Perfect Panettone

How this came out as perfect as can be will always be one of life's great mysteries...

For the last two years, I've actually made a pretty darned good panettone. The previous years - not so good.

Using the same recipe each time, I kinda figured out what I was doing wrong - usually not allowing it to proof properly or refusing to believe it really is a fairly wet, sticky dough and adding too much flour.

This year, I started off as always, but when I mixed the flour with the milk, it kinda lumped together. It was like a mixing bowl of orzo.

I considered tossing it and starting over, but decided to go for it. I added the eggs - too quickly, I'm sure - and I ended up with a lumpy wet mass. At this point, I should add that I had six eggs in the carton and added all six. Not a smart move.

Knowing it was too loose, I started adding more flour by the tablespoon. I knew I needed a sticky dough, so I set the timer for 10 minutes and walked away - letting the mixer run,.  came back to a pretty decent looking dough - lumps gone.

Time to start adding the butter.

Even though the butter had been out for several hours, it wasn't quite as soft as it should have been. "Room Temperature" is a subjective term - ours is probably colder than many. Anyway... I started adding the butter and it took forever for it to mix in. Where the recipe states "Total mixing time will be about 10 minutes – maybe a bit more." it definitely took more - it was easily 20 minutes of non-stop mixing.

30 minutes of pretty much non-stop mixing. It was silky and satiny.

I scraped it into a bowl, added a lid, and into the refrigerator it went. The following morning I followed the instructions for adding the fruit and rolling it into a ball and placing it in the buttered panettone paper mold. (I placed the paper mold into a 7" springform pan for added support.)

I then let it rise for a full three hours at 95°F on the proofing setting of our oven. I then pulled it out, heated the oven to 350°F, and into the oven it went. The result was perfection!

Panettone

Fruit

  • 300gr mixed dried fruits (currants, raisins, cranberries, candied lemon and orange peel, dried cherries, or any combination)
  • 6 tablespoons brandy

Dough

  • 1 1/2 tbsp rapid-rise yeast
  • 5 ounces 98°F milk
  • 50gr (1/4 cup) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Fiori Di Sicilia extract
  • 500gr (4 cups) bread flour
  • 5gr salt
  • 5 large eggs
  • 255gr unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place dried fruits in bowl, add liquor, cover and keep at room temp overnight.

Mix sugar with barely warm milk. Add yeast and set aside.

Mix flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.

Add the eggs. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to smooth out.

Cut the softened butter into 1 tbsp chunks and add the butter a few pieces at a time, mixing it in fully before adding more. Total mixing time will be about 10 minutes – maybe a bit more. It should be glossy and satiny. It will be sticky.

Butter a large bowl and scrape dough into it. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, strain the soaking fruit.

Place dough on a lightly floured counter and spread out into a rectangular shape.

Place half of the fruit onto half of the spread-out dough. Fold the dough over the fruit and fold over, again. Pat out, again, add the remaining fruit, fold several times and then form into a ball.

Butter a 7″ panettone mold or paper.

Add the dough ball, lightly cover, and allow to rise for about 3 hours – or until the dough is rising above the rim.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 300° F and bake for an additional 45 to 55 minutes.

Cool completely before slicing.

 

The baking gods were definitely watching over me on this one.


Welcome 2023

Out with the old, in with the new...

Here's a reprint of my take on New Year....

If my mom ever cooked anything special for the new year, I really don’t remember it. The first time I recall hearing about good luck New Year’s foods was when I was in the Navy. Working with lots of guys from down south, Hoppin’ John entered my vocabulary. As I got older and moved around the country, more traditions arrived.

When I lived at Lake Tahoe, working for the Hyatt, I worked with a lot of Mexicans. They made tamales and brought them in for everyone to share. Somewhere, I remember King Cake – that was probably Boston. Black-eyed peas and cornbread followed me around the USofA, and landing in Pennsylvania, it became Pork and Sauerkraut. Victor would divorce me if I ever made pork and sauerkraut – so much for good luck.

After years in the restaurant and hotel business, the very last day I want to be out is New Years Eve. It’s even worse than Mother’s Day. I don’t know if you can even imagine the horror of delivering pizzas on such a night, or dealing with drunks throwing glasses in the general vicinity of a casino fireplace. We were still finding shards of glass for weeks after that one…

Other than a few small house parties, First Night in Boston was probably one of the more fun of the New Year festivities I’ve experienced. Definitely the most unique. Outdoors in a cold, snowy Boston with performances ranging from classical to contemporary in a score or more different venues. And the crowds were relatively well-behaved.

We had bullets raining down on us when we lived in San Leandro – why people think it’s a good idea to shoot guns into the air boggles my mind. We flew across the country on New Year’s Eve 1999 to bring in the year 2000 with Victor’s family – on a near-empty flight in deserted airports – remember Y2K?!?. And, as 2003 turned into 2004, being locked out of Times Square after seeing The Producers with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick less than a half-block away was pretty aggravating. We ended up heading back to our hotel and had a champagne toast with the bartender, the Beverage Manager, and a couple from Norway as the clock struck twelve.

Normally, I eschew crowds – especially the throngs out on a New Year’s Eve – but I do think I’d like to ring in the new year in a European city, Rome, London, Paris, Florence, Barcelona… I dunno… Outdoors in a huge plaza, somewhere – and within walking distance of wherever we were staying. The biggest stipulation being within walking distance of where we would be staying. I wouldn’t want to have to deal with any sort of transportation. And I could definitely envision a moonlit walk through Paris at 3am

So... New Year's Eve 2022 was fun and quiet. My brother and sister-in-law came over for homemade pizza and Aperol Spritzes.

Mike and I bored Victor and Debbie with antics from our Navy Days... We were both in The Gulf of Tonkin around the same time - he on the Saratoga (CVA-60) and me on the Ranger (CVA-61). Mike was an Airdale - working on the flight deck. I was a Commissaryman working mainly in the Bake Shop working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week baking thousands and thousands of loaves of bread, rolls, cakes, pies, donuts - you name it. I had the easy job.

The bars of Olongapo City in The Philippines, the Wan Chai district in Hong Kong, going through typhoons - all of the trouble a 20-year-old and a 23-year-old could get into 7000 miles from home. And there was a LOT of trouble to get into! That we survived is a testament to our good upbringing.

I spent New Year's Eve 1972 drinking homemade apple wine in the forward bake shop with a couple of buddies. The Navy recipe was to open a case of canned apple juice, add a pinch of yeast to each can, and let it sit behind the ovens until ripe. It was pretty nasty, but it did its job.

I had been dressed as Santa the week before... Love those Navy-issued glasses!

It just dawned on me that the apple wine was fifty years ago, last night! That really is several lifetimes ago. At least my taste has gotten a bit more sophisticated - last night was Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee Brut with Aperol!

And just in case you might want to make a pizza, this year... this really is a great dough. It's a 2-day rise, so plan accordingly.

Pizza Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (100º to 105º)
  • 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 4 cups “00” flour or unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for bowl

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Let proof about 5 minutes.

Mix together flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed about 4 minutes or until dough forms a coarse ball. Stop mixer and cover bowl with a towel. Let dough rest about 5 minutes, then remove towel and continue mixing another 2 minutes or so.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Form dough into a ball, transfer to bowl and turn to lightly coat with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

Punch down dough, re-roll, and return to bowl. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Divide dough into 2 pieces; shape pieces into balls and place on a lightly floured work surface. Loosely cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.

And Happy New Year!


Christmas Dinner - 2022

 

Phoebe and Nancy pulled out all the stops. An outrageous meal with some outrageous people.

Fun, Fun. And More Fun.

We started off with an hors d'oeuvre remake from Christmas Eve.

And then we moved on to the main event - Prime Ribs. Yes, plural. They made two!

Perfectly cooked. of course!

And then it was the side dishes... Mashed potatoes, of course

And a vat of gravy. Phoebe makes good gravy!

Green Beans with chopped garlic

Creamed Spinach

A fabulous salad

and the obligatory dinner rolls

Because we definitely didn't eat enough, we had desserts - yes, plural, again.

Brownies with a mint frosting in homage to Mom..

An Orange Apple Cake

Lots more cupcakes

And Pumpkin Snickerdoodles that I didn't get a picture of.

It was an entire weekend built on excess, and we realize just how fortunate we are that we are able to do so. No one is rich, but we're definitely doing better than so many others. No one has to worry about where their next meal is coming from or in danger of losing their home. We were able to buy presents - and a lot of really good food!

It's a great feeling.

Since my feelings on New Year's Eve are fairly common knowledge, a raucous Christmas is going to morph into a much quieter New Year's Eve.

Stay tuned...


Christmas Eve - Or Why I'm Not Losing Weight Over the Holidays

Lose weight? I'm not even maintaining weight at this point! I get on the scale every morning and I hear the poor thing crying out in pain! I tell it to bear with me. It will get better. Just hold out until January...

It's nigh-on impossible for me to not over-indulge when I'm presented with so many fun and fabulous choices.

Christmas Eve at Phoebe and Nancy's is all about hors d'oeuvres. Everyone brings something and we just graze for hours.

And graze for hours is exactly what I did.

Nancy made a baked brie with a homemade Cranberry Jam...

Victor made his Ricotta Rollatini

Christine made Lumpia

Katie made Chicken and Waffles

And Phoebe and Nancy put together so much more...

Assorted meats

Cheeses

Olives, Peppers, and Pickles

Shrimp

Stuffed Salami

Jalapeno Poppers and Pigs in Blankets

Sausages and Mustard

I somehow missed pictures of Debbie's Olive Cheese Balls and the Buffalo Chicken Wings... But I did get the PB&J Cupcakes

and the chips and dips

And no party is complete without festive beverages. Bill brought the 2022 Anchor Steam Christmas Ale

And I supplied a bottle of Irish Poitin

Needless to say, a good time was had by all!

Tonight, we head back over for a Christmas Day Feast - Phoebe is making Prime Rib for dinner.

It definitely does not suck to be me - and I'll deal with the weight-gaining next week.

Right now, I'm going back for seconds!

 


Panettone and Holiday Weight Gain

Ah... 'Tis the Season, indeed.

227.4, this morning. Christmas - the gift that keeps on giving! And giving...

It's really been a yo-yo two weeks. It started with Christmas Cookie Baking at my sister's house, going out to dinner, still not at the gym, too damned cold outside to do anything... And then getting candy in the mail from friends! 2 pounds of Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy from Atlantic City. A tin of Almond Roca.

While I've gained back a few pounds, I saw my Primary Care Dr on Monday for a 6-month follow-up, and I was actually down almost 25 pounds from my appointment in June. Not too shabby!

So... as any red-blooded foodaholic would do, I made a Panettone, today! It's a 2-day process. I started yesterday!

Panettone eluded me for years. It was one bread that was almost there - but not quite. Last year I finally nailed it. This year was even better!

I'm not entirely sure where I was going wrong, but time, perseverance, and pure luck have finally played out. Not to mention having a 95°F proofing setting in the oven!

Feathery light, soft, and delicate. Perfection in a 7" paper baking mold.

And just a few calories. The entire recipe is 5405 kcal - five thousand, four hundred, and five calories! 

I sliced 2 pieces for me and Victor - 1/8th each - 676 kcal. That's not leaving me much for dinner, tonight. But every feathery bite was worth it.

It is just so much better than the packaged panettone I have bought for years. And, while it does take a bit of time, the actual recipe is quite easy and straightforward.

Panettone

Fruit

  • 300gr mixed dried fruits (currants, raisins, cranberries, candied lemon and orange peel, dried cherries, or any combination)
  • 6 tablespoons brandy

Dough

  • 1 1/2 tbsp rapid-rise yeast
  • 5 ounces 98°F milk
  • 50gr (1/4 cup) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Fiori Di Sicilia extract
  • 500gr (4 cups) bread flour
  • 5gr salt
  • 5 large eggs
  • 255gr unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place dried fruits in bowl, add liquor, cover and keep at room temp overnight.

Mix sugar with barely warm milk. Add flavorings and yeast and set aside.

Mix flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.

Add the eggs a couple at a time. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to smooth out.

Cut the softened butter into 1 tbsp chunks and add the butter a piece at a time, mixing it in fully before adding more. Total mixing time will be about 10 minutes – maybe a bit more. It should be glossy and satiny. The dough will be sticky.

Butter a large bowl and scrape dough into it. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, strain the soaking fruit.

Place dough on a lightly floured counter and spread out into a rectangular shape.

Place half of the fruit onto half of the spread-out dough. Fold the dough over the fruit and fold over, again. Pat out, again, add the remaining fruit, fold several times and then form into a ball.

Butter a 7″ panettone mold or paper.

Add the dough ball, lightly cover, and allow to rise for about 3 hours – or until the dough is rising well above the rim.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 300° F and bake for an additional 45 to 55 minutes.

Cool completely before slicing.

It's worth it!


Panettone

I have finally made a panettone that looks and tastes like a panettone!

Panettone has eluded me for years. It is the ultimate sweet dough - light, feathery, and full of flavor. Most of my attempts were more like bricks than feathers, but after several attempts with several different recipes, I finally took the best of several and made my own.

One of the biggest changes was lowering the amount of fruit. Most recipes call for 2 or more cups of fruit for 3-4 cups of flour. It weighed the dough down too much. The other is doing an overnight rise in the refrigerator. Pull the dough out of the 'fridge and let it set on the counter for a couple of hours before adding the fruit and forming the loaf. And definitely make sure it rises above the rim of the form before baking.

Panettone

Fruit

  • 300gr mixed dried fruits (currants, raisins, cranberries, candied lemon and orange peel, dried cherries, or any combination)
  • 6 tablespoons brandy

Dough

  • 1 1/2 tbsp rapid-rise yeast
  • 5 ounces 98°F milk
  • 50gr (1/4 cup) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Fiori Di Sicilia extract
  • 500gr (4 cups) bread flour
  • 5gr salt
  • 5 large eggs
  • 255gr unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place dried fruits in bowl, add liquor, cover and keep at room temp overnight.

Mix sugar with barely warm milk. Add yeast and set aside.

Mix flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.

Add the eggs. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to smooth out.

Cut the softened butter into 1 tbsp chunks and add the butter a few pieces at a time, mixing it in fully before adding more. Total mixing time will be about 10 minutes - maybe a bit more. It should be glossy and satiny. It will be sticky.

Butter a large bowl and scrape dough into it. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, strain the soaking fruit.

Place dough on a lightly floured counter and spread out into a rectangular shape.

Place half of the fruit onto half of the spread-out dough. Fold the dough over the fruit and fold over, again. Pat out, again, add the remaining fruit, fold several times and then form into a ball.

Butter a 7" panettone mold or paper.

Add the dough ball, lightly cover, and allow to rise for about 3 hours - or until the dough is rising above the rim.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 300° F and bake for an additional 45 to 55 minutes.

Cool completely before slicing.

The Fiore Di Sicilia is a great flavor addition. If you can't locate it locally, you can buy it from Fante's in Philadelphia. I think it's worth it. Your millage may vary.


Kwachy's Cut-Out Cookies

Lori  Smith

We were trading recipes with friends and Kwachy gave us a couple of great ones.   She said  “I’ll trade you for the best cut-out cookie recipe ever. These are just as good without icing as with, which is rare for a sugar cookie. The brown sugar is the secret:”

She was right, of course!

  • 1 lb butter
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 1 c white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 5 1/2 c flour

Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs and water, add dry ingredients and refrigerate till ready to roll and cut

I frost with:

  • 1/3 c softened butter
  • 1 lb powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 c milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

I hate to make these all by myself, but they are required. I have cookie cutters for every holiday, so we get these in pumpkin shapes in the fall, Christmas shapes in December and hearts in February.  By spring we can’t waddle.


Cranberry Stilton Salad with Pumpkin Dressing

Ruth Pearson

This salad shows the genius of my dear friend, Ruth! After seeing a salad with Pumpkin Dressing at a local salad place, she created this, blending Fall flavors in a hip, contemporary way!

The dressing recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups and any leftovers (not that there’s likely to be any!) may be refrigerated.

For the Salad:

  • Baby Spinach (or a hearty mixed greens)
  • Cranberry Stilton Cheese, crumbled
  • Nut mix of your choice

For the Pumpkin Dressing:

  • 3/4 cup Grapeseed oil (or other light, neutral oil)
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Butter
  • Salt and Pepper to taste.

Crumble Cranberry Stilton cheese over baby spinach and mix.

Whisk dressing ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour over salad and mix well.

Top with nut mix and enjoy!


Lithuanian Krupnikas

This comes from an old TJ customer circa Christmas, 2001.

  • 2 cups water – cold
  • 1 lb sugar
  • 1/2 lb honey
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 10 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 4 tsp lemon juice
  • 4 tsp orange juice
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 1 liter grain alcohol

In pot: cold water, sugar, and honey – heat slowly until dissolved. Then add the next 5 ingredients (spices) and simmer with frequent stirring for 1 hour.

Remove from heat, add the boiling water.

Let cool to room temperature and add the alcohol.

Filter through cheese cloth (or coffee filter). Bottle, let stand a few days to settle and clear, then carefully pour into a clean bottle without disturbing the sediments.

Store in a cool place to age & mellow.

SKOL!


Hello 2021!

What a difference a year makes!

Here's the annual reprint of the annual history of New Years Eves...

If my mom ever cooked anything special for the new year, I really don’t remember it. The first time I recall hearing about good luck New Year’s foods was when I was in the Navy. Working with lots of guys from down south, Hoppin’ John entered my vocabulary. As I got older and moved around the country, more traditions arrived.

When I lived at Lake Tahoe, working for the Hyatt, I worked with a lot of Mexicans. They made tamales and brought them in for everyone to share. Somewhere, I remember King Cake – that was probably Boston. Black-eyed peas and cornbread followed me around the USofA, and landing in Pennsylvania, it became Pork and Sauerkraut. Victor would divorce me if I ever made pork and sauerkraut – so much for good luck.

After years in the restaurant and hotel business, the very last day I want to be out is New Years Eve. It’s even worse than Mother’s Day. I don’t know if you can even imagine the horror of delivering pizzas on such a night, or dealing with drunks throwing glasses in the general vicinity of a casino fireplace. We were still finding shards of glass for weeks after that one…

Other than a few small house parties, First Night in Boston was probably one of the the more fun of the New Year festivities I’ve experienced. Definitely the most unique. Outdoors in a cold, snowy Boston with performances ranging from classical to contemporary in a score or more different venues. And the crowds were relatively well-behaved.

We had bullets raining down on us when we lived in San Leandro – why people think it’s a good idea to shoot guns into the air boggles my mind. We flew across the country on New Year’s Eve 1999 to bring in the year 2000 with Victor’s family – on a near-empty flight in deserted airports - remember Y2K?!?. And, as 2003 turned into 2004, being locked out of Times Square after seeing The Producers with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick less than a half-block away was pretty aggravating. We ended up heading back to our hotel and had a champagne toast with the bartender, the Beverage Manager, and a couple from Norway as the clock struck twelve.

Normally, I eschew crowds – especially the throngs out on a New Year’s Eve – but I do think I’d like to ring in the new year in a European city, Rome, London, Paris, Florence, Barcelona… I dunno… Outdoors in a huge plaza, somewhere – and within walking distance of wherever we were staying. The biggest stipulation being within walking distance of where we would be staying. I wouldn’t want to have to deal with any sort of transportation. And I could definitely envision a moonlit walk through Paris at 3am

It’s nice to dream…

And while walking through Paris at 3am was not something we did, this year, we did have a fun time in Oregon, eating way too much food and playing National Park Monopoly! We called it a draw between Victor and Phoebe after more than three hours! It was fun!

 

Yes, we do know how to have a wild and crazy time!

We spent the evening with Phoebe and Nancy, and their daughter, Emily, sipping prosecco and eating hors d'oeuvres. A rough life, indeed!

Our hors d'oeuvre was Joey's Camembert Caramel Crunch - on brie instead of camembert! My friend Joey came up with this one when we worked at Trader Joe's many years ago. It was a perennial favorite and we would demo it every holiday season to huge sales and rave reviews. It is ridiculously simple and ridiculously good! I went with walnuts this time around... Delish!

Joey's Camembert Caramel Crunch

  • 1 wedge Camembert Cheese – or soft-ripened cheese of your choice
  • 1 jar Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce
  • 1 pkg Candied Pecans
  • 1/2 bag Golden Berry Blend

Place cheese on an attractive plate and bring to room temperature.

Heat caramel sauce, pecans, and golden berry blend and pour over cheese.

Serve as is or with baguette slices or your favorite cracker.

No need to heat or bake the cheese!

And just because, I made crackers to go along with it! The concept came from the New York Times...

They were okay. Not spectacular, just okay. I probably should have rolled them thinner.

Olive Oil Crackers

  • 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat or whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 3/4 cup unbleached flour (or use all whole-wheat flour)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup plus up to 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Sift together the flours and the salt. Combine the water, eggs and 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a measuring cup. Place the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and turn on the processor. Add the liquids with the machine running, and process until the dough comes together. The dough will be soft. If it seems wet, add another tablespoon of flour.

Remove from the food processor, and wrap in plastic. Let rest 15 minutes. Divide into two portions, and roll out each portion into thin sheets. Brush the top of the sheets with the remaining olive oil. Cut the dough into squares or rectangles, and transfer to the baking sheets.

Bake 15 minutes until lightly browned and crisp.

Phoebe and Nancy came up with the majority of the food... and I have no recipes for any of them...

a Hot Artichoke Dip...

Luscious and rich, and creamy-good...

BBQ Meatballs... Always good...

Pot Stickers...

and a really unique Pizza Monkey Bread!

Messy pull-apart goodness!

And, of course, the obligatory Bubbly in the form of a magnum of prosecco...

Games, food, bubbly, and great company! We were home by 10:45pm and sound asleep when the new year struck.

As New Years Eve's go, it was pretty damned good. Low key and fun with plenty of laughs, perfect food, and perfect company.

Now... to figure out how we can get everyone together for New Years in a foreign land... Vaccine's are coming... It could happen!

 


Wreath Cookies

Gina Lollobrigida's Wreath Cookies

Wreath Cookies

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup ap flour, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup pistachios, chopped fine
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam

Heat oven to 300°F.

Grease cookie sheets (or use parchment).

Beat butter until creamy. Beat in sugar, egg yolk, and almond and vanilla extracts.

Sift flour with salt and beat into creamed mixture.

Form into balls, using about 1 tsp of dough for each. Dip into slightly beaten egg white then roll lightly in nuts.

Arrange on cookie sheets. With fingertip, make a depression in the center of each. Bake 25 minutes.

Remove to wire rack. While still warm, fill centers with jam. Store tightly covered up to two weeks.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.


White Fruit Cake

S.G. Widdoes

  • 1 lb sugar (2 cups)
  • 1/2 lb butter
  • 1 lb flour (4 cups)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 lb seeded white raisins
  • 1 lb blanched almonds
  • 1/2 lb citron
  • 1/2 lb red cherries
  • 1 large coconut, grated
  • 1/2 lb crystalized pineapple
  • 1/2 lb crystallized orange peel
  • 1/2 lb crystallized lemon peel
  • 8 egg whites

Directions

  1. Cream butter. Add sugar gradually.
  2. Sift baking powder and salt with half of the flour. Add alternately with liquid.
  3. Add remaining flour to sliced or chopped fruits and nuts.
  4. Stir floured fruit into cake mix.
  5. Fold in beaten egg whites.
  6. Bake in loaf tins or round angel food pan lined with heavily oiled paper. (brown paper bag oiled and floured.)

Bake at 250°F for 2 1/2 hours.