German Stollen. (Christstollen)

 

German Stollen

This Authentic German Stollen (Christstollen) is a holiday favorite filled with rum-soaked fruits, almonds, and a touch of marzipan, all wrapped in a buttery, slightly sweet dough. It’s perfect for gifting or enjoying as a Christmas treat.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/4 cup candied orange peel
1/4 cup candied lemon peel
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground mace
4 oz marzipan (optional)
Additional butter and powdered sugar for topping
Directions:

Soak the Fruits: In a small bowl, combine the raisins, currants, and candied peel. Pour the rum over the mixture, stir, and soak for at least 1 hour, or overnight if possible.

Prepare the Dough: Warm the milk and dissolve a pinch of sugar in it. Add yeast and let it activate. Combine flour, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and spices. Knead until smooth.

Add Fruits and First Rise: Add the soaked fruits and almonds. Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled.

Shape the Stollen: Flatten dough, place marzipan in the center, fold, and shape. Let rise again for 30-45 minutes.

Bake and Butter Topping: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40-50 minutes. Brush with melted butter and dust with powdered sugar.

Figgy Pudding

Figgy Pudding. NY Times

Also known as plum pudding or Christmas pudding, figgy pudding is a traditional British dessert served on Christmas. (“Pudding” in the United Kingdom is what “dessert” is called elsewhere.) Many families boast their own recipes, but in general, this rich cake-like dessert is made with a mix of dried fruits soaked in liquor, warm spices, fresh breadcrumbs, nuts and sometimes candied citrus. Beef suet, which is available online, is the traditional fat used, but it can be substituted with butter.  Figgy pudding preparations often begin the Sunday before Advent, on Stir-up Sunday, when family members take turns stirring the pudding. Figgy pudding requires planning, so start shopping for ingredients at least one month before Christmas. After the initial steam, the pudding rests at least 3 weeks for the flavors to meld. The pudding can also be made months in advance, stored in the freezer and reheated before serving. The final presentation of drizzling it with liquor and setting it on fire is worthy of a grand holiday celebration.

9 hours cooking  3 weeks resting. 10 servings

Ingredients:

For The Pudding
1cup/150 grams dried currants, (see Tip 1)
1cup/150 grams raisins
1cup golden raisins or sultanas

3/4 cup brandy plus more for serving

5 ounces/150 grams packaged, not fresh, beef suet, or
    ¾ cup/172 grams unsalted butter
120 grams fresh white bread (3 to 4 slices)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature

1cup/150 grams packed dark brown sugar
½cup/70 grams all-purpose flour
½teaspoon baking powder
1teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see Tip 3)
½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1medium tart apple, preferably Granny Smith
2 large eggs
1tablespoon black treacle or molasses, to taste (optional)
½teaspoon lemon zest
⅓cup/50 grams blanched slivered almonds
Unsalted butter, for greasing
Hard sauce, ice cream, fresh heavy cream or English custard, for serving (optional)

For The Hard Sauce

8 tablespoons/115 grams unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¾ cup/93 grams confectioners’ sugar, plus more to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons brandy, to taste.

Directions:

Set aside a 2 liter pudding or a heat-proof bowl as well as a lidded pot of similar size.


Place the currants and both types of raisins in a medium bowl. Add the brandy, mix, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to soak overnight. Place the suet or butter in the freezer to make grating easier later.


The following day, cube the bread, including the crust, transfer it to a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. (Alternatively, you can shred the bread by hand.

Transfer the bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice and salt; mix, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar. Peel the apple, then grate it and the suet (or butter) on the large hole of a box grater over the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, black treacle and lemon zest. Mix well with a wooden spoon; the mixture will be thick. Stir in the almonds and the brandy-soaked currants and raisins, along with any of the liquid.

At this point, the pudding can be steamed; or covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week for the flavors to deepen, and then steamed. To steam: Generously butter the pudding mold and transfer the mixture to it, filling the mold only ¾ of the way (the pudding will expand as it cooks). Pack down the mixture and smooth the top.   

Cut a round piece of parchment that will fit on top of the pudding mixture; butter one side and place it, buttered-side-down, on top. Cover the top of the mold with another piece of parchment that has a little overhang. Secure the parchment tightly to the rim of the mold with a rubber band or string, then trim the overhang. (Two sets of hands make this job easier.) Repeat with another piece of parchment paper. (This is important to do even if your mold comes with a lid. If a lid is included, place it over the parchment and cover the top of the lid tightly with foil. If you don’t have a lid, cover the parchment with 2 pieces of foil. You want to ensure you have a water-tight seal on the mold as it steams.)

Place the steamer basket in the pot. (If not using a steamer basket, place an inverted heat-proof plate or trivet, a folded cotton kitchen towel, or a couple of layers of aluminum foil on the bottom of the pot. Anything heat-proof that the pudding mold can safely sit on to prevent direct contact with the heat source will work.) Fill the pot ¼ of the way with water and bring to boil. Bring a separate kettle or small pot of water to boil. Carefully lower the pudding mold into the steamer basket, or rest it on top of whatever is in the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching. The water should come halfway up the sides of the mold. If it doesn’t, slowly add more boiling water from the kettle along the sides of the pot. Cover the pot, adjust the heat to medium-low or low —the water should be at a constant gentle simmer, but not boiling — and steam the pudding for 6 hours.

Check the pudding every 30 minutes to make sure the water is always at the halfway mark, adding more boiling water as needed. After 6 hours, carefully remove the mold from the pot and cool to room temperature. Store the pudding, covered in its mold, in the fridge for at least 3 weeks and up to 6 weeks, or in the freezer for up to one year (see Storage Tips).

Prepare the hard sauce, if using: Two days and up to 1 week before serving, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use a hand-held beater and a mixing bowl.) Beat on medium until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium just until smooth. Taste and add more sugar, if desired. Add the brandy, to taste, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix by hand with a spatula until combined. Transfer to a serving dish, smooth the top, cover and refrigerate until hard.

About 2 hours before serving the pudding, reheat the pudding by steaming as directed in Step 7, this time for 1 hour. Remove the mold from the pot and peel off all the coverings, being mindful of the steam. Place a serving dish over the mold and invert the pudding. Don’t remove the mold right away. Give it a little time and a jiggle to help release the pudding.
                                                                                                          Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of brandy in a heat-proof ladle. Hold the ladle over the pudding and carefully light it. As soon as the brandy catches fire, pour it over the pudding. The pudding will light up in a blue haze; it will extinguish quickly on its own.                                                                                                                                                                       Slice the pudding and serve it warm with hard sauce, ice cream, or drizzled with heavy cream or custard. The pudding will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, wrapped well in parchment and again in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.                                                           TIPS                                                                                       Feel free to substitute a variety of dried fruits for the currants and raisins, such as diced figs, apricots or cherries.                                                                                                                                                       Beef suet, a fat used in many British recipes, is traditional here. It comes packaged in a hard block or pellets. Fresh suet has a strong, meatier odor and taste, so it is not recommended here.                                                                                                                      Traditionally, an English spice mix is used that includes many of the spices used in American pumpkin spice mix, as well as ground coriander and mace. If you like, you can add a tiny pinch of those to the pumpkin spice.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             If you’d like to remove the steamed pudding from the mold before storing it, wrap it very tightly with plastic wrap, then in foil. Before reheating, unwrap the pudding and transfer it back to the mold.

Step 1

Set aside a 2-liter pudding mold or similarly sized heat-proof bowl, as well as a lidded pot or steamer large enough to hold the mold. (A tall pot, like a stock pot or a pasta pot with a steamer basket, works well.)
Step 2


Place the currants and both types of raisins in a medium bowl. Add the brandy, mix, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to soak overnight. Place the suet or butter in the freezer to make grating easier in Step 4.
Step 3


The following day, cube the bread, including the crust, transfer it to a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. (Alternatively, you can shred the bread by hand.)

Step 4


Transfer the bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice and salt; mix, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar. Peel the apple, then grate it and the suet (or butter) on the large hole of a box grater over the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, black treacle and lemon zest. Mix well with a wooden spoon; the mixture will be thick. Stir in the almonds and the brandy-soaked currants and raisins, along with any of the liquid.


Step 5


At this point, the pudding can be steamed; or covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week for the flavors to deepen, and then steamed. To steam: Generously butter the pudding mold and transfer the mixture to it, filling the mold only ¾ of the way (the pudding will expand as it cooks). Pack down the mixture and smooth the top.
Step 6


Cut a round piece of parchment that will fit on top of the pudding mixture; butter one side and place it, buttered-side-down, on top. Cover the top of the mold with another piece of parchment that has a little overhang. Secure the parchment tightly to the rim of the mold with a rubber band or string, then trim the overhang. (Two sets of hands make this job easier.) Repeat with another piece of parchment paper. (This is important to do even if your mold comes with a lid. If a lid is included, place it over the parchment and cover the top of the lid tightly with foil. If you don’t have a lid, cover the parchment with 2 pieces of foil. You want to ensure you have a water-tight seal on the mold as it steams.)
Step 7


Place the steamer basket in the pot. (If not using a steamer basket, place an inverted heat-proof plate or trivet, a folded cotton kitchen towel, or a couple of layers of aluminum foil on the bottom of the pot. Anything heat-proof that the pudding mold can safely sit on to prevent direct contact with the heat source will work.) Fill the pot ¼ of the way with water and bring to boil. Bring a separate kettle or small pot of water to boil. Carefully lower the pudding mold into the steamer basket, or rest it on top of whatever is in the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching. The water should come halfway up the sides of the mold. If it doesn’t, slowly add more boiling water from the kettle along the sides of the pot. Cover the pot, adjust the heat to medium-low or low —the water should be at a constant gentle simmer, but not boiling — and steam the pudding for 6 hours.
Step 8


Check the pudding every 30 minutes to make sure the water is always at the halfway mark, adding more boiling water as needed. After 6 hours, carefully remove the mold from the pot and cool to room temperature. Store the pudding, covered in its mold, in the fridge for at least 3 weeks and up to 6 weeks, or in the freezer for up to one year (see St

1. orage 

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Tips).Step 9

2. Prepare the hard sauce, if using: Two days and up to 1 week before serving, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use a hand-held beater and a mixing bowl.) Beat on medium until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium just until smooth. Taste and add more sugar, if desired. Add the brandy, to taste, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix by hand with a spatula until combined. Transfer to a serving dish, smooth the top, cover and refrigerate until hard.

3. Step 10

   About 2 hours before serving the pudding, reheat the pudding by steaming as directed in Step 7, this time for 1 hour. Remove the mold from the pot and peel off all the coverings, being mindful of the steam. Place a serving dish over the mold and invert the pudding. Don’t remove the mold right away. Give it a little time and a jiggle to help release the pudding.

4. Step 11

   Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of brandy in a heat-proof ladle. Hold the ladle over the pudding and carefully light it. As soon as the brandy catches fire, pour it over the pudding. The pudding will light up in a blue haze; it will extinguish quickly on its own.

5. Step 12

   Slice the pudding and serve it warm, topped with hard sauce or ice cream, or drizzled with heavy cream or custard. The pudding will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, wrapped well in parchment and again in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

TIPS

• Tip 1: Feel free to substitute a variety of dried fruits for the currants and raisins, such as diced figs, apricots or cherries.
• Tip 2: Beef suet, a fat used in many British recipes, is traditional here. It comes packaged in a hard block or pellets. Fresh suet has a strong, meatier odor and taste, so it is not recommended here.
• Tip 3: Traditionally, an English spice mix is used that includes many of the spices used in American pumpkin spice mix, as well as ground coriander and mace. If you like, you can add a tiny pinch of those to the pumpkin spice.
• Tip 4: If you’d like to remove the steamed pudding from the mold before storing it, wrap it very tightly with plastic wrap, then in foil. Before reheating, unwrap the pudding and transfer it back to the mold.

Sticky Toffee Muffin With Ginger Snap Crumble

Sticky Toffee Muffin With Gingersnap Crumble

Who says you can’t have dessert for breakfast? Serve with a side of warm toffee sauce and a dollop of whipped cream for extra decadence. Boiling the dates and adding baking soda breaks down the fibres so you can skip the step of puréeing. Use a large enough saucepan to let the date mixture double in volume when the baking soda is added. The toffee sauce can be made up to a week in advance and warmed in the microwave before dipping the muffin tops.
Ingredients:
Muffins
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup (250 mL) dates, packed
½ cup (125 mL) currants
1 ¼ cups (310 mL) water
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking soda
¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, soft
¾ cup (175 mL) dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Toffee Sauce
1 cup (250 mL) dark brown sugar
½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
1 cup (250 mL) 35% cream
10 gingersnap cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Generously grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, bring dates, currants and water to a boil on medium high; reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat; add baking soda and stir. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until well combined. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions alternating with the date mixture; mixing between additions until just combined.

For large muffins, divide batter between 9 of the cups using ½ cup (125 mL) of batter for each. For smaller size, divide evenly between 12 cups, filling about three-quarters full. Bake in centre of oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Bring the sugar, butter and cream to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, keeping a close watch, as it can boil over quickly. Remove from heat; reserve. Place the ginger snap cookies in a resealable plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin or the bottom of a sturdy glass until crushed into small chunks; reserve.

Line a baking tray with parchment. Remove muffins from pan and dip tops into toffee sauce. If the sauce has thickened too much, warm it slightly. Place on prepared tray and sprinkle with crushed ginger snap chunks. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins will keep for 3 days in an airtight container or frozen for up to 3 weeks.  

Makes 9 to 12 muffins

Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding:

 
This year, chefs in HM the Queen's Royal kitchens have shared their recipe for a traditional Christmas pudding. We hope that some of you enjoy making it in your own homes.
The recipe will make two 1kg puddings. (2.2 Pounds each) 

Ingredients:
250g raisins                            3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon
250g currants                         3/4 cup plus  1 teaspoon                   
185g sultanas                         1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon
150g mixed peel                    1/2 cup
250g suet or vegetarian suet  3/4 cup 
250g breadcrumbs                 3/4 cup   
90g flour                                1/4 cup
12g mixed spice                     1 teaspoon
2 whole eggs                         2 eggs
180g demerara sugar              5/8 cup
275ml beer                            7/8 cup
40ml dark rum                      2 Tablespoons
40ml brandy                         2 Tablespoons
If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can substitute for orange juice or cold tea.

Directions:
On Christmas Day, reheat your pudding in a bain-marie for 3-4 hours. Remove from the basin using a rounded knife or palette knife, flip out onto a plate, garnish or flambé and serve with brandy sauce and cream.
.
.Source: The Royal Family Instagram.

Irish Soda Bread

 

Irish Soda Bread

Ina Garten

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants

4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 

   cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currants

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Christmas Stollen

Christmas Stollen

This is a tried and true recipe from a friend whom I went through all twelve grades of school.  Dorothy continued for many years to bake her mother's fruit cake recipe for her mother's friends after her mother passed away.   Today she remembers her friends with this Christmas Stollen.  This is a nice make ahead recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon brandy or dark rum
1/4 cup diced candied orange peel
1/4 cup diced candied lemon peel
1/8 cup diced candied ginger
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup whole milk
1 (1/4 ounce package) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
3 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 extra-large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Confectioners Sugar

Directions:

The night before baking, in a bowl combine the raisins, currants and cranberries with 1/2 cup brandy and let the mixture soak overnight.  In the morning, add citrus peels, ginger and almonds to bowl and set aside.

Make a starter, heat milk in a small pot over low heat until lukewarm, or about 100 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk yeast with 2 tablespoons warm water, then slowly add warm milk, whisking to break up clumps.  While whisking, slowly add 1 cup flour, stirring until the mixture is homogenous.  Wet a kitchen towel with hot water, wring it out well and use it to cover the bowl.  Set bowl in a warm place with a temp of about 80 degrees and let the least develop for one hour.

Meanwhile, melt butter and pour it into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt, whisking until sugar melts.  Add yolk, whisk until mixture is homogenous, then add lemon zest and nutmeg, whisking to combine.

Once starter is ready, slowly add the butter mixture to it, stirring to combine.  While stirring ad 1 cup flour, then mix in remaining brandy.  Stir in another 1 1/4 cups flour.  If dough becomes to stiff to mix with a spoon, gently knead flour into it.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft, pliable and shiny, 10 minutes.  Form dough into a ball and place in a large buttered bowl.  Cover bowl with a cloth soaked in hot water and wrung out well, and set aside in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Once dough has risen heat oven to 350 degrees.  Gently remove dough from bowl and transfer to a lightly floured surface.  Knead dough 2to 3 times, then gently pull and stretch it out until it is as flat as possibleDrain fruit and almonds and mix with 3 tablespoons of flour.  Pour mixture onto dough and roll the whole thing up folding ends over so fruit is encased.  Knead dough to distribute fruit and nuts evenly.  Fruit will fall out of dough at first, just tuck loose pieces back in until everything stays together.  Re-flour work surface to keep dough from sticking.

Divide dough int two pieces.  Pull each piece into a long fairly flat rectangle, about 16 inches long, 5 inches wide and 1 inch thick, the fold loaves in half crosswise so each is now 8 inches long and two inches thick.  Place loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes.  Loaves will spread and flatten a bit during baking.

Remove loaves from oven and, while they are still warm, brush with some melted butter.  Cover with a thick dusting of confectioners sugar.  Allow to cool and dust with another thick layer of confectioners sugar. 

*Wrap well in two layers of plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 1 to 2 weeks before eating to allow flavors to develop.

Dresden Stollen ~ Big Sur Bakery

Dresden Stollen
Big Sur Bakery

Nothing brings on a holiday feeling like Stollen which is a bread so common for the Christmas Holidays in Germany.  Perhaps it could be my German ancestral heritage.  While it involves work, the end result is so worth it!

Ingredients: 

For the raisins:
2 cups currants, raisins or golden raisins
3 cups dark rum
For the sponge:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  milk, heated to 
    lukewarm
1 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Unsalted butter, softened, for coating the bowl
For the stollen:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened, plus extra
   for coating the bowl 
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 vanilla bean
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/4 cups candied fruits or candied zest
1/2 cup unblanched almonds
3 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting 
10 ounces almond paste

Directions:
At least one day ahead or even a month, combine the raisins and rum in a bowl and set it aside.

On Baking day:  Start with the sponge:  In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the lukewarm milk, bread flour and the yeast.  Beat on low speed until a dough is formed, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl that is big enough for the sponge to double in size.  Cover it with plastic wrap, place it in the warm part of the kitchen, and let it rise until it doubles in size, 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the stollen mixture;  In the electric mixer fitted with th dough hook attachment, cream the butter, all the spices sugar and salt together until light and fluffy.  Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, scrape out the pulp with the back of the knife, and add the pulp to the butter mixture.  Add the egg yolks and almond extract, and mix to combine.

Preheat oven to 350*F. 

Drain the currents, reserving the rum.  Drain the candied fruit from syrup if homemade.  Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until very light brown, about 10 minutes.  Cut an almond in half to check the color.  Let them cool completely and then rough chop them.  Toss the candied fruit, currents and toasted almonds together in a bowl and reserve.

In the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sponge, the bread flour mixture and the sponge mixture.  Mix on medium speed until the dough is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface.   Flatten it slightly and then roll it out to form a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.  Add 2/3 of the currant mixture, and fold the dough over it.  Add the remaining mixture currant mixture and roll the dough into a ball, making sure to keep a think skin of dough around the currant mixture so that none leaks out.  Place the dough in a buttered bowl that is large enough for it to double in size and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let it rise in a warm part of the kitchen until it has doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut it in 4 pieces.  Shape each piece into a football shape, keeping the smooth skin on top and tucking the cut edge underneath so that the currant mixture stays inside,  Let the loaf rest for 7 minutes, covered with plastic wrap .  Then working with one piece of dough at a time, flip it over on your work surface.  Punch it to get rid of any bubbles and fold the dough onto itself, almost as if you were rolling it up, to form a football shape.  Repeat with the other three pieces of dough.  Let them rest on the table, loosely covered with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

While they are resting, cut the almond paste into four pieces and roll them to form 4 log shaped pieces 6 inches long.  

Take one loaf and flip it onto a floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll the center of the loaf until it is 1/2 inch thick, creating a cradle about 4 inches wide while keeping the edges thick.  Place a log of almond paste in the center and fold half of the dough over it.  Using the side of your hand, form a crease between the log and two thick pieces of dough.  Doing so should pull the top layer back slightly leaving you with with a loaf of bread if cut crosswise would have three lobes.  Repeat with the remaining loaves and almond paste.  Place the shaped loaves an two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, apart from each other so they can rise until double in size.  Place the baking sheets in large plastic bags and leave them in a warm part of the kitchen for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the dough has almost doubled in size and is spongy to the touch.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375^F.

Bake the stollen for 35 to 45 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown.  Remove them from the oven and let them cool 15 minutes.  Once the loaves are cool enough to handle, brush them generously with the reserved rum and the melted butter.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar and dust with powdered sugar.  Eat right away or store at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap.   Makes 4 loaves.  Great for gift giving.

Lunch's Green Apple Salad

Lunch's Restaurant in Culver City, CA. is best known for this Green Apple Salad.

Lunch's Green Apple Salad

Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced (about 2 generous cups)

2 small celery stalks, cut into small dice

1/2 red onion, cut into very small dice

1/2 green apple, cored and cut into medium dice

1/3 cup currants (raisins may be substituted)

Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:

In a large bowl add the mayonnaise, cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. Blend well to make the dressing.

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Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill at least one hour prior to serving. Yields about one quart of salad.