Christmas plum cake
200g cherries preserved in kirsch
100ml of the kirsch syrup
200g seedless raisins
400g chopped pitted prunes
200g soft dried figs, chopped
zest of an orange
zest of a lemon
1 tbs brandy
175g plain flour
half tsp cinnamon powder
half tsp grated nutmeg
1 heaped tsp baking powder
half tsp salt
225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbs dark muscovado sugar
225g light muscovado or soft brown sugar
4 large eggs, lightly whipped
50g ground almonds
1 tbs treacle
First, place the cherries, kirsch, raisins, prunes, figs, zest and brandy in a large bowl. Stir the mixture every 20 minutes or so, and within 2 hours, all the alcohol will have been soaked up, and the fruits will have plumped up delightfully.
Preheat the oven to 140C gas 1. Grease a cake tin.
Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices, baking powder and salt and reserve.
Cream the butter and the sugars together in a large bowl with a spoon for a few minutes until the mixture pales up and becomes a bit fluffier.
Slowly whisk in the eggs, bit by bit, so that it doesn't curdle. Folding the flour along with the ground almonds. Then thoroughly mix in the treacle and fruit and pour into the cake tin. Loosely wrap the cake with greaseproof paper and bake for 3 hours or so.
To check whether the cake is done, remove it after the specified period and insert a wooden toothpick into the middle. If the mix adheres to the stick, leave the cake in the oven for a little longer.
100g (4oz) streaky bacon
50g (2oz) butter
1 onion finely chopped
170g (6oz) sliced mushrooms
275g (10oz) chestnut puree
Small can liver pate
3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
15ml dried oregano
50g (2oz) fresh breadcrumbs
1 lightly whisked egg
Salt & black pepper to season
Cut the rind off the bacon & chop into small cubes.
Place the butter in a pan and fry the bacon and onion for 3-5 minutes.
Transfer into a large bowl including the fat and then stir in the rest of ingredients and season well.
Place in the neck cavity of the bird or in a baking dish for the final ¾ hour.
Moroccan spiced pie
2 tsp each coriander and cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika , plus extra for dusting
½ tsp ground cinnamon
150ml/¼ pint olive oil
900g squash , peeled and cut into small chunks (about 2cm)
12 shallots , quartered
4cm/1½ in piece root ginger , finely chopped
140g whole blanched almonds
140g shelled pistachios
75g pack dried cranberries
6 tbsp clear honey
225g pack fresh spinach
400g can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
100g butter
8 large sheets of filo pastry
Lemon wedges
Harissa Yoghurt Sauce
200g carton Greek yogurt
6 tbsp milk
3 large sprigs mint , leaves chopped
2-3 tbsp harissa paste
Preheat the oven to fan 180C conventional 200Cgas 6. Dry fry the seeds briefly in a small pan over a medium heat until toasty - don't let them burn. Grind coarsely using a pestle and mortar (or a bowl and the end of a rolling pin), then mix in the paprika, cinnamon, half tsp salt and 4 tbsp oil. Tip the squash into a roasting tin, pour over the spiced oil and toss. Roast for 20 minutes
.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to brown. Stir in the ginger and 100g (4oz) each almonds and pistachios.When brown, toss in the cranberries, 2 tbsp honey, and the spinach so it wilts.
Take off the heat and stir into the squash, when it comes out of the oven. Set aside.
In a food processor, whizz the chickpeas with the garlic, cumin, remaining oil, lemon juice, 2 tbsp water and salt and pepper to make houmous. Stir in the coriander.
Melt the butter in a small pan. Put a loose-bottomed 28cm quiche tin on a baking sheet and brush with some butter. Keeping the filo covered with a damp cloth so it doesn't dry out, lay one sheet over half of the tin so that it hangs over the edge by about 10cm. Lay another sheet on the other side, so it overlaps the first in the centre and hangs over the opposite edge. Brush with butter. Lay two more filo sheets in the opposite direction in the same way and brush with more butter.
Build up two more layers in this way, so you use a total of eight sheets of filo. Pile half the squash mixture in the centre of the pastry. Spread over the houmous and then the rest of the squash mixture.One at a time, bring the edge of each filo sheet up to the centre to cover the filling, creating voluptuous folds as you go. Brush carefully with more butter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crisp and golden. Just before the pie is ready, reheat any remaining butter in the pan, tip in the rest of the nuts and fry until golden. Spoon in the 4 remaining tbsps of honey and, when it melts, take off the heat and pour over the pie.
Serve with Harissa yogurt sauce (mix the yogurt and milk together to make a thin sauce, stir in the herbs and season. Swirl in harissa to taste) and lemon wedges.
Cheer Up the Boss 
Recipes for the holidays