Torrone al Cioccolato

 

Chocolate Torrone.  How could it be bad?  And La Cucina Italiana Magazine comes through, again, with the perfect recipe.

I don't really remember the first time I had torrone.  I know I was young and I liked the inside, but I really didn't care for the rice paper coating.   It just seemed weird.

It was quite a few years later that I tried it again and a while later that I began to actually appreciate the rice paper.

La Cucina states: A traditional Italian candy, torrone ranges in texture from soft to firm. This one is soft with a good chew. Edible wafer paper, which is flavorless, adds textural contrast and helps keep bars of candy from sticking to one another.

This recipe is a bit time-consuming, but if you follow it exactly, you should end up with a damned fine candy!

Torrone al Cioccolato

  • 4 (8-x-11-inch) sheets edible wafer paper or rice paper
  • 2 cups hazelnuts
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup clover or other mild honey
  • 3 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Special equipment: candy thermometer

Instructions

Heat oven to 275º. Line the bottom of a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with rice paper.

Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet; bake until roasted and skins come off easily, about 25 minutes. Wrap nuts in a clean dishtowel; rub to remove loose skins.

Combine water and ¼ cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once sugar is dissolved, add chocolate and stir to melt; reduce heat to low to keep warm.

In a heavy medium saucepan, heat remaining 1 cup sugar and honey over medium-low heat until just beginning to bubble. Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash any sugar crystals down side of pot. Put candy thermometer into syrup and continue heating, stirring occasionally, until mixture registers 315º (upper end of hard crack stage).

When thermometer reaches 300°, place egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk; beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Remove syrup from heat and let stand until bubbles dissipate.

With mixer at low speed, slowly add syrup to egg whites in a thin stream down side of bowl; increase speed to high and beat until mixture doubles in size. Turn mixer off, let mixture settle, then return speed to high, beating until mixture begins to stick to whisk, about 5 minutes. Add chocolate and nuts; beat on medium speed to combine. Increase speed to high and mix until well combined, about 5 to 7 minutes more.

Spoon torrone mixture into prepared baking dish; spread to an even layer. Cover top with rice paper and refrigerate uncovered, until firm, about 8 hours.

Run a knife around edges of pan. Invert torrone onto a cutting board. Leaving wafer paper on, trim ends, and cut torrone into 1½-x-3-inch bars. Wrap each bar in parchment paper.


Nut Brittles

All of the years I screwed up candy-making seem to be behind me.  I think.

I have been having fabulous luck.  I'm almost afraid to say anything lest I jinx myself.

But I done good, today!

Candy-making is an unforgiving science - and I am not a scientist.  But having a really good recipe has gotten me on the right track.  And La Cucina Italiana Magazine came through with a couple of nut brittles that are really easy.

I followed the recipes exactly.

Almond Brittle

  • Peanut oil for greasing pan
  • 1 1/2  cups raw almonds
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

Heat oven to 350º with rack in middle.

FOR ALMOND BRITTLE: Lightly grease a baking sheet and a 12- x 14-inch sheet of parchment paper with oil.

Spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake, stirring nuts and rotating pan once halfway through, until fragrant and lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Gently whisk together mixture to ensure sugar is damp throughout, being careful not to get sugar on sides of pot. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, without stirring, until it turns a dark amber, 10 to 13 minutes - 320. Remove pot from heat, immediately stir in warm nuts, then transfer mixture to greased baking sheet and quickly spread with wooden spoon. Top with prepared parchment paper, oil-side down and, using a rolling pin, gently roll brittle to flatten. Remove parchment paper.

Let brittle cool slightly, then cut into small pieces. Let cool completely before serving.

And then there is the pistachio and pine nut brittle.

This one is a bit different.

Pistachio and Pine Nut Brittle

  • Peanut oil for greasing pan
  • 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
  • 1/2  cup plus 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

FOR PISTACHIO AND PINE NUT BRITTLE: Lightly grease a baking sheet and a 12- x 14-inch sheet of parchment paper with oil (baking sheet and parchment paper from Almond Brittle can be reused).

Heat oven to 350º with rack in middle.

Spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake, stirring nuts and rotating pan once halfway through, until fragrant and lightly golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Gently whisk together mixture to ensure sugar is damp throughout, being careful not to get sugar on sides of pot. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, without stirring, until it turns a dark amber, 10 to 13 minutes - 320. Remove pot from heat, immediately stir in warm nuts, then transfer mixture to greased baking sheet and quickly spread with wooden spoon. Top with prepared parchment paper, oil-side down and, using a rolling pin, gently roll brittle to flatten. Remove parchment paper.

Let brittle cool slightly, then cut into small pieces. Let cool completely before serving.


Christmas Cookies

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!  It's almost semi-miraculous since the cold-from-hell had made my sniffer almost worthless.  But Christmas Baking waits for no man, so Typhoid Timmy headed in to the kitchen with Victor to make a batch of Aunt Emma's Apricot Cookies.

This was supposed to be the weekend Gino and Elizabeth baked cookies with us, but they wisely chose to stay out of the quarantine area.  There will be more cookies and other years.

(And yes, the hands were washed often and no sneezing or coughing over the cookies occurred.)

Victor had made the apricot filling yesterday and made the dough this morning.  My job this year was to roll and cut.  It's the easy part.

The dough was perfect.  Very easy to roll and cut.

Victor did the filling and forming.  Definitely the more labor-intensive part of the job.  I know.  It's the job I usually do.  he had me roll this year.  I immediately agreed!

Aunt Emma's Apricot Cookies

Filling:

  • 1 pound dried apricots, chopped fine (soaked overnight – we soak in apricot brandy!)
  • 3 cups sugar
  • grated lemon rind (we use about a tablespoon – the amount was never specified)

Drain apricots. Place in saucepan with lemon rind, sugar, and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed.  Be really careful — it burns easily.  Cool.

Dough:

  • 2 pkg dry yeast
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 pound lard (Yes, lard. Shortening just doesn’t cut it.)
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 shot whiskey
  • Juice and rind from 1 lemon

Proof yeast with 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 cup warm water.  Cut lard into flour, as you would for a pie dough.  Make a well in the mixture and add all the other ingredients, including yeast.

Work dough with your hands and form into a ball.  (Don’t overwork.  Use a light hand.)  Refrigerate overnight.

Roll cold dough to about 1/8″ thick.  Aunt Emma would cut the dough into triangles, place a scant teaspoon of filling at the wide end, then roll up and shape into a crescent similar to a croissant. It takes a bit of practice. The easier way is to cut squares, fill, and fold over. Cut into 2″ squares or circles. Place scant teaspoon of filling, fold and seal. Shape into crescent.

Bake at 325° until golden brown on lightly greased sheets or ungreased parchment paper. (Investing in a box of parchment paper is the only way to fly!!)
Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.

And since we were low on bread, I baked a loaf of the no-knead bread from my Mom's cook book that I made last week.  It was really good and this one looks to be just as good - if not better!


Fruitcake

Christmas Fruit Cake

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

While we're not doing the mega-baking of years past, I do have to make a few things for the holidays - and fruitcake is really one of my favorites.

I know..  I know...  Fruitcake has a really bad rap.  Many moons ago I started making an Apricot and Macadamia Nut Fruitcake just to ease folks back into the mood.  The past couple of years I've abandoned all pretense and have gone for the real McCoy.

This year I made one fruitcake.  Just one.  And as soon as it is completely cooled it's going down into the basement until Christmas.

It's an easy cake to make - and well worth the cost of ingredients.

While there are often very traditional dried fruits used.  I chose what we had in the house already.  8 cups or so of dried and candied fruit and a hefty cup of nuts.

Mix 'em up.

Christmas Fruit Cake

  • 2 cups mixed diced glacéed fruits
  • 3 cups golden raisins
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
  • 3/4 cup rum
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped assorted nuts
  • 1/4 cup peach jam mixed with 1 tbsp rum

In a large bowl combine all of the fruits with the rum and let macerate overnight.

Line the bottom of a well-buttered 9 1/2-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper and butter the paper. Into a small bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the spices.

Cream together the butter and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in 4 of the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Drain the fruit mixture well and mix the juices into the batter.

Stir the flour mixture into the batter, one fourth at a time, stir in the fruit mixture, the almond meal, and the nuts, stirring until the mixture is just combined, and turn the batter out into the prepared pan.

Put 2 loaf pans, each filled with hot water, in a preheated 300°F. oven and put the springform pan between them. Bake the cake for 1 hour, brush the top with the remaining egg, beaten lightly, and bake the cake for 1 hour more. While the cake is baking, in a saucepan melt the peach jam with the remaining 1 tablespoon rum over moderate heat, bring the mixture to a boil, and strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids.

Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes.  Remove from pan. Brush the top of the cake with glaze.

The cake will keep, covered, for 6 months.


Springerle Cookies

I am one happy baker today!  Really happy!

The springerle cookies came out fantastic!  Better than fantastic!  They're really, really good!

For those not in the know (and that would have been me until a few weeks ago) a springerle cookie is a German cookie that is stamped with a design and then allowed to dry overnight.  This sets the design so it doesn't "melt" during baking.  They're baked at a low temperature until the bottom is barely browned.  The cookie itself stays pretty white.  They are also leavened with bakers ammonia - a leavening agent that only reacts with heat - not liquid.

I had never heard of them until our friend Luigi said she was making them.  I've made her Oma's stollen for the past few years and love it.

They take a bit of time, but really not a lot of effort.  The dough is velvety-smooth and easy to work.

Even a novice baker could make an acceptable cookie with this.  The trick - and it's one I am learning - is the pressing and cutting.  These cookies came out okay, but I can see where a couple of really good springerele molds would really make a lot of difference.

They really are works of art and while anything will taste good, the artistry is in the pressing and cutting.  I shall enjoy practicing!

I did not have a wood-carved traditional springerle mold.  I had three ceramic molds that did the trick this year, but I'm going to get a few real ones for next Christmas now that I know how wonderful the cookies are!

I made two shapes with the molds - round where I used a cookie cutter around the imprint and square where I just cut the dough sheet into blocks after pressing.

Both worked well, and while probably not exactly traditional, it does show that just about anyone cold make them at home without having to buy a lot of special equipment.

Luigi doesn't have her Oma's original recipe, but she said the recipe at House on the Hill was pretty close to what she used to make.  And they have a ton of springerele molds of every shape, size, and design.  Check them out!

This is Nini's Perfection Springerle Cookie Recipe from House on the Hill:

Nini's Perfection Springerle Cookie Recipe

These whisked-egg holiday cookies date back to at least the 1600′s and are made in Bavaria, Switzerland and the Alsace area of France. For eating quality, ease and quality of prints this recipe is just perfection!
What you’ll need:

  • 1/2 teaspoon baker’s ammonia (Hartshorn) or baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature
  • 6 cups powdered sugar (1 – 1 1/2 #)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of anise (if substituting fruit flavored oils, use 3 teaspoons)
  • 2 lb. box sifted cake flour (Swansdown or Softasilk)
  • grated rind of orange or lemon – optional (enhances flavor of the traditional anise or the citrus flavors)
  • more flour as needed

Dissolve hartshorn in milk and set aside. Beat eggs till thick and lemon-colored (10-20 minutes). Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, then the softened butter.
Add the hartshorn and milk, salt, preferred flavoring, and grated rind of lemon or orange, if desired. Gradually beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the remainder of the 2 lbs. of flour to make stiff dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead in enough flour to make a good print without sticking.
Follow general directions for imprinting and drying cookies.

Printing Cookies

Method #1 – For most cookies…
Dough will be rolled approximately 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick, like pie crust (deeper molds need thicker dough). Brush confectioner’s sugar or flour on the mold image, then imprint with your press (mold), cut out shape with knife or pastry wheel, dry and bake. Remember to “press and cut, press and cut” so that adjacent images are not distorted.

Method #2 – For very deep or large cookies…
Roll out dough to desired thickness and, using a dry, clean pastry brush, apply flour or sugar and cut a piece of dough the approximate size needed for the mold. Press dough into the mold with fingers, working from center outward. You may lightly roll the back side of the cookie to smooth before turning out of the mold. Trim, dry and bake. To check your print, use light from the side – daylight or light from a floor lamp – so the shadows let you see if your prints are good.

Drying

Most printed cookies are dried 2-24 hours before baking (depending on your schedule, humidity, etc.) Drying preserves the image during baking.

Baking

Bake on greased or baker’s parchment-lined cookie sheets at 255° to 325° till barely golden on the bottom, 10-15 minutes or more, depending on size of cookie.

Store in airtight containers or in zipper bags in the freezer. They keep for months, and improve with age. Yield 3 to 12 dozen.

The the drying and baking instructions are extremely vague.  In one respect they have to be, because there are so many different sizes and shapes of molds and cookies.  That didn't help this first-time springerle baker, however.

I preheated the oven to 255° and baked the smaller round cookies for about 22 minutes.  I baked the larger squares almost 30 minutes.

As with any baking, a bit of close watching definitely doesn't hurt.  Just keep a close eye and pull them when they're "barely golden on the bottom" and you'll have a perfect cookie!

I definitely want to thank the folks at House on the Hill for sharing their recipe!  I can see myself making these for many years to come!


Torrone

I did it!

My first real candy-making attempt in years.  I did it!

I have cooked and baked all my life, but candy-making has always juuuust slightly eluded me.

Candy-making is an unforgiving science - and I am not a scientist.    The old adage that cooking is an art and baking a science is definitely true.  But I've been baking long enough to know where I can change or substitute things and get my desired result.  Bread-baking is totally touch and feel.  Yes, the science is getting the right ratios of leavening, flour, and liquid, but it is the feel of the dough that lets you know when that balance has been achieved.

Not so with candy.

It is exacting step-by-step, exact temperatures, exact, exact, exact.  I am so not an exact person.

But I was today - and it came out great!

The only hassle I had was blanching the almonds.  And that wasn't difficult - just time-consuming.  There is a suburban conspiracy going on around me.  None of the local stores had whole blanched almonds.  So...  I blanched a pound of them, myself.  It's not difficult.  Pour boiling water over them, let them sit for 2 minutes, drain, rinse under cold water.  Drain, again, and slip off the skins.

There's a lot of almonds in a pound,.  It took me about 45 minutes to do them.

The recipe comes from La Cucina Italiana Magazine and it was extremely straightforward and easy to follow.  The candy did exactly what it said it was going to do in the recipe at every step.  It was great.  The one caveat is this is  a sticky, sticky candy.  And I do mean sticky.  I broke a heavy-duty spatula stirring in the nuts.  It was old, granted, but it was my favorite.  Oh well.

The only change I made was to use edible rice paper instead of cornstarch and parchment paper.  I laid out the rice paper on a sheet pan, spread the torrone on it, topped it with rice paper, rolled it to the desired thickness, and then cut it after it had cooled and set.

Sticky.

Torrone

Ingredients

  • Cornstarch for dusting
  • 3 cups whole blanched almonds
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup clover honey
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Finely grated zest of 1 large orange

Special equipment: parchment paper; a candy thermometer

Instructions

Heat oven to 350º.  Lightly dust a clean work surface with cornstarch. Line a 9- x 13- inch baking dish with parchment paper, letting excess paper hang over edges.

Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once halfway through, until fragrant and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack; let nuts cool completely.

Put egg whites and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk; set aside.

In a heavy 4-quart saucepan with candy thermometer attached, heat sugar and honey over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture begins to simmer and sugar is mostly dissolved, 12 to 14 minutes (mixture will be very thick, then begin to loosen and turn cloudy). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 280º degrees. Continue to cook mixture, stirring once or twice, until temperature reaches 315º. It will take the mixture about 15 minutes more to reach that temperature (the mixture will begin to foam and darken in color as temperature increases).

Meanwhile, beat egg whites on medium speed until firm peaks form. Add confectioners sugar and continue to beat until fully incorporated, about 1 minute more. Turn off mixer, leaving bowl in place.

When sugar mixture reaches 315º, remove from heat; stir until temperature reduces to 300º, 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully remove candy thermometer. With mixer on medium speed, slowly pour sugar mixture down the side of the bowl (egg mixture will double in volume, then decrease); continue to beat until mixture is cooled to warm and begins to lighten in color, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and zest; beat for 1 minute more, then, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, fold in nuts (mixture will be very sticky).

Turn out candy onto prepared work surface; dust hands with cornstarch. Knead for 5 to 6 turns, then transfer to prepared baking dish. Dust hands with more cornstarch, then press candy to flatten and fill pan. Put pan on wire rack and let candy cool completely, about 1 hour.

Using parchment paper overhang, lift out candy from pan; cut candy into pieces. Layer in a sealed container, between sheets of parchment paper and let stand overnight, with container sealed and at room temperature, to dry, at least 8 hours or overnight. Candy can be kept, layered between sheets of parchment paper, in a sealed container at room temperature, for up to 3 weeks.

The recipe makes about 2 1/2 pounds of candy.

There's a recipe for Chocolate Torrone that I'm going to try next...  I just have to watch myself.   I tend to get a bit cocky after a success like this and not pay attention the second time around.

I really need to pay attention!


Stollen

Oma's Christmas Stollen

OMG!  You should smell this house right now!  I have died and gone to Culinary Heaven!

I've said over and over that our baking has been the best, ever.  And I'm here to say it, again.  It's the best, ever!

I got the recipe from a friend several years ago and finally decided to make it last year.

The first stollen I made was horrible.  I totally and completely screwed it up.  Don't ask me how - I just did.   I actually threw it all away and re-did it.  It was really good the second time, but this year?!?  Perfection!  Absolute perfection.  Oma guided my hand.

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It started with the dough.  It felt right from the beginning.  Even though I'm a baker, there are a lot of things I've just never baked before, and Stollen was one of those things.

When you bake a lot, you learn how to touch and feel dough.  It speaks to you - you just need to learn how to listen with your hands.  Today it spoke and I listened.  It said "be patient".

It takes a lot longer to rise than the breads I'm used to making.  It also takes longer to knead.  Of course, the breads I'm used to making don't have a pound and a half of butter in them!  Patience.

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I cut the recipe in half because 4 loaves is more than I really need to have in the house.

Oma's Christmas Stollen

This recipe is huge and makes 8 loaves (it freezes well – in Germany, it’s traditional to consume the last Christmas stollen on Easter) so feel free to cut it in half. It isn’t overly sweet and heavy and nasty like traditional fruitcakes – it’s more like a sweet bread, and the butter in the recipe makes it very flaky.

  • 6 pounds flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 7 oz fresh yeast (about 80 gr dry)
  • 1 lb golden raisins
  • 1 t almond extract
  • 3 t salt
  • 3 lb butter
  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 1 lb dark raisins
  • 1 lb blanched almonds, ground finely (but not overly fine – you get it)
  • 1/2 lb citron, chopped finely (as above) and floured

In a saucepan, heat the milk. Remove from heat and add butter, sugar and salt. When just warm, add yeast. Put into large mixing bowl and begin to add flour, about five pounds, mixing well after each addition. Stir in raisins, citron and almonds. Add almond extract. Mix well and knead on floured board (dough will be a little sticky – you’ll use probably half a pound of flour doing this, which accounts for the six pound total) until it’s very smooth and elastic (about 20 minutes). Put into a covered bowl and let it rise until doubled. Divide dough into 8 parts and flatten each piece into a circle and fold over *almost* in half – the bottom diameter will be larger than the top. Let rise again until doubled and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. When cool, dust heavily with powdered sugar.

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The house really isn't all that warm this time of year, either.  I let them rise for several hours, formed the loaves, and let them rise, again, for several hours.

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They look beautiful, they smell beautiful, and I know they're going to taste beautiful.

This is our year.  No question about it.

And I think I finally figured out why...  It's because we decided we weren't going to go crazy and bake a bazillion cookies like we do every year.

Just by cutting back and coming up with fewer batches of everything, the stress went away.  Once we decided it just didn't matter, it all fell into place.

There's a few things still planned for the next few days and the weekend.  And when we get to them, we get to them.

'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

And we are.


Aunt Dolores' Rum Balls

These are some of my earliest Christmas memories…  Aunt Dolores made these every year, and we’ve taken over the tradition. I think she added a *bit* more rum in them than the recipe calls. They’re great made with Meyer’s Rum or Jack Daniel’s.

You can also use different cookies other than vanilla wafers.  We’ve used ginger snaps, chocolate cookies, graham crackers… It’s pretty limitless, and each one creates its own special flavor!

We’ve also taken to chocolate dipping them!

Another secret is to process the nuts almost to a nut butter consistency. They come out like a rum truffle – and are just too good!!!

  • 1 cup ground vanilla wafers
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 cup chopped nuts – pecans or walnuts
  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 1/2 tbsp white corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup rum or bourbon

Mix all ingredients. Mix syrup with bourbon.  Mix with fork. Roll into ball – then roll in powdered sugar. Store in tight container. Put wax paper in between layers.

 

 


In Your Easter Bonnet

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Let's see...  I think there were 19 of us today.  We even got everyone around the same table.  We're good.  It was an interesting mix of extended families.  A lot of fun.

Getting everything ready this  morning was fun.  We have a fair amount of furniture rearranging to do in order to set up a table for 20 people.  It's utterly amazing what one can find lurking behind things that don't often get moved.  And then I looked up and saw the fan.  How that fan could have gotten so filthy overnight is beyond me.  I mean...  I'm in that room every single day and I know it couldn't have been that dirty yesterday!  Amazing.

And then we had two matching tablecloths that were too short for the table.  We worked around it and no one was the wiser.  When you're good, you're good... :)

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And we ate.  And ate.  And ate some more.  We sat down at 3pm and finally got up at 5:45pm.

The menu:

Appetizers

  • Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce
  • Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie
  • Salami
  • Pepperoni
  • Stuffed Hot Peppers
  • Mozzarella and Prosciutto
  • Baguettes

Dinner

  • Baked Ham with a Pomegranate Mustard Glaze
  • Grilled Rack of Lamb Chops
  • Baked Perline Pasta
  • Chunked Scalloped Potatoes
  • Maple Glazed Carrots
  • Pineapple Bread Dressing
  • Portuguese Easter Bread (made into rolls) with Irish Butter

Dessert

  • Strawberry Cheesecake
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake
  • Carrot cake
  • Cannoli
  • Asst Homemade Candies

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The desserts really rocked.  The cheesecake was definitely one of my better ones!

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There was such a variety.  Leah made the Carrot Cake.

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The flourless chocolate cake was almost too rich after so much food. We definitely overindulged, but everything was just so good, it was hard to stop.

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Joann made the cannoli.  Both traditional fruit-filled and chocolate chips.  She even makes her own cannoli shells.  She also brought the homemade candies.

It's 8:30pm right now.  The dishes are done, the furniture is all moved abck to where it belongs, and everything is back in its place.

I'm ready for bed.


Covered in Chocolate

 

The weather outside is frightful.  Okay.  Just cold - which to this thin-blooded San Franciscan - is not as enjoyable as a warm ocean breeze.  Oh well.  It gives me an excuse to stay indoors and finish the cookies.

Today is adding the finishing touches...  the chocolate-dipping.  It's the most tedious and the most fun at the same time.  I love making everything look fun and festive - and dipping peppermint patties one-by-one is fun for the first tray.  By tray three I'm always swearing I'm not making them next year.  Of course, I do, because I really like to eat them...

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Today's cookies started with dark chocolate dipped macadamia nut orange biscotti, milk chocolate dipped walnut butter cookies, dark chocolate covered peppermint patties, and white chocolate dipped lemon coconut cookies.

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I have one more cookie to bake, and then we can start making the trays to give away.....

Ho Ho Ho! :)


Aunt Dolores' Rum Balls

 

I FINALLY got the Rum Balls made! These are by far the best Rum Balls this side of heaven! While Auntie's original recipe called for rolling in powdered sugar, a few years ago, we started dipping them in chocolate to create a rum ball truffle. They are worth every calorie and/or DUI you may get!

This is her original recipe. Even though I have it memorized, I bring it out every time I make them and ask her for help in making sure they come out right. She hasn't failed me, yet! I use Meyers Rum.

Thanks, Auntie!!


Another Successful Dinner!

 

It's over. Everyone has gone home. The house is quiet, again. The clean-up is complete. And the memories linger on...

It's become tradition that we host Thanksgiving Dinner. A tradition we help foster by saying "We'll do Thanksgiving next year" while everyone is still trying to digest dessert. As I said before, it's my favorite holiday.

This year was even more special because Little Gram joined us (She will be 103 in 2 weeks and is still sharp as a tack!) as well as Debbie and Stephen, down from New York. And Joann and Walter, Pauline and Bob, Steve and Marie with Leah and Nick, Joanna and Tom with Gino and Elizabeth, Nonna, and Victor and me. 18 folks around the very crowded and overly-laden table. What fun!

We started with the appetizers... Little Gram's Eggplant Appetizer, and her Arangini... and Fried Wontons stuffed with Gorgonzola, Ham, and Green Onions with a spicy peach dipping sauce, Linda's Chicken Liver Pate with Cognac served with Pumpernickel toasts spread with Tarragon Butter, Bruschetta with Garlic and Eggplant , Bruschetta with Sweet Kalamata, Baked Brie with Raspberries and Apricots, 5 more cheeses with assorted crackers, 3 different olives, bracciola, roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, and Purple, Orange, and Green Cauliflower florettes with a cheese-style yogurt with sundried tomato dip. That was just the beginning!

A side note on Little Gram's recipes. She's 103. She critiqued them! She thought the Eggplant was great, but "In the summer you should add some fresh mint or basil on top. You can't get good fresh herbs this time of year." She also wanted to make sure we fried the eggplant every time we made it. "Some people bake it or even boil it, but if you want it to taste right, you have to fry it."

And to Victor, she marveled at the Arangini. She said she had stopped making them years ago, because they always tasted a bit bland to her. Victor admitted he futzed with the recipe a bit, adding some Italian herbs and a few red pepper flakes. She loved them, and even asked if she could take one home with her! Did I mention she's 103?!?

And then there was dinner. The requisite turkey, stuffed with a whole wheat, cranberry walnut stuffing. The main stuffing was Victor's mom's traditional chicken liver stuffing that Marie and Nonna brought. Marie also brought 2 types of sweet potatoes;  marshmallows on top of one, and the second a casserole with brown sugar and pecans. YUM! Three types of homemade cranberry sauce (Apple Cranberry, 4-Cranberry, and Cranberry, Blueberry, Gooseberry) and 1 can of jellied Ocean Spray in my Mom's cut glass dish.

Homemade Pumpkin Rolls with Cranberry Butter, Green Beans with Lemon Balsamic vinegar, waffle-cut Tri-Colored Carrots with Honey and Dill... and Cranberry Stilton Salad with Pumpkin Dressing.  And a vat of Gravy. (I like LOTS of gravy!!)

Tom brought his Award-Winning Homemade Wines (along with a couple he said were just for cooking - his "just for cooking" wines are better than most you can buy at the State Store!) and there were Apple-Tini's for the ladies...

The pot of Ultra Dark Sumatra coffee was perking away as we set up the table.  Leah wanted Victor to make the November Bon Appetit  Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Bourbon Sauce. It was great! Joann brought an apple pie, Debbie made a Chocolate Polenta Cake with Raspberry Cranberry Coulis AND Chocolate Chip Cookies. Nick made Pumpkin Pie, Leah made a Pecan Pie AND Ginger Snap Cookies. Joanna brought a huge Fruit Compote, and I made a Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap crust and a Pumpkin Creme Fraiche topping, and I brought up one of the Apricot Macadamia Nut Fruitcakes I make every year. It was gastronomic heaven on earth!

The turkey carcass is simmering away on the stove right now. Tomorrow we start decorating for Christmas and there will be Homemade Turkey Soup for dinner. Some of that vat of gravy will be going into it, as well as some of the other leftovers - just as my mother used to do. It's slightly different every year, yet comfortably the same.

And so ends another great Thanksgiving Feast!

Thanks to everyone for being here, thanks for all the fantastic foods you brought, and see ya all again next year!

Tradition is good!