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Fabulously festive cakes for the holidays - Slashfood Ate (8)

COMMENTS 1

by Max Shrem, Posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 12:00PM

Bûche de NoëlI'll never forget the numerous pastry shop windows I'd walk past while living in Paris that had Bûche de Noël, a traditional Christmas cake served during the holidays in France and several christian-populated francophone countries, such as Canada (Quebec). "Bûche" in English means "log;" hence, the shape of the cake. It's often a sponge cake filled with chocolate buttercream.

After living in Paris, I became fascinated by the different takes not just on the Bûche de Noël, but on the Christmas cake. It seems to me that nearly every family has their own traditional cake that they bake for the holidays.

Below are 8 fabulously festive cakes for this holiday season:
  1. Christmas gingerbread cake with maple whipped cream
  2. Black forest chocolate torte
  3. Orange spice cake with white chocolate poinsettia topper
  4. Chocolate fruit cake
  5. Chocolate spice-cake poudding
  6. Crunchy milk-chocolate peanut butter layer cake
  7. Caramel-pecan Bûche de Noël
  8. Pecan spice layer cake with cheese cream frosting
What kind of cake will you be eating this season?

Filed under: Slashfood Ate, Holidays, Methods

Tip of the Day - A Perfect Cheesecake

COMMENTS 0

by Sarah Christine, Posted Dec 15th 2008 @ 6:00AM

A cheesecake is done when the center just barely jiggles. Since this can be difficult to judge, try this tip.
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Filed under: Tip of the Day, How To, Methods

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Sugary Perfect Butterscotch Cookies

COMMENTS 2

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Dec 12th 2008 @ 11:00AM

double butterscotch cookies

Usually when I'm itching for a dose of butterscotch, I'll whip up my favorite chocolate chip recipe and substitute butterscotch chips for the chocolate. But last night I was in the mood to try something different. Accidental Hedonist's recent Butterscotch Sundae Cookie post came to mind, but I couldn't remember which blog I saw it on. Google blog searching finally led me to it, as well as Double Butterscotch Cookies (The Taste of Home Cookbook) over at Baking Blonde. Which to do first?

I tackled the double butterscotch, which you can see above. Whether baked light or dark, these cookies are delicious. I made a few substitutions -- all butter rather than half butter/half shortening, I left out the nuts, and I used butterscotch chips rather than toffee bits. They're firm, but soft and chewy with great sugary flavor that's rich, but won't give you that stomach-churning rotted gut if you have two or three.

I didn't roll and slice the dough since I prefer the puffier texture, like the recipe suggests, but I might next time. I'm scheming up a way to have creamy waves of butterscotch in the cookies, rather than chips, to perfectly match the creamy cookie. If you've got a butterscotch cookie to rival this, please share it below! Some people want the perfect chocolate chip cookie, but some of us prefer that irresistible butterscotch.

Find more Christmas cookie ideas and Christmas recipes on KitchenDaily.

Filed under: Methods

Nordic Popcorn Genius

COMMENTS 6

by Annie Scott, Posted Dec 10th 2008 @ 6:04PM

Nordic Ware Microwave Corn PopperGreat news! Here's a kitchen gadget everyone can afford. Your popcorn just got way more awesome.

The Nordic Ware Microwave Corn Popper comes highly recommended by my very practical friend Shannon, who reports that it's really fast, doesn't need oil, and is a snap to clean. Sounds good to me!

This thing is $8.99 from The Kitchen Store, and microwave and dishwasher safe. You just put in the corn, put it in the microwave, and perfect, fluffy popcorn comes out. It's a stroke of Nordic genius.

I only wish it were pretty, so I could pass it off as a holiday gift. Guess I'll just have to get one for myself!

Source

Filed under: Food Gadgets, Ingredients, Methods

Making a Virginia Ham

COMMENTS 8

by Bruce Watson, Posted Dec 9th 2008 @ 4:30PM

When I was growing up in Virginia, my babysitter often referred to my family as "the carpetbaggers." This wasn't all that surprising; my parents were from New England, and the folkways of rural Virginia were somewhat bizarre to them. Even so, they quickly adapted and even learned to embrace the culture of the area. Because of their zealous adoption of all things Virginia, many of our major holidays were celebrated with a huge, salty Virginia ham.

When I undertook the reverse migration from Virginia to New York, I worried that I would not be able to get hold of real Smithfield hams. Luckily, however, one of my local butchers carries them; it seems that they are a standard Italian dish on the feast day of Saint Nicholas. As the butcher rang up my sixteen pound chunk of pork, he and I had an interesting conversation about the art of cooking Virginia ham. Interestingly, many of his customers are actually scared of Smithfield ham.

In truth, this isn't really all that surprising. After all, Smithfield hams are exceedingly salty, very ugly, and take a long time to prepare. However, they are also amazingly delicious, and constitute one of the most truly American of dishes. Luckily, they are also fairly simple to cook, freeze beautifully, and pretty much all of the leftovers are delicious.

Country Ham(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Burlap HamDry HamSoaking HamHam, post soakAfter Cooking
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Filed under: Fall Flavors, Ingredients, Holidays, How To, Methods

Traditional Mincemeat Pie and Suet Substitution

COMMENTS 5

by Kat Kinsman, Posted Dec 7th 2008 @ 9:00AM



Lo these many years ago, a UK-born boss of mine attempted to wheedle me into swifter production by offering me a small mincemeat pie if I finished a pressing task by 4 p.m. I begged to be allowed to take only half if I knocked it out by 3, and remain fully un-minced if I had everything squared away by 2.

In theory, I should love traditional mincemeat. I'm a huge fan of a meat 'n sweet one-two punch -- especially when there's cookin' booze involved -- but I've never been able to wrap my head around the flavor of suet. It's the hard fat from around the loins and kidneys of sheep and cows, isn't especially full and meaty like lard, and is possessed of a particularly high melting point, making it the perfect base fat for many classic British steamed puddings. It seems to be the definitive flavoring agent in all the mincemeat I've had, but I've not been able to convince myself to care for it. I tend to be a stickler when it comes to ingredient lists for traditional dishes from my vintage cookbooks, but I'm wondering if there's a fat I can sub in that would render a texture that would cleave closely to the original. Most suet-centric recipes I've come across warn that the use of butter, margarine, lard, shortening et al leaves the whole dish overly greasy and flat, but if any of y'all have met with a successful swap, I'm all ears. There may even be a bit of Spotted Dick in it for you.

Other Cooking and Traveling the Cape Cod Way highlights include Forefather's Day Succotash (look for that recipe on December 21st), Beach Plum Jelly, Irish Moss Pudding, Scootin'-Long-The-Shore, Skully Joe and a wicked lot of mouthwatering Portuguese cookery. I'm more than happy to share if there's any interest.

Have you eaten suet?
Yes, and I love it.37 (21.6%)
I can take it or leave it.30 (17.5%)
I can't stand it.20 (11.7%)
I've never had the pleasure.84 (49.1%)

Filed under: Retro cookery, Festive Family Feasts, Ingredients, Holidays, Methods

Crock Pot Conundrum and a Pulled Pork Recipe

COMMENTS 5

by Kat Kinsman, Posted Dec 6th 2008 @ 10:00AM



There's an extra-stabby brand of self-recrimination that comes about when one comes home, mouth slavering for the vegetable stew, several-bean chili or pulled pork shoulder that's occupied one's thoughts all day, only to come home to an air redolent of exactly nothing. No warm waft, no indicator light all a-wink with the tease, nay, promise of a hearty, slow-cooked dinner because (shudder....sob...sigh...) one neglected to actually engage the Crock Pot's "ON" button.

Is there a term for this happenstance and/or the all-day nagging feeling that one's forgotten to flip it on, but is too far from home to remedy the situation? If not, howzabout we put it to a vote? Cast it below, or suggest a better one in the comments.

What do you call the state of worry that the crock pot hasn't been turned on and/or the discovery that it hasn't?
Crockanoia104 (32.0%)
Cold crocking51 (15.7%)
Getting crocked-up15 (4.6%)
Crock tease155 (47.7%)


And lest anyone fret, Jeff later reported that he in fact came home to a lovely, fully-cooked chicken cacciatore.

UPDATE: Commenter Jenna has suggested "crock blocked," which I'm entirely jealous I failed to coin.

My personal favorite cold weather, no barrel smoker, slow-cooker pulled pork recipe is after the jump.
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Filed under: Ingredients, Methods

Freshly Killed Turkey II - The Aftermath

COMMENTS 1

by Bruce Watson, Posted Nov 30th 2008 @ 2:00PM

A few days ago, I documented my first visit to a Pollo Vivero, or live-kill poultry place. Well, having now had the joy of dressing and eating a freshly-killed turkey, I can absolutely state the following points:

Cutting off Heads Isn't That Hard: I thought that removing the bird's feet and head would be really difficult, but it was actually easy. I used a sturdy, German-style chef's knife, located the respective joints, and sliced away. While the legs came off in one piece (each), I had to take the neck off in two pieces. I used a paring knife and reached inside the carcass to cut it closer to the torso.

Live Turkeys Don't Look Quite the Same: My turkey's torso was longer and slightly sleeker than the Butterballs that I was used to. That having been said, it was still quite meaty, and the actual process of cooking it was very much the same (minus the pop-up timer, of course).

Live Turkeys Are Yummy: The turkey tasted more or less the same as a grocery store turkey. It was slightly more succulent, but I also chalk that up to the fact that I brined it.

Live Turkeys Dry Out Easily: Unlike store-bought turkeys, which soak in a broth solution until you unwrap them, live turkeys need to be protected from drying out. I wrapped mine in moist paper towels before brining it.

Turkey Heads Are Fun: Being somewhat perverse, I held on to the turkey head and feet so I could show them to select people. Two of my sisters got in a little bit of a tiff over who got to keep them (I'm not the only weirdo in my family), until my youngest sister claimed the artist card, stating that she wanted to draw the various parts.

I have decided that I'm definitely going to go with live poultry for Christmas. Does anybody have a good recipe for pheasant?

Filed under: Food Oddities, Food Quest, Retro cookery, Ingredients, Holidays, Methods

Crowdsourcing First Aid for a Sugar Burn

COMMENTS 8

by Kat Kinsman, Posted Nov 30th 2008 @ 9:00AM



Yeeeeoowwwch! My pal Kathleen is an avid and talented baker, and in the midst of a late night apple tartlet frenzy, managed to wound herself severely with a lashing of molten sugar. If you've never suffered a sugar burn, consider yourself among the blessed. Professional bakers refer to boiled sugar as "edible napalm," as it's blisteringly hot and adheres to skin in a way that make it almost impossible to wash or scrape off in the frenzy of the moment.

Yes, a hospital trip would have been a logical solution, but a New York City emergency room on a Friday night seemed like neither an efficient nor inexpensive bet. Kathleen took to the internet to research the appropriate first aid for a sugar burn, and made a quick stop by Facebook to announce her plight. The sympathy and suggestions from friends began pouring in: "package of frozen edamame," "If hot sugar or water burns skin, place skin in cold water (not ice)." "Pure aloe squeezed from a leaf will promote healing, you should be able to obtain it from the greengrocer or garden shop." "Wrap lightly in gauze."

She settled for a combo of the latter two and is in much better shape today, but Monday (or, uh, Sunday) morning quarterbacking it -- what is in fact the best way to deal with a sugar burn? Even for veteran web researchers like those rallying around Kathleen, it proved incredibly difficult to pin down an definitive answer. If we can collectively share some wisdom here in the comments, perhaps it might serve as a starting point for someone in a similar situation in the future. Links or advice, anyone?

Oh -- and I'm getting her an elbow-length silicone oven mitt for Christmas. Shhhh!

Filed under: Health & Medical, Ingredients, Methods

Makin' Bacon! - Tip of the Day

COMMENTS 0

by Annie Scott, Posted Nov 25th 2008 @ 6:00AM

Want to cook up perfect bacon every time? Check this out!

Source

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Filed under: Tip of the Day, Ingredients, Methods

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