As always, December is a crazy time of year. Not only have I been busy getting ready for Christmas, but my day job as a designer has also been keeping me madly busy, leaving me little time to spend in the kitchen and post this month.

So here we are, Christmas Eve and the last recipe of the year, and what better way to end the year, than with delicious, melt in your mouth almond shortbread.

This recipe is an old family favourite from my mother-in-laws village Perovo. It calls for only five ingredients, and as it’s relatively easy, it’s a great one for the kids to help out with, especially if you decide to make some last minute Christmas gifts. In fact, a couple of biscuits placed in clean glass jars, dressed up with pretty fabric and twine would make a perfect gift!

P.S. Merry Christmas and thanks for following this year, God bless and see you in 2011! Suzanna xx

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Making almond shortbread

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Recipe

Makes about 50

Ingredients
200g almond flakes (or store bought pre-ground almond meal)
375g unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
600g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Icing sugar, sifted (for dusting)

Method
1) Preheat oven to 150°C and line a large tray with baking paper. Evenly spread out almond flakes and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly golden and fragrant. Allow to cool slightly, then pulse in a food processor until ground (not too fine, otherwise it will turn to almond paste).
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, use tore bought almond meal.

2) Increase oven temperature to 180°C and line 2 large trays with baking paper.

3) In a large bowl add butter and flour. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine until smooth (5 minutes). Add vanilla essence, followed by almond meal. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until well combined and smooth, but not too stiff or dry (3-5 minutes).

4) Take small tablespoons of the mixture and hand roll into crescent shapes and circles (approximately 1cm thick). Place on prepared baking trays, leaving a small gap between each biscuit. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden but not browned (turning and swapping the trays halfway through baking). Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Note: If you prefer use a rolling pin to roll out dough and a circle cutter to make the crescent shapes. I personally prefer hand shaping as the dough is softer and the look is more rustic.

5) Place icing sugar in a bowl and cover the warm biscuits (one at time), with the icing sugar, coat generously. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

6) Store in an air tight container for up to one week.

Tips:
- Cover excess dough in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To use, simply remove from fridge and bring back to room temperature, then follow steps 2, 4, 5 and 6.
- Give as Christmas gifts, place a couple of shortbread in a glass jar and wrap with brown paper or fabric and twine.

Kadaif or Kataifi is a curious shredded pastry, similar to a fine vermicelli noodle. Originating in the Middle East, kadaif is used to make numerous desserts and occasionally savory dishes too.

Often made with similar ingredients to baklava, that is, nuts, sesame seeds, filo pastry and sugar syrup, this ‘like baklava but not-baklava’, as a friend likes to call it, is delicious and relatively easy to make.

My mums recipe for kadaif is vegan and requires little fat. Once baked, the sweets need to be drenched in the sugar syrup and left overnight, otherwise the filling will be too dry. I recently made the mistake of not pouring enough syrup over, sadly the end result was too dry, and to my embarrassment I delivered a tray for a party…eeek!

Allowing the kadaif to stand overnight will ensure the shredded pastry absorbs all the liquid and plumps up, making a deliciously moist and moreish dessert.

Making kadaif

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Recipe

Serves 40

Ingredients
375g packet filo pastry sheets, thawed at room temperature for 2 hours
375g packet Kataifi shredded pastry, thawed at room temperature for 2 hours
2 tablespoons (20g) sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
1.5 cup (180g) walnuts, crushed

Sugar syrup
5 cups (1.1kg) caster sugar
7 cups (1.75L) water
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or vanilla bean paste)
Lemon wedge, seeds removed
3 tablespoons (65ml) honey

Method
1) To toast sesame seeds, preheat oven to 150°C, place sesame seeds on a tray and toast for 5-10 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant, allow to cool.

2) Preheat oven to 180°C and brush a large rectangular baking tray (or two smaller trays) with oil. If necessary cut filo sheet length to fit into tray snugly and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent from drying out.

3) Lay 2 sheets of filo on clean work surface with the longest edge facing you (cover remaining filo with tea towel). Working quickly, scatter over 1/10 of kataifi, sprinkle 1/10 of the walnuts and drizzle with oil. Gently roll lengthwise into a long cylinder, being careful not to squeeze too tightly, if necessary brush the exposed pastry edge with extra oil to seal, then place in baking tray with the bottom down, brush top with oil. Repeat with remaining filo and filling, to finish brush top with oil.

4) Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden, then turn oven down to 160°C and bake for further 30 minutes.

5) Meanwhile, for syrup, combine sugar, water and vanilla sugar (or vanilla bean paste) in large saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until syrup thickens. Take off heat, add lemon wedge and stir in honey. Allow to cool to lukewarm (blood temperature).

6) Cool kadaif slightly (2-3 minutes), remove lemon wedge from syrup and evenly pour over 3/4 of the liquid. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, then turn over each roll, if still dry pour over extra syrup and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from fridge and turn each roll over again, checking to see if the syrup has soaked through, if not add remaining syrup and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). Use a sharp knife to cut into equal lengths, approximately 7cm long.

7) Serve at room temperature with an espresso or Turkish coffee.

Tips:
- Kataifi shredded pastry can be found in the refrigerated section of select supermarkets and delis.
- Kadaif will keep refrigerated in it’s tray for up to 2 weeks, or frozen in plastic containers for for up to 3 months.
- Freeze fresh walnut halves in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.

Urania, my childhood neighbour made the best baklava, so much so that my sister and I pressured our mum into mastering her recipe. She was very particular about using only the freshest of ingredients and about the process. The walnuts had to be crushed with a glass bottle rather than chopped as she believed the flavour was better, she also insisted that stale homemade bread be used rather than processed white bread.

I’m not exactly sure which part of Greece Urania was from as she is no longer with us, all I know is that she was from a village near Athens. What’s obvious about this recipe, is that it’s a genuine village recipe as it calls for stale breadcrumbs, probably because it was cheaper than adding extra nuts. The breadcrumbs are genius, as they help to absorb the syrup, making this baklava the perfect balance of flaky pastry, crunchy nuts and sugary heaven.

Making baklava
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Recipe

Makes 45

Ingredients
2 tablespoons (20g) sesame seeds
500g walnuts
2 slices day old white bread, crusts removed use ciabatta or similar)
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
3-6 tablespoons (25-50g) ground cinnamon
250g unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil (e.g. canola or sunflower)
500g filo pastry sheets, thawed at room temperature for 2 hours
(this is approx. 1.5 x 375g packets)

Syrup
3 cups (660g) caster sugar
2 cups (500ml) water
Lemon wedge
3 tablespoons (65ml) honey

Method
1) Preheat oven to 150°C and toast sesame seeds on a tray for 5-10 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant, cool.

2) Crush walnuts using a bottle or rolling pin (you can also finely chop).

3) Crumb stale bread in a food processor or by rubbing between hands.

4) Increase oven temperature to 180°C.

5) In a bowl combine sesame seeds, walnuts, bread crumbs, caster sugar and cinnamon, mix well and set aside.
Note: Depending on personal taste, you may prefer to add only 3-4 tablespoons of cinnamon.

6) Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over a low heat until butter is melted, set aside and keep warm.

7) Brush a large rectangular baking tray (or two smaller trays) with butter and oil mix. If necessary cut filo sheet length to fit into tray snugly and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent from drying out.

8) Lay a sheet of filo on clean work surface with the longest edge facing you. Working quickly, brush all over with butter and oil mix, top with another sheet of filo and brush again, repeat 2 more times (you should have 4 sheets). Cover remaining filo with a tea towel. Scatter evenly with a 2 handfuls of the nut mixture then roll lengthwise into a long cylinder, if necessary brush the exposed pastry edge with extra butter/oil to seal, then place in baking tray. Repeat with remaining filo and nut mix and brush top with butter/oil.

9) Refrigerate until firm (15 minutes), then cut on a diagonal into 5cm diamonds with a sharp knife. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly golden. Cover loosely with foil partway through cooking if top browns too quickly.

10) Meanwhile, for syrup, combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until syrup thickens. Take off heat, add lemon wedge and stir in honey. Allow to cool to lukewarm (blood temperature).

11) Cool baklava slightly (2-3 minutes), remove lemon wedge from syrup and evenly pour over. Allow to stand for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) before refrigerating.

12) Serve at room temperature with an espresso or Turkish coffee.

Tips:
- Baklava will keep refrigerated in it’s tray for up to 2 weeks.
- Baklava also freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Freeze fresh walnuts in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.

You know it’s Christmas when desserts start taking the shape of merry snow balls.

These yummy European apple and walnut treats are not strictly a Christmas tradition, but are a lovely alternative to the regular rum ball. The apple stays quite moist and combined with the walnuts, it’s a match made in heaven and very hard to stop at just one!

There are only 5 ingredients and no baking, making this recipe so easy that even the kids can help.

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Recipe

Makes 50 balls

Ingredients
500g (3-4 medium) apples, peeled, cored and grated
225g (1 cup) caster sugar
250g plain biscuits, finely chopped (I use Arnott’s Milk Arrowroot biscuits)
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature
100g natural walnuts, chopped

Method
1) In a medium pan combine grated apple and sugar (low-medium heat). Gently cook, stirring regularly until softened and most of the liquid has evaporated (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool completely (to speed up the cooling process pop in the freezer for 15-20 minutes).
2) Meanwhile, in a large bowl add the butter and ground biscuits. Use your fingers to evenly combine until you have the consistency of a shortbread dough. Add the cooled apple mix and use your hands to combine well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (this step is optional however I find it helps when forming the balls).
3) Run your hands under cold water (do this every so often) and roll a heaped teaspoon of the mix into a small ball. Coat with chopped walnuts and refrigerate in an airtight container.
4) To serve, remove from fridge and allow to rest at room temperature (15 minutes).

Tips:
- If you don’t have a food processor to chop the biscuits and walnuts, wrap in a tea towel and crush with a rolling pin.
- Make ahead of time and freeze.

Every Macedonian house serves nuts as meze alongside cheese, salami and salad.

I often bake almonds before guests arrive and serve while warm – the nutty aroma that fills the house makes it twice as hard for anyone to resist.

I promise that if you make these baked almonds once, you’ll never buy pre-packaged salted almonds ever again! They’re so incredibly quick and easy and taste amazing.

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Recipe

Ingredients
500g raw almonds (skin on)
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Method
1) Preheat fan forced oven to 150°C. Gently wash almonds in cold water and drain well.

2) Line a large tray with baking paper. In a bowl combine the almonds and salt, spread out evenly onto the tray. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and stir, bake for a further 10 minutes or until the nuts feel dry.

3) Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Tip: Replace almonds with other nuts like peanuts or try sunflower/pumpkin seeds.