28 pate brandy recipes

Vegetarian mince pies with a suet-free, no-suet British mincemeat: dried fruits, ripe banana, almonds, brandy, and warm spice tucked inside flaky shortening pastry. The traditional Christmas pie, made meatless.

"This cake is a rich, dark, moist fruit cake, very flavorful at Christmas. Try icing with almond paste for a more festive touch. This recipe is started in October or November so as to let it mellow before the holidays. I remember very well my mother storing her fruit cake in an old butter churn that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother. I wish that I had that old crock."

Dark Christmas cake is the real, old-fashioned fruitcake: dense with raisins, currants, figs, dates, and almonds, deepened with brown sugar, prune juice, and brandy, then aged in brandy-soaked cheesecloth. Make it now, slice it at Christmas.

Individual fruitcake cupcakes studded with dates, golden raisins, pecans, and citrus zest, soaked in brandy and topped with a pineapple chunk. Just 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in the whole batch. Diabetic-friendly holiday baking at its finest.

Linda's fruitcake: brandy-soaked dates, citrus peel, raisins, almonds, and cherries folded into a spiced batter with a pineapple jam layer. Wrapped in brandy-soaked cheesecloth to age.

Traditional fruitcake studded with dates, figs, candied citron, pecans, and brandy-soaked fruits becomes a family heirloom recipe worth making.

Fruitcake drop cookies with brandy, candied cherries, dates, candied pineapple, and nuts. All the holiday fruitcake flavor in a bite-sized cookie that bakes in 12 minutes.

Miniature fruitcake jewels are tiny muffin-tin fruitcakes loaded with candied fruit, red and green cherries, golden raisins, dates, and pecans, finished with a brandy glaze. Holiday gifting classic.

Spiced devil's food bundt cake studded with brandy-soaked dates, raisins, and chopped filberts, all baked in the microwave and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. Ready in under an hour.

Lester's fruitcake is a heirloom holiday loaf: pounds of candied fruits, figs, dates, raisins, pecans, and walnuts bound in spiced molasses batter. Slow-baked, brandy-soaked, aged a month.

Old-school dark fruitcake soaked overnight in brandy and orange liqueur with figs, apricots, currants, walnuts, and pecans. Makes four loaves; ages beautifully.

Traditional Sicilian fruit-filled pastries stuffed with figs, dates, chocolate chips, nuts, and warm spices, glazed with a lemon icing. A holiday cookie tray showstopper.

Pate maison: a French country pate of coarsely ground pork, chicken livers, peach brandy, whole peppercorns, and truffles, baked in a fat-lined terrine and chilled overnight.

Pate in crust (pate en croute), layered ground pork, brandy-marinated chicken and sliced ham wrapped in a buttery pastry crust and baked. Classic French charcuterie for dinner parties, picnics and cheese boards.

Pate Diana, a silky French-style chicken liver pate with sauteed apples, shallots, and apple wine or brandy, sealed in clarified butter. Elegant make-ahead appetizer that keeps a week chilled.

Chicken liver pate with brandy, butter, and onion blended silky smooth. Six ingredients, 15 minutes active time, chilled overnight for the best flavor.