Christmas Goodies

It’s Christmas and time for homemade indulgences, so let’s get the cookie cutter and icing sugar out – Parvathy Menon Pomegranate mojito Red, green and white are the colours of Christmas and that’s what makes this refreshing and non-alcoholic spritzer the perfect drink of the season.  Ingredients   * 10 mint leaves * 2 lime wedges * 15 ml sugar syrup * 60 ml pomegranate juice * 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice  * 60 ml soda  * Garnish  * Pomegranate seeds * Sprig of mint Preparation guide * Mix the syrup, lime, and mint leaves in a highball glass. * Fill the glass with ice. * Add the pomegranate and lemon juices. * Stir well. Top with soda. * Garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. * Making your own pomegranate juice will add to the taste.  * For a spicier version, add a sliced green chilly to the drink   Bebinca Go Goan this Christmas with bebinca. This popular multi-layered pudding made with flour, eggs, sugar, coconut milk and cardamom can be stored for two weeks. So you can enjoy it well into the New Year. Ingredients * 250 ml thick coconut milk (the first extract of coconut milk) * 6 egg yolks * 175 gm flour * ½ cup ghee + 1 tbsp ghee * 200 gm sugar * 1 tsp nutmeg powder * 1 tsp cardamom powder * Few flaked almonds (optional) * 1 tbsp vanilla essence (optional) * Pinch of salt Preparation guide * Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a round tin or loaf pan with 2 tbsp ghee. * Mix coconut milk and sugar in a pan and use an electric beater to whip until sugar dissolves. * Add one egg yolk at a time and beat until they all mix well. * Now add flour, 1 tbsp ghee and salt. Blend well. * Pour ½ cup of batter and bake for 25 minutes. * Spread some ghee over it with the help of a brush. Sprinkle a little cardamom powder and vanilla essence. * Bake again for 15 minutes. Again spread ghee, cardamom powder and vanilla essence. * Continue greasing and baking with ½ cup batter until all batter is finished. Bake each layer for 15 minutes. * For the last batter, spread ghee, sprinkle cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla essence. Add flaked almonds. Bake the last layer for 20-22 minutes. * Allow to cool. Unmould the pan gently with a tap from behind. Slice bebinca and serve warm or cold.   Gingerbread cookies Though gingerbread is now used to describe any type of sweet treat that combines ginger with honey or sugar, in medieval England, it referred to preserved ginger. The first known recipe for gingerbread dates back to 2400 BC in ancient Greece. Today, this spicy sweet cookie is perfect for a Christmas party with the fairy tale The Gingerbread Man, making it an appealing treat for children. Ingredients * 1 1/2 cup flour * ½ tsp baking soda * ¼ tsp salt *…