Christmas Cooking with Nutty Delights

Christmas Cooking with Nutty Delights

Christmas Cooking with Nutty Delights

If you’re anything like us here at Nutty Delights HQ then you also look forward to Christmas dinner more than what presents are awaiting you underneath the tree. Whether you’re a traditionalist who enjoys their succulent turkey and ham or a bit more adventurous, we have a couple of recipes to share with you that include some of our products for a flavourful and nutty Christmas. 

 

I can assure you, you’ll be impressed by how much nuts and dried fruits can really uplift a dish. 

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pine Nuts

Brussell sprouts, you either love them or hate them. Here at Nutty Delights, we’re advocates for the leafy ball-shaped veggie. There are a plethora of ways to prepare sprouts besides just boiling and steaming them. This is our favorite way of cooking the controversial vegetable. 

Ingredients

First things first, you’ll need: 

  • 1 lemon
  • A bag of brussels sprouts halved 
  • 3 tablespoons of butter 
  • 4 bacon rashers, finely chopped
  • 45g of toasted pine nuts 

Steps 

Remove rind from lemon with a zester or small vegetable peeler. Cut the remaining rind into small, thin slices and juice the lemon. 

 

Place the brussels sprouts into some seasoned water for 5 minutes or until they’re bright green and tender. Drain well. 

 

Grab a frying pan, put it over high heat, and throw some butter into the pan. Add your bacon as the butter is melting, cook for a further 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow the fat from the bacon to render. Add your tender brussels sprouts, lemon rind and juice, and pine nuts into the pan. Achieve a nice brown on the sprouts. Gently toss to combine the ingredients. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

 

Need some pine nuts for this recipe? Click here. 

 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Something for the traditionalists: cranberry sauce. What’s a turkey and ham dinner without the cranberry sauce? Want to make your own sauce this year? It’s pretty simple! You’ll only need 5 ingredients. You’ll need: 

Ingredients

  • 200g of dried cranberries
  • Zest and juice from 1 orange 
  • 30 grams of sugar
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 2 tablespoons of cornstarch 

Steps 

Grab a pot and throw all ingredients, except for the cornstarch, into a pot and bring to a boil. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the mixture for some added moisture. 

 

Once boiled, lower the heat and bring to a simmer. Allow the cranberries to plump up. Add your cornstarch, mix in well while the mixture is at a low simmer - keeping stirring until you get a thickened consistency. 

 

This recipe yields about 400 grams. Place the sauce into a jar and allow it to cool. Serve hot or cold with turkey.  

 

Sounds like something you want to make? Get your cranberries here. This delicious cranberry sauce would also make a cute, little homemade gift for someone. 

 

Swiss Walnut Cookies

 

Now for something sweet. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, this is for you. 

 

Swiss Walnut Cookies, hailing from, Switzerland! This recipe was passed on from a neighbor - these little walnut numbers are a class, something which has slowly promoted a change in heart about Swiss cookies, and for that, I’m grateful to my neighbors down the road. 

 

For this final recipe, you will need: 

Ingredients 

For the cookies -

 

For the glaze -

  • 150g of icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of water 
  • Walnut halves to decorate

 

Steps 

Separate your eggs and whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. 

 

Get your walnuts and place them into a food processor or food blender. Blitz until they are finely processed. 

 

Add your freshly ground walnuts, ground hazelnuts, and sugar to the egg white and salt mixture and incorporate until everything is evenly distributed. Your mixture will form a sticky dough. 

 

Roll the dough until it is about 1cm thick. Cut the dough with a cookie cutter or knife. The dough is fairly sticky, so it is important to remember you will need a palette knife or spatula to lift the cookie shapes. 

 

Transfer the shapes to a sheet of baking paper and allow them to dry for 6-24 hours. 

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

 

Bake them for 10-12 minutes or until they are lightly browned. 

 

Cool the cookies on a wired rack. 

 

While they are cooling, you may start preparing the glaze. Whisk together the icing sugar and water. Grab a teaspoon and drop a bit of the made icing on top of your cooled cookies. 

 

Place the iced cookies on a wire rack and decorate with a walnut halve. 

 

Have a Wonderful Christmas!

 

There you have it, Nutty Delights’ cooking guide. We’ve covered a lot of ground here. From establishing that we’re not apart of the anti-sprout brigade to sharing a recipe from an old neighbor. 

 

These are just some recipes that we will be whipping this year, but let us know what you’re cooking this year. Sweet, savory, or in-between, get in touch. Or let us know what you think of our recipes, will you be trying your hand at any? 

 

This is Dublin’s only fruit and nut retailer, Nutty Delights signing off and wishing you a very Merry Christmas! 

 

Whatever you do, whatever you cook, make sure it’s done with Nutty Delights.