Recipes: Christmas Cheer with Beer

Glorious Gammon (pictured above)
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 gammon joint
6 bay leaves
1 tsp whole peppercorns
500ml premium ale (preferably a honey ale)
35-40 whole cloves for studding
50g muscovado sugar
2 tsp English ready made mustard powder

Method
Marinade the joint with half the bay leaves, peppercorns and muscovado sugar in a non-stick pan. Cover with cling film and leave chilled for 2 days, turning occasionally.

Heat gammon in the marinade on the stove. Simmer for 10 minutes. Discard cooking juices. Return gammon to pan and cover with water. Add remaining bay leaves.

Cover pan and lower heat to gentle simmer. Cook for 25 minutes per 450g or until cooked through.

When cooked, move gammon to a trivet in a roasting pan. Cool gammon.

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4)(fan oven 160°C)

Remove and discard skin, leaving a good layer of fat. Score the gammon into the fat and stud well with cloves.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar, marmalade and mustard. Brush over the meat and cook until golden brown (20-25 minutes)

Serve warm, hot or cold. Beer pairing suggestion: Robinsons Ginger Tom

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Beer Infused Doughnuts 

Makes: 10
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 mins (30 mins chilling time)


Ingredients
8-10 tsp mincemeat
8 slices of thick sliced white bread (crusts removed)
A little spreading butter
4 tbsp caster sugar
100g self raising flour (sifted)
150ml ale
Vegetable oil for deep fat frying

Method:
Spread one side of bread with a fine layer of butter. Spoon 1 tsp mincemeat into the centre of the buttered bread.

Take a second buttered slice, press and seal the two slices together. Cut the bread with a star or round cutter and chill for 30 minutes.

Make the batter by mixing the sugar and flour together. Whisk in the ale until the batter becomes thick.

Heat the vegetable oil (5 cm deep) to 180°C (350°F)

Dip the chilled bread shapes into the batter and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Once cooked, drain the doughnuts on crumpled kitchen roll. Dust with sugar before serving.

Beer pairing suggestion: St. Austell Smugglers Vintage Ale  

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Beer Laced Stuffing

(Makes 15-20 stuffing balls)


Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
50g smoked bacon pieces
450g lean sausage meat
175g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 Bramley apple peeled, cored and grated
75g dried apricots finely chopped
2 stick of celery chopped
300ml ale
100g canned chestnuts, cooked and roughly chopped
1-2 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley, thyme and chives
1 large egg beaten

Method:
In a bowl place the sausage meat, breadcrumbs, apple, apricots, celery, chestnuts, herbs and ale. Leave overnight in a covered bowl, stirring occasionally.

In a large pan, heat the oil. Sauté the onion and bacon until soft. Add the sausage meat, stir to break up the sausage meat, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the egg.

Make the stuffing balls by shaping the mixture into 10-20 balls and/or stuffing a whole turkey neck end.

Bake the balls at 190° C (Gas Mark 5) for 25 minutes or until golden.

Beer pairing suggestion: Wild Beer Company Bliss

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Traditional Mulled Ale Warmer 

Serves:8
Prep: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins


Ingredients
1 litre ale (or larger if you prefer)
30g caster sugar
Generous pinches of ground clove, grated nutmeg and ground ginger
3 tbsp rum, whisky or brandy

Method
Mix all ingredients together, except rum or brandy, in a non-stick pan. Bring to a fast simmer. Remove from heat.

Add the rum or brandy and extra sugar to taste. Cook's tip: To add a bit of zing use a cinnamon stick to stir each glass before drinking. You can also add a little bit more flavour by popping in some apple slices at the end of stage one.