History of

TREATSTREATSHolidayHoliday

Mince PieMince Pie

Mince Pies, “Christmas Pies,” originally were filled with meat such as lamb.

Today they tend to be filled with a dried fruit.

They were first made in an oval shape to represent the manger that Jesus slept in as a baby.

During the Stuart and Georgian times in the UK, mince pies were a status symbol at Christmas.

Having these fancy pies meant that you were rich and could afford the best.

Today they are normally made in round shape and can be eaten hot or cold.

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Yields: 8 servingsPrep time: 20 minCook time: 50 min

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9-inch two crust pie 1 quart prepared mincemeatBrandy to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pie pastry.

Spoon prepared mincemeat into pastry-lined plate. Add brandy to your taste. Cover with remaining pastry and flute. Cut slits in pastry so steam can escape. Cover edge with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake pie 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove aluminum foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

This pie stores well in the freezer.

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Roast GooseRoast Goose

A roasted goose has long been the traditional Christmas meat of choice.

Geese are excellent to eat at the end of the year after having feasted on fallen corn.

They were thus used at the end of the year harvests in the Middle Ages and eaten in ancient Greece to ensure the crop’s success in the following months.

It was only natural for goose to become a choice for Christmas celebrations as it took the place of other winter solstice festivities.

Yields:5-6 servings for 8-10lb goose6-8 servings for 11-12lb goose Prep time: 35 minCook time: 1hr 30 min

Ingredients:

1 gooseLemon juiceSalt and pepper½ yellow onion, peeled and chopped1 head garlic½ cup of Madeira wine2 tablespoons flour2 cups chicken stock (for gravy)1 teaspoon dried thymeRoot vegetables to roast with the goose, such as carrots, parsnips, and potatoes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

If the goose has been refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before cooking.

Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver) and use for the gravy. Remove all excess fat and save it for cooking. Next prick the goose’s skin all over with a needle to give cooked fat somewhere to go and allow the skin to crisp.

Season the goose and place in the oven.Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Rub all over with the cut half of a lemon and put inside the goose. Start the gravy, add root vegetables to the goose after 20 minutes.

When time is up, carve goose and serve.

YourselfYourselfMake itMake it

Holiday bark is traditionally made with peppermint, a flavor often associated with the holiday season.

Once cooked fully, the bark is broken up into angled pieces, resembling tree bark (which is where it got its name).

There are a wide variety of ingredients that can be added to candy bark including fruits and nuts

Holiday BarkHoliday Bark

Ingredients:

1 lb finely chopped white chocolate1 ½ teaspoons nut or plain oil½ cup dried cranberries1 ¼ cup shelled pistachios

Equipment:

Double boiler

Preparation:

Pour a couple inches of water into bottom half of double boiler and heat to just below a simmer. Pour chocolate into top half of double boiler; slowly stir to melt.

Check the temperature of the chocolate periodically until melted. Be sure to keep it between 82-86 degrees F.

Move melted chocolate to a bowl. Stir in oil until evenly blended. Mix in fruit and nuts.

Spread chocolate mixture onto ½-inch thick prepared baking sheet. Set bark aside at room temperature to harden. Break into angled pieces.

YourselfYourselfMake itMake it

Yields: 1 ½ poundsPrep time: 30 minSet/Cook time: 1 hr 5 min

EggnogEggnog

As far back as the 17th century, “nog” referred to a style of strong beer brewed in East Anglia.

Modern eggnog is believed to have descended from a thick medieval concoction of hot milk, booze and spices.

The egg-based drink is said to have found popularity in American colonies, where there was easy access to cows, chickens and rum.

Traditional Eggnog is often made with bourbon, rum or brandy.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, plus 2 yolks½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon salt4 cups whole milk1 tablespoon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg¼ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Preparation:

Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy 3- or 4-quart pan to combine. Continue whisking to slowly add milk.

On the lowest burner setting, stir until temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl and add vanilla extract and nutmeg.

Let mixture chill in fridge for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, fold whipped cream into mixture.

Make it YourselfMake it YourselfYields: 12-16 servingsPrep time: 5 minCook time: 1hr

GingerbreadCookiesGingerbreadCookies

Gingerbread was a favorite treat at festivals and fairs in medieval Europe and is often decorated to look like a variety of celebratory shapes.

North Americans have been baking gingerbread for more than 200 years.

Nowadays gingerbread generally refers to either a dense ginger-spiced cookie or a dark ginger flavored cake.

YourselfYourselfMake itMake it

Yields: 3 dozen 3-inch cookiesPrep time: 30 min Bake time: 10-12 min

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon¾ teaspoon ground ginger½ teaspoon ground allspice½ teaspoon ground cloves½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepper1 stick unsalted butter at room temp¼ cup vegetable shortening at room temp½ cup packed light brown sugar2/3 cup unsulfured molasses1 large eggIcing

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper into medium sized bowl. In a large bowl beat butter and vegetable shortening. Add brown sugar, then beat in molasses and egg. Gradually mix in flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Refrigerate until chilled (usually about 3 hours).

Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll out dough, cut cookies with cookie cutter, and transfer to nonstick cookie sheets.

Place filled sheets in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp.

Let sit, add icing and enjoy.

LatkesLatkesAlthough latkes are primarily associated with Hanukkah, latkes first descended from Italian pancakes that were made with ricotta cheese.

The first connection between Hanukkah and pancakes was made by Rabbi Kalonymus ben Kalonymus in Italy (1286-1328). He included pancakes in a list of dishes to serve at a Purim feast.

Potato latkes are more recent and came about after a series of crop failures in Poland and the Ukraine in the mid 1800s.

The failure lead to a mass planting of potatoes changing the latke of choice from cheese to potato.

After the Spanish expelled the Jews from Sicily in 1492 the exiles introduced their ricotta pancakes to the Jews of northern Italy and it became a classic Hanukkah dish.

Yields: 8 servingsPrep time: 15 minCook time: 6-8 min each

Ingredients:

1½ pounds peeled russet potatoes¼ cup finely chopped shallots2 large eggs, lightly beaten2 tablespoons flour or matzo meal1½ teaspoons salt and black pepperVegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

In a food processor grate the potatoes. Line with a cheesecloth and transfer potatoes to the sieve. Set sieve over a bowl, twist cheesecloth into a pouch and squeeze out some moisture. Let mixture drain for 25 minutes.

Pour off liquid from bowl and leave white potato starch in the bottom of the bowl. Add shallots, eggs, flour and salt and pepper to the starch. Return drained potatoes to mixture and toss to combine.

Line baking pan with paper towels and in a large skillet heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium heat. Drop heaping tablespoons of potato mixture onto the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes a side. Put in oven to keep warm.

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Pumpkin PiePumpkin PieThe first pumpkin pie recipe recorded dates back to 1651.

In North America, the Native Americans brought pumpkins as gifts to the first American settlers around the time of the first Thanksgiving.

The pumpkin pie is said to have been created about 50 years afterward.

It was not until 1796 that a truly American cookbook was published that included recipes similar to that of the modern day pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed1 cup sugar¼ teaspoon salt1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten1 cup half-and-half¼ cup melted butter1 teaspoon vanilla extract½ teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon ground ginger1 piece pre-made pie doughWhipped cream for topping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into pie pan and press along edges. Put the pie shell into the freezer for 1 hour to firm.

For the filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Next add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with yolks, half and half, and melted butter and beat. Finally add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger and beat.

Pour filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes or until center is set.

Cut into slices and top with whipped cream.

Make itMake it

Yields: 6-8 servingsPrep time: 45 minCook time: 50 min

Yourself

Buchede NoelBuchede Noel

The history of the Yule Log cake stretches all the way back to Europe’s Iron Age, before the Medieval Era.

Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans would gather to welcome the winter solstice at December’s end.

To cleanse the air of the previous year’s events and to usher in the spring, families would burn logs decorated with holly, pinecones or ivy.

Once burned the log’s ashes were valuable treasures said to have medicinal benefits and to guard against evil.

As the tradition continued the first Yule log cake appeared around the early 1600s.

Parisian bakers popularized the cake in the 19th century.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream½ cup confectioners’ sugar½ cup unsweetened cocoa1 teaspoon vanilla extract6 egg yolks½ cup confectioners’ sugar1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa1½ teaspoons vanilla extract1/8 teaspoon salt6 egg whites¼ cup white sugar

Yields: 12 servingsPrep time: 45 min Cook time: 15 min

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl whip cream, ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thick and stiff. Refrigerate.

In a large bowl beat egg yolks with ½ cup sugar until thick and pale. Blend 1/3 cup cocoa, vanilla extract and salt. In a large glass bowl whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat. Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven. Then starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with a towel dusted in confectioners’ sugar. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Unroll the cake and spread with filling. Roll up cake with filling inside. Place seam side down and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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www.whychristmas.com | www.foodnetwork.comwww.simplyrecipes.com | blogs.smithsonianmag.com

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