Christmas Cake

A Better Christmas Cake

My trick for making a really good Christmas cake is to use high-quality dried fruit and simmer it in a mixture of alcohol that makes the flavours come together like a good cocktail; hold it together with just enough batter to turn it into a cake; bake it low and slow to keep it really moist and make small loaves that are great for sharing with family and other fruitcake lovers.  I use the small aluminum foil baking pans which makes sharing so easy.  This is my favorite!

Ingredients:
6 oz (175 g) pitted prunes

6 oz (175 g) dried apricots

4 oz (125 g) dried pineapple

4 oz (125 g) dried black Mission figs, hard stem ends removed

4 oz (125 g) dried cherries
4 oz (125 g) Thompson raisins
4 oz (125 g) golden raisins
¾ cup (175 mL) port
½ cup (125 mL) dark rum
½ cup (125 mL) brandy
½ tsp (2 mL) Angostura bitters
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches (8 cm) long
2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind
1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1¼ tsp (6 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground allspice
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (375 mL) demerara sugar, (raw sugar) packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

Use kitchen scissors to cut prunes, apricots, pineapple and figs into small pieces (smaller than ½ inch/1 cm). Put in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot along with cherries, raisins, port, rum, brandy, bitters, honey and cinnamon stick. Place pot over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until fruit mixture is plump and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in grated lemon rind. Scrape into a large glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for a few days, or ideally a week, stirring every few days. 

Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C). Grease 5 mini loaf pans, 5 x 2 x 2 inches (13 x 5 x 5 cm) approx., and fully line with parchment paper. 

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a small bowl and stir with a fork until uniform. 

Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating really well between additions and scraping down sides as needed to keep batter from separating. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined (batter will be on the thin side). Scrape in dried fruit mixture and any syrupy liquid and stir until just combined. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 2 hours 20 minutes or until cakes are deeply golden and a cake tester comes out with crumbs clinging to it. 

Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off parchment paper and let cool fully. Wrap cooled cakes well and keep in airtight containers until ready to eat or share. No aging necessary. 
Yield: 5 small fruitcakes

Another suggestion is Dresden Stollen, published Dec. 25, 2013.  A recipe from Big Sur Bakery.

Kolaczki (Polish Filled Cookies)

 

Kolaczki  (Polish Filled Cookies)

Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
For The Filling
3/4 cup dried apricots (or other dried fruit)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
Cream the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy
Stir in flour and salt.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350

Roll out the dough by first dusting the surface (mat or countertop) with granular sugar

Roll to 1/4 inch and cut into 2-inch squares. I used a fluted pastry cutter to get the zig-zap along the edge of the cookies.

Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each square
Fold over opposite corners and seal well

Bake for 15 minutes or until corners just begin to brown
Cool on a rack and dust with powdered sugar.

For the Filling:
Add apricots and water to a saucepan
Add 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice
Simmer until apricots are tender, about 15 minutes
Mash or puree with immersion blender

A Better Christmas Cake

                                                   

A Better Christmas Cake 

My trick for making a really good Christmas cake is to use high-quality dried fruit and simmer it in a mixture of alcohol that makes the flavours come together like a good cocktail; hold it together with just enough batter to turn it into a cake; bake it low and slow to keep it really moist and make small loaves that are great for sharing with family and other fruitcake lovers.

Ingredients:
6 oz (175 g) pitted prunes

6 oz (175 g) dried apricots

4 oz (125 g) dried pineapple

4 oz (125 g) dried black Mission figs, hard stem ends 

   removed

4 oz (125 g) dried cherries
4 oz (125 g) Thompson raisins
4 oz (125 g) golden raisins
¾ cup (175 mL) port
½ cup (125 mL) dark rum
½ cup (125 mL) brandy
½ tsp (2 mL) Angostura bitters
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches (8 cm) long
2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind
1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1¼ tsp (6 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground allspice
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (375 mL) demerara sugar, (raw sugar) packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

Use kitchen scissors to cut prunes, apricots, pineapple and figs into small pieces (smaller than ½ inch/1 cm). Put in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot along with cherries, raisins, port, rum, brandy, bitters, honey and cinnamon stick. Place pot over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until fruit mixture is plump and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in grated lemon rind. Scrape into a large glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for a few days, or ideally a week, stirring every few days. 

Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C). Grease 5 mini loaf pans, 5 x 2 x 2 inches (13 x 5 x 5 cm) approx., and fully line with parchment paper. 

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a small bowl and stir with a fork until uniform. 

Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating really well between additions and scraping down sides as needed to keep batter from separating. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined (batter will be on the thin side). Scrape in dried fruit mixture and any syrupy liquid and stir until just combined. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 2 hours 20 minutes or until cakes are deeply golden and a cake tester comes out with crumbs clinging to it. 

Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off parchment paper and let cool fully. Wrap cooled cakes well and keep in airtight containers until ready to eat or share. No aging necessary. 
Yield: 5 small fruitcakes

Persimmon Bread

A recipe by James Beard, on David Labovitz blog is something!  A decade ago, I did not know what a persimmon was, I almost mistook it for an exotic tomato. I was certainly missing something, it is one of my favorite fruits now.

Last week I got a lot of persimmon and if am not mistaken I think it is the Fuyu and unlike the Hachiya, it can be eaten when firm.  I wanted to bake a dessert with persimmon and after going back and forth with cake, pudding, bars and bread. 

 There was really nothing to think…I had all the ingredients, the outcome was amazing. we had it with coffee, we had it with mulled wine and we had it with maple syrup and crushed cloves. I did not change anything in the recipe. The amazing part of the recipe is that James Beard does not mention the exact amount of sugar for this recipe. David's suggestion, "Although I recommend using the higher amount of sugar, feel free to use whichever quantity you’d like…after all, you have permission from the granddaddy of all cooks, James Beard himself." I did not want to risk messing up with this recipe so I took exactly the same amount as David Lebovitz.

Using the higher amount of sugar will produce a moister and, of course, sweeter bread.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted melted butter
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup Cognac, bourbon or whiskey
2 cups persimmon puree
2 cups walnuts or pecan, chopped
2 cups raisin, apricots, dates or cranberries.

Directions:
Butter 2 loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess. 

Preheat oven to 350*F degrees.

Sift the first 5 dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins.

Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I halved the recipe and it worked well.

 

Fruit And Cheese Plates

Fruit And Cheese Plates

Use what you have on hand or purchase but with your imagination arrange a beautiful appetizer plate.

Fruit Cobbler

The biscuits for this cobbler are light and fluffy with the addition of yogurt--be sure to take a light touch when mixing the dough. My recipe is based on a cobbler biscuit from Cooks Illustrated. Use any fruit combination, such as peaches and tart cherries, to mix it up, as I suspect you'll be making this recipe often! Serve the cobbler with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or as we do: just as it is.

Ingredients:

For The Fruit:
3-4 pounds nectarines and apricots, about 12 cups
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

For The Biscuits:
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (1/4-inch or so)
2/3 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar, to top the biscuits 

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Thickly slice the nectarines and simply pull apart the apricots to halve them into a 13x9x2 or similar-sized oval baking dish.

Top the fruit with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and orange blossom water. Stir to coat the fruit completely and "melt" the sugars. Taste the fruit, and if you think it is still very tart, add a couple more tablespoons of either of the sugars. Stir in the 1/4 cup flour. 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

While the fruit cooks, make the biscuit topping. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine.

Add all of the cubed cold butter at once, then pulse in 1-second pulses until a dry crumb forms (about 10 1-second pulses). Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.  

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the yogurt. Use a light hand and keep at it until the dough comes together. This takes some doing but is worth it for a tender biscuit! The dough should look a little rough; don't over-mix or over-handle it.

When the fruit is bubbling and baked, remove from the oven and increase the heat to 425 degrees.

Lightly and roughly shape 10 flat-ish biscuits and space them evenly over the fruit, without letting them touch one another. 

Top each biscuit with a dusting of the remaining teaspoons of granulated sugar. 

Bake for 16 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden. Cool the cobbler for about 20 minutes before serving. To make ahead, rewarm the cobbler for 15 minutes or long as you need, in a low oven (250 degrees).

Apricot, Plum & Almond Tart

In-season apricots make a delicious curd, but here the crust, flavoured with toasty almonds, shares the spotlight. Choose very ripe apricots for the curd, and slightly firmer ones to decorate. The tart is best the day it’s made.

Ingredients:
CRUST

1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (175 mL) toasted, unsalted almonds
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¼ cup (60 mL) sugar
½ cup (125 mL) cold unsalted butter, 1 stick, cut into chunks
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water

APRICOT CURD
5 ripe medium-size apricots, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
6 egg yolks
½ cup (125 mL) sugar
Pinch salt
6 tbsp (90 mL) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 to 3 ripe apricots
4 to 5 ripe yellow plums
¼ cup (60 mL) apricot jam
2 tsp (10 mL) Grand Marnier, amaretto or water
1 tbsp (15 mL) sliced almonds
¾ cup (175 mL) whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. Combine flour, almonds, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse until almonds are finely chopped. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. Whisk egg yolk with water. With the motor running, add through feed tube. Tip dough (mixture will be crumbly) into a lightly buttered 8-inch (20-cm) round tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan. Prick all over with a fork and place in freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Line tart with parchment and fill with pie weights (or dried beans). Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove weights and parchment and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool completely.

5. To make curd, add apricots to a blender; purée. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Measure out ½ cup (125 mL). Reserve remainder for another purpose if you wish. Combine apricot purée with lemon juice, egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Using a flexible spatula, cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly and being sure to get into all the corners of the pot. Remove from heat, add butter, and whisk until glossy and combined. Scrape into tart shell and smooth; chill for at least 2 hours (or as long as overnight).

6. To finish, cut apricots and plums in halves and wedges; discard pits. Arrange decoratively over tart.

7. Combine apricot jam with desired liquid in a small pot over medium heat; whisk until liquefied. Brush over fruit; garnish with almond slices and chill 1 hour longer.

8. When ready to serve, beat cream and icing sugar with an electric mixer to medium peaks. Cut tart into 6 wedges and serve each with a dollop of sweetened cream.

Serves 6

Pistachio Crusted Salmon With Apricot Glaze

Pistachio Crusted Salmon Fillets

With Apricot Glaze

Ingredients:
Serves 4.
Glaze: 
8 dried apricots, quartered
3/4 cup canned apricot nectar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. Asian chili sauce (Sriracha) 
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. minced shallots
Salmon:
4 (5 to 6 oz.) salmon fillets, 1 inch thick
Sea salt and pepper to taste
3 T. grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided use 
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 T. chopped chives
1/2 cup toasted chopped pistachio nuts

*

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth—return to saucepan simmer to thicken, if desired, or simmer to warm through. (Keeps 3 weeks in refrigerator.)

2. For salmon, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season fish well with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick pan. Sear fish 1 minute per side and then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

2. Toss remaining 1 tablespoon oil with parsley, chives and pistachio nuts. Brush fish lightly with the Apricot Glaze. Spread pistachio mixture on the fish and bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve drizzled with more Apricot Glaze. 

Tahini-Date Granola Bars With Dried Apricots

Tahini-Date Granola Bars, 

with Dried Apricots

INGREDIENTS
2 cups pitted Medjool dates

½ cup honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup

½ cup tahini

3 tablespoons peanut butter

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 cups old-fashioned oats, toasted

1 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup desiccated (unsweetened) coconut flakes

1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Line a 13x9x2-inch pan with parchment paper, creating a sling by letting it hang over the long sides by a couple of inches. Process the dates to a paste in the food processor, or chop finely by hand (processing is best).

In a small saucepan, combine the honey, tahini, peanut butter, and salt. Warm over low heat until heated through and smooth, stirring occasionally. Add the date mixture and continue heating and stirring occasionally until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, and apricots. Pour the tahini-date mixture over top and stir to combine, which can take a couple of minutes.

Spread granola mixture in the prepared pan, using a piece of wax paper to press and flatten it evenly. Chill for about 15 minutes, then cut into bars. The bars will last fine at room temperature, in the open air, for a couple of weeks and remain soft and chewy. 

Poached Apricots In Spice White Tea And Honey

POACHED APRICOTS IN SPICE 

WHITE TEA AND HONEY

Ingredients:
8 ripe but firm apricots 
2 cups boiling water
4 pouches white tea
1/4 cup raw honey, melted
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 star anise
1 Ceylon cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split in half, seeds scraped
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 pinch ground cardamom
1 pinch ground white pepper
1 pinch Himalayan salt
1 pinch chili pepper flakes

*

Instructions:
Place the 4 bags of white tea in 2 cups of boiling water and let the tea seep for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the apricots in half, remove their pits and lay them cut side down in a saute pan, in a single layer.
 
Put the cinnamon stick, star anise, vanilla bean and seeds and fresh thyme over the apricots, then pour in the honey. 

When the tea is done seeping, remove the tea bags and mix in vinegar, cardamom, white pepper, salt and chili pepper flakes; pour that over the apricots.

Place the pan over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the apricots poach in the simmering tea for 3 to 5 minutes, until the fruits start to soften and their peel begins to come loose. 

Delicately remove the apricots to a plate with a slotted spoon. Take the cinnamon stick and star anise out of the pan and discard them.

Increase the heat under the pan to medium-high and let the tea mixture reduce to approximately 1/4 cup, or until it gets real thick and syrupy. 

Drizzle the syrup over the reserved apricots and serve.

                             

INSTRUCTIONS

Cardamom Poached Chocolate Dipped Apricots

Cardamom Poached Chocolate 

Dipped Apricots

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 cups granulated sugar

12 cardamom pods, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 pound dried apricots

4 oz. white chocolate

4 oz. milk chocolate

2 oz. chopped white pistachios

*

Directions:

Bring to a boil, water, granulated sugar, crushed cardamom pods, and ground cardamom, boil five minutes.  Lower heat and add apricots, simmer for 20 minutes until soft and infused with syrup.  Drain on a rack.

*    

Melt chocolate in two separate pots over low heat.  Divide apricots into three portions.  With a dipping fork or skewer, dip one-third into milk chocolate, one-third into white chocolate and one-third into pistachios leaving a little piece of apricot uncovered.