As a child I LOVED leaving out a treat for Father Christmas and rushing down in the morning to see whether or not it had disappeared. I think it was normally a glass of sherry for my Father Christmas and a carrot for the reindeer.
For all those Father Christmases out there I have a very delicious alternative to sherry and carrots that would be perfect for Christmas eve and any other night of the festive period (oooh, maybe a New Year’s Eve cocktail). I am also very lucky to be showing off these delish recipes in some beautiful Villeroy & Boch glasses and festive crockery – the perfect combination.
Clementine mascarpone mince pies
These mince pies are the most delicious you will ever taste, a big claim I know, and I have my friend Agnes to thank for the idea. Basically, the secret is mascarpone cream – oh my word, so delicious. I use unsweetened short crust pastry with mincemeat (try this one if you don’t eat refined sugar like me) and then add a dollop of mascarpone with clementine juice and zest mixed into it (add enough to taste). I like a closed mince pie because I’m a pastry fiend. You can also make extra of the mascarpone cream to serve with the pies. YUM!
Winter Bakery Delight rolling pin from Villeroy & Boch.
I don’t know about you but mince pies must be eaten warm and when you are making them you must be eating one from the last batch, natch.
Winter Bakery Delight measuring jug from Villeroy & Boch
Christmas gingerbread Old-fashioned cocktail
This is a festive twist on the classic Old-fashioned cocktail that makes a great drink throughout the Christmas period. Usually, an Old-fashioned has a couple of teaspoons of sugar syrup but you need to replace this with a more Christmassy gingerbread syrup. See this post from last year to find out how to make it.
It is a very simple and quick drink to make and doesn’t require any snazzy cocktail making gear so perfect is you have guests:
2 tsps gingerbread syrup (or to taste, depending on how sweet you like your drink)
4 drops of Angostura bitters
Shot of bourbon
Handful of ice
A slither of Clementine zest (you could even candy this if you have time)
Stir all the ingredients together in the glass and drink! Aren’t these Old-fashioned tumblers beautiful?
Octavie Old-fashioned tumblers from Villeroy & Boch
All that’s left to do is leave your Christmas spiced Old-fashioned and clementine mince pie for Santa to enjoy!
Winter Bakery Delight small star bowl from Villeroy & Boch
Enjoy the run up to Christmas this week. Anyone about to embark on a mammoth cook-in?!
Katy x
*This post was written in collaboration with Villeroy & Boch.
An addendum to the Old-Fashioned recipe:
– Use two (large) measures of bourbon. (It’s Christmas after all)
– Use a vegetable peeler to only get the zest of the clementine
– Stir for at least 30 seconds to properly chill the drink
– Some people like to add a drop of water to take the harshness of the alcohol away in the first few sips – but with that much ice, it will naturally dilute over time anyway
I can confirm that these are delicious.
Happy Christmas!
That drink sounds so delicious! I made the gingerbread syrup when you suggested it last year and it works so well, I must make another batch this week. Beautiful glasses too – that rim round the bottom is so striking. Happy Christmas! 🙂
This looks amazing Katy. I’ll have to try out the recipes. Such beautiful glasses, would totally go with my holiday punch bowl x
Mmm… it all looks so good. I’m a massive mince pie fan but have never tried them with marscapone inside, I’ve got to give that a whirl! Plus the cocktail sounds amazebobs too! Merry Christmas x
Oh wow, I love the sound of those mince pies. Might give them a try…next year lol. Love those beautiful glasses too.