Spiced sable rounds with eggnog glaze

Today’s cookies are a proof that there’s still kindness in the world – people who will do something nice for someone else even though they live on the other side of the planet.

I bookmarked one recipe last January already thinking of making it for the holidays. But when I reached for it on my del.icio.us a couple of weeks ago the link no longer worked... Google showed me someone on Flickr who had made those cookies and I asked her if she had the recipe posted somewhere – she didn’t, but was kind enough to send it to me by email. Isn’t that sweet?

Anastasia, thank you for sending me this great recipe – the cookies turned out delicious! I wish I could send some your way.

xoxo

Spiced sable rounds with eggnog glaze

Cookie dough:

• 1 ¼ cups (282g) unsalted butter, cold and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (218g) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 cups + 4 tablespoons (600g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 tablespoon dark rum - I used white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 2 cups + 2 ½ tablespoons (300g) icing sugar, sifted
• freshly ground nutmeg, for scattering

Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine. Add lemon zest, spices, flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. Divide dough in four equal parts and form each one into a log that is a little more than 3.5cm (1 ½ in) thick. Wrap well in baking paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180°C; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Unwrap one of the dough logs (keep the others in the fridge) and slice it into 6mm (¼-in) rounds. Place onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until just golden – mine needed 15 minutes for staying in the fridge for 24 hours.

Repeat with the remaining logs.

Make the glaze: whisk egg, brandy, rum and vanilla paste (if using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds with the back of a knife and add to the bowl) in an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk until thick and pale.

Spread icing over warm cookies then scatter with a little nutmeg and cool on a wire rack. Let glaze set completely before storing the cookies.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 90 – I halved the recipe and got 48

Eggnog brûlée

Last Saturday I tuned in for my weekly dose of Ms. Lawson and they aired one of her Christmas episodes – which I confess to have seen three times already, without an ounce of guilt; she got me into holiday spirit even more with her delicious food. My holiday recipe series continues and after the spiced brigadeiros I present you eggnog brûlée.

Don’t be surprised by the hard caramel crust on top of the dessert: I don’t own a torch and therefore tried Donna Hay’s hint of running a hot spoon over the sugar topping; that failed miserably, but I was decided to have a brûlée topping no matter what – even if I had to make some caramel on the side and pour over the custard. It was a matter of honor, after all. :)

Eggnog brûlée
DH mag #36

• 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 5 egg yolks
• ¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (56g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (66g) caster sugar, extra

Preheat the oven to 150°C/330°F. Place the cream, vanilla seeds and bean, cinnamon and brandy in a saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil.

Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks and slowly pour the cream mixture over the egg mixture, whisking well to avoid cooking the eggs.

Return to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon – do not let boil. Pour the custard into four ½ cup (120ml) capacity ovenproof dishes and place in a deep baking dish. Pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or just until set. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool completely then refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

Top each brûlée with the extra sugar and gently run a hot metal spoon* or brûlée blow torch over the top until sugar caramelizes – since I don’t own a torch and the spoon-technique failed, I prepared some caramel and poured over the set custard.

* the spoon might get permanently tarnished

Serves 4

Raspberry swirl ice cream

In one of my many visits to Gourmet Traveller’s website – don’t you love their wonderful recipes and gorgeous photos? - I saw this ice cream and thought it would be the perfect way to (re)start ice cream season at home.

I bought the raspberries but forgot the liquid glucose – luckily, David’s fabulous book came to the rescue; I tweaked the recipe just a bit and used a vanilla bean, to get a deeper vanilla flavor.

Raspberry swirl ice cream

Ice cream:

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry swirl:

• 1 ½ cups (160g) raspberries, fresh or frozen (I used frozen)
• 4 tablespoons (48g) caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon vodka (I used white rum)

To make the ice cream, combine milk, sugar, salt and 1 cup (240ml) cream in a medium saucepan. With the back of a knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into mixture, then add pod. Bring mixture just to a boil, whisking until sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Reheat cream mixture over medium heat, stirring, until hot. Whisk yolks in a medium bowl, then add half of hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly, then pour yolk mixture into remaining cream mixture in saucepan, whisking. Cook custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 76 to 79ºC/170 to 175ºF on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil).

Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Stir in vanilla and remaining ½ cup (120ml) cream, then return vanilla pod to mixture. Chill, uncovered, until cool, then chill, covered, at least 6 hours.

Ah hour or so before churning the ice cream, make the raspberry swirl by mashing the raspberries together with the sugar and vodka with a fork (if using frozen raspberries, let them thaw a bit first) until they’re juicy but with nice-sized chunks remaining. Chill until ready to use.

Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the machine, layer it in the container with spoonfuls of the chilled raspberry mixture.

Makes about 1 ½ liters (1 ½ quarts)