Cook This: 3 festive recipes from The Christmas Companion, including cupcakes with brandy buttercream

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Jump to the recipes: Christmas cupcakes with brandy buttercream, gnocchi and pumpkin gratin, and red endive and candied pecan salad.

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Writing a book about getting lost in the magic of the season, with ideas for DIY Christmas crackers and edible gifts, and recipes for feasts large and small, was a dream come true for Skye McAlpine. “Surprise, surprise, but I’m obsessed with Christmas,” says the food writer and photographer, who divides her time between Venice, where she grew up, and London, where she was born.

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McAlpine initially thought her new title, The Christmas Companion, might be smaller than her other three cookbooks. “When I started working on it, it just grew and grew and grew. Now it’s the biggest of my books. And we ended up cutting, I think, probably close to 20 per cent from the original manuscript because it turns out there’s just so much to say about Christmas,” she adds, laughing.

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With recipes drawing on Christmas classics, personal favourites, her Anglo-Italian influences and appreciation for the versatility of panettone, feasting is at the heart of the 367-page book. But McAlpine doesn’t stop with the food. She explores all that encompasses the festive fare, including guides to homemade decorations and trimming the tree.

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“We don’t eat in isolation from the world that surrounds us. And what we eat, and how we create that moment, also is a way of creating a world.”

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In the first section of the book, Magic Making, McAlpine captures the enchantment of the holiday. “That’s what I love about Christmas: it kind of is magic. If you believe, it is magic. And these simple things that you do, whether it’s making gingerbread ornaments to go on your tree, or it’s laying the table really prettily, or it’s festive baking, or just losing yourself in this world — that can be really, genuinely magical. And making that part of your everyday for a short period, for that Christmas window, is just pretty special.”

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The Christmas Companion is filled with ideas, inspiration and support to create homemade holidays — without a sense of obligation. “I want to take away the reader’s stress,” says McAlpine. Many of the crafts, such as wreath- and Christmas cracker-making, have tiers of commitment, from adding your own touches to store-bought versions to starting from scratch.

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McAlpine says the holidays can be a double-edged sword. If you’re feeling good about life, they can be joyous. But if you’re going through tough times, the pressure to make merry can be painful. “It’s like we have all these expectations about making Christmas magical, but for it to be magical, we have to give ourselves a little bit of a break and allow ourselves to enjoy the magic. And that does mean taking shortcuts.”

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You could buy panettone or fruitcake, for example, and serve it with McAlpine’s boozy Amaretto hard sauce. “It’s that little finishing touch that really makes it feel homemade, even if you haven’t made the entirety of everything from scratch.”

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McAlpine sought ways to make the crafts and recipes as approachable as possible, and included dishes that could be made in advance, allowing cooks to enjoy the holiday. She also considered different sizes of gatherings, from two to 24, and included recipes that would eliminate the need to make something specifically to suit dietary requirements. “I wanted to make sure that there were dishes in there that felt like you didn’t need to do a separate anything. You could just do something really fab that everyone’s going to enjoy.”

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It’s not about doing it all, but choosing the things that are meaningful to you and letting go of the rest, she adds. And recognizing that though the traditions are a big part of what makes the holidays so special, every year doesn’t have to be exactly the same. “You can kind of just roll with your mood a little bit. It’s a buffet table, basically. It’s a buffet table of fabulous options, and then you just choose what you’re in the mood for, what you’ve got appetite for.”

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CHRISTMAS CUPCAKES WITH BRANDY BUTTERCREAM

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Makes: 12

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For the cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tbsp (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 stick (120 g) salted butter, softened
Scant 1 cup (90 g) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (160 g) molasses
2 eggs
1/2 cup (120 g) whole milk

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For the buttercream:
1 1/4 sticks (150 g) salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (150 g) icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp brandy
Sugar pearls, to decorate

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Step 1

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Heat the oven to 350F (177C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

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Step 2

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Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine. In a second large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and smooth. Now, beat in the molasses, then the eggs, one by one, and lastly the milk.

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Step 3

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Adding a little at a time, stir in the flour mixture, until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.

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Step 4

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Divide the batter equally between the prepared liners, filling each up to three-quarters full (the cakes will rise in the oven). Bake in the middle of the oven for 18-20 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean and, if you press down gently on the top, it springs back. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cold. They will keep happily, un-frosted, in an airtight container for 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

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Step 5

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To make the buttercream, combine the butter and sifted icing sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Pour in the brandy and beat again until combined and creamy-smooth. The brandy-laced buttercream will keep in a sealed container for 2-3 weeks, or, if you prefer, it will freeze well.

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Step 6

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Dollop or pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with sugar pearls. Once assembled, the cakes will keep for 5-6 days.

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GNOCCHI AND PUMPKIN GRATIN

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Serves: 6

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About 3 oz (85 g) panettone (or see note)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 heaping cups peeled and diced pumpkin or squash
Small bunch of sage
2 tsp salted butter
1 lb (454 g) gnocchi
7 tbsp heavy (whipping) cream
2 cups grated mild cheddar
Scant 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

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Step 1

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Heat the oven to 350F (177C). Tear the panettone (you need about 1 fat slice) into small pieces, spread out on a roasting pan, then toast in the hot oven for 6-8 minutes. Set aside.

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Step 2

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Heat the oil in a large, ideally ovenproof, saucepan. Add the onion and fry gently for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and soft. Now add the pumpkin or squash, sage and butter, frying gently over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the pumpkin starts to colour. Now reduce the heat a little, cover the pan and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the pumpkin has softened (if you insert a knife, you should feel little by way of resistance).

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Step 3

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Take off the heat, add the gnocchi, cream and cheddar, then toss together. (If your pan wasn’t ovenproof, transfer everything to a baking dish at this point.) Crumble over the panettone and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Cover with foil. At this point, you can cool to room temperature, then cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.

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Step 4

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Heat the oven to 350F (177C). Set the gratin in the oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese is all melted and lightly golden on top. Serve immediately, while still piping hot.

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Note: If you don’t have any leftover panettone to hand (or are reluctant to crack into a whole cake just for this), you can either buy a miniature panettone, or substitute with toasted brioche, or even regular breadcrumbs.

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RED ENDIVE AND CANDIED PECAN SALAD

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Serves: 6

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For the candied pecans:
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp flaky sea salt
1/3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp cold water
1/2 cup pecans

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For the salad:
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 heads of red endive
Flaky sea salt

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Step 1

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To make the candied pecans, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and measured water in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Stir for roughly 1 minute, until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce.

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Step 2

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Now, add the pecans, stirring constantly until all the nuts are coated in the sauce. As the nuts heat up in the pan, the sauce will slowly coat them and turn shiny. Keep a careful eye on the nuts so they cook, but don’t burn. This shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes.

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Step 3

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Carefully transfer the nuts to the prepared baking sheet, spreading them out in a single layer. Leave them to cool completely before serving. (The nuts will keep happily, stored in a sealed container, for up to 3 weeks.)

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Step 4

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When ready to serve, make the salad dressing by whisking the mayonnaise, vinegar and olive oil together in a small bowl with a fork. Season to taste with salt and whisk again to break up any lumps.

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Step 5

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Tear the leaves off the heads of endive and toss them in a generous salad dish. Drizzle with the creamy dressing, add the candied pecans and serve immediately.

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