Over the last few weeks as classes wrap up and I say goodbye to students I can’t quite believe it when they say, “well, I won’t be seeing you again before the New Year,” or “Merry Christmas!” How is it nearly the end of 2017 already? What a great year it has been for The Ruby Apron – thanks to everyone who has continued to follow and support the business as it grows.
Classes for the New Year are filling up quickly, so if you’ve had your eye on a class be sure to register soon to not be disappointed. I will be launching the spring schedule at the beginning of February – with new classes, and some old favourites. Please note that as of April 1, 2018, g.s.t will be charged on top of all pricing for services, classes and gift certificates. If there is anything you’ve been hoping to see on the schedule – from a new class to classes at different times or days of the week, please get in touch and let me know.
Looking for a last-minute gift for friends or family members, and running out of time to head out and brave the shops? You can purchase gift certificates on the website for classes. Gift certificates can be purchased for a specific class on a specific date or for a certain amount, and the person who receives the gift certificate can pick which class to take.
I was asked back to Global in November, which was as fun as the last time, without quite so many nerves. Check out the video here.
I am taking the first few weeks of January off from teaching to recipe test, and get set up for 2018. Looking forward to starting the year off right – as I sit back and think about just how many people I met this year in the kitchen, teaching them new recipes and skills, I can’t quite believe how far The Ruby Apron has come in just two years. As with any new business, as things grow, changes have to be made. I will no longer be offering my catering and meal prep services in 2018, the focus will be on cooking classes and workshops.
For those of you who are new to The Ruby Apron’s newsletter, head over to my blog, Apron Anecdotes where you can read a bit more about my time at Ballymaloe Cookery School, who I am, and how / why I started The Ruby Apron. I am currently working on a five or six part blog series that has been inspired by a few conversations recently – these posts will include my tips to being a confident cook, what a stocked pantry, fridge + freezer, and kitchen look like to me, my must have cookbooks, and why we should get back into the kitchen and cook. Follow The Ruby Apron on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram where I will be posting more information about these blog posts as they come to life.
I am a Christmas cake lover and always have been. It’s not the most common thing to love in North America, but a good, homemade, true Christmas cake can convert those Christmas Cake haters. This year I made Darina Allen’s cake – and I thought I would share the recipe. A cake should sit before it gets eaten, but you can eat it straight away, too.
Darina Allen’s Christmas Cake
110g real glace cherries
50g whole almonds
350g best quality sultanas
350g best quality raisins
350g best quality currants
100g homemade candied peel
50g ground almonds
rind of 1 organic lemon
rind of 1 organic orange
70ml Irish Whiskey (I use brandy)
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g brown sugar
6 organic eggs
275g all purpose flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 large cooking apple (granny smith or mac)
Line the base of a 23cm round or 20.5cm square cake tin with double thickness of parchment paper. Tie a double layer of parchment around the outside of the tin. Have a double sheet of parchment ready to place on the top of the cake during cooking.
Cut the cherries in halves or quarters, as desired. Blanch the whole almonds, rub off the skins and chop finely. Mix together the dried fruit, peel, chopped almonds, ground almonds and the zest of the lemon and orange. Add about half of the whiskey or brandy, and eave for 1 hour (or overnight to macerate.
Preheat the oven to 320F.
Cream the butter until very soft, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Whisk the eggs and add in bit by bit, beating well between each edition so the mixture doesn’t curdle. Mix the flour and mixed spice together before folding it gently into the cake – don’t beat the mixture again or you will toughen the cake.
Put the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Make a slight hollow in the middle, dip your hand in water and pat over the surface of the cake to smooth it out.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour then reduce the temperature to 275 and bake for a further 2 – 2 and a half hours, until cooked. If the top of the cake is browning too much during baking, cover with the double layer of parchment.
As Nigel Slater suggests, the best way to poke the Christmas cake before giving it a feed of booze is with a clean knitting needle. Poke a couple of holes around the cake and pour the remaining booze on top. Leave in the tin to cool overnight. The next day, wrap in parchment and place in a tin. The longer the cake sits the more mature it will be, but as Darina suggests “… if you are frantically busy it will still be delish even if made just a few days before Christmas…”
Ingredients: Buy the best quality ingredients you can – I buy all of my nuts and fruit at Blush Lane, and make my own candied peel. Buy almonds with the skin on and blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two, the skin will then pinch off. Ground almonds – make yourself, they can have mystery ingredients in other wise. When I bake I always, unless otherwise stated, use unsalted butter – the amount of salt varies from butter brand to butter brand – I use Cows Creamery butter from PEI. Sunworks Farm organic eggs – they are fresh and I know and trust how the hens are raised. Highwood Crossing’s organic all purpose flour is the only white flour I use in my kitchen!
Notes: Darina suggests topping the cake with an almond icing, but I never do, I just enjoy it as is. Growing up, we always left the fruit to macerate overnight, but if you’re in a rush you can move forward after an hour.
I will leave you with a quote from one of my favourite food writers, someone I quote often, I hope you will take his advice on Christmas Day, and just remember, it’s just another day… Enjoy it, don’t get wrapped up in it in a negative way. Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season and all the best in the New Year. I look forward to seeing many familiar faces in 2018, and meeting many new faces, too.
“There is a moment late on Christmas morning, when I can feel myself start to relax. The bird is singing sweetly in the oven. The preparation, vegetables, pudding, gravy are done and dusted. The kitchen smells wonderful. A smell that is joyous, rich, full of happiness and geniality. May I suggest you sit down and take it all in, as I do. Collect your thoughts, there is still much to do – but also take in the scene. Listen to that roast sizzling calmly in the oven, the excited chatter of loved ones, the happy chaos of Christmas morning. Five minutes in which to settle your spirit.” – Nigel Slater; The Christmas Chronicles