The Cook and the Chef

Christmas Holidays (3x40)

Data de estreia: Nov 26, 2008

It’s almost the holiday season on the Cook & the Chef and Maggie & Simon prepare for Christmas. From fruit mince to turkey burgers this is a culinary treat for all the family. At Christmas time Maggie loves to get as much food preparation as possible out of the way before Christmas day. This year she's managed to enlist the help of her five grandchildren to make a favourite mince tart. The two eldest girls, Zoe and Lilly are both avid cooks, although this year Zoe has her hands full with baby brother Ben who "helps" her to mix the mince. Max takes a very artistic approach to spreading the mince on the tart while little Rory is happy to try any jobs with Nona Maggie's help. The children's excitement about Christmas is infectious and their help means Maggie will have more time on the big day to enjoy everyone's company. In the kitchen Maggie makes her fruit mince, an irresistibly rich mixture of dried fruit, fresh apple, sherry and spices. After simmering for just one hour it’s ready to use, but like us all, it will improve even more with age. Mince pies are traditional at Christmas, but Maggie offers an alternative and spreads her mince onto a par cooked sour dough pastry base, which she finishes with a lattice topping. After ten more minutes in the oven and served hot with vanilla ice-cream it makes a delicious desert, which would compliment any Christmas table. Simon re-visits his childhood and makes white chocolate crackles, with both kids and adults in mind. Using cream and glucose syrup instead of copha, he combines rice bubbles with coconut, pistachio nuts, cranberries and glace cherries to create a Christmas treat that’s guaranteed to bring those memories flooding back. Celebrating Christmas with family and friends is important for many of us, but for some people this isn’t an option. Adelaide’s Hutt St Centre provides support for the homeless and others in need and in the lead up to Christmas, Simon went along to help with lunch, creat