Christmas Party, Recipes

Christmas is nearly on us, as it inevitably was going to be, even if I wasn't ready. As it turns out, I am ready, always the panic, but it's always OK.
I thought it would be good to share some of my festive recipes.

Cheesy Mince Pies (with thanks to Mrs Beeton)
6oz cheddar, grated, or the cheat's way is to chop it roughly & put in the whizzer with
8oz plain flour
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chilli powder  (+1 teaspoon coriander if straws rather than pies)
then whizz with 6oz butter/margarine
1 egg yolk (use white to glue tops on & glaze)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled is fine)
should be like playdough, roll 3-4 times then rest in the fridge (dough not chef!) 1/2 hr
roll out another 2-3 times, then make pie bottoms & tops

Fill with mincemeat (I add extra fruit, nuts, spice, sherry & brandy to the cheapest)
A variation is finely chopped apple (frozen & old is good as it's less wet, or a mixture of fresh & dried), cranberries, a little brown sugar & cinnamon
15 mins at 200C

Mulled Wine (for a big party)
2litres cheap dry red wine, Spanish is best
2litres cheap dry cider
2" piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
8-10 cardamom pods
3-4 cloves
3-4 juniper berries
a sprinkle of nutmeg
a squeeze of lemon, and slice of peel
optional sliced apple or orange.
Bring to near-boil as early in the day as possible,warm up at least 1 hour before the guests arrive. The spices improve and the house smells wonderful by party time.
Any left will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.

DofE Cake     
so-called because the DofE unit we help with has banned nuts because there are so many girls with allergies. It's dairy free for one of the leaders. "Walking cake" is the same, but with nuts. Beautifully gooey, & can keep for a week without drying out. Also freezes well.
6oz sunflower oil
6oz brown sugar
2 mashed bananas
3oz grated carrot
1 orange or lemon juice+grated peel
3 tablespoons honey or golden syrup (warmed so it mixes with the oil)
3 beaten eggs
  mix all this together then fold in
5oz SR flour
5oz wholemeal flour
1-2teaspoons baking powder
4oz sunflower seeds
10 oz mixed dried fruit (folding into the flour stops them clumping together) can include apricot, apple, cherries, mixed peel as well as raisins, sultanas & currants.
1/2 teaspoon of (some or all) ginger, cinnamon,mixed spice & pinch of mace or nutmeg
cook at 160C until set, approx 40-50 min in loaf tins, longer if round. seems to vary, so you need to keep an eye on it!