Very Good Recipes is delighted to announce it’s new recipe challenge…

This month’s theme is: White Christmas

“There is always a magic feel in the air when snow is falling on Christmas Eve. Not everyone lives in a region where snow is usual during winter, but everyone can try to recreate this magic in the kitchen! What dish do you think of when you hear “White Christmas”? You can of course cook with white ingredients such as white fish, white chocolate, white asparagus, white truffles, white vegetables, chicken, cream, coconut milk etc. But your recipe does not have to be all white! It needs to be festive and have a “snowy” feel. You can be creative and imagine a snowy presentation, for instance sprinkling snow crystals (drops of cream, petals of white edible flowers, and a lot of other ingredients) or trying to create a snow-covered landscape one can eat!”

Participating: The challenge is open to everyone, whether you have a food blog or not!

In order to participate, you need to enter a recipe on the theme of “White Christmas”.

You can participate from Monday December 5th 2011 until Monday December 26th included.

http://verygoodrecipes.com/white-christmas-challenge

Prizes: Savory Spice Shop will offer prizes for the winners. The judges will select the winning recipes.

The judges

The judges change every month, they are volunteers and cannot win the challenge themselves. This month’s judges are:

•Alex http://www.food4thought-blog.blogspot.com

•Anne http://lesrecettesdupanier.wordpress.com

•Han Ker http://hankerie.blogspot.com

•Kristina http://knucklesalad.com

•Quay Po http://www.quaypocooks.blogspot.com

•Russell http://londoneats.wordpress.com

•Suzy http://suzyeats.com

•Vanessa http://www.vanevalentine.com

and myself!

Each judge had to design their own recipe as an example for the challenge. I have chosen:

White Chocolate and Cardamom Layer Cake

White chocolate is a favourite of mine so when I thought of ‘White Christmas’ it immediately came to mind as a christmas luxury for me! I wanted to add something a bit more christmassy to it though and went through all the traditional things in my mind like cranberries and christmas spices before deciding to add cardamom as a twist. It is a spice but not one traditionally used in English christmas baking. Cardamom is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) and is native to India but is used in many countries for cooking. It is intensely aromatic and is thought to have many health giving properties for example in the treatment of digestive, throat and lung disorders.

This cake has been made as a tray bake, then cut into three strips and layered with an indulgent white chocolate ganage. The flavours work really well together with the spice adding a slight kick to the sweetness of the chocolate. It should be cut into small slices as it’s quite rich and would be lovely with a cup of Earl Grey tea! Enjoy!

75g butter,softened                                                                                               

75g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

150g Self Raising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

100g white chocolate, finely chopped

20 green cardamom pods  

Preheat the oven to 160c/325f/Gas 3. Grease and line an 8″ square tin.  Prepare the cardamom by splitting the pods open, removing the seeds and grinding them with a pestle and mortar. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs slowly, one at a time. Fold in the flour, the chocolate pieces and the cardamom. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.

For the ganache filling:                                                                                                                       

100g white chocolate, chopped

100ml double cream

Place the two ingredients in a bowl over a pan of hot water and melt, stir until thick and then allow to cool.

When the cake is cool cut it into three strips lengthways. When the ganache is cool and starting to go hard, spread it onto the top of each of  the three pieces of cake. These can then be placed on top of one another to make a layered cake. The finished cake will be rectangle in shape and can be sliced across widthways to serve. Decoration can be added to the top if liked.  

I’m dreaming of a white christmas……