Women's Christmas, cakes and the Jeremy Kyle show

New Years Eve

I was glad to read in Psychology Today that a quarter of people fail in their new year resolutions in the first week. Phew, at least I'm not on my own.

In fact, that's a complete lie. I didn't make any.

You could say this arises from fear of failure but it's probably more a healthy case of can't be bothered. New year resolutions are great, and setting ludicrous goals even better, but for the month that's in it, January doesn't signify anything too dramatic for me other than using up half a tonne of frozen turkey, baking a Galette des Rois, and getting back on top of work deadlines..

I cheated at my Galette this year. Traditionally it's a cake for the feast of the Epiphany which is the 6th January. This date is also known as Little Christmas or Women's Christmas, which is just as well as I had two girls nights out in a row - one with old schoolfriends and the second with women from my village who have a traditional meet up in the pub for Nollaig na mBan. We had wine, laughs, gossip and in a rural area like ours a night like this forms important bonds. I am lucky enough to have wonderful neighbours on whom I can call at a moments notice for rescue and respite (and regularly do). A day before Christmas our thoroughbred broke out of his stable and ran wild down a public road chased by a motorbike. 

*Ring Ring*  

"Hey,  can I drop the kids in? Having a bit of a problem here...."

Seriously, there's never a dull moment with thoroughbreds. They are the runway models of the horse world; beautiful, possibly anorexic (ours is) and with insanely tricky personalities. I am going to end up a crying wreak on the Jeremy Kyle show with all my kids taken into care if he doesn't start behaving himself soon.

Gallette des Rois

Back to cakes. In Catholic France the gorgeous Galette des Rois almond pastry celebrated the arrival of the three wise men. This was possibly because under the Julian calendar, Christmas Day fell on that day whereas under the Gregorian Calendar, (the present day system) it's the 25th.

As we're not great Christmas cake, pudding or mince-pie eaters in this house, the Galette is a Christmas staple, and devoured long before the Epiphany. It's a simple recipe, and if you are pressed for time as I usually am, you can use pre-made puff pastry and the result will still be pretty delicious. After you roll out the pastry it literally takes about five minutes to prepare. It's simple, mouthwatering and for me, the most perfect of French pastry treats.

May you all have a happy and healthy 2013; may cooking and food provide you with pleasure, comfort and fun in these strange and often unsettling times that we are living in. Basketcase will still be here; keeping you company in your travails; supplying scandal, food news, the wild, obscure and occasionally profane.

But in the meantime have a slice of Galette, and let me know how you get on. Happy Eating.

Galette des Rois

100 grams ground almonds

100 grams caster sugar

100 grams butter

one egg, lightly beaten

400 grams home made or ready made puff pastry

three drops almond essence

Mix the butter and caster sugar into a paste then add the ground almonds and the almond essence. Bind together with the beaten egg.

Roll out the pastry into two 10 inch rounds. Spread the almond paste on the first round, spreading it out to within an inch of the edge. Place the second round of pastry on top of the first, press the edges together, and score the top in semi-circular lines. Brush with a beaten egg and bake at 180 for 25 minutes.

You better be hungry x

Want gorgeous food this Christmas? Here's my December This Edible Life column from The Gloss magazine. Foodie heaven awaits...

As the C word gets nearer by the minute I’m taking cooking inspiration from the great and the good. Over at the The Fat Duck in Berkshire, Heston Blumenthal is serving Christmas tree on the menu alongside partridge, snail porridge, gold, frankincense and myrrh. Phew, nothing to live up to there. 

I’ll be cooking for eight and have sourced my turkey from two fields away where he is currently pecking about under the trees oblivious to the Victorian delph platter that awaits. Jamie Oliver’s Dublin eatery may be so so, but his delicious Brussels sprouts recipe never fails – roasted with garlic, bacon lardons and cream. To start I’m serving Mag Kirwan’s smoked Goatsbridge Trout with wasabi and for sparkle, a scattering of her Trout Caviar. Pudding will be the traditional French Galette des Rois – more strictly for the epiphany but we love it at Christmas – puff pastry, almonds, cream and a secret hidden jewel.

There are gorgeous gifts for Foodies this year including hand made serving boards for cheese and antipasti from Terry Cullen who makes Fallon & Byrne’s beautiful examples. The effervescent Birgitta Curtin’s Burren Smokehouse offers online ordering for her award-winning smoked salmon, cheeses and chutneys.www.burrensmokehouse.ie  For decandent foodies, white truffles from Alba have outstandingly deep flavour and can be bought from www.buywhitetruffles.co.uk.

Foodie books this Christmas are all about bandwagons and jumping on them.

 50 Shades of Chicken features recipes for Dripping Thighs and Mustard Spanked Chicken.  And in case you thought vegetables weren’t sexy, its rival 50 Shades of Kale promises “Fifty new pleasing ways to partner kale, including Thai’d up Roughage”. Oh yes, yes, YES!!

If you’re on a tight budgets check out Aldi’s Christmas offerings. Their Christmas pudding just beat Fortnum and Mason’s in a taste competition and I happen to know some great Irish cheeses sold there under private label. Keep a secret? Me?

Waterfall farm shop

If you fancy a free range turkey they can be ordered at Waterfall Farm Shop outside Enniskerry. I’ll be at their Christmas Food and Crafts Fair and will try to not to leave this time with a baby goat. If we don’t stop borrowing things from the neighbours (last week it was a gigantic John Deere), we’re going to get a reputation to add to the one we already have.

The Cellar Bar in the Merrion Hotel

On my pre-Christmas eating plans are The Good Food Ireland dinner at the Shelbourne and lunch at The Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel for Jane Russell’s organic pork sausage and their doesn’t-

taste-skinny skinny soup. Churpy Strahan’s Lolly and Cooks makes a hip pit stop at Georges Arcade for a warming chorizo and lentil stew and if you’re rushing in Dublin’s Southside try Urban in Cabinteely for decent coffee in New York inspired surroundings.

For #dudefood a la the US I’ll be visiting just-opened Asador on Haddington Road from Eric Mooney (ex One Pico) and Shane Mitchell (Peploes). On their massive grill are meats from artisan producers and if you’re planning bodice ripping high jinx later, there’s Irish lobster, and Champagne of course.