Christmas recipes: This Delhi chef will help you whip up last-minute surprises for your family

If you feel you have missed something, Prem K Pogakula, Executive Chef The Imperial New Delhi helps you out with a few recipes.

It is finally Christmas and time to enjoy the fancy spread with your friends and family. However, while setting the table, if you feel you have missed something, Prem K Pogakula, Executive Chef The Imperial New Delhi helps you out with a few recipes.

RIS Á LA MANDEDANISH RICE PUDDING

Ingredients

• 1 cup short-grained white rice
• 1/2 cup)water
• 1 liter milk
• 1-2 vanilla beans
• 50g (5.5 oz) almonds
• 2 tbsp sugar
• heavy cream

Rice pudding

1. In a sauce pan, add rice and water. Boil for around two minutes. Add milk to the pudding and let it boil
2. While stirring, add vanilla from a vanilla bean. Boil the pudding under a lid at low heat. Let it boil for around 35 minutes.
3. Remove vanilla beans. Rice pudding is now done. Let it cool off in a refrigerator before you proceed to make Ris á la mande. You can make this rice pudding a day in advance.

Ris á la mande

1. Peel almonds and coarsely chop the almonds and mix them with the cooled rice pudding. Mix vanilla with 2 tbsp sugar, add it to the cold rice pudding and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream into whipped cream.
2. Gently mix the whipped cream with the rice pudding.
3. Ris á la mande is now done. Put it in the refrigerator until serving. Before serving, use a blow torch to give little colour on the top.

MELOMAKARONA

This is a cookie made with cinnamon, cloves and orange dipped in light syrup which is then sprinkled with nuts. It is often called Christmas Cookies.

For the Cookie Dough:

• 6-3/4 cups all-purpose flour,
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups olive oil
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tsp orange zest

For the Honey Syrup:

• 3 orange peel,
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups honey
• 1-1/2 cups water

For the Walnut Topping:

• 240g walnuts, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make Cookie Dough: In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and cloves.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated after each addition.
3. Add oil, orange juice and orange zest. Mix until combined. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
4. Transfer dough to large bowl; cover and refrigerate it at least for an hour.
5. To make Honey Syrup, stir together orange peel, sugar, honey and water in a pan. Heat to boiling over medium and let it boil for a minute.
6. Then remove from heat and let the syrup cool completely.
7. To make the Walnut Topping, stir together walnuts, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl.
8. Preheat oven to 350oF. For each cookie, take about 1-1/2 tablespoon of dough and roll and press it into an oval shape with your hands. Place on rimmed baking pan; repeat until baking pan is full.
9. Prick tops of cookies four-five times with a fork so that tine marks are lightly visible. Return remaining dough to refrigerator between batches.
10. Transfer cookies to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer cookies to parchment-lined pan. Immediately sprinkle with walnut mixture.
11. Repeat with remaining cookie dough, honey syrup and walnut topping.
12. When completely cool, transfer cookies to airtight containers.

MINCE PIE

• 1 large jar mincemeat (about 600g)
• 2 orange segmented
• 1 apple finely chopped
• zest 1 lemon
• icing sugar, for dusting

For the pastry

• 375g plain flour
• 260g unsalted butter, softened
• 125g caster sugar, plus extra forsprinkling
• 1 large egg plus 1 beaten egg forglazing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place plain flour and softened unsalted butter in a bowl and rub together to a crumb consistency.
2. Add caster sugar and 1 large beaten egg, and mix together on a lightly floured surface and fold until the pastry comes together.
3. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 10 mins. Then scoop the jar of mincemeat into a bowl and add two segmented oranges, one chopped apple and zest of a lemon.
4. Heat oven to 220oC/200oC. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thickness. Cut out 16 bases, place them in muffin trays and put 1½ tbsp mincemeat mixture into each. Brush the edge of each pie with a little beaten egg.
5. Re-roll out the pastry to cut 7cm lids and press them on top to seal. Glaze with beaten egg, sprinkle with extra caster sugar and then make a small cut in the tops. Then bake for 15 mins until golden brown and leave to cool before releasing them from the muffin trays and dusting with a little more icing sugar before serving.