WITH GREEK-CYPRIOT AND FINNISH PARENTS, TUSCANY-BASED FOOD WRITER TESSA KIROS HAS A WEALTH OF INFLUENCES TO DRAW FROM WHEN CREATING HER FESTIVE TREATS
Gingerbread
I love this not-too-sweet gingerbread with molasses. The cake will keep in the tin and it is so wonderful to have this in the house – Christmas or not! You can fry some of the crumbs or any last couple of slices in brown sugar and butter and serve with ice cream.
MAKES 1 x 26cm cake
• 140g unsalted butter, softened
• 160g dark brown soft sugar
• 220g unsulphured molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and mashed in a mortar
• 280g plain flour
• 1 ½tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 pinches ground cloves
• ¼tsp ground nutmeg
• 2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 110g soured cream
1 Preheat oven to 175°C (155°C fan) mark 3½ and line a 26cm springform tin with baking parchment, flattening the sides well.
2 Beat the butter and sugar together in a large, wide bowl with electric beaters until creamy. Add the molasses and whisk to combine, then beat in the eggs, vanilla and fresh ginger (about 1½tsp).
3 Combine the flour, ground spices and a scant ½tsp salt together in a separate bowl.
4 Put the bicarbonate of soda into the empty molasses cup and add 125ml just-boiled water.
5 On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture in the large bowl until combined, then add the water mix. Beat in well, then beat in the soured cream until everything is smooth and well combined.
6 Scrape mix out into your prepared tin and bake for 35-40min, rotating the tin about 15min from the end, until the gingerbread is smelling good and the top is quite firm and well coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Kourabiedes with pecans and chocolate chips
Traditionally plain or with almonds, these are our favourite biscuits that we make especially over Christmas in Greece. My daughters love my version with the pecans, and they asked me to make a chocolate chip version, too. Their beauty is that they are so crumbly and soft. You need to hold a small plate underneath when you eat one. They are lovely to give as a gift, as they keep well in a tin. With this amount of dough, I make half chocolate chip and half pecan.
MAKES about 22
• 40g shelled pecans
• 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1tbsp brandy
• 300g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 35g dark chocolate, cut into small chunks
• 250g icing sugar, to coat (see Tessa’s tip)
1 Snap the pecans in ½, then snap those into a few
