A Christmas Feast to celebrate ‘Christmas at Lock Keeper’s Cottage’ – Lucy Coleman
Let’s start with a stomach warming recipe for Apple Muffins! This is a family recipe that goes way back, and I usually make four batches in one go and freeze them.
Spicy Apple Muffins
2oz margarine or butter
2oz caster sugar
1 egg
4 oz of plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
3 fl ozs of milk and water
1 medium apple peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1 level dessertspoon of caster sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for the topping
Alternative Christmas special: substitute apple for redcurrants, add a dash of vanilla instead of the cinnamon and sprinkle with icing sugar!
Method:
Cream the margarine and sugar together and beat in the egg.
Sift the dry ingredients together and add gradually, with the milk and water, to the creamed mixture.
Fold in the apple and fill a greased muffin tray.
Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top of each muffin.
Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes but make sure they are nice and brown.
When cold, pack into polythene bags/containers and freeze.
Scrummy!
A flour-free alternative dessert that still has that Christmassy flavour: Roasted Autumn Fruits
If you have access to home-grown apples and pears, this recipe is perfect for you!
3oz/85g butter
6 plums, halved and stoned
3 eating apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
3 pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
30z/85g golden caster sugar
Zest of 2 oranges and juice of 3 oranges
Mascarpone, or vanilla ice cream to serve
- Heat the oven to 190C/ fan 170C/ gas 5.
Melt the butter in a wide, shallow dish in the oven. Toss in the plums, apples, and pears and sprinkle over the sugar. Scatter with orange zest and pour over the juice.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes or until the fruit is tender and tinged with brown. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve with mascarpone or a good quality vanilla ice cream.
Rather nice with a gluten-free, shortbread biscuit on the side to add that little crunch.