• Put the remaining figs, dairy-free margarine, and rum into a large food processor.
• Process until smooth-ish.
• Scrape into a large mixing bowl.
• Add chopped figs, sultanas, raisins, grated apple, sugars, breadcrumbs, flour, and allspice.
• Stir everything together, then spoon into your pudding basin.
• Cooking Instructions:
• Cover with the buttered paper-foil sheet, tie with string, and trim.
• Lower into a large saucepan with upturned saucers or scrunched-up bits of foil in the bottom.
• Fill the pan with enough boiling water from the kettle to come halfway up the sides of the bowl.
• Cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours, topping up the water as needed.
• Remove and leave to cool.
• The pudding will keep in a cool, dry cupboard for up to a year.

• Prepare the stuffing mix in a bowl by pouring over 150ml boiling water.
• Allow it to absorb the water and cool.
• Once cool, add sausage meat, chopped chestnuts, and dried cranberries.
• Mix everything together using your hands.
• Cut each rasher of bacon in half lengthways to get 24 long strips.
• Cross two bacon strips and roll a walnut-sized ball of the stuffing mixture, placing it on the bacon cross.
• Wrap the stuffing in bacon and place it on a lightly oiled baking tray with the cross side up.
• Repeat the process to make 12 stuffing balls.
• The stuffing balls can be made up to two days ahead and chilled.
• Cooking Instructions:
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
• Roast the stuffing balls for 25-30 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the stuffing is cooked.

Step 1 – Make the Pastry:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, icing sugar, spices, and salt until combined.
• Add the chopped butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolk and 1-2 tbsp cold water, pulse until the mixture forms a ball.
• Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Step 2 – Clementine Curd:

• Mix cornflour with a splash of clementine juice to form a slurry.
• In a saucepan, combine the cornflour mixture, remaining clementine juice, orange juice, clementine zest, lemon juice, and sugar.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat.
• Whisk in butter and egg yolks.
• Return the mixture to low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
• Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Step 3 – Prepare Pastry:

• Roll out the chilled pastry and line eight individual tart tins.
• Chill for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

Step 4 – Blind-Bake Pastry:

• Line the pastry cases with parchment paper and baking beans.
• Blind-bake on a baking tray for 10 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove the beans and bake for another 5-8 minutes until pastry is fully cooked.
• Cool in the tins.

Step 5 – Prepare Meringue:

• In a pan, combine sugar with 50ml water.
• Bring to a boil until it reaches 116°C on a sugar thermometer.
• In a stand mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks.
• Slowly drizzle in the sugar syrup while whisking continuously.
• Continue whisking until the meringue cools.
• Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle.

Step 6 – Assemble Pies:

• Spoon the cooled clementine curd into a piping bag and pipe an even layer into the base of the pastry cases.
• Pipe meringue over the curd to form peaks.

Step 7 – Cook Meringue:

• Use a blowtorch to briefly cook the meringue or grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden.
• Serve the pies immediately.