Rosie's Christmas Rum butter

Tradition in our house is to serve Christmas pudding with rum butter. Why rum? Well my dad was a Submariner in the Royal Navy when he was younger and is still partial to a 'tot' of rum that they used to be served on board daily. Mum therefore created her own accompaniment based on this love of rum and it's been served up ever since.

It's so easy to make; just 3 simple ingredients.

250g (8oz) butter, softened
500g (1lb) icing sugar
A good splash (or even a glug) of dark rum

I trust the wonderful Kenny to whizz this together for me, but you can use a hand mixer if you don't have one of these gorgeous machines.

1. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl.

2. Start by mixing slowly until the icing sugar and butter are just combined (starting slowly prevents a huge sugar dust storm enveloping the whole of you & your kitchen).

3. When this is just combined, turn the speed up to maximum and beat for 4-5 minutes until light & fluffy.

4. Taste and add more rum if required.

5. Spoon into little dishes and refrigerate until required.

This will keep for as long as your butter is in date. In this case about 6 weeks until 6th February 2012. No chance of that in my house of course as the family are coming for Christmas dinner and all adore rum butter on their pudding. It's also got to last until Christmas day (I'll be watching for the fridge raiders!)

A tasty alternative is to heat a mince pie for 20 seconds in the microwave and then add a generous dollop of your rum butter on top. Leave for a short while to start to melt the butter & enjoy with your feet up whilst listening to a lovely Christmas carol or two!

Alternatives to rum would be any liqueur or spirit such as whisky, brandy, Grand Marnier (for an orange kick).

Let me know if you try it.

Merry Christmas!

Rosie
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Sausage Casserole

Who buys packet casserole mix? WHY do you buy packet casserole mixes? Do you know just how EASY it is to make your own; do you KNOW what is in it (no preservatives, copious amounts of salt or 'E' numbers) No? Then let me show you.

Simply take (remember it's cooking not baking so it's not a precise science; add or take away ingredients that you do or don't like, even alter the proportions to suit your taste).

1 HEAPED tbs (20ml) plain flour
1 HEAPED tbs (20ml) tomato puree
1 HEAPED tbs (20ml) wholegrain mustard
2tsp (10ml) mixed herbs
1 400g chopped tomatoes
1 pint (570mls) Beef/Chicken stock.
1 pack of your favourite sausages (I use Lincolnshire)
1 medium swede, diced.
3 medium carrots, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium parsnips, diced
1 red pepper, diced


Oven temperature from 150°C to 180°C depending on how quickly you want it to cook. I normally do mine on 150°C for a few hours. Alternatively, why not put it all into your slow cooker and come home to the amazing smell of your home cooked fayre?

1. In a large casserole dish, put your flour, tomato puree, mustard, herbs and chopped tomatoes.

2. Add the stock and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the chopped vegetables and stir through.

4. Add the sausages (I don't bother to brown mine as it's a slow cooked recipe). You MAY need to add some more water at this stage. You want it to submerge the majority of your veg but not all.

5. Place in the oven and ignore for the next couple of hours or so.

6. Remove, stir through and serve with buttery mashed potatoes and some lovely Savoy cabbage.

Perfect for a cold Autumn or Winter's evening.

Now you've seen just how EASY it is to make your own casserole sauce, why not have a go for yourself? Come back and tell me how you got on!

Rosie
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