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Can you believe that Christmas is only next week?!

Alan has been hard at work talking to lots of customers about their new kitchen projects for 2016, but we've managed to pin him down for one last recipe.

These are super indulgent and when Alan says a "glug" he means a big "glug"

Enjoy!

Christmas Truffles

• 250 gms Dark Choc
• 40 gms Unsalted butter
• 225 mls Double Cream
• 1 tbs Honey
• A very good glug of Jack Daniels
• Grated zest of 1 satsuma

Grate the chocolate into a bowl, dice the butter into small pieces

Grate over the Satsuma zest, add in the JD to the Chocolate and Honey

Bring the cream to the boil, when almost half way up the pan add to the chocolate, stir until all is melted and smooth.

Chill until set this could take ¾ hours.

Scoop out truffle shapes with a tea spoon (tip spoon into boiling water then shape truffle)

Place onto a cold plate until all has been used

You can roll them in your hands for a round shape, this is messy as your hands are warm,  the spoon gives a more rustic shape

For the Coating

Coat in Cocoa, chopped nuts, Pistachio nuts, icing sugar, even space dust, amoretti biscuits crumbed.

Coat in melted chocolate use a cocktail stick to hold the truffle when dipping.

Serve in little paper cups use as an edible gift

Hey if you fancy making a chocolate Fondant for a special dessert use a truffle in the middle of the sponge mix this will then melt nicely when you cut the Fondant open, just a thought.

Above all, have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!
From Bettaquip - supplying all of your commercial kitchen needs!

The big day is getting closer and we'll all be pressed for time.

In the run up to Christmas, we've been asking Alan to share some of his best Christmas recipes that are just as easy to prepare at home, as well as in a Commercial Kitchen to be served to customers.

If you missed them, check out our Mince Pies and Shortbread

This is a lovely recipe for cookies, it can be stored and baked just as your friends and family arrive!

Christmas Cookies

• 180gms plain flour
• ½ tsp Baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 115gms Butter
• 150gms golden caster sugar, tb spoon Xmas spices ginger cinnamon clove, whatever you fancy
• 1 Egg
• 1tsp Vanilla Essence
• 150gms Sea salt chocolate

Cream butter and sugar together until soft, add in egg, vanilla essence mix until combined, mix together flour spice and baking powder salt and add to butter mix.

Bring together to form a loose dough then add in chopped chocolate form a dough ball, then roll into a log wrap in cling film and store.

Pre heat oven to 170/180dgs C be careful if its fan assisted you could drop down to 160dgs C

Now bake off slices whenever you want biscuits, simply cut off rounds from the log 5 mm thick place onto

Baking parchment spaced apart to allow for spread, bake for 10/12 mins they may feel soft but will

Firm up when rested, place the rest of the log in the fridge keep for up to a week, or cut them all and freeze the rounds and cook whenever you want to.

Merry Christmas from Bettaquip - supplying all of your Commercial Kitchen needs!

As you can imagine, we spend a lot of our time with commercial kitchens, designing, building and supplying everyone from restaurants and hotels to hospitals and universities.

Sometimes, we forget about the wonderful recipes and creations our customers make in these kitchens once the power is on and they are operational.

Luckily, Alan, our sales manager and professional chef, has some fantastic tried and tested Christmas recipes that he's let us share with our customers and friends!

Merry Christmas from the Bettaquip team, hope you enjoy!

Homemade Mince Pies

For the Sweet Pastry

• 8oz Plain Flour
• 4oz chilled butter diced
• 1oz icing sugar
• Zest of 1 satsuma
• 1 egg beaten with 4tbs milk in as well
• Pinch table salt

For the mince meat

• 1 dessert apple grated
• Zest of 2 satsumas juice of 1
• 100gm vegi suet or butter
• 200gms mixed dried fruit
• 50 gms mixed peel
• 100 grms green glace cherries
• 50 gms flaked or nibbed almonds (lightly toast in a dry pan to release more flavour)
• 160g light brown sugar
• 1 heaped tbs of mixed spice, 50ml brandy or Jack Daniels,50ml port or sloe gin.
• Combine the dried fruit with all the ingredients inc the booze (if you dont like booze use more orange juice) allow to rest for a week in a sealed container.

Place the flour in a bowl (no need to sieve) add in the diced butter, icing sugar, grated satsuma, salt, with finger tips mix all into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs

Make a well in the center add in the egg and milk mix (not all of it, you may not need it) mix it together to form a ball of dough, take out of the bowl knead for a minute to bring together flatten out slightly into a rectangle and wrap in cling and chill for 1 hour

Bring out of the fridge allow time for it to lose its chill, lightly flour your work top and rolling pin and roll out the pastry to your chosen thickness roughly the thickness of a pound coin.

Cut out rounds to fit the tray you are using (I use a yorkshire pudding tray)

Fill with the homemade mincemeat, heaped, because when it boils over to the edge of the pastry that is the best bit (we call this gubbins in the trade)

Top with either a smaller lid or cut shapes, stars or trees etc etc

Egg wash and bake at 175dgc (make sure you have pre heated the oven) for 20 mins until nicely coloured, depending on your oven could be a few mins more, keep an eye on them (fan assisted ovens are quicker than no fan or static heat ovens) don't worry if the lids rise slightly they will collapse down again but this is the homemade look

Take out of the oven allow to sit in the tray for a few mins then transfer to a cooling rack

When cooled dredge with icing sugar enjoy, or give as edible gifts along with truffles and the shortbread we'll be posting on Friday!

Above all, have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!
From Bettaquip - supplying all of your commercial kitchen needs!

Did you enjoy the Mince Pies?

For our second Christmas treat, this short bread is a winner that your customers will love! Try it at home too, the kids will love it!

Enjoy!

Shortbread Ingredients

• 6oz Butter
• 2oz Caster Sugar
• 1oz   Honey
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• ½ tsp Vanilla essence
• 7oz   Plain Flour
• 2oz   Coarse Semolina
• Pinch Salt

Cream butter together sugar butter vanilla and Honey until soft

Add in flour and semolina and salt

Bring together to form a ball of dough, shape into a rectangle, wrap in cling and chill for 1 hour

Pre Heat oven to 150dgs C

Remove from fridge allow to warm up roll out into a square about 5 mm thick

Cut into bite size squares

Place onto a tray lined with baking parchment

Sprinkle with caster sugar bake for 11/12 mins, they will feel soft when done plus light in colour, but will firm up

Place onto cooling rack for 30 mins to set off

Dip half the biscuit into melted chocolate, sprinkle with space dust for effect

Or. Spread the shortbread with toffee (carnation toffee for a millionaires finish) then coat with chocolate.

Cut into shapes instead of squares or fingers or triangles, or save the dough for later, it will keep up to a week.

Store biscuits in a biscuit tin for up to a week (they won't last that long)

Merry Christmas from Bettaquip - Supplying all of your Commercial Kitchen needs.

When planning and designing a commercial kitchen one of the major factors to consider is the extraction system. Planning authorities can be very particular in their requirement for the treatment of noise and odour in relation to extraction. Environmental Health officers will usually direct planning applicants to the DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) report which sets out

Guidance on the Control of Odour and Noise from Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems

This 100 page report can be a daunting prospect for the non specialist so it is vital that professional advice is obtained when installing an extract system into a commercial kitchen.

In summary the planning authorities will assess 4 key factors in their consideration of noise and odour when considering an application for a commercial catering kitchen extract system.

In essence each of these factors is scored against a set of criteria. The score obtained will determine the level, if any, of the noise and odour treatment required.

As a specialist in Commercial Kitchen Design,  Bettaquip can provide professional advice on how best to plan the extract system for your Commercial Catering Project.

So let a Bettaquip Commercial Kitchen Designer create a perfect kitchen layout for you, while our projects team manage your build from end to end.

Call today on 0845 226 3635 or fill out the contact form here