Christmas Countdown 22 Recipes for a Merry Christmas
If you have been. Thank you for reading. This concludes the 22 recipe Christmas Countdown. All thats left for me to say is “I hope you have found these recipes useful & you have enjoyed, reading these blogs.
Click the photos below to take you to the individual recipes. OR the blue link below will take you to all the recipes, mentioned below in the drop down menu of Christmas Countdown.
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HEALTHY & HAPPY NEW YEAR
Day 9 of the Christmas Countdown. On day 7, you had The late Cake recipe on day & Marzipan & today Home made fondant icing, for covering.
Must just say, I am feeling very lucky today, the lovely Emma Coleman from BBC Radio Wiltshire visited my little Stable kitchen, last week, to interview me. That was luck in itself, but just imagine my feeling of elation when my recorded interview appeared not just on one, but both the Rachel Houghton’s morning show & the lovely James Thomas afternoon show.
Now. If you heard the programmes & read my previous blog on store bought icing – link in red below – you may wish to make your own Fondant Icing (Ready rolled). The recipe follows:
FONDANT ICING. Covers 1 x 10cm cake.
1, level dessertspoon powdered gelatine, mixed with 3 dessertspoons of cold water.
100gm Granulated Sugar
6.Tbspns hot water
1.Tbspn Fresh Lemon Juice
2.tspns vanilla essence
25ml Vegetable oil
1/2 – 3/4 kg Sifted Icing Sugar.
METHOD
Place granulated sugar, hot water & lemon juice in a small saucepan & bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve.
Cover & boil for 2mins, uncover & boil for a futher 5mins until a little of the syrup forms a soft ball when dropped into very cold water.
Add the gelatine mix, essence & oil & stir to dissolve. Cool until luke warm.
Put half the icing sugar in a large boil & add the syrup mixture,stir well to combine. Gradually work in the remaining icing sugar, with the fingers, kneading until the mix becomes, smooth & pliable.
Place in a plastic bag & leave at room temperature overnight.
Roll out on a board dusted with sifted icing sugar & use to cover your cake. At this stage you can knead any colourings into the icing. This icing is also suitable for moulding. See the little snow men in the photo above.
You will also find my original blog, regarding the nasties in store bought icing, by clicking the link below:How do you like your icing
If you have any questions on your Christmas cookery please feel free to ask.
Just leave your question in the comment box below.
If you have been. Thank you for reading & possibly listenening.
Share our blog on Social Media or print out a recipe.
BBC Wiltshire – James Thomas, 27/11/2018https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06qgwjp
Hi Foodies, I am feeling very lucky today, the lovely Emma Coleman from BBC Radio Wiltshire visited my little Stable kitchen, last week, to interview me. That was luck in itself, but just imagine my feeling of elation when my recorded interview appeared not just on one, but both of the above mentioned radio programmes today. If you click the links above, you will be able to hear them.
There’s a lot more than sugar in your fondant
Icing Sugar
Boiling Sugar & Water Syrup
Home made, Fondant Icing
Now. If you heard the programmes & read my previous blog – link in red below – you may wish to make your own Fondant Icing (Ready rolled). The recipe follows:
FONDANT ICING. Covers 1 x 10cm cake.
1, level dessertspoon powdered gelatine, mixed with 3 dessertspoons of cold water.
100gm Granulated Sugar
6.Tbspns hot water
1.Tbspn Fresh Lemon Juice
2.tspns vanilla essence
25ml Vegetable oil
1/2 – 3/4 kg Sifted Icing Sugar.
METHOD
Place granulated sugar, hot water & lemon juice in a small saucepan & bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve.
Cover & boil for 2mins, uncover & boil for a futher 5mins until a little of the syrup forms a soft ball when dropped into very cold water.
Add the gelatine mix, essence & oil & stir to dissolve. Cool until luke warm.
Put half the icing sugar in a large boil & add the syrup mixture,stir well to combine. Gradually work in the remaining icing sugar, with the fingers, kneading until the mix becomes, smooth & pliable.
Place in a plastic bag & leave at room temperature overnight.
Roll out on a board dusted with sifted icing sugar & use to cover your cake. At this stage you can knead any colourings into the icing. This icing is also suitable for moulding. See the little snow men in the photo above.
You will also find my original blog, regarding the nasties in store bought icing, by clicking the link below:
It’s that time of the year again. You’re rushing around like a headless turkey, trying to get everything done, buying presents for his parents, trying to calm down the over excited kids and all of a sudden, your remember. “Ahhhh I haven’t iced the cake”. Presuming you made one in the first place! Well, of course you did. You like to feed your family, wholesome, natural foods, not products loaded with chemicals, preservatives & goodness knows what else.
You are a domestic goddess, you know what’s good nutrition wise, for your brood, you substitute butter for low fat spreads, to keep their hearts healthy, buy low sugar products to help their teeth & weight & try to get them to eat their 8 a day – no chance – . But. During all this healthy eating campaign, are you aware of what is actually in those substitutes? & their food mile foot prints? Do you read the ingredients list, in small print, on the back of products?
We need to be a couple of generations older, to know what some of these additivies will do to us – think smoking – Are you mindful of the ecco damage we are doing to our planet? – think Orangutan – What is wrong with cooking & making fresh healthy food from scratch. Yes, I can hear you all crying “TIME”. Well it is time. Time to get yourself organised, spend less time on FB & that glass of Chardonay every night & prioritise your week, as you CAN do it, you owe it to yourself & your family.
Time, verses ready made products. The food industry is well aware of this, by persuding us to buy these tempting, ready made, calorie & chemical laden products.
This brings me back to the title of this blog How do you like your Icing? Please read in conjunction with my previous blog Marzipan
Always read the labelThanks white stuff
Ready to roll, (cake covering or fondant) is the most common, store bought icing. While it takes a little while to make, but you can soon whip it up in that lovely food mixer that stands, unused on your work surface. One thing you can be sure of, you know exactly what it contains. Just take a look at the ingredients list in the store bought products above.
Icing Sugar
Boiling Sugar & Water Syrup
Home made, Fondant Icing
Royal icing (piping, decoration). Is much easier to make, again in the mixer. Both icings are also much cheaper to make than their store bought counterparts.
Store bought Royal Icing for piping
Read the label
What I really don’t understand, is that so many of us seem to be aware of & indeed want gluten free, dairy free, Lowfodmap, lactose free, vegan, vegetarian etc, but we don’t seem to care about the additives, artificial chemicals & goodness knows what that is added to our foods.
Its also not just about the Supemarkets. Don’t forget those ready made cakes you purchase, whether from a Farm Shop, Bakery or a social media advertiser of home made cakes! Do you check their ingredients? Can you be sure that they home make their own cakes & icings & don’t resort to packet cake mixes, store bought icings & decorations? Always beware of the words “hand made”.
Follow me on twitter & Instagram for ideas & ingredient lists
In the long term, all these additives could be doing us untold harm. Who knows, only time will tell. So. Make the time, to home make your food from scratch, or you my find YOUR time is shortenened, in the long run.
Next year, my blog will include a weekly update of seasonal foods, with recipes & ideas on how to priorotise your time & feed your family with healthy home made foods.
So. Whats in your icing this Christmas?
Share our blog on Social Media or print out a recipe.
Truffleicious blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.