Kolkata chefs share best recipes for Christmas

Bake some historic bread and whip up that perfect brownie and plum cake this Christmas
Apple Pie
Apple Pie

We have finally made it to the last leg of the celebrations for this year. With the winter having set in and Christmas celebrations well on its way, here are four hard-to-resist recipes from the city’s top chefs to
warm up your days. Merry Christmas!

Plum Pudding

Christmas is synonymous with the rich plum cakes made with succulent black raisins that can simply be had at any time of the day, with or without tea. And here’s an interesting Plum Pudding recipe from Chef Ayan Chatterjee of The Lalit Great Eastern.

Mix spice recipe:-
Cinnamon powder            100 gms

Clove powder                  75 gms

Nutmeg powder             50 gms

Ginger powder               75 gms

Fennel powder               115 gms

Coriander powder                   115 gms

Star anise powder           115 gms

Method:-

Mix all the spices together and keep in an airtight container- it will stay fresh for months

Main ingredients

Bread crumb                    450 gms

Flour                               115 gms

Raisin                             900 gms

Dates                              225 gms

Candied peel                     225 gms

Orange rind                    5 Nos

Orange juice                  5 Nos

Baking powder                10 gms

Butter                              450 gms

Brown sugar                     450 gms

Egg                                4 Nos

Mix spice                         20 gms

Rum                                240 ml

Method:-

  • Mix all the fruits and mixed spices along with the rum and keep in a warm dry place. It is best that you should do the fruit mixing a month before you plan to make the plum pudding.
  • Shift baking powder and flour together and keep aside.
  • Grease pudding mould and preheat the oven at 150 deg centigrade.
  • Cream butter and brown sugar together until sugar dissolves.
  • Once the sugar melts add egg one by one, keep on mixing until a homogeneous mixture is formed.
  • Cut and fold the flour and baking powder mix.
  • Lastly add the bread crumb.
  • Fill the pudding mould till 3/4th of the mould, seal the pudding mould with aluminium foil.
  • Put a deep tray inside the oven fill halfway thru with water. Place the pudding in the tray and bake for about 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a toothpick comes out clean if inserted in the thickest part of the pudding.
  • Serve warm with brandy crème anglaise.

Stollen Bread

Legend has it that in the 15th Century bakers were not allowed to use butter while baking bread and it was only after Pope Innocent VIII sent a Butter-Letter to the Prince that the prized commodity was ade available to the public, against a tax. Now that butter has lost its royalty, you can happily try the recipe of this Stollen bread shared by Chef Sanjib Mohanta of The Lalit Great Eastern.


Ingredients:
Flour 500 gm | Milk 500 ml | Yeast 125 gm | Butter 750 gm | Sugar 200 gm | Flour 2 kgs | Spice mix 60gm | Raisin 750 gm | Almond silvers 250 gm | Sultana 100 gm | Cashewnut 100 gm | Candied
orange peel 100 gm | Candied lemon peel 100 gm | Black currant 100 gm | Rum 300 ml | Ghee to dip |
Icing sugar to dust on top 

Method:
• Make a starter using 500 gm of flour, milk and yeast and leave it in a warm dry place for at least
2 hours.
• Add butter, sugar and the rest of the flour along with the starter and make a smooth dough. Once
the dough is smooth and stretchy add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

• Portion the dough in 100 gm balls and rest for 30 minutes by covering them with a damp cloth.

• Roll each dough at the thickness of 15 mm thickness and place 100 gms marzipan inside and fold.

• Prove the stolen and bake at 180- deg centigrade for about 30 to 35 minutes.
• While the stollen is getting bakes melt ghee and keep aside.
• Once the stollen is baked take it out of the oven and directly dip the stollen in the ghee- please
remember not to brush with ghee- the bread needs to be dipped in ghee.
• Sprinkle icing sugar heavily on top of the bread and serve hot.

TRIBE CAFE
Walnut Brownie


Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour | 1/8 teaspoon baking powder | 1/8 teaspoon salt |1 cup white sugar | 1⁄2 cup butter, softened | 2 eggs | 2 (1 ounce) squares | unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
| 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract | 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together
in a bowl.
• Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs until a smooth batter forms; beat in chocolate and vanilla
extract.

• Stir flour mixture in just until incorporated; fold in walnuts.

• Spread batter into a prepared square pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is dry and edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan, 40 to 45 minutes.

• Cool completely in a square pan, about 30 minutes

•Cut into squares.

Apple pie
For 8 servings

Pie dough: 2 1⁄2 cups flour (315 g) | 1 teaspoon salt | 150 gm butter | ice water, or as needed
Filling: 1 kg apple, cored, sliced, peeled| 3⁄4 cup sugar (150 gm) | 2 tbsp flour | 1⁄2 tsp salt | 1 tsp cinnamon | 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg | 1⁄2 lemon |1 egg, beaten | 1 tbsp sugar
Preparation
• In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour and salt. Mix until combined.
• Add in butter. Add the ice water and continue to mix until the dough starts to
come together.
• Work the dough together with your hands and turn out onto a surface. Work into a ball and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate.
• In a bowl, add the sliced apples, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and juice from the lemon.

• Mix until combined and all apples are coated. Refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Cut the pie dough in half and roll out both halves until round and about XXX-inch thick.

• Pour in apple filling mixture and patdown.
• Roll the other half of the dough on top.
• Brush the pie with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sugar.
• Cut four slits in the top of the pie to create a vent.
• Bake pie for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown
• Allow to cool completely before slicing.

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