WbLL- what boredom looks like...

Nothing says holiday fun like slurring Christmas carols, and for that you need the right amount of eggnog and fruit cake. I must admit I tried store bought eggnog once at a holiday party and I was so disgusted by the underlying chemical taste that I quickly switched over to wine. I was a lover of homemade eggnog before, but after tasting the store bought eggnog, I became an advocate. And the best part is it is quick and easy to make once you have all the ingredients.

Eggnog:

3 eggs (organic – hey why take a chance)

1 cup half and half

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of allspice (optional)

1 ½ cups of vanilla ice cream (or three large scoops)

Light Rum (optional for some, necessary for others)

Blend the eggs with the half and half for one minute, until the eggs are completely dissolved. Then add and blend the heavy cream. In a separate small bowl mix together the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice, and then once combined add it to the blender. Blend until the spices are speckled in mixture, and once completely blended add 3 large scoops of ice cream. To serve pour one shot (½ shot or no shot) of the rum into a glass before pouring the eggnog, that way you can properly regulate the amount of rum. Mix individually with a stirrer and serve.

***

While my eggnog recipe is an adaptation of the traditional recipe, my fruitcake does not look like the doorstopper version you can buy in most grocery stores. On the contrary the fruits and nuts are blended until almost unrecognizable, and it is also heavily doused with cream sherry. I guess it might resemble more of a rum or west Indian black cake, but I have been calling it fruitcake since I was three and I refuse to rename it now.

Fruitcake

1lb raisins

1lb prunes

1lb citron

16 oz of dry cream sherry

* It is better if this mixture is soaked for 3months or longer, but if you don’t have that luxury, you can put the mixture in a sauce pan, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer until the citron is soft. Then remove from the flame and let stand until it comes to room temperature.

2 sticks butter

½ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

½ cup molasses

2 cups of flour

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon grounded cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

1 lb nuts

2 oz of dry cream sherry (for the batter)

1 oz of dry cream sherry (extra for garnishing)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F, with the racks set in the middle of the oven. Prepare your bunt baking pan by buttering the pan and lining it with wax paper.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Once they are completely combined and fluffy, add the eggs, mixing them in one at a time. When the eggs are completely combined, add the molasses. In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder and the spices. Once sifted, add the dry ingredients to the moist ingredients 1/3 at a time alternating with the 2 oz of sherry allotted for the batter. After all the sherry and flour are completely combined, add the now room temperature fruit mixture and the nuts. Pour mixture into prepared bunt pan and bake at 275degrees F for 2 hours and until the top of the cake is cracked. Remove from the oven, let the cake cool completely before taking it out of the pan. Once on the serving dish douse with the remaining dry cream sherry.

Labels: Drinks

The perfect accompaniment to any meal is bread, and this recipe for fresh whole wheat clover leaf rolls is one of my favorites:

yeast mixture

½ cup lukewarm water

1 ½ packets yeast

1/3 cup of sugar

* mix and let stand for 5 minutes

the rest

½ cup warm milk

2 eggs beaten

2/3 stick melted butter

pinch of salt

3 cups of whole wheat flour

3 cups of white flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin, by coating its insides with a small amount vegetable oil.

In a small sauce pan melt butter, and add milk heat until warm (NOT HOT). Add eggs and salt, stir well before adding yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the white and whole wheat flour. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients 1/3 of the mixture at a time – beating or whisking until smooth. Once the last third is blended smooth, put a towel over the bowl and place it in a warm spot to rise (20 minutes depending on the spot). Flour a surface big enough to work with the dough. Once the dough has risen punch it down and break of a fist sized ball (around a cup sized portion). Roll in between your hands until it forms a long tube about 2 inches thick. Cut the tubular dough widthwise into even pieces (2inch cubes). Put three pieces into each greased muffin tin cup. Cover the muffin tin with a cloth and place in a warm place to let rise (about 15 minutes). Once the rolls have risen for the second time (puffing out of the cups), bake for about 5 – 6 minutes at 425 degrees F.

Labels: Savory