Sweet Liberty Fruit Wreath Food

HOLIDAY BERRY MERINGUE WREATH

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 225 degrees F. Line the back of a baking sheet with parchment. Use a 12-inch bowl as a stencil: Flip it upside down and trace a 12-inch circle onto the parchment. Use a 9-inch bowl to trace a circle inside the 12- inch one. This is the outline of your wreath.
• For the wreath: Combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until thick and opaque, about 1 minute more. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until stiff, shiny peaks form, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Build the wreath: Using the template on the parchment as your guide, drop dollops of meringue in a line along the inside of the 12-inch circle. Use a rubber spatula to help clean off your spoon between dollops. Following the 9-inch circle and slightly overlapping the outer ring of meringue, make an inner ring of meringue dollops to fill in the rest of the template. Flatten the meringue slightly with the back of the spoon, making sure to keep a lot of peaks. Bake the meringue until it is dry, crisp, and pearly white on the outside, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the cranberry sauce: Bring the cranberries, sugar and lemon juice to a simmer in medium saucepan and cook until the cranberries are soft and just begin to burst and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Gently fold in the raspberries and pomegranate seeds. Whip the heavy cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
• Before serving, spread the whipped cream on the meringue. Spoon over the cranberry sauce and sprinkle with mint leaves.

CINNAMON ROLL WREATH

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the yeast and then a pinch of granulated sugar. Set aside undisturbed until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the salt, nutmeg, 2 3/4 cups of the flour and the remaining granulated sugar in a large bowl.
• Beat together the melted butter, vanilla and egg yolk in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium high until combined. Add the yeast mixture and continue to mix on low until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until a thick and slightly sticky dough forms. Once the dough comes together, switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed, to make a soft, smooth ball that sticks to the hook, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Coat a large bowl generously with cooking spray. Add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (The dough can also be tightly wrapped and refrigerated overnight. Let it come to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
• For the filling: Combine the butter, granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Set aside.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the butter mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log. Pinch to seal at the seam and then put on the counter seam-side down. Form the log into a circle, pinching the ends together. Squeeze and roll the dough if needed so it is an even width throughout.
• Transfer the log to a parchment lined-baking sheet. Cut 16 slits across the log, about 1 inch apart; each slit should go about three-quarters of the way through the log so that it is still completely intact. Bend about a quarter of the log by turning some of the newly cut "tabs" out so that the pinwheels of filling are facing up. Continue turning the "tabs" out and bending the log until you have a ring. Butt the ends up against each other. Loosely cover the wreath with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until the wreath is golden brown and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack until just warm, about 10 minutes.
• For the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk and lemon juice in a medium bowl to make a thick but pourable glaze, adding a little more confectioners' sugar if needed to get the right consistency. Drizzle over the wreath and let harden before serving. To serve, decorate with candied cherries and mint leaves to resemble holly sprigs.

CHRISTMAS WREATH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the butter, milk powder, sugar, egg, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18x12-in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and cinnamon to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal., Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. With scissors, cut from outside edge to two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes., Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Combine confectioners' sugar, water and extract; drizzle over warm bread.

PIZZA WREATH

Steps:

• Set a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Invert another baking sheet and line it with parchment paper; set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, then the garlic and onion to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup basil leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and few grinds of black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, uncovered, until the flavors are concentrated and the sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes.
• While the sauce cooks, add the remaining tablespoon oil to a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned in spots and completlety cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.
• Roll out and stretch the dough into two 12-inch rounds on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter and punch a hole in the center of each round to make rings. (Set aside the holes.)
• Put one of the rings onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of the sauce on one dough ring in an even layer.Sprinkle over the sausage, pepperoni and all but 1 tablespoon of the mozzarella, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Gently place the other dough ring directly on top, and pinch the edges to seal in the filling.
• Use a paring knife, cut 1- to 1 1/2-inch-wide strips into the wreath all around, like rays of the sun. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to the center; the wreath should stay intact and hold its shape once it is baked. You should have about 24 strips total.) Gently turn each strip twice to create a twist, then press the edges down on the parchment. Repeat this motion until all of the strips have been twisted.
• To make a bow, roll out and stretch the two dough cut-out holes into 6-inch long rectangles. Top one with the remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella. Place the other dough rectangle directly on top and press to seal the edges. Twist the dough with both hands in opposite directions for one full turn to form a bow that will hold its shape. Press the edges down to seal and set the bow on the prepared baking sheet next to the wreath.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a few drops of water. Use a pastry brush to brush the bow and wreath with the egg wash, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place the baking sheet with the wreath on top of the preheated stone and bake until the bow is cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the bow and continue to bake the wreath until golden brown, firm to the touch and cooked through, about 25 minutes more. Chop the remaining cup fresh basil. Position the bow on the bottom of the wreath, sprinkle basil all over the wreath and top with a pinch of crushed red chile flakes.

VEGAN CHRISTMAS WREATH

Steps:

• Put the spinach in a colander, then pour over a kettle of boiling water and leave to wilt. Once cool, wring out the excess moisture using a clean tea towel, then chop the spinach and put in a large bowl. Stir in the tofu, oil, pine nuts, nutmeg, garlic, lemon zest, chopped dill and fruit until well combined, season generously and set aside.
• On a well-floured surface, roll the pastry out into a 60 x 20cm rectangle. Leaving a 1cm border, spoon the spinach mixture along the length of the pastry, leaving a 2cm gap at both short ends. Fold in the two short ends to stop any of the filling coming out, then roll the pastry away from you to enclose the filling and create a long sausage shape. Join the two ends together to create a wreath shape and stick together with a little almond milk. Transfer the wreath to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and chill for 20 mins. Can be made up to this point a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a sharp knife, cut slashes across the top of the wreath. Mix a little almond milk with some olive oil (this will help the pastry colour) and brush all over the wreath. Bake for 40-45 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a board and decorate with the reserved dill fronds and some dried cranberries.

SWEET GRAZING WREATH

Steps:

• For the chocolate salami, put the biscuits and pretzels in a food processor and blitz to coarse crumbs or put in a bag, seal, then crush using a rolling pin.
• Put the chocolate, butter, syrup and a small pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl, and melt in the microwave in 20-second bursts until smooth, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir in the biscuit and pretzel crumbs.
• Spread the mixture onto a sheet of baking parchment, then roll into a log around 6cm in diameter, using the parchment to help, then twist the ends of the parchment around the log to hold the shape. Tuck the ends underneath. Chill for at least 3 hrs or overnight until set.
• Remove the log from the parchment and dust with icing sugar, removing any excess with a pastry brush. Dip a sharp knife into a mug of boiling water and wipe dry. Slice the salami into 2cm-thick pieces.
• For the jazzies, melt the white chocolate as described in step 2, then line a large baking sheet with baking parchment and spoon on small, round blobs of it - around 40. Sprinkle with the hundreds and thousands and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Unwrap the chocolate coins. Use a small paint brush to coat them with lustre, if you like, or leave them as they are.
• To assemble, arrange the chocolate salami, jazzies, coins and the rest of the ingredients into a circular wreath shape on a round serving platter.