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Tomorrow is the traditional date in the UK to make Christmas cakes, puddings and in Scotland, black bun.
Today I spent a couple of hours steeping dried fruits in tea and alcohol, in preparation for tomorrow's marathon!
Six cakes, eight puddings and four black buns.
That sounds like a wonderful tradition!
I made my fruitcake last Tuesday and really love it. I divide it into three parts; one for my one son-in-law, one for DD2 and one for me. We are the only ones that enjoy it.
It is wonderful to hear that the tradition is still going strong somewhere. In the 70's, it was still the expected routine; go shopping at the nearby nut supplier to get the ingredients, make the three layers of fruitcake, a light and dark one in September and drizzle it once a week with sherry or brandy. It was always served at social occasions during the lead-up to the holiday season. I always made the plum pudding for the family dinner with my parents. Once my father passed away in mid-90's, it all seemed to fall away. Nowadays, fruitcake is sold in grocery stores, doesn't taste very good and the the diced candied fruit often is glazed rutabaga. i was horrified when I saw that. I still use the genuine fruits and nuts.
Isabel, have you noticed that the tradition is dying out in your area among the younger generations? any other changes to longstanding traditions around the food of the season?
Oh you guys who bake, you are all wonderful!
Our neighbor brought over the most wonderful light pastry thingie today for us. I know that this kind of thing takes lots of practice and a light hand.
I'm specializing in scones, particularly cherry ones, and they are very popular.
Scones are wonderful. I even found dried buttermilk powder works just as well as fresh. So I always have a supply to throw together a batch. I like being able to control what is in the product and limit the sugar.
What a wonderful--if labor-intense--tradition. I love all kinds of lovingly made fruitcake, washed down with eggnog!
We won't start for a few weeks but we usually make 40 pounds of fudge:cool: It's the gift I give to my staff and hubby to his team as well and we to our neighbors. It's always a hit!
My scone recipe is from the most recent edition of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook (red plaid cover). It only has 2 tablespoons of sugar in an entire batch. It calls for heavy whipping cream, not buttermilk.Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetana3
That totally reminds me to make some vinebred (danish pastry) I am hosting thanksgiving and want a lighter dessert since we don't eat a lot of sweets.
My family all know how to make the traditional cakes, but assure me that mine are the best... They think I don't see through that ruse!
A lot of people still bake here. All my close relatives do, apart from my sister in Australia. She hates cooking!
The house smells wonderful and, for me, this is the real start of the season. When the cakes and black buns are baked, I store them in airtight containers and once a week, I 'feed' them with brandy or malt whisky. The cakes get marzipanned and iced in the week leading up to Christmas.
I try to alternate the bird for Christmas, Norfolk bronze turkey or goose. I serve it with all the usual sides, bread sauce, kilted sausages, honey glazed carrots, roast parsnips and potatoes, home made pork and sage stuffing balls and cranberry sauce and a port reduction gravy.
Really sounds delicious! Remind me what kilted sausages are? I don't remember my MIL making those.Quote:
Originally Posted by IshbelRobertson
Pork and sage stuffing sounds wonderful. May i ask for your recipe please as well as the port reduced gravy as that is new to me. Makes cooking fun when I try something totally new.
Kilted sausages are two chipolata pork sausages wrapped in the middle with streaky bacon.
My recipe for sage and onion stuffing.
A small amt of pork sausagemeat, handful of home dried breadcrumbs, half a finely diced onion, three or four sage leaves, sliced thinly. Roll into small balls and cook for about thirty minutes before serving. Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle. Can you tell I do it by eye?!
Port wine reduction gravy. Drain off all the fat leaving only the meat juices and the sliced onion and carrots I used as a bed for the bird. Mash the veg into meat juices. Sprinkle flour onto residue and stir until amalgamated. Slowly add a large glass of port or red wine. Allow to thicken.bring to a boil. If too thick, add some water from the cooked veggies. Simmer until required.
dried eggs work well too also Truvia instead of sugar. One year I looked through many recipe books and obtained a variety of wonderful scones.Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetana3
Thank you Ishbel. I have never thought of making a bed for the bird and then using the roasted veggies. That is on my to-do list for sure added to the gravy is a brilliant idea for wonderful flavour.Quote:
Originally Posted by IshbelRobertson
My usual stuffing is about a cup+ of diced onions and celery sautéed in butter until tender added to 6 cups of diced (1/2") bread cubes, sprinkle on two packets of chicken bouillon mix, 2 eggs and enough poultry seasoning with extra sage to taste. I add water slowly just til moistened but not wet and roast for 1/2 hr in the oven with the bird. I don't stuff the bird anymore. I just clean and dry the bird and add an onion and an apple along with the usual outer glazing.
I must try using the sausage meat mix as an alternative for one who doesn't enjoy the bread stuffing which is usually gone with the turkey but I never had an alternative to offer.
If I make bread sauce as an accompaniment, I use a sausagemeat stuffing.
I just looked up the recipe for a bread sauce as that is a new term for me. It seems to be a flavoured white sauce.Quote:
Originally Posted by IshbelRobertson
Is the bread sauce used to drizzle over the meat or the veggies in place of the wine reduction gravy? I am finding it quite fascinating to see the variations on celebration meals so hope you don't mind the queries?
I just realized I started another thread but could add to this one.
I am trying new vinebred fillings (danish pastry). I want to do pumpkin cream cheese and blueberry cream cheese. I will make traditional prune and apple ones as well.
For regular food I make a vegan gravy, it makes a lot more gravy than you can from turkey drippings. Also a stuffing that goes in a baked squash and has brown rice, lentils, sunflower seeds, broccoli, and more. The green bean casserole is off the package but I will add some garlic. And my potatoes are in the crockpot with lots of garlic as well.
The bread sauce is added to the plate, like cranberry sauce for example. It's an 'as well as', not an 'instead of' the gravy.
Personally, I can't stand it, but family would be outraged if it wasn't on the table!
I had bread sauce once. I believe that you are wise, WishbelRobertson.Quote:
Originally Posted by IshbelRobertson
Where do you stand on chestnuts in Brussel sprouts? The bread sauce cousin served that, too.
I'm ok on the sprouts, I forgot to add that very dish on my menu!