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| date bars: my favorite |
date bars
source: The Homesick Texan
why: I'm really into the The Homesick Texan.
objectionable ingredient: dates
verdict: delicious. I have eaten too many of these. I have to remember to make them next year because they are a perfect Christmas cookie, but you could serve them any time of year. A version of the recipe is here. Highly recommend.
verdict: delicious. I have eaten too many of these. I have to remember to make them next year because they are a perfect Christmas cookie, but you could serve them any time of year. A version of the recipe is here. Highly recommend.
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| pfeffernusse: very German |
source: Joy of Cooking
why: My grandmother loves pfeffernusse. There were always bags of stale pfeffernusse in her house, probably bought on sale the day after Christmas. I wonder if it was pfeffernusse she loved, or a bargain.
objectionable ingredients: candied orange peel, black pepper
verdict: Delicious, soft, brown, spicy, and totally different from the pfeffernusse my grandmother bought, which were pale, round, rock-hard, and glazed.
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| mincemeat tarts: very British |
source: Nigella Lawson's Christmas
why: a jar of mincemeat in the pantry, no idea where it came from.
objectionable ingredient: mincemeat
verdict: tasty and very cute tartlets, although the similarities between chutney and mincemeat are disconcerting. No one has touched these but me.
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| burnt cookie, perfectly baked cookie |
source: Dan Lepard's Short & Sweet
why: love his recipes
objectionable ingredients: dates, sesame seeds
verdict: Would have been better if I'd read the recipe and rolled the cookies in sesame seeds as directed rather than mixing them in. Also would have been better if I hadn't burned most of them. None of these made it into the Christmas boxes. Too imperfect.
Last night I made West Texas stacked enchiladas from The Homesick Texan and even thought they they seemed skimpy -- insufficient filling -- I loved them. I look forward to every meal I cook from this book.
Since we're all on vacation now, after dinner, Mark and I tried to make the kids watch Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. They resisted and complained and tried to bargain their way out of it. I told them they only had to watch for 15 minutes and if they weren't hooked they could leave. After 15 minutes, they both left. I still feel like there's lots I don't understand about Ai Weiwei, like practically everything, but at least when I hear his name at a cocktail party I'll know generally what people are talking about. Now someone just has to invite me to a cocktail party.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
I love well-made Pfefferneusse, but the store-bought ones usually aren't. I guess the jig is up now, but maybe white pepper would have escaped notice.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wish I was in a cookie exchange with you. I love all these things, but I admit I have never had soft pfeffernusse. I will have to try them. The ones that I receive are very small and hard, but quite tasty. Sounds like you were in a dense, spicy mood, ready for complex tastes. I wasn't going to do any baking either, but there is something about the holidays that compels me to do so. Thanks so much for a year of delightful, entertaining, and often educational posts. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteI have learned to my sorrow that I am not cookie exchange material. Too many people whose tastes I disagree with. I can't imagine any of the poor souls at the debacle I last attended making something as fun and seasonal as pfeffernusse. And I second Beckster--thanks for your enjoyable, enlightening blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving so much of yourself to this blog during the last year. You have such a full life and we readers are lucky to be part of it. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas! If only your readership could exchange cookies, that would be a sight to see! Looking forward to hearing about your 2013 adventures.
ReplyDelete