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.
While you're thinking about what to serve for this holiday season, here's something else to think about: AOL Food's quiz on holiday foods. Ten questions on everything from advocaat and candy canes to mulled wine and pfeffernusse.
I got eight out of ten, which is better than I usually do with these quizzes. One I guessed on and got right, and another one I got because they showed a picture that was a huge clue.
There was a time - say, up to the age of 35 - that I didn't like either cheesecake or pumpkin pie. Maybe our taste buds change over time, but now I love both of them. You have to watch me or I'll eat an entire cheesecake myself.
Here's a recipe that sort of combines the best of both of those worlds, Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. And it's pretty easy, especially if you use a can of pumpkin pie filling like some of the reviewers at the AllRecipes site suggest (it has a lot of the spices already in it). Full recipe after the jump.
I always have the best plans around the holidays when it comes to food. I always have some mathmatical formula where I'm going to consume the least amount of calories possible. If I don't have any cookies, I can drink more. If I don't have any of my sister's brownies, I can have a third helping of stuffing.
It never works out though. I go back for seconds at my sister's house (ham, lasagna, chicken breasts, green bean casserole, various desserts), then have a turkey sandwich and stuffing later that night at home. I go to my other sister's Xmas Eve party and find myself eating pasta salad and grazing on tortilla chips, cheese, and trifle all night (and six beers - "light," but still). Then, on Xmas Day, another meal, this one consisting of turkey, oatmeal and sausage stuffing, yams with marshmallow topping, a bottle of wine, Oreo Cookie cake and cheesecake.
Call me crazy, but I never think of the winter being a time for salads. To me, the winter is for soups and hearty meals and hot meals and hot tea and hot chocolate. Salads are for the spring and summer, the time of leafy greens and lighter dinners. Christmas is for turkeys and hams and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.
But the people over at Cooks Recipes would certainly disagree with me. They've come up with a huge list of various salads that you can eat at Christmas. Most of them incorporate the flavors of the season, including the Cranberry Apple Salad, the Holiday Sweet Potato Salad, and Grandma's Winter Fruit Medley. Danish-Deli-Food.com has a Winter Salad made with figs, cabbage, oranges, and pecans that sounds interesting. But the Layered Lettuce Salad? Not festive enough.
Oh, and Ambrosia Mold sounds like the name of a Bond girl.
First off, does Ray have to be on the cover of every issue, like Oprah? We get it from the name, it's her mag. She's everywhere nowadays, even on the box of Triscuits I bought the other night.