Family Christmas

Last night was a Christmas celebration with members of Y's and my families, who will not be around for Christmas. For me, Christmas has always been about spending lots of fun time eating and with family, even better eating with my family. So it was a special night that saw us gathering not only with some of Y's family, but this year, my sister Soph and brother in law Pete. We all share a love of food, so whilst making our gingerbread houses a few weekends ago, we planned the menu.
My sister provided the canapes, which were yummy morsels of puff pastry, with a cheesy filling topped with a roasted cherry tomato and basil leaf. They looked very festive (as did the aptly named "festive punch") and tasted scrumptious (with the burst of tomato ending up running down more than one person's shirt).
Y's cousin G and her hubby A would be hosting and would provide the main course. Our anticipation was heightened when we arrived and saw 9 individual pies lined up ready to be baked - fish pie! Excellent. The fish pie was encased (not just a lid on the top, but pastry which also lined the bowl) with crispy pastry which held a lovely, creamy, fish pie. Each pie had its own pastry motif on top - stars, angels, fish. The pie was accompanied by roasted cherry tomatoes (next year we might actually consult each other what we're bringing, but the colours looked so appropriate that the doubling up of tomatoes didn't matter), mashed potato, lovely kale with toasted hazelnuts and green beans. To say the fish pie was mind blowingly delicious would be to under sell it. The recipe is from a Sydney restaurant, The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, and some googling suggests their signature fish pie to be the best in Sydney (and therefore the world). Last night however, the best fish pie being inhaled anywhere, was at our cosy Christmas feast at G & A's house. G and I had scoured the Christmas editions of delicious. magazine and decided that the chocolate peppermint log was worth a try. I made the chocolate log earlier in the week, and on Thursday night (before running out to the Bloggers' Christmas Drinks) made the peppermint butter cream to fill it, then iced it with chocolate. To garnish my log, rather than attempt to make chocolate holy leaves, I melted white chocolate and (using my fingers) made round thin discs of chocolate and sprinkled smashed smarties on top. When the chocolate discs were set, I broke them up and stuck them along the top of the log. Y's response to this: "it looks like a dinosaur". (recipe below)
However this dinosaur turned out to be something of a killer. I'm not sure if it was the recipe or me, but the ratio of icing and peppermint butter cream so totally outweighed the chocolate cake, as to stop most of us in our tracks after only a couple of mouthsful, such was the density and richness. On the upside, several entertaining comments then ensued such as "did you actually make this using a recipe?", "it's like someone's taken a lot of sugar, and then reduced it right down to make concentrated sugar", "did you make all the recipe, or is this just the topping for a cake?". I think the general consensus was that whilst the flavours were lovely, the whole thing was far far too much. In future (if I dare make it again, although it won't be for this crowd!) I'd halve the amount of butter cream and probably only make 1/3 of the icing. Alternatively, maybe use the butter cream and icing with a chocolate cake, so that there's more cake to balance out the richness of everything else.

We exchanged presents and happily devoured yummy food, washing down with the recommended daily allowance of wine until sadly it was time to brave the snow and head home.

Peppermint chocolate log (from delicious. magazine December 2009. As I've said above, I'd go easy on the butter cream and icing)

butter, for greasing
6 large free range eggs, separated
180g caster sugar, plus extra to dust
40g cocoa powder
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

peppermint butter cream
115g unsalted butter
60ml semi skimmed milk
1tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar
1/2 tsp good quality peppermint extract
few drops green food colouring

chocolate icing
175g good quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
225g unsalted butter at room temp
1T semi skimmed milk
1tsp vanilla extract
250g icing sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper.

2. Whisk egg yolks with 120g of the sugar for 5 minutes on high speed until thick and pale. Lower the speed and add cocoa & vanilla and almond extracts until just combined.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff glossy peaks are formed.

4. Fold egg white into the yolks and cocoa.
5. Spoon mixture into the tin and spread evenly. Bake for 12-14minutes until slightly springy.
6. Turn cake out onto a dry tea towel sprinkled with caster sugar. Remove the paper and roll up the cake whilst warm, so that it cools in the rolled up shape (below).

7. For the peppermint butter cream, beat the butter with milk and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 500g icing sugar, then add peppermint extract, beat, add food colouring, beat again, until light and creamy.

8. For the chocolate icing, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and leave to cool slightly.

9. In a large bowl beat the butter, milk, vanilla and icing sugar until smooth, then beat in melted chocolate. Keep beating until you have a spreadable consistency.

10. Carefully unroll your cake, and spread the peppermint butter cream on the inside, and re-roll. Ice the cake with chocolate icing.
Decorations (I melted white chocolate and made discs with crushed smarties), and sugar coma upon eating, optional.