I tend to take holiday cues from my older cousin Vick. Every year when I was growing up we would pile into the car and head up to Saginaw to see my mom's oldest sister, Pat. Vick, Pat's eldest, is about fifteen or sixteen years older than I. Invariably, Vick would be just lounging around the house in sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt - much the same as I am dressed this very moment, but with crumbs and water stains.

And I guess that's the point. It's a holiday. We shouldn't be dressing our children up like ornate little china dolls and parading them through $45 a plate hotel buffets. And don't even get me started on church.

We should be in our just-woke-up best, with people we love (or at the very least, people to whom we are related) eating green bean casserole on TV trays while watching the Lions get their asses kicked for the 37th time in a row.

So, yeah, I don't take Christmas that seriously, but it is a wonderful excuse to make candy and cookies. Two years ago I had the energy but no space, last year I had the space (and the tools, thanks to some nifty employee-discount abuse employed by a friend of mine), but could barely summon the energy to measure and sift.

This year, however, was different.

English Toffee

I have five thermometers. None of them really work accurately, and this posed a problem. The good news is that You have about 20 degrees of leeway here with cooking the sugar. The bad news is that those 20 degrees occur at the very final stage of sugar-cookery, where there is almost no water in the mixture. This means that the temperatures can change and fluxuate rapidly.

So if you do have an accurate candy thermometer, deploy it. But keep a small bowl of cold water handy just in case.

Anyway...

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 C sugar
3 T light corn syrup
3 T water
8oz chocolate, melted
1 1/2 c raw almonds, chopped fine

Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a lipped cookie sheet or "jelly roll pan" Pour the almonds into the center of the sheet into a single layer.

Place a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and add the butter, sugar, syrup and water. Stir consistently as temperature of mix rises.

Note: if you are using a thermometer, you will notice that as the water boils away, the temperature starts rising a LOT faster.

Anyway. Eventually the mixture will be "done." It will be done when it reaches the "hard crack" stage, which occurs at 305 degrees. At this point you will be able to take a drop of the mixture, drop it into a small bowl of water that you have handy, and the mixture will turn into a solid, brittle mass that will not bend, but will break instantly when you apply pressure.

Done "looks" like a light brown and highly viscous mass just bubbling over violently.

Pour the mixture over the almonds. You will be surprised how quickly it sets.

Also note: THIS MIXTURE IS FRIKKIN HOT. Do not touch.

When the mixture cools somewhat, apply the chocolate any way you choose. You can go Jackson Pollack or Rothko. I opted for lines.

Rugelach ala Martha Stewart

I'll get these right sooner or later. I tried a batch to years ago and I liked their potential but the dough just tasted dry. This time the dough was okay but the inside was just... bland. Make sure you apply enough filling.

(this recipe is in THIS cookbook, and I don't really feel like retyping the entire thing. But they were good cookies!)

Sugar Cookies

I have about ten recipes for sugar cookies, but this one always turns out the best. It has a little bit of chew without feeling undercooked, and a subtle buttery flavor.

3 3/4 C AP flour, sifted
1/2 t slat
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract

The rest of this recipe writes itself, it's just the usual cookie thing. Cream the butter and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, and almost white. Add the eggs one at a time until combined. Add salt and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of your mixer and add the flour until just combined.

Pour out onto a floured surface (it should feel "puffy") divide into thirds, shape each into rectangles, wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Note: the refrigerating is important. You want to allow the dough to hydrate and relax the gluten formed during the mixing and rolling.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch strips. Cut as desired (use a spatula to transfer to the cookie sheet!)

Royal Icing

This is about how far I have come as a baker. I used to think that you used buttercream to frost cookies. No WONDER they were messy.

So I guess this was the big discovery this year. This icing has such a beautiful sheen and doesn't overpower you with a fattyness that masks the butter flavor of the cookie.

4 egg whites
1 LB confectioners sugar (about four cups)
1/2 c water
1/2 t cream of tartar (you need this to balance the alkalinity of the egg whites)
(you can use two tablespoons of lemon juice instead, but it will impart a slight flavor to the icing)

Uhh, mix it all up.

You can see the several stages I went through. I tried to stencil a Christmas tree, and then i just resorted to a toothpick thing, and then i just said forget it.

Anyway, Happy Holidays

By the way, like the camera? My gift to myself.

Posted by Jeff at 11:41PM AM:: Permalink :: Leave Comment

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