Monday, December 11, 2017

Christmas, Wine, Christmas Devil, Baking Risotto,

Saturday afternoon, just sitting quietly reading when we heard a knock on the door. It was a neighbour who had been cooking with her three grandsons making Christmas cookies and decided to share them with everyone. They had them all set out on a pretty tray which one of the boys was carrying. I thought it was such a nice gesture. I took one for Matt, told them my hips didn't like cookies (or words to that effect). Maybe I should have just taken a couple and shut up.

Friday we went to our LCBO (liquor store) to replace some wine and some bubbly. There was a taste testing taking place with two wines. One of which they recommended for cellaring for 10 years - you're joking, us cellar something for 10 years!! We hesitate to buy green bananas. However the second wine was Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglione which we both liked. The woman running the tasting assured us the wine had been drunk by Henry VIII. (Before or after he beheaded his wives). In fact, on the bottle it says it was supplied to the Papal Court and Henry VIII's court in the 1500s. That doesn't say Henry himself drank it, he might have, but who knows. It does say that this particular vineyard has been going for a year or two, or three. We bought a bottle and enjoyed it but Matt has decided it wasn't THAT special nor was it THAT expensive. Oh well.  I didn't see him leave any. I would recommend it as a very pleasant wine to have for dinner. We ate Korean Bulgogi with it, it seemed to match fairly well.

Have you heard of the Christmas Devil or Krampus? I never had, but there is a video provided by

National Geographic showing a parade with Krampus taking part. I understand he originated in the Teutonic areas of Europe and is supposed to deal with kids who are "naughty" and don't deserve a visit from Santa. He visits them on December 5th - do watch the video. From the video seems a pretty frightening character to me. National Geographic say he is also popular in America!!!

We have had quite a bit more snow this weekend but as yet not enough to completely cover the grass or in our case mud. I assume there will be people in to landscape the grounds in the spring. I hope so anyway.

I have just discovered, from Viveka of My Guilty Pleasures, that you can cook risotto in the oven, so much easier than standing and stirring. As Viveka is, herself, a professional chef, her word on cooking is good.  She has posted a recipe for Risotto with spicy sausage. I have all the ingredients so will be trying it later this week.

Meanwhile I have resurrected a recipe for Chocolate Volcanoes which I love. Matt used to make them but he doesn't do much cooking any more and I have been buying them at the local grocery store.  I decided that is probably a bit of an expensive way to go hence finding the recipe. They were labelled as Warm Chocolate Cake so it took a bit to find it LOL.

Chocolate Volcanoes

6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/3 cup all purpose (plain) flour

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). In heavy pot on low heat, melt chocolate and butter together. Cool slightly.

2. Beat together sugar and egg yolks with electric mixer until thick and creamy, about 4 mins.

3. Pour in chocolate mixture and beat together for 5 mins.

4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, about three mins. Fold into mixture along with flour.

5. Pour into 6 nonstick buttered moulds or non-stick muffin tins (we use cocottes or ramekins). Bake for 5 to 7 mins or until edges are just cooked and centre is still liquid. Cool for 5 mins in cooking dish. Carefully remove to serving dishes. Serve with lightly whipped cream

6. Freeze overnight or up to 2 weeks.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Take ramekins out of freezer and remove plastic wrap. Bake volcanoes for 18 minutes - no longer! Cool on rack for 5 minutes. The outsides will be crusty and the centers will be gooey - sort of like your average volcano

Servings: 6

Source: Food & Drink

Have a great day
 

16 comments:

  1. Food, wine and dessert. Have not seen that wine around here, but it appears to have good ratings. I have made risotto in the oven and on the stove with minimum stirring, but I don't feel as Italian when I do so, lol. I love lava desserts and have a Pinterest board with several recipes. I especially like ones made in the slow cooker.

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    1. Yup, always on a Saturday Denise. I have never done so, didn't know you could. I don't mind not feeling Italian one bit (g). Me too, and home made, eaten cold, are delicious too.

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    2. I just watched the video and I think taking your child to see Krampus is child abuse. JMHO.

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    3. I tend to agree Denise, especially the way it's portrayed in the video. I'd be scared, let alone a child.

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  2. I hadn’t heard about Krampus until an American friend mentioned it/him this year. Does sound a bit on the harsh side. I’m interested in the oven cooked risotto. When my new oven finally arrives I’ll be trying that out.

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    1. I certainly hadn't heard of the Krampus Helen. Glad I'm not a kid. By the look of the video he would scare a kid to death.

      Yes, I was delighted to discover oven cooked risotto.

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  3. Yes, I have heard of the Krampus. The movie Rare Imports was very loosely based on the Krampus.

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    1. I hadn't and needless to say, Alex, I haven't seen Rare Imports either.

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  4. That whole Henry VIII thing reminds me of an episode of Seinfeld where one of the characters gets a pencil that was chewed on by Jon Voight (or so he was told) and so he seeks out a dentist to see if he can match the bite mark. He got everyone hyped up, but no, it was a fake.

    Also, I'm a big fan of Krampus, just because of how ridiculous he is.

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vHKeP1y2_Wc/UrZF2QR-e0I/AAAAAAAAOdk/0ti1_GaHgZs/s1600/krampus3-550x852.jpg

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    1. I can believe the wine was served in the court at least. They have been making it that long Bryan.

      I'd never heard of him before. You say ridiculous, to you maybe, but I wonder how many kids believe in him and are scared of him? I would have been I think.

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  5. I love wine tastings. Haven't been to one for a while. There was a scary movie recently, last year maybe, about Krampus. I didn't watch it. Not into scary things. Haven't baked anything yet for the holidays. Always do cookies two days before so I don't munch on them ahead of time.

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    1. Me too Susan. Used to go to them quite often when we lived in NC but not so much here. The Liquor store has occasional promotions like this one I mentioned, but it was only for a couple of wines. Mind you if you take a trip to wine country, south of us, you can go to lots of wine tastings. I think Krampus is a very scary invention. Don't bake cookies at all I would end up eating most of them.

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  6. Yes, I know all about Krampus which is big in Southern Germany, Bavarian region. I grew up with St. Nicholas Day and my brother and I always polished the shoes the night before and placed ours between the screen door and our main door. In the morning, our shoes were filled with chocolate! My mom told us St. Nicholas comes out from his busy schedule to brings chocolate to the people who were good but the bad got potatoes and my parents always got potatoes. My mom grew up with St. Nicholas going to different homes accompanied by an angel and this is from her area (Wittenberg in Saxon-Anhalt area). The devil is more intriguing I guess and, I have to admit, I have a devil ornament based on a head of a devil done way, way back. Ok, I have not had wine in quite a long time since I take different meds but I am one for a sweeter wine and usually white. The lava cake is sooo good and sooo bad.

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    1. Interesting Birgit. Thanks. I enjoy wine with my meal although we only splurge on Saturday as a general rule.

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  7. I've heard about the Krampus. I have several parent friends who have mentioned on FB that they are really close to having their nasty kids get a call from Krampus to try and scare them into behaving!

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    1. If you watch the video JoJo, it would scare me into behaving.

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