holiday baking [General]
2010 Dec 5
Are you canning tea??? Huh? Who gets that?
My wife started our Christmas baking tonight after packing up most of the Xmas package to mail to dd and saying she wanted to send some Xmas cookies to ds - this is the first year that neither will be coming home for Xmas =:0(
She mixed up doughs for an old fave, from my mom, called butterfingers (almost a variation on Mexican/Russian Wedding Cakes, and nothing to do with the chocolate bar), and also the dough for M.F.K. Fisher's Hottendots, a delicious chewy/crisp little ginger cookie the size of a dime/nickel/quarter, depending on the cook.
We'll be making other cookies like my mom's brown sugar shortbread, Zimt Stars (aka Zimsterne or Cinnamon Stars - gluten-free and dw's fave), chocolate hazelnut crescents, some Fudgy BonBons, and more, as well as bread - Christmas stollen with homemade almond paste filling - and some tortieres. The next 3 weeks will be a blurrrrrr!
PS - I love buckeyes, haven't made them in years mmm-mmmmmm
My wife started our Christmas baking tonight after packing up most of the Xmas package to mail to dd and saying she wanted to send some Xmas cookies to ds - this is the first year that neither will be coming home for Xmas =:0(
She mixed up doughs for an old fave, from my mom, called butterfingers (almost a variation on Mexican/Russian Wedding Cakes, and nothing to do with the chocolate bar), and also the dough for M.F.K. Fisher's Hottendots, a delicious chewy/crisp little ginger cookie the size of a dime/nickel/quarter, depending on the cook.
We'll be making other cookies like my mom's brown sugar shortbread, Zimt Stars (aka Zimsterne or Cinnamon Stars - gluten-free and dw's fave), chocolate hazelnut crescents, some Fudgy BonBons, and more, as well as bread - Christmas stollen with homemade almond paste filling - and some tortieres. The next 3 weeks will be a blurrrrrr!
PS - I love buckeyes, haven't made them in years mmm-mmmmmm
2010 Dec 5
not canning tea. when you make proper chai - boiling all the spices and chunks of fresh ginger, it makes a lot. i put it into mason jars to give to people who want it. it keeps in the fridge for a long time. you use it to then make chai tea - heating up a portion on the stove and adding honey and milk, or as a base to make chai lattes.
2010 Dec 5
I haven't started yet, but on the agenda:
rosemary shortbread
speculoos (spice cookies)
chocolate spice crackles (these were a hit last year)
spritz cookies with cardamom and pistachios
hopefully some sugar cookies to decorate with my little cousins
stollen
I candied a bunch of orange peel yesterday, for the stollen and maybe to dip in chocolate
some cakes too, I'm sure!
rosemary shortbread
speculoos (spice cookies)
chocolate spice crackles (these were a hit last year)
spritz cookies with cardamom and pistachios
hopefully some sugar cookies to decorate with my little cousins
stollen
I candied a bunch of orange peel yesterday, for the stollen and maybe to dip in chocolate
some cakes too, I'm sure!
2010 Dec 5
All that baking sounds really good!
I am not doing much "Christmas baking" as most of my family claims they do not eat pastries or baking.
And being 1 person here I can only eat so much.
But I will make some oatmeal and some chocolate chip cookies this week I think.
Will put some of the dough in the freezer to use later.
What kind of orange do you use for candied orange. Always wanted to make that and not sure exactly what to use.
I am not doing much "Christmas baking" as most of my family claims they do not eat pastries or baking.
And being 1 person here I can only eat so much.
But I will make some oatmeal and some chocolate chip cookies this week I think.
Will put some of the dough in the freezer to use later.
What kind of orange do you use for candied orange. Always wanted to make that and not sure exactly what to use.
2010 Dec 6
buckeyes are on my list too, HFF!
as of right now, i've made:
candy cane florentines
peanut butter bacon cookies
cream cheese chocolate chip cookies
almond crescents
i also made doughnuts this weekend for a hanukah party. i'm rounding up the recipes of my holiday baking on my blog (heartfulmouthful.wordpress.com)
as of right now, i've made:
candy cane florentines
peanut butter bacon cookies
cream cheese chocolate chip cookies
almond crescents
i also made doughnuts this weekend for a hanukah party. i'm rounding up the recipes of my holiday baking on my blog (heartfulmouthful.wordpress.com)
2010 Dec 6
i've added snickerdoodles (a request) and peppermint bark from the lcbo recipe. it makes a huge amount and is a great gift.
www.lcbo.com
lady - were your donuts deep fried or baked? i've read some baked donut recipes and i want to try them.
www.lcbo.com
lady - were your donuts deep fried or baked? i've read some baked donut recipes and i want to try them.
2010 Dec 6
PHYLLO PASTRY!!! I looove making things with phyllo.
Feta with spinach, sundried tomatoes and bacon;
or ground nuts with cocoa, ricotta and chocolate drizzle;
eggs, ham and farmers cheese...
what ever combo can think up, my family will eat those phyllo triangles. I think the fact that I brush them with bacon fat helps!
Feta with spinach, sundried tomatoes and bacon;
or ground nuts with cocoa, ricotta and chocolate drizzle;
eggs, ham and farmers cheese...
what ever combo can think up, my family will eat those phyllo triangles. I think the fact that I brush them with bacon fat helps!
2010 Dec 6
Prettytasty, I just used navel oranges, though I do like to buy organic for this. They are really easy, if time consuming, and so good.
Oh, and I forgot, but this year I'll be making lots of homemade oreos, since I've got a double batch of dough in the freezer. And candy: pralines or fudge. Rum balls too.
Oh, and I forgot, but this year I'll be making lots of homemade oreos, since I've got a double batch of dough in the freezer. And candy: pralines or fudge. Rum balls too.
2010 Dec 6
So far, I've made a Thunderbird cheeseball (divided into two medium-sized), Acadian Tourtieres and Scotch cakes with almond-flavoured butter icing. Still on the list: gingerbread "men" (mine always look like roadkill frogs!), decorated sugar cookies, spice cookies and chocolate fudge (to give away). Last minute, I'll make crab mousse.
2010 Dec 6
I traditionally bake alot of cookies for a cookie exchange at work and to give out as hostess gifts. Having said that I am taking this year off from baking - I just need the break.
Having said that I usually bake:
shortbread cookies
shortbread pinwheel cookies
chocolate drop cookies
regular drop cookies cut into festive shapes (Santa, Christmas tree, etc.) then dusted with sprinkles
Having said that I usually bake:
shortbread cookies
shortbread pinwheel cookies
chocolate drop cookies
regular drop cookies cut into festive shapes (Santa, Christmas tree, etc.) then dusted with sprinkles
2010 Dec 6
Saturday is my day...I'd love to try some new things, but my sons would never forgive me if I didn't make all of the usuals:
traditional shortbread
almond snowballs (basically russian teacakes)
chocolate dipped hazelnut fingers
black forest cookies
peppermint chocolate bark
cream cheese cookies
florentines
sugar cookies - decorated to the hilt
traditional shortbread
almond snowballs (basically russian teacakes)
chocolate dipped hazelnut fingers
black forest cookies
peppermint chocolate bark
cream cheese cookies
florentines
sugar cookies - decorated to the hilt
2010 Dec 6
We just got our first stand mixer so I have started making batches of cookies like there's no tomorrow.
As corny as it sounds, we're also planning to make a gingerbread house this year. We spent hours and hours making and decorating one about 5 years ago and always said we'd do it again at some future Christmas. Hopefully this is the year.
As corny as it sounds, we're also planning to make a gingerbread house this year. We spent hours and hours making and decorating one about 5 years ago and always said we'd do it again at some future Christmas. Hopefully this is the year.
2010 Dec 6
Caperbeachgal, about the "Scotch cakes with almond-flavoured butter icing" - I had a look online but there are a variety of forms "Scotch Cakes" take, from gingerbread pancakes to a brown sugar cookie similar to my Grandma's shortbread to layer cakes - just wondering what yours are and if you might care to post the recipe. I thought at first it might be an oatmeal tea cake but now I don't have a clue.
Also - adding to my baking list are the biscotti I'll be baking for visitors - lemon, cranberry and pistachio biscotti (nice red and green tones) and triple ginger biscotti
Also - adding to my baking list are the biscotti I'll be baking for visitors - lemon, cranberry and pistachio biscotti (nice red and green tones) and triple ginger biscotti
2010 Dec 6
everything sounds fantastic.
i saw a link for gift worthy baking on smitten, some good ideas. she also recommends buckeyes. my family has been making them since i was a little girl and no one knew what they were, now they seem famous. her recipe is a lot different than mine, i've never heard of using graham crumbs or cream cheese before. my recipe is basically just butter, peanut butter, icing sugar, dipped in chocolate.
here is the gift baking list:
smittenkitchen.com
another thing i make each year are indian spiced cashews. these are great to have out when people stop by (or to eat by the computer). cranberries are really great with them, so don't leave out if you want to make them.
food.chatelaine.com
i saw a link for gift worthy baking on smitten, some good ideas. she also recommends buckeyes. my family has been making them since i was a little girl and no one knew what they were, now they seem famous. her recipe is a lot different than mine, i've never heard of using graham crumbs or cream cheese before. my recipe is basically just butter, peanut butter, icing sugar, dipped in chocolate.
here is the gift baking list:
smittenkitchen.com
another thing i make each year are indian spiced cashews. these are great to have out when people stop by (or to eat by the computer). cranberries are really great with them, so don't leave out if you want to make them.
food.chatelaine.com
2010 Dec 7
On HFF's Smitten Kitchen link above, I've made the Fig & Walnut Biscotti and (many times) the Almond Biscotti. I highly recommend them both...and adding Frangelico or Grand Marnier works very nicely too.
They come together quickly, are easy, and the results ~ outstanding.
I usually stand admiring their beauty through the oven door as they're baking...wondering when the photographers are going to arrive. :)
Really perfect results on both and a great holiday cookie.
They come together quickly, are easy, and the results ~ outstanding.
I usually stand admiring their beauty through the oven door as they're baking...wondering when the photographers are going to arrive. :)
Really perfect results on both and a great holiday cookie.
2010 Dec 7
Andy, my Scotch Cake recipe came from my New Brunswick Grandmother and is a really old one. It's quite simple:
1/2 lb. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
There was no written method, but I use softened butter and cream the sugars into it and then add the flour. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick and cut with the smallest round cookie cutter (1 1/2"). Bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. When cooled, ice with a rich butter icing liberally flavoured with almond extract and press a piece of maraschino cherry into the top of each Scotch Cake.
My Grandmother always had a can of these on the kitchen counter for us when we went to visit her. I now have the same old red and white cookie tin that she used to keep them in.
1/2 lb. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
There was no written method, but I use softened butter and cream the sugars into it and then add the flour. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick and cut with the smallest round cookie cutter (1 1/2"). Bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. When cooled, ice with a rich butter icing liberally flavoured with almond extract and press a piece of maraschino cherry into the top of each Scotch Cake.
My Grandmother always had a can of these on the kitchen counter for us when we went to visit her. I now have the same old red and white cookie tin that she used to keep them in.
2010 Dec 7
Caperbeachgal - that is very interesting to see and also nice to see that it's from your grandmother and connects through time and memory - making them so special. Thanks for sharing!
My recipe for brown sugar shortbread from my grandmother has the the same proportions as yours except that it's all brown sugar with no white sugar - 1 lb butter (I use salted butter for this) plus 1 cup brown sugar plus 4 cups flour. I mix as you do, but the directions say "Soften butter and cream with sugar. Mix in flour, kneading until well mixed. Bake at 225 deg. F for 15 to 25 minutes." I roll them out about 1/4' to 3/8" and cut out in various shapes. My mother used to decorate with little slivers of green and red candied cherries, but we rarely do that. I've never iced them or had them iced. I don't know where my grandmother got the recipe (but her husband was of Scotish descent, from Cape Breton - wsa it his mother's???).
AMR, nice to see there are other big fans of homemade biscotti here! I love them too (munching on a cinnamon and orange one with Mexican chocolate and pepitas with my mid-morn cuppa joe).
My recipe for brown sugar shortbread from my grandmother has the the same proportions as yours except that it's all brown sugar with no white sugar - 1 lb butter (I use salted butter for this) plus 1 cup brown sugar plus 4 cups flour. I mix as you do, but the directions say "Soften butter and cream with sugar. Mix in flour, kneading until well mixed. Bake at 225 deg. F for 15 to 25 minutes." I roll them out about 1/4' to 3/8" and cut out in various shapes. My mother used to decorate with little slivers of green and red candied cherries, but we rarely do that. I've never iced them or had them iced. I don't know where my grandmother got the recipe (but her husband was of Scotish descent, from Cape Breton - wsa it his mother's???).
AMR, nice to see there are other big fans of homemade biscotti here! I love them too (munching on a cinnamon and orange one with Mexican chocolate and pepitas with my mid-morn cuppa joe).
2010 Dec 7
Andy, I use salted butter too and my sister now uses all brown sugar as you do. My Grandmother's father was also of Scottish descent from Cape Breton. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are delicious on their own but the addition of the almond icing and the cherries make them Christmasy and is the way my Grandmother always made them.
2010 Dec 7
the scotch cake recipe and andy's shortbread recipe are the same as my family's shortbread recipe too. my great grandmother's calls for all brown sugar, but it slowly morphed into brown & white sugars. we whip the butter until really soft before slowly adding the sugar and press the dough through a cookie press. the cookies really melt in your mouth. family background is also scottish, though they settled in fergus ontario when coming to canada (still lots of scots there).
my iced ginger shortbread recipe is from a scottish friend, it is similar but uses self rising flour and is done in a pan. the icing is boiled and poured on top of the hot shortbread.
my iced ginger shortbread recipe is from a scottish friend, it is similar but uses self rising flour and is done in a pan. the icing is boiled and poured on top of the hot shortbread.
2010 Dec 7
here is the recipe. last christmas i found them a bit salty, so this year i am going to use new self-raising flour to see if that makes a difference. i had not had an issue before, so i am thinking it was the flour.
iced ginger shortbread
base:
4 ozs unsalted butter
2 ozs sugar
8 ozs self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ginger
cream butter and sugar together. add flour and ginger (mix ginger into flour first) and mix well. press firmly into a parchment lined baking pan (small square). bake at 325 for 30 minutes
icing:
4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon of Lyle's golden syrup (key to success!)
while shortbread is cooking heat the above gently, stirring occasionally, until smooth. while both icing and shortbread are still warm, pour icing over shortbread. cut into squares when cool.
Notes:
- the dough for the base will be very floury, this is ok. it will correct itself when cooking.
- lyle's gold syrup might be with regular maple syrup, or corn syrup or in the baking aisle.
iced ginger shortbread
base:
4 ozs unsalted butter
2 ozs sugar
8 ozs self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ginger
cream butter and sugar together. add flour and ginger (mix ginger into flour first) and mix well. press firmly into a parchment lined baking pan (small square). bake at 325 for 30 minutes
icing:
4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon of Lyle's golden syrup (key to success!)
while shortbread is cooking heat the above gently, stirring occasionally, until smooth. while both icing and shortbread are still warm, pour icing over shortbread. cut into squares when cool.
Notes:
- the dough for the base will be very floury, this is ok. it will correct itself when cooking.
- lyle's gold syrup might be with regular maple syrup, or corn syrup or in the baking aisle.
2010 Dec 8
i had my first cookie casuality last night, my chocolate seized. i quickly googgled and found out adding more liquid would thin it back out, so i added cream and a tiny bit of oil. i got it back to a smooth, melted state, but then it was more like fudge or a thick frosting. i tried using it, but it was no use. is there a way to fix chocolate without having to turn it into fudge?
2010 Dec 8
Hipfunkyfun,
You can sometimes restore it by adding pure fat, such as oil or clarified butter. Otherwise you need to add lots of liquid, so maybe making it into a homemade fudge sauce for gifts would work? Chocolate seizes when a tiny bit of liquid gets in to the melted chocolate. You can prevent seizing by using a minimum of 1 tablespoon liquid per ounce of chocolate, as that's enough to prevent the crystallization. hope the rest of the cookies go more smoothly!
You can sometimes restore it by adding pure fat, such as oil or clarified butter. Otherwise you need to add lots of liquid, so maybe making it into a homemade fudge sauce for gifts would work? Chocolate seizes when a tiny bit of liquid gets in to the melted chocolate. You can prevent seizing by using a minimum of 1 tablespoon liquid per ounce of chocolate, as that's enough to prevent the crystallization. hope the rest of the cookies go more smoothly!
2010 Dec 8
Hipfunkyfun, sorry I can't help you with the seized chocolate but I just wanted to add that I, too, had my first casualty last night when I couldn't remove my mince tarts from the pan without a mess. My pastry was too short and even when they were fully cooled they were crumbling. They taste great though so will be for family only.
2010 Dec 10
Macaroons,
if you do not want to make any Golden Baguette sells them and they have a sign saying they are gluten free.
They also have coconut Mochi and green tea red bean paste mochi.
The mochi is also gluten free, but doubt it keeps more than 1 or 2 days.
The coconut macaroons come in 4 flavors, pumpkin, green tea (that one is good), chocolate, and plain coconut.
They cost .75 each and are the size of a golf ball.
For holiday baking doubt I will do tons more, hurt my arm this week and even regular cooking is hard.
Tried to reach for something in the cupboard and....pain...not fun :(
But if you want to cheat at baking Malak pastry they always have tons of small butter cookies that they sell by the weight.
I'd say usually they have 10+ kinds, they are a bit cheaper than swiss pastry too.
There is even a butter cookie filled with dates-those are very different!
if you do not want to make any Golden Baguette sells them and they have a sign saying they are gluten free.
They also have coconut Mochi and green tea red bean paste mochi.
The mochi is also gluten free, but doubt it keeps more than 1 or 2 days.
The coconut macaroons come in 4 flavors, pumpkin, green tea (that one is good), chocolate, and plain coconut.
They cost .75 each and are the size of a golf ball.
For holiday baking doubt I will do tons more, hurt my arm this week and even regular cooking is hard.
Tried to reach for something in the cupboard and....pain...not fun :(
But if you want to cheat at baking Malak pastry they always have tons of small butter cookies that they sell by the weight.
I'd say usually they have 10+ kinds, they are a bit cheaper than swiss pastry too.
There is even a butter cookie filled with dates-those are very different!
2010 Dec 10
A few years ago my husband met up with a friend who's roots are in Quebec. They made tourtiers and Bert has been hooked ever since.
He makes the meat pies and I make a different pie. Last year it was seafood, this year I made chicken and goat cheese.
We used the recipe from Ron Eade's terrific tourtiere 2005.
The meat pie had pork, beef, bison, venison some of my demi glace (a photo in another thread).
We weren't sure if we should cook then freeze or freeze then cook so we left one uncooked and we'll see. Any comments on that?
The picture here is the meat pie, I said Bert was a budding Maude Adams, and he felt it was primitive Thomson.
He makes the meat pies and I make a different pie. Last year it was seafood, this year I made chicken and goat cheese.
We used the recipe from Ron Eade's terrific tourtiere 2005.
The meat pie had pork, beef, bison, venison some of my demi glace (a photo in another thread).
We weren't sure if we should cook then freeze or freeze then cook so we left one uncooked and we'll see. Any comments on that?
The picture here is the meat pie, I said Bert was a budding Maude Adams, and he felt it was primitive Thomson.
2010 Dec 10
solstice I think it's best to freeze then bake - that's what we do for fruit and meat pies. It takes about double the time, or more, of a fresh pie, but results in a better crust imo. We do 425 deg F for 10 min them 375F until baked. I love your pie art! Yours is related to my wife's, who is also practical with her pie deco, where mine has more in common with Bert's; too funny!
2010 Dec 11
I know a few places that sell frozen chicken and tourtiere pies and they are not baked first.
Also just bought a strawberry pie and it was frozen and not baked.
So I'm sure freezing it is fine and baking later.
the pie crust would taste better if it was freshly baked comared to baked and then reheated I think.
Also just bought a strawberry pie and it was frozen and not baked.
So I'm sure freezing it is fine and baking later.
the pie crust would taste better if it was freshly baked comared to baked and then reheated I think.
2010 Dec 14
HFF,
Cocoa butter might work for seized chocolate, but what I do is add in an equal amount of whipping cream and melt it all to make ganache to use in something else. Then start again with new chocolate.
My sister and I are having a tourtiere party next week....we bake a bunch (some for us, and some extras for the Christmas dinner the Carleton tavern puts on every year).....while enjoying a little too much hot chocolate and Bailey's.
I'll also be doing ginger cookies, buche, choux paste and some scones for Christmas breakfast....maybe pumpkin, ginger and cranberry. And some kind of macaron, possibly tiramisu flavoured.
SOLSTICE, that pie concept should be patented! I love it!
Cocoa butter might work for seized chocolate, but what I do is add in an equal amount of whipping cream and melt it all to make ganache to use in something else. Then start again with new chocolate.
My sister and I are having a tourtiere party next week....we bake a bunch (some for us, and some extras for the Christmas dinner the Carleton tavern puts on every year).....while enjoying a little too much hot chocolate and Bailey's.
I'll also be doing ginger cookies, buche, choux paste and some scones for Christmas breakfast....maybe pumpkin, ginger and cranberry. And some kind of macaron, possibly tiramisu flavoured.
SOLSTICE, that pie concept should be patented! I love it!
2010 Dec 15
I took a gluten free baking class this year and the instructor was using a mixture of rice flour, chick pea flour, corn starch.
My mother also makes wheat free pie crusts from the Green Door recipe book, but she changed the recipe a bit and uses crushed nuts, sugar, butter, spelt? maybe.
I have had a berry pie made with this crust and it was good.
So maybe make your pies with a different crust, like nuts and grains, for savory I would maybe add parmesan and pepper and sesame seeds?
It should work- have not tried a savory grain crust, but in theory it would work.
As long as the filling is gluten free they could be eaten by anyone!
My mother also makes wheat free pie crusts from the Green Door recipe book, but she changed the recipe a bit and uses crushed nuts, sugar, butter, spelt? maybe.
I have had a berry pie made with this crust and it was good.
So maybe make your pies with a different crust, like nuts and grains, for savory I would maybe add parmesan and pepper and sesame seeds?
It should work- have not tried a savory grain crust, but in theory it would work.
As long as the filling is gluten free they could be eaten by anyone!
2010 Dec 15
I leave the holiday baking to my wife, because her traditional holiday baking is way better than my traditional baking.
My traditional baking? When I was growing up, the only traditional baking was "surprise snowballs": ball-shaped sugar cookies dusted with icing sugar with a jellybean pressed into the middle. They're kinda horrid, but I do like them. Just not enough to make them myself. And I'm certainly not going to justify their existence by finding a recipe.
Here's her traditional baking, with recipes copied-and-pasted from either the internet (for the first one) or from my mother-in-law with minor edits (for the last two). Now we can *all* be Goan for Christmas!
Neureos (prounounced "newros"?)
Deep-fried pastries filled with a paste made of sugar, grated coconut, ground cashews, raisins, and green cardamom.
For the dough:
1/2 kg flour
2 tablespoons ghee
a pinch of salt
For the filling:
1/2 kg. sugar
1/2 cup water
1 half ripe coconut grated fine (~1 3/4 cups)
100 g. cashew nuts, pounded with mortar and pestle
100 g. raisins
2 tablespoons ghee
seed from 6 green cardamom pods, ground
oil for frying
Mix flour, salt and ghee well, add just enough water to knead into a small dough. Set aside.
Heat sugar and water till a syrup is formed. Add the grated coconut, ghee and nuts. When the mixture has thickened, add raisins and cardamom powder. Stir continuously.
Remove from fire after the mixture dries. It will have the consistency of sticky oatmeal. Cool and keep aside. Depending on how long it cools, you may have to make it pliable again by adding a bit of warm water. Divide the dough into small balls (~2" diameter), roll out into thin rounds, put a spoonful of the coconut filling on each round, wet the edges, press down to form half-moon shapes. Use lots of flour on board and rolling pin. Do not roll dough too thin or the filling will tear it.
Deep fry in hot oil at 350 degrees for 2 mins, turning once.
Bebinca (pronounced "bibik")
A layered egg custard (flour, butter, and a zillion eggs) flavoured with nutmeg and coconut milk.
100 gms flour (seived)
4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg (some folks do 10 yolks)
150 gms sugar
250 ml coconut milk
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
Make a batter with with coconut milk, yolks sugar, flour. Stir till sugar is completely dissolved. Add nutmeg and salt and set aside for half an hour at least. Heat a little ghee in a pan and pour 1 cup of the batter. Put under the grill at 300F with the door open till it is brown on the top. (It takes me about 15 mins. per layer. The first layer I check every 5 mins till done then I set the next layer for the same amount of time). Add another spoonful of ghee and a cup of batter and bake again. Do this till all batter is used up. Classically bebinca has 9 layers. When the bebinca is all done and I have removed it from the pan, I then grill the bottom so all sides are browned.
Turn it upside down and cool before serving. (If you keep it in the fridge, warm to room temperature before serving.)
Baathk (my best approximation of the pronunciation is "baht-k")
I like to think of it as almost a coconut pound cake, flavoured with green cardamom and vanilla. It's normally just cut into squares and served like regular Christmas baking-type things, but we've also had it for breakfast, split, toasted, and buttered. It's divine.
250 gms semolina
250 gms sugar
500 gms freshly grated coconut
3 eggs
100 gms unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp green cardamom powder
50 ml water
Grind coconut fine with water. Mix ground coconut, semolina, eggs, sugar butter, vanilla essence, cardamom, and baking powder. Let sit for about 5 hours or overnight. Line a cake pan and butter the paper. Pour the semolina batter into it. Preheat oven to 200C or 400F and bake for about an hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Put off the the oven and start the broiler with the oven door open till the top is nicely browned. Remove and cool.
Dang I'm hungry.
My traditional baking? When I was growing up, the only traditional baking was "surprise snowballs": ball-shaped sugar cookies dusted with icing sugar with a jellybean pressed into the middle. They're kinda horrid, but I do like them. Just not enough to make them myself. And I'm certainly not going to justify their existence by finding a recipe.
Here's her traditional baking, with recipes copied-and-pasted from either the internet (for the first one) or from my mother-in-law with minor edits (for the last two). Now we can *all* be Goan for Christmas!
Neureos (prounounced "newros"?)
Deep-fried pastries filled with a paste made of sugar, grated coconut, ground cashews, raisins, and green cardamom.
For the dough:
1/2 kg flour
2 tablespoons ghee
a pinch of salt
For the filling:
1/2 kg. sugar
1/2 cup water
1 half ripe coconut grated fine (~1 3/4 cups)
100 g. cashew nuts, pounded with mortar and pestle
100 g. raisins
2 tablespoons ghee
seed from 6 green cardamom pods, ground
oil for frying
Mix flour, salt and ghee well, add just enough water to knead into a small dough. Set aside.
Heat sugar and water till a syrup is formed. Add the grated coconut, ghee and nuts. When the mixture has thickened, add raisins and cardamom powder. Stir continuously.
Remove from fire after the mixture dries. It will have the consistency of sticky oatmeal. Cool and keep aside. Depending on how long it cools, you may have to make it pliable again by adding a bit of warm water. Divide the dough into small balls (~2" diameter), roll out into thin rounds, put a spoonful of the coconut filling on each round, wet the edges, press down to form half-moon shapes. Use lots of flour on board and rolling pin. Do not roll dough too thin or the filling will tear it.
Deep fry in hot oil at 350 degrees for 2 mins, turning once.
Bebinca (pronounced "bibik")
A layered egg custard (flour, butter, and a zillion eggs) flavoured with nutmeg and coconut milk.
100 gms flour (seived)
4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg (some folks do 10 yolks)
150 gms sugar
250 ml coconut milk
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
Make a batter with with coconut milk, yolks sugar, flour. Stir till sugar is completely dissolved. Add nutmeg and salt and set aside for half an hour at least. Heat a little ghee in a pan and pour 1 cup of the batter. Put under the grill at 300F with the door open till it is brown on the top. (It takes me about 15 mins. per layer. The first layer I check every 5 mins till done then I set the next layer for the same amount of time). Add another spoonful of ghee and a cup of batter and bake again. Do this till all batter is used up. Classically bebinca has 9 layers. When the bebinca is all done and I have removed it from the pan, I then grill the bottom so all sides are browned.
Turn it upside down and cool before serving. (If you keep it in the fridge, warm to room temperature before serving.)
Baathk (my best approximation of the pronunciation is "baht-k")
I like to think of it as almost a coconut pound cake, flavoured with green cardamom and vanilla. It's normally just cut into squares and served like regular Christmas baking-type things, but we've also had it for breakfast, split, toasted, and buttered. It's divine.
250 gms semolina
250 gms sugar
500 gms freshly grated coconut
3 eggs
100 gms unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp green cardamom powder
50 ml water
Grind coconut fine with water. Mix ground coconut, semolina, eggs, sugar butter, vanilla essence, cardamom, and baking powder. Let sit for about 5 hours or overnight. Line a cake pan and butter the paper. Pour the semolina batter into it. Preheat oven to 200C or 400F and bake for about an hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Put off the the oven and start the broiler with the oven door open till the top is nicely browned. Remove and cool.
Dang I'm hungry.
2010 Dec 17
littlenicky - it just takes practice! i find baking is much harder than cooking meals. baking is all in the little details - flour to butter to sugar ratios. if you find a recipe that measures in weight and you have a scale, try it. on the other hand, you could also use your time to become a master of something else in the kitchen - what do you like to cook or eat?
2010 Dec 21
thanks for your comments regarding tourtiere. I do have a correction to make. the painter is Maud Lewis not Maude Adams.
Along the lines of Christmas baking, I just found a list I made last year of recipes I wanted to try for this year. For me Christmas baking is cold shortbread (because we would sneak them out of the cold cellar), butter tarts and spamoni. Unfortunatly for Bert I don't like mincemeat, which is Christmas baking for him. Last year he made his own.
Merry Christmas
Along the lines of Christmas baking, I just found a list I made last year of recipes I wanted to try for this year. For me Christmas baking is cold shortbread (because we would sneak them out of the cold cellar), butter tarts and spamoni. Unfortunatly for Bert I don't like mincemeat, which is Christmas baking for him. Last year he made his own.
Merry Christmas
2011 Jan 1
I bake year round and usually put some cookie dough or cake and muffins in the freezer- was away but make some really rich chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
last night made some cheddar and organic maple syrup bacon scones (the bacon was organic and sweetened w maple syrup-from a local producer).
scones did not taste like maple syrup (which is fine).
-used cheddar that I froze before going away and wish it was a strongr flavor.
Still the scones are tasty :)
last night made some cheddar and organic maple syrup bacon scones (the bacon was organic and sweetened w maple syrup-from a local producer).
scones did not taste like maple syrup (which is fine).
-used cheddar that I froze before going away and wish it was a strongr flavor.
Still the scones are tasty :)
hipfunkyfun
i am always looking for more and new ideas, so share away.