Festive Flan and Log Fires

The tree has been decked with its finery and the cards have begun to arrive in the post. Our tree may not be the most sophisticated but it’s loaded with many happy memories. The big baubles are 50 years old and so are some of the the little bits and pieces which I made with the children when they were tiny. Other ornaments have been made or bought by our son and daughter over the years. So it has a special meaning for us and with each year the items become more precious.

A few years ago, because our son worked over Christmas, we began to have our family get-together the weekend before Christmas Day. We had all the usual Christmas food, treats and activities and we exchanged our gifts. We liked it so much that it became a family tradition and we still like to do it, although this year it won’t be possible.

During our festive weekend we ate lots of meat in a traditional way so when I thought about our own Christmas meal, for myself and my husband, I decided a vegetarian alternative would be enjoyable. At first I thought a flan with stilton cheese might be good but it was too rich and heavy on the digestive system. Eventually I made a recipe containing cashew nuts and seasonal vegs.

The flan is delicious so we have it every Christmas Day and I serve it with roast potatoes, roast parsnips and cranberry sauce.

It is full of Christmas flavours with button sprouts and Cox apple. I love making it on Christmas morning with a glass of sherry to sip and listening to my cd of The Messiah. My Christmas Day would be incomplete without it. I use homegrown vegetables for the best flavour and the pleasure of gathering them from the garden on Christmas Eve to prepare them ahead of time. If you’re vegetarian, or like me you just like to have an alternative at times, this is a perfect meal. Trust me, it is so tasty, you might find like us, you will begin a new tradition.

Festive Flan serves 4

Pastry to line a 23cm/9" flan dish
1 cup Plain Flour
1 third cup of Sunflower Oil
1 quarter cup of cold water

1 large or 2 small Leeks
2 medium Carrots
Baby Sprouts
1 large Cox Apple
small bunch Parsley
1 Kallo veg Stock Cube
75g ground Cashew nuts
Salt and Pepper
1 level tablespoon Cornflour
400ml water
Olive Oil

Make pastry by putting flour, oil and water into the food processor and whizzing. Grease the flan dish. Switch off machine, gather the pastry and press into the flan dish, making sure there are no gaps. Prick pastry all over with a sharp fork and put the dish into the fridge for 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan oven.
Bake the pastry case for 10 minutes, then put aside while you precook the vegetables.
If you are serving roast potatoes with it, boil the potatoes for 8 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the oven in the roasting tin while the potatoes cook. You may need a little more if you are doing lots of roasties. Then tip the boiled  potatoes into a sieve and shake well to rough up and dry them. Carefully add them to the heated oil and spoon the oil over the potatoes covering all surfaces. Pop them in the oven to roast.
Chop parsley and grind the cashews. Slice carrots and leeks.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and cook the leeks gently for a few minutes. Don't let them brown. Add the carrots and stir. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add 400ml water and the stock cube. Bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer for about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile peel the apple. Add apple chunks and sprouts to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the ground cashews. This will thicken the stock but if it seems too thin thicken with a little cornflour mixed with a drop of cold water then stirred into the pan. Stir well.
Put all this into the pastry case and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with roast potatoes, parsnips and cranberry sauce.

It helps to prepare the vegetables the day before, so the process is straightforward and saves less time on Christmas Day or any day of your choice over the festive period. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we do.

After the flan we prefer a light dessert. We love Christmas pudding but save it for another meal. Our favourite is strawberries with Greek yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream. I always have strawberries in the freezer from the summer harvest. I cook them gently with a little sugar, allow them to cool and chill them in the fridge. Served in a pretty glass bowl they look and taste wonderful. Leaves room for lots of chocolate and wine.

Of course, we all have our Christmas favourites and you might not like ours. The important thing is not to overwork and become stressed so a few simple things like quick desserts can be a good thing.

After these busy days and the winter weather I’m so grateful for the log fire.

I wrote a poem to sum up how I feel about it.

Home by the Fire

Chasing away the blues
Lying on the sofa,
Having a lovely snooze
And being just a loafer.

The fire is singing along
Its logs burning brightly
With a gentle soothing song
That falls on me so lightly.

The sights and sounds of home
Driftly softly in my senses.
No desire to stray or roam,
No need for false pretences.

Familiar noises in my ear.
It's where I want to be.
I know that I belong here,
Where I can just be me.

They say that “home is where the heart is”. Well, that’s certainly true for me.

I hope you’re enjoying the preparations. Comments are very welcome. Be with you again in a few days.