Springerle Cookies
This is another of those recipes like the Star Cookies that came from my Dad’s mother. His family is German but this recipe can be found throughout Europe, especially in the Scandinavian countries.
To make these cookies you need Springerle molds/plaques or a Springerle rolling pin. I remember that my grandmother didn’t care for the rolling pins as it was hard to make even impressions in the dough. It took me years to find the plaques, although I think I just didn’t know where to look. There are usually several available on Ebay but as they are collector’s items they are pretty expensive, even there.
The last several years I’ve been trying to make the perfect cookie – just like my grandmother’s. (Now, I have to tell you that my grandmother died 30 years ago so I’m not sure how realistic my memory is, but I do have my Dad to help me test!) And I don’t quite have it yet, although I have learned several things about this recipe. I’m using the old traditional recipe but I’ve noticed there are several "improved" recipes out there like this one on the Sur La Table site. They add butter and liquid, which are not in the early versions. I have found other versions similar to the one I have, though, that use cake flour or add a bit of baking soda. I may need to try that one of these days.
Again, this is one of those recipes that I could not do without modern tools! The beating of the eggs takes 10 minutes with my Kitchenaid mixer using the whisk! I did find one old version of this recipe that stated, "Put the eggs in a bowl and give to the oldest son to beat for 1/2 hour or as long as he can. When he is finished give the bowl to the second oldest son to beat for as long as he can….." . I thought it was hilarious!
Anyway, I’m getting close. The batch I recently made was very close but I cooked them a little too long, or maybe the heat was a little too high. I’ll make those adjustments when I try again in a few days. In the meantime, if you have any hints for me let me know! I’ve made several notes (in italics) to help me remember what I’ve learned or to help you jumpstart your learning.
Springerle
Sift 4½ cups flour with 1 tsp. baking powder.
Grease two large cookie sheets. Sprinkle them generously with anise seeds. (I prefer to add 1/2 tsp. of Anise Extract and 1 tsp. of Anise seeds to the mixture after I’ve incorporated the sugar.)
In large bowl beat 4 eggs (with whisk attachment) at medium speed until light (at least 10 minutes). Gradually add 1# (3¾ cups) powdered sugar, sifted, while beating well.
With wooden spoon (paddle attachment) blend in 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind and flour mixture.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate one hour. Roll dough ½” thick on lightly floured board. With floured Springerle form print pictures on surface. With sharp knife cut out cookies on lines between pictures.
Let stand on cookie sheets at least 12 hours. (This ensures that the patterns stay while the cookies bake.)
Bake at 325° 25 to 30 minutes. (Until bottoms are golden and tops are just starting to color.)
Cool, then store in airtight containers. (My grandmother always stored a piece of apple with the cookies to help keep them from drying out completely.)
Makes 40. (This will vary depending on the size of your molds.)
Holiday Baking Update & Recipes
As I reported on December 8th I’ve been focused on baking cookies, breads and making candy for gift baskets.
Here’s the list of what I’ve accomplished to date:
- Cranberry-Orange Bread – 4 loaves
- Tennessee Sugar Cookies – 7 dozen
- Star Cookies – 8 dozen
- Cinnamon Stars – 14 dozen (I use a small snowflake cutter for these)
- Almond Spritz – 7 dozen
- Orange Spritz – 7 1/2 dozen
- Chocolate Amaretti – 8 1/2 dozen
- Fruitcake – 3 large
- Almond Clusters – 10 1/2 dozen
- Fudge – double batch (apx. 8#)
- Sugar cookies – 12 dozen (still need to decorate them all)
- Chocolate Crinkles – 6 dozen
- Peanut Butter & Chocolate Jewels – 3 1/2 dozen
- Striped Cookies – 12 dozen
- Springerle – 1 trial batch
I will make more Springerle, Carmel Corn and a few other odds and ends later in the week. Right now I’m working on dishes for my holiday party, which is tomorrow night.
The Almond Clusters were originally Peanut Clusters – a recipe from my mom. They are super easy but look great – here’s both versions of the recipe:
Peanut Clusters
- 2 – 12oz bag of Milk Chocolate Chips
- 2 cups (or more) Salted Spanish Peanuts
Microwave chips on High for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute. (Don’t overcook chocolate.) When smooth dump in the Peanuts and mix well.
Drop by teaspoonful onto wax paper. Let set until cool. Then store in airtight container at room temperature.
I think that melting chocolate on the stove is pretty easy and I prefer it to the microwave so here’s my version.
Almond Clusters
- 2 – 12 oz bags Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips (this is a dark chocolate)
- 3 1/2 cups almonds
Melt chocolate in top half of double-boiler over simmering (not boiling) water. Do not let water touch bottom of top pan. Stir until chocolate is nearly melted then remove pan from heat and continue stirring until all chocolate melts from residual heat. Dump in almonds and stir until all are well coated.
Drop by teaspoonful* onto wax paper. Let set until cool. Then store in airtight container at room temperature.
To make either version look a little more “professional” place each piece in a small paper or foil baking cup before serving or boxing for gifts.
* I find it’s a little hard to do an actual “teaspoonful” with almonds so I just try to get about 4 almonds per candy. If you get too many they are a little challenging to bite into. :-)
Coming Soon!
The last few days I’ve been up to my ears in holiday baking and planning and preparation for my annual Holiday Party which is on the 21st this year. The next few days are going to be busy! On Monday, I’ll give you the update on the baking – I’m up to 10 types of cookies, the fruitcake and a couple of candies. Then on Wednesday or Thursday I’ll post party information. Hope you are having fun cooking, eating and drinking you’re way through the holidays. And if you’re not – throw a little something together and celebrate with a few friends!
The Art of Tea
I love tea.
I’ve been a tea drinker since long before people were jumping on the bandwagon because of the beneficial health effects. My parents were always “coffee in the morning, tea in the evening” people. From my early years I was given a little tea in my dinner glass of milk so I that could participate in the ritual. Of course, in those years the tea we drank was always Lipton’s Orange Pekoe and occasionally we’d have Red Rose or Tetley’s.
I think tea is the perfect drink – it warms you when it’s cold, you can drink it cold when the weather is warm, it’s comforting and ritualistic, the warm steam rising from the cup brings on relaxation and a sort of meditation. It can bring calm to a frenzied day or console you when you are feeling down. It can hold off hunger or settle your stomach after a full meal. It’s the super beverage!
When I got to college I started trying different types of tea – first English and Irish breakfast, Earl Gray and Darjeeling. My senior year, I was a Resident Assistant (RA) in Callahan Dormitory at Oregon State University – it was a way to help pay the bills and I liked being a pseudo counselor to the others in the dorm. One of the other RAs, Claudia, was also into tea. It became our afternoon ritual to make popcorn and have a cup or two or three of tea as we talked over the day’s events. We explored everything we could find. I still remember the day Claudia brought Red Zinger to our ritual and I learned about Celestial Seasonings. What an eye opener that was!
Since that time my tea horizons have expanded considerably. I still prefer black teas, but occasionally dip into greens or whites and even now and then have an herbal – which is actually a tisane. When I travel I visit tea shops or look for good tea houses where I can sit and relax and watch the world go by.
My favorite shop is a place called Tealuxe, in Boston. They have several locations but the one I frequent is the original store in Harvard Square. It’s tiny and cramped and full of bins and bins of lovely teas as well as teapots, mugs and strainers. Heaven! When I’m in town, I stock up on my favorites and always add two or three teas I have not yet tried. In between visits I order from their website, but I have to be honest that can be challenging. They are pretty obviously a tea company and not so much a technology company.
Another great shop is the T Salon in Manhattan. Downstairs is the Salon where you can have a cup of tea, as well as a light meal or snack. Going upstairs is like entering an ancient Asian warehouse, with all manner of teas and tea paraphernalia. The staff is more than happy to show you some of the more exotic offerings, like Dragon Pearls.
In Paris there is a whole different sort of teahouse, Le Mosquee, (39 Rue Geoffrey Sainte-Hilaire) a combination bath house, tea room and restaurant, where they serve glasses of sweet, hot tea on intricately detailed brass tables. The inside of the building is covered with bright mosaics and one area of the tea room is filled with cushioned benches straight out of a Middle Eastern tale. And next time I’m in Paris I plan to visit Mariage Freres a renowned fabulous French Tea room with over 500 teas.
I haven’t even mentioned Afternoon or High Tea, but we can save that for another day ~ ~
Start exploring the world and the world of tea – and let me know what you discover!
3rd Dinner Club Meeting – Indian
June 2003
M was the host for our 3rd meeting and she chose "Indian" as our theme. At one point a friend of ours from India volunteered to provide us with recipes – he’s been thinking about putting his mother’s recipes into a cookbook – but our timing was a little off. That was okay though, we are all getting to be pretty good at researching our themes. In fact, I really enjoy it and have ended up learning lots of little things about the regions we’ve chosen that are not just related to cooking.
Here was our menu:
- Appetizer: Machchi Kofta (Spiced Fish Balls – recipe below) with Tamatar aur Dhaniya ki Chutney (Tomato and Coriander Chutney)
- Cocktail: Jal Jeera (Cumin-flavoured Drink)
- Salad: Curried Scallop Salad with Mango Dressing
- Main: Tandoori Chicken and Roghan Ghosht (Lamb stew)
- Side: (Fresh baked) Naan (from "A Taste of India")
- Dessert: Kheer (Vermicelli Pudding)
Although we made several jokes about eating Spiced Fish Balls (no one said we weren’t silly sometimes…) they were really good! We also chose to spike the Jal Jeera (I’m not sure this would be approved in India) and it was an excellent contrast to the fish balls. I believe this is the only drink I’ve had that included cumin, black pepper and tamarind!
The Curried Scallop Salad was really good and I’ve made it several times since. It makes a great lunch or light meal all on it’s own. If you toast the spices and mix the dressing ahead of time the time it takes to put it together when you’re ready to serve is nothing! The scallops only take about 5 minutes to grill.
Both the Tandoori Chicken and Rhoghan Ghosht were excellent. We ended up with two mains again, but since much of the rest of the meal was on the lighter side the balance was much better! I particularly liked the Roghan Ghosht as the lamb was tender and the blend of ginger, chilies, cilantro and cinnamon was wonderful!
I love bread of any kind, so having fresh Naan served warm off the grill was a particularly nice treat. And the dessert was ….. interesting. Not bad, just not exciting – a bit bland.
I think one of the things we are starting to learn is that many cultures do not have "dessert" as we interpret it. Many of these places rely simply on fresh fruit and trying to force our idea of dessert just doesn’t work – at least not that well. Not that the desserts we tried weren’t authentic, just that what is more typical is something simple.
Another thing we’re seeing is that in many of these cultures the same flavorings/spices are used throughout the menu so there is a common thread as you proceed through each course. This time we saw lots of coriander, mint, chili, and cumin.
Unfortunately, I do not know the source for the following recipe but will continue to try to track it down to give credit where credit is due!
Machchi Kofta
(Spiced Fish Balls)
2 large slices of day old white bread, about 100g
1 lb. fillet of cod or haddock, skinned and roughly chopped
½ oz fresh coriander leaves including tender stalks, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 Tbsp. sunflower, corn or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. Ginger Paste
2 tsp. Garlic Paste
1-2 fresh green chilies, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. ground anise seed (ajowain)
½ tsp. chili powder, or to taste
½ Balti Garam Masala
Oil for deep-frying
1. Soak the slices of bread in cold water for 1 minute, and then squeeze out all the water. Place the bread, fish, coriander, egg and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. 2. Preheat karahi (Balti pan) over a medium heat and add to oil. When hot, add the onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is soft but not brown. Add the fresh chilies, ground anise, chili powder and garam masala. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave the mixture to cool. When cold, mix it thoroughly with the ground fish mixture and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight.
3. Divide the mixture into four equal parts. Shape each portion into five balls (koftas). Heat the oil in the karahi over a medium heat until almost smoking. Fry the koftas for 6-8 minutes, until they are evenly browned. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and serve.
Serve as a starter with Tamatar aur Dhaniya ki Chutney.
Offset Spatulas
Offset spatulas are one of my favorite tools. They are extremely versatile and I often find myself pulling one out of the drawer to aid me in some little task. As I’ve been doing all my holiday baking they’ve been out of the drawer and in my hand quite a bit of the time.
I use both a small and large, although the small is the one I seem to pull out most often. Just this week I’ve used them to level off bread batter in the pan, loosen that bread from the sides before turning out, free cookie dough that became stuck to the mat when rolling out, and help move chocolate candy from drying tray to storage to reduce the chance of melting the chocolate. They are also great for leveling all kinds of cake dough and frosting cakes, cupcakes and cookies. I know I’m forgetting other things but you get the idea.
Here’s another article from a person who is even more enthralled then I am!
Food Blog Awards!
The Accidental Hedonist is hosting Food Blog Awards! Feel free to nominate the Culinary Fool for the Best New Blog!
Queen City Grill
I had to think twice about posting this entry. I love Queen City Grill and I spend a significant amount of time there. It wasn’t the recommendation I had to think twice about but instead the impact a recommendation might make. It’s already a pretty bustling place – do I really want to potentially add to that by posting a glowing review? Not really, but I’m going to chance it anyway!
When M and I first starting doing more things together QC was one of our first stops, so we’ve been going there for years now and pretty much on a weekly basis. Since then, R has also become kind of a regular and V can often be found at the place next door, The Frontier Room, although I’m not sure she ever actually eats there! :-)
The ambience in the QC is welcoming – wood floors and booths, exposed brick, large windows that open out to Blanchard St and have views of Puget Sound. The most welcoming part, though, are the people who work there. Whether a first timer or a regular you are greeted with enthusiasm by one of the many friendly bartenders or servers. And, if you show up on a regular basis that greeting could well include a hug or at the very least a hearty handshake along with a "Good to see you!".
The menu has a nice selection so that you can find something for any taste. QC leans towards seafood but has one of the best burgers in town and the Braised Meat and Grilled Chop of the Day are ALWAYS heavenly. I wouldn’t say the food is outstanding – it doesn’t seek to amaze you – but more that it is truly excellent on an ongoing basis. If you go on a regular basis, it becomes your definition of soul-satisfying comfort food.
I can recommend several items on the menu but I don’t really think you can go wrong with anything. If you go in, ask your server what they think is good that day. Their recommendations are always great. They can alert you to anything that is especially good that day – whether the it’s a beautiful piece of fresh salmon or a fragrant, hearty lamb shank or the delicate oyster of the day.
Last night M and I split oysters on the half shell, caesar salad, and a perfectly grilled (medium-rare, thank you!) filet mignon with wild mushroom sauce served with grilled carrots and mashed potatoes. I came home and slept like a baby. Because that’s what comfort food can do for you.
Much Maligned Fruitcake
I made fruitcake this morning. Okay, knock off those groans! I understand the issues people have with fruitcake. The modern version full of candied cherries and pineapple is tolerable, at best. First of all who ever came up with idea to dye fruits such garish, unnatural colors? I guess, it might be the same people who are now marketing green ketchup and blue french fries. However, you are not forced to use those ingredients in your fruitcake.
I use dried fruits and over the years the selection has really grown. It used to be that raisins, dates and prunes were your main options. Not so today! I take my basic recipe and substitute all kinds of fruits, just making sure that I use an equivalent amount to what is called for in the recipe. The recipe I use lists both weight and volume measures so you could substitute using either method, although I normally just use volume.
In the batch I made today I used dates, raisins (this mix from Rosendahl Farms is my favorite!), tart cherries, cranberries, apricots, mango, strawberries, and pineapple. All dried, all natural colors! The cakes are now in the oven and will be ready to come out in a couple of hours.
So, I challenge you to make fruitcake this year! Visit the bulk goods section in your grocery store and pick out some items that appeal to your taste. Look for a mix of colors to add interest to the cake. And get started today! Fruitcake needs to sit for two to three weeks to allow the flavors to properly develop and the cake to set to an evenly moist, dense loaf. If you get going you’ll have a beautiful fruitcake just in time for Christmas!
Update December 2005: Check out the recipe I posted here.
Star Cookies
I’ve finally started my Christmas baking! Each year I bake several types of cookies, some breads and candies and make up gift baskets for my family and some friends.
I started on Monday with Tennessee Sugar Cookies, a recipe I got from my cousin umpteen years ago. It’s always the cookie I start with because it makes a big batch and I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress! 
Yesterday I made Cinnamon Stars (from the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook listed in my favorites) and Star Cookies, a recipe from my paternal grandmother.
My dad tells me the original Star Cookies were made with raw peanuts, but since we live in the Northwest where walnuts are plentiful (and many of my relatives had trees) the recipe was long ago converted to walnuts. I’ve made it both ways and think they are both good but mostly still stick with the walnut version.
I have several recipes from my grandmother and it amazes me that they used to do all this by hand. Over the years I’ve sometimes had less than optimum equipment and managed but now I’d have a hard time doing this one without my Kitchenaid mixer and Cuisinart food processor!
Star Cookies
- Beat 3 eggs and 5 cups powdered sugar until very light
- Mix in 1 tsp. cinnamon
- Add by hand (or in the mixer if you have a powerful mixer) 7 cups of finely chopped walnuts. (Make sure they are very finely ground.)
- Chill for several hours.
- Roll 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick and cut in star shape.
- Place on greased and floured cookie sheet. (Each time)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.
Instead of greasing and flouring the sheet you can use a silpat or permanent parchment lined sheet.
Culinary Fool 