A Continental Christmas

Press, 18 December 1985, Page 16

A Continental Christmas

Mavis Airey

continues her seasonal tour

through some of her favourite cookery books, collected during 15 years living in Europe,

Festive fare There are disadvantages in being a “corporate wife.” Multinationals, especially the American ones, tend to adopt the employee’s whole family, • shunting them around the world, expecting them to cope while the man works long hours, often travelling away from home for up to half the year. When he is home, the executive’s wife will be expected to act as the entertainment arm of the corporation, so their home will need to be immaculate, and her devotion to hostess duties untiring. Not all marriages can take the strain.

Luckily, there are compensations. One of the pleasures of being married to someone working for the European headquarters of a multi national corporation is the contact it brings with an amazing variety of nationalities.

While living in Belgium, we were lucky to count Dutch, French, Germans, Belgians, Italians and Spaniards, Swedes, Norwegians and Finns, Austrians, Czechs and Greeks, Egyptians, Indians, Vietnamese, Japanese, Zairois and. Tanzanians as well as Americans, Irish and Britons among our friends and acquaintances. This turned the end-ef-year social whirl into a culinary adventure. The pre-Christmas luncheon held by my French class was an armchair traveller’s delight. Each corporate wife brought some national delicacy to share.

Grazia brought crostini, Marijke, herring and beetroot salad, Francine, a rich pate, Joan, smoked salmon rolls, Pat, a blue-

berry cheesecake, Gerda, her irresistible sachertorte. With the exercise books cleared away, the table loaded with goodies, and the champagne flowing, the constraints of the classroom evaporated. A dozen different nationalities conversed in fractured French that somehow seemed more fluent than usual. Shirley Guildfoyle, wife of the then president of I.T.T. Europe, was so impressed by the range of her fellow “international wives” culinary experience, that she gathered their favourite recipes into a book as a charitable fund-raising venture. “The International Wives’ Cookbook” sits on my bookshelf, a pleasant reminder of these women. I was delighted to find Gerda’s Sachertorte in it, and since Christmas here is a summer affair, I’m determined to try Alisa’s iced version of Christmas pudding. Gerda’s Sachertorte Ingredients: 5 eggs

% cup (150 g butter %-% cup (150 g sugar % cup (150 g melted chocolate 11/*I 1 /* cups (150 g flour 2 teaspoons baking powder Topping and spread: 1 jar apricot jam Vi cup (125 g butter 1 egg yolk Vz cup (125 g sugar) % cup (150 g melted chocolate Beat butter and sugar until creamy, add egg yolks one by one, then melted chocolate. Beat egg whites until firm, mix baking power with flour, and add the two carefully to the mixture. Pour it , into a buttered and floured tin and put it into a preheated oven at 325 deg F (175 deg C) about 45 minutes. Unmould the cake and let it cool on a rack. Cut it horizontally in three with a long knife and spread the, smooth apricot jam .on the 3 slices. Mix the butter and egg yolk, melted chocolate and sugar. Spread the chocolate mixture over two slices and reclose the cake. For the topping heat Vi cup (60g) sugar and Vz cup gr) (100 g melted chocolate constantly turning until smooth, let it run over the top and

sides with the help of a spatula dipped in hot water. Alisa’s Iced Christmas Pudding cup glace cherries cup (80g) mixed peel Vt cup (80g) raisins Vi cup (80g) sultanas Vt cup (40g) almonds (halved and toasted) 2 teaspoons cocoa powder 2 teaspoons hot water 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespons brandy 1 pint (500 ml) cream LVz cups (200 g icing sugar 4 egg whites Combine fruit with spices. Pour over brandy and stand overnight. Whip cream until stiff adding half the sugar. In another basin whip the egg whites until stiff and gradually beat in remaining sugar. Lightly fold the two mixtures together. Add fruit, nuts and cocoa dissolved in hot water. Pour into 2 medium plastic basins and freeze. Leave for about one week before using and allow to “come to” for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.