Anna Sultana’s Anise "S" and Mounds, Biscotti Regina, and Rainbow Cookies / Homemade Almond Paste / Frosting Recipe / The First Maltese Lucia Queen by Margaret Ullrich

 

Two weeks till Christmas!
I don’t know about you, but, after not having real Christmases for a few years, thanks to Covid-19, I’m a little rusty.
The rustiness, combined with me in general slowing down, is making this Christmas a challenge.
Ah, well, the chance to get together is worth a bit of work.

And a bit of food.

Cookies are always handy to have on hand for unexpected guests.
A slice of cake, especially fruitcake, can seem a bit overwhelming, but there’s always room for a cookie, or two.
Ma’s Anise cookies, both in the "S" shape and in rounds, and Biscotti Reginas were always available when family came for a visit.
And the rainbow cookies always got a Wow! when they were on the platter.


Hints:
Have the eggs, milk and butter, or margarine, at room temperature.

If you don’t like licorice, use another extract, such as lemon, or use 1/2 anise and 1/2 vanilla for a milder flavour.

About Anise "S" Cookies…
These cookies will puff up, so give them room.
Don’t like frosting? Dip the cookies into milk, then sesame seeds, and bake.
Or after baking, dust cooled cookies with confectioners’ sugar.
For a glossy finish beat an egg in a small bowl and brush each cookie with the egg wash before baking.

About Anise Mound Cookies…
For smooth cookies roll the dough into balls no bigger than the size of a walnut.

About Rainbow Cookies…
Some people use apricot jam instead of raspberry jam.
If there are seeds in the raspberry jam, strain them out.

Homemade Almond Paste (Makes 2 Cups)
Place in blender
2 Cups blanched almonds
Grind until you have a fine almond flour.
Add
1/2 Cup orange juice
1 Cup sugar
Blend until combined well and smooth.
Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container.



                        Anise "S" Cookies

Line 3 large baking sheets with with parchment paper

60 cookies

Sift into a large bowl
5 Cups flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 Cups sugar
Cream together until smooth.

Add, one at a time
6 large eggs
Beat well and add
2 teaspoons anise extract
Blend well.
Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions add
the flour mixture
1/2 Cup milk
Blend well.
Turn the dough onto a floured board.
Knead until dough is firm and not sticky. Add more flour if needed. 

Preheat oven to 400º F

Break off a handful of dough, roll into long rope, then cut into 5 inch pieces.
Place on lined cookie sheet and form into an ‘S’ shape.
Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies 2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown.
Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.

For the frosting

Place in a medium pot
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Melt over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in
5 Tablespoons milk
1 3/4 Cups confectioners’ sugar
Stir to a desired consistency, adding more milk if needed.
Spoon frosting on cookies and immediately top with sprinkles.
Return to rack to set.
Let cool completely and store in airtight container at room temperature.


                        Anise Mound Cookies

80 cookies

Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper

Sift into a medium bowl
2 3/4 Cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place in a large mixer bowl
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 Cup milk
1 teaspoon anise extract
Beat at medium speed until well blended.
Lower to slow speed and add the flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time.
Beat until well blended.

Preheat oven to 325º F

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown.
Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting

Place in a small bowl
1 Cup confectioners’ sugar
4 to 5 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon anise extract
Beat until smooth.

Dip the tops of the cookies into the frosting.
Right after dipping, while the glaze is still wet, top with sprinkles.
Let set until glaze hardens.


                        Biscotti Regina
                       
48 cookies

Grease and flour 4 large cookie pans

Pour into a shallow bowl
1/2 Cup milk

On a piece of waxed paper spread
1 Cup sesame seeds

Sift into a medium bowl
2 1/2 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
3/4 Cup sugar
Cream together until smooth.
Add
1 large egg
2 teaspoons anise extract
Beat in.
Stir the flour into the butter mixture until forming a soft dough.

Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and shape it into a small log. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Preheat the oven to 350º F

Dip a log into the milk, then dip it in the sesame seeds.
Place the cookie on a cookie pan, seeded side up.
Repeat with the remaining logs and place on pans 1 inch apart.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the logs are lightly toasted.
Let cool on the cookie pans for 10 minutes.
Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

                        Venetian Rainbow Cookies

Grease three 9 x 13 inch pans
Line with waxed paper and grease again

Sift together
2 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Separate, placing whites in a small mixer bowl and yolks in a cup.
4 large eggs
Set aside the yolks and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup (8 ounces) almond paste
1 1/2 Cups butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
the reserved 4 eggs yolks
1 teaspoon almond extract
Beat for 5 minutes until fluffy.
Slowly beat in the flour mixture and fold in the egg whites.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Remove 1 1/2 Cups of batter and spread in the first prepared pan.

Remove another 1 1/2 Cups of batter and place in a small bowl.
Add
10 drops green food colouring
Blend well and spread in the second pan.

Add to the remainder of the batter
10 drops red food colouring
Blend well and spread into the third pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, just until edges are golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool layers on wire racks.

Heat
12 ounces seedless raspberry preserves

Place the green layer on a foil covered cookie sheet.
Spread half of the warm preserves on top of the green layer.
Place the yellow layer on top and spread the reminder of the preserves.
Place the red layer on top of the preserves and cover with plastic wrap.
Put a weight, such as a cutting board, on top and store in the fridge overnight.

Melt
2 squares semisweet chocolate or 2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Spread a thin layer of chocolate over the top.
Allow to dry for 30 minutes and then cut into 1inch square pieces.

                                                            ~~~
Along with being a co-host for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’ from 1999 to 2007, I wrote stories and essays, which I then read live on air.
Back in 2000 I wrote this for our show. 
No, I don’t do any of these seasonal feast celebrations anymore.
At my age I have to conserve my energy for Christmas!

My parents and I immigrated to New York in 1950. A few years later, when I was in school, I asked why we didn't have anything pretty to eat for Christmas. My Ma told me that in Malta, Christmas was a religious celebration. The focus was on God becoming man, not on cookies.

Maltese desserts are simple - fresh fruit and cheese with an occasional cookie. One Maltese cookie, the biskuttini tar rahal, could be described as hardened library paste with a hint of lemon and a dash of royal icing. A variation on the biskuttini cuts the sugar by half and replaces the royal icing with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.  
Both cookies are wonderful teething rings.  

Another favourite is the anise biscotti. The big thrill with a biscotti is seeing how much milk it can suck up before breaking in half and falling into your glass. 
It's like eating the sinking Titanic.  
For the holidays, we borrow from the Sicilians and make kannoli tar-rikotta (ricotta in a fried pastry tube) or a qassata (vanilla custard shmeared over a sponge cake).  
How lame is that?  


I knew my German classmates ended their meals with more oomph. Our parish, St. Fidelis, was a cookie heaven. The most amazing homemade cookies were brought to every church and school function by my friends' Moms. They were rich and gorgeous - the cookies, I mean. They were loaded with spices, fruits, nuts and jams, and were covered with thick layers of frosting and all sorts of sprinkles.  

When my Ma saw the competition she admitted defeat and took over the job of bringing coffee. I was free to eat whatever caught my eye. While I gushed, my friends' Moms all beamed. My friends thought I was nuttier than the cookies.  


My husband is a third generation American - half Swedish and half German. Okay, I was marrying into the Cookie Big Leagues. I thought, along with the change of name, I'd return from my honeymoon a changed woman able to make cookies with a capital ‘C’. To paraphrase the biblical story of Ruth, I believed
What thou eatest, I will eat... thy cookies shall be my cookies...

Well, you get the picture.  Thanks to the movie The Sound of Music, I just knew we'd celebrate Christmas a la von Trapp: sitting beneath a huge, glowing tree,
singing Edelweiss and munching beautiful cookies, my favorite things. Ethnic things.
The ethnic bit nearly ended my marriage.

There's an old German saying: That which really tastes oft us trouble makes. Now, there's truth in advertising. Clear as a bell, they were warning me to not even go there. If I'd had half a brain I'd have just thrown in the mixing bowl and placed a huge order at the local German bakery for a deluxe assorted cookie platter, with some stollen on the side.

Nope, I didn't take the hint. I studied every German and Swedish cookbook I could find. The biggest surprise was that there were other days that had to be celebrated. Okay, I thought, practice makes perfect. Maybe it's like opening a Broadway show in Boston. I learned about their holiday customs.  

The first Advent biggie was December 6. St. Nicholas' Day. That called for small presents in Paul's shoes and some hot chocolate and buns for breakfast. No problem. The morning went without a hitch.  
Huzzah!! One day I'd bake cookies that looked like jewels!  


I spent more nights baking instead of sleeping. My next goal was an authentic Swedish Saint Lucia Day for our first December 13. Maybe the lack of sleep was affecting my mind.  

According to one big fat book, a good Swedish wife got up at four a.m. to start tossing her cookies. God forbid any sunlight should shine on the dough or disaster would befall the household. Every hefty housefrau hoped a crescent moon was hovering on the horizon to bring good luck to the baking.  

No kidding. Without that sliver of light she could get killed, stumbling around in the dark like that. I really thought that if I followed the customs, my baking would get better. I got up at four a.m. and baked. Okay, I cheated. I used electric lights.  

Then I ran into a slight problem. According to tradition, saffron buns and coffee were served between three and four a.m. by the eldest daughter, who was dressed as the Lucia Queen. We didn't have children and I couldn't borrow a neighbour's kid for that ungodly hour. I had to make some changes in the sacred customs. I, as an eldest daughter, became the first Maltese Lucia Queen. Ever.

I stitched up a long white robe and tied shining red balls to our Advent wreath. I memorized the traditional poem. Then, when I saw how much saffron cost, I made another teeny change. I made cinnamon buns. What harm could it do?


The days flew. Finally, it was December 13, 3:45 a.m. Show Time!
I was clad in white, balancing an advent wreath with bouncing red balls and gleaming white candles upon my head. I was a glowing, flaming cherries jubilee, clutching a tray laden with coffee and cinnamon buns and walking ever so slowly to our bed.  

Hovering over Paul, I chanted: Night goes with silent steps...
Hmmph... No answer. He was snoring. No Swedish genes were making him wake up to behold his Lucia Queen.  
Well, after all that work, this Lucia Queen required an audience.
Creating my own liturgy, I ad libbed. Wake up, Paul!
Still no answer. I set the tray down, gave him a push and repeated
Night goes with silent steps... Damn it, wake up!!
He snorted, turned and faced me. It took him a while to focus.
Okay, finally, I, the Lucia Queen, was getting the respect I deserved.  

I went back to chanting, my voice building to an impressive boom
Night goes with silent steps round house and cottage.
O'er earth that sun forgot, Dark shadows linger.      
Then on our threshold stands white clad in candlelight,
SANTA LUCIA, SANTA LUCIA!!!

He looked. He blinked. He screamed.
He said something that no one should ever say to a Lucia Queen.

I blamed the cinnamon. Maybe the Swedish mojo just doesn't work with cinnamon.
Look, if my Ma can blame religion, I can blame spices.

Anna Sultana’s Ricotta Cookies and Christmas Cake / 1930s Dollar Fruitcake (Winnipeg Free Press) / Tossing Christmas Cookies by Margaret Ullrich

 

It's that time of year.
All together now: Tradition... Tradition...
I know that most of the time everyone just does what they have - or want - to do.
But now it’s the holiday season, and there are rules - I mean, traditions - that must be followed.
Yippee kay yoh kay yay!


Back in December, 2009 I posted the recipe for the Winnipeg Free Press’s 1930s Dollar Fruitcake in my blog Winnipeg is Better Than Chocolate.
It’s been a popular post every December and it just occurred to me that, if you haven’t been reading my Winnipeg blog, you haven’t seen the recipe.
So, I’m reposting it here.

Ma wouldn’t have made that fruitcake, but she did make Ricotta Cookies.
Why not? It was an easy, and sneaky, way to get more cheese into us.

Ricotta Cookies, when fresh from the oven, can be used as shortcake.
In the summer, instead of putting icing on the cookies, Ma sometimes topped the cookies with mashed sugared berries and added a dollop of whipped cream.
For the grown-ups she’d add a dash of booze to the fruit.

If you don’t want to make a fruitcake but want a cake for your holiday dinner you could make this Christmas Cake.
It has layers of almond butter cake, a jam filling, and a chocolate icing.


Hints:

About the Ricotta Cookies…

As with all cookies, have the butter and eggs at room temperature so that the butter is soft enough to blend easily with the sugar.

The extra fat in whole milk ricotta helps make soft, tender cookies.


The cookies are often flavoured with lemon or anise extract, but you could use vanilla or almond or orange extract. You could use one flavour in the cookies and a different one in the icing. You could divide the batter and use a different flavouring in each batch.

The dough can be made ahead of time and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days. The unbaked dough does not freeze well.

If you have 2 cookie sheets allow them to cool completely before using for the second batch. Refrigerate the remaining dough while working on the first portion.

Unglazed cookies can be stored in an airtight container.
Let frosted cookies dry for at least 2 hours before placing them in a covered, not airtight, container with wax paper separating each layer. Store at room temperature.

The glaze softens over time. If giving as gifts, frost on the day you deliver.

You could also use a buttercream frosting.

It is best to eat them within 5 days.

Baked unfrosted Ricotta Cookies freeze well.


About the Christmas Cake…

To evenly divide the batter, use a kitchen scale and weigh out the batter in each bowl.

Add as much food colouring as you like. I used 1/2 teaspoon of each colour.

Chill the cake to produce fewer crumbs. Score around the cake layer and cut only a little bit at a time. When cutting the layer in half use a long serrated knife and keep it parallel to your work surface.
If a cake does split when you are cutting it, fit the pieces back together and use a bit of jam as glue. Place the split layers in the centre of the cake and no one will know.


About the 1930s Dollar Fruitcake…

During the early 1930s this recipe cost $1 to make.
By 1974 the cost of those same ingredients had increased to more than $4.
By 1979 the price passed $8.
Now? Don't ask. Just enjoy.



                        Ricotta Cookies

48 cookies

Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper
or use 4 ungreased cookie sheets
                 
Sift together
4 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place in a large bowl
1/2 pound butter, softened
Cream thoroughly, then add, 1/2 cup at a time
2 Cups sugar
Continue creaming until well blended.
Add
1 pound whole milk ricotta

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon extract of your choice, or more vanilla
Beat well.
Add sifted ingredients to the batter.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Drop about a teaspoon of dough two inches apart on 2 baking sheets.
Place in the oven and bake 10 to 13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

WHILE COOKIES ARE BAKING make cookies with the remaining dough and place on other 2 baking sheets.
Remove cookies from the oven when the edges are lightly browned.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Bake remaining cookies.

Icing:

Place in large mixer bowl
1/4 Cup butter
3 Tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
Blend well, then gradually add
2 Cups confectioners’ sugar
Spread icing on top of the cookies.
While the frosting is still wet top with
multi-coloured sprinkles or coloured sugar


                        Christmas Cake

Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans

For the cake

Sift together in a medium bowl
2 3/4 Cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Place in a large bowl of an electric mixer
10 ounces almond paste, broken into small pieces
1 1/2 Cups unsalted butter, softened
Beat together until thoroughly combined, about 4 minutes.
Add in, 1/2 cup at a time
2 Cups sugar
Mix until fluffy and  thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes.
Stir in
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat in, one at a time, until blended
5 large eggs
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions add
the flour mixture
3/4 Cup whole milk
Mix only until the dry ingredients are just blended. Do not over mix as the batter will also be mixed when you add the colouring.

Pre-heat oven to 350º F

Evenly divide the batter into 3 separate bowls.
Add to the first bowl
1/2 teaspoon red food colouring
Add to the second bowl
1/2 teaspoon green food colouring
Mix each bowl until combined.
Pour the red batter into a prepared pan, the green batter into the second pan, and the uncoloured batter into the third pan.
Bake for 28 - 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Remove the cakes from their pans.
Let the cakes cool completely.
Refrigerate before slicing each cake in half horizontally to have 6 layers of cake.

For the frosting

Melt
8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Allow to cool thoroughly.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
Beat until smooth and creamy.
With the mixer on low, gradually add
1 1/2 Cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
Turn the mixer up to medium and mix until combined.
Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until combined.

To assemble

Have on hand
3/4 to 1 Cup raspberry jam

Leave a layer that has a bottom of a cake layer uncovered with jam so that you can have a top layer that is flat and unsliced.
Spread 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the raspberry jam on top of 5 layers of cake.
Stack the layers, alternating the colours, with the top of the cake being unsliced.
Ice the cake with the chocolate frosting.
If the frosting is too thick to spread, add in more hot water, a teaspoon at a time.
If it is too runny, place it in the refrigerator a few minutes.

If you wish to add sprinkles:
The frosting sets quickly. Add sprinkles while the frosting is still fresh so they will stick.


                        1930s Dollar Fruitcake (Winnipeg Free Press)

Line a 9-inch tube pan with greased brown paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil

Pour boiling water over
1 pound sultana raisins
Place raisins between paper towels and dry thoroughly.
Set aside.

Halve
1/2 pound candied cherries

Chop
1/2 Cup blanched almonds
1/2 Cup walnuts

Place in a measuring cup
1/4 Cup fruit juice (orange, apple, grape or juice from canned fruit)
1/2 teaspoon brandy flavouring or almond extract

Place in a large bowl
the washed and dried raisins
the halved candied cherries
the chopped blanched almonds and walnuts
2 Cups mixed peel

Sift together
2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sift again over the fruits and nuts, then stir until each piece is coated.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
Cream until light and fluffy.
Gradually blend in
1 Cup sugar

Beat in, one at a time, until blended
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 300º F

Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, stir the flour / fruit mixture alternately with the fruit juice into the butter / sugar mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours, until the cake starts to pull away from the side of the pan.

Remove pan from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.
Remove cake from pan and allow to cool thoroughly.
Wrap well and store in airtight container.

                                                       ~~~
I also wrote the following essay about Christmas traditions for our CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’. Over the years our listeners asked for some seasonal stories to be repeated.
They seemed to like being reminded that we were all in the same holiday boat, a communal ship which made us feel like we were all sinking fast.

Ah… Christmas shopping, holiday baking and holiday customs…
Why do we do it?

I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, there are two questions no one should ever ask a woman.

The first is How old are you?
The second is Have you done your holiday baking yet?

Why is it that, when the thermometer falls, we're supposed to bake? 
Does the Queen whip up a fruitcake before writing her speech?
I don't think so.  

Holiday baking has been with us an awfully long time.
Did you know that ginger was popular in Greece over 5,000 years ago? The Egyptians were eating gingerbread when the great pyramid of Cheops was just a brick and a prayer. I wonder what their gingerbread men looked like.

A few years after Egypt's building boom, an English King and his hunting party got lost in a blizzard on Christmas Eve. Well, they were clever lads full of English pluck, so they threw everything they had - meat, flour, sugar, apples, ale and brandy - into a bag and cooked it. Wallah!!  Plum pudding. The Iron Chef would've been proud.  

On Christmas Day in 1666, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary that he had risen earlier than his wife Who was desirous to sleep having sat up till four this morning seeing her maids make mince pies. 
I really admire Mrs. P. She just sat and watched her maids do the work, yet her husband felt guilty about her workload. How did she get him to suffer like that?   

Some Christmas carols seem a little too focused on food.  For example:
     Now bring us some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer!
     We won't go until we get some, so bring it out here.
Those were somebody's friends?  Somebody should've called the cops.


Holiday baking has followed us into modern times. The 1970s was the decade of old time family television shows like The Waltons and memoir books.
Have you ever browsed through a memoir book? It could make you weep. They reminded us of times like this...
Evenings when a cold blustery wind howled outside were perfect for sorting through recipes. They were cozy times. The children were sitting at the oak table helping Mama chop fruit and raisins. Papa was cracking and shelling nuts and crushing fresh spices in the grinder.

Isn't that sweet? Sentences like that convinced me that if we did things just like people did before television was invented, the world would be a kinder, gentler place.

We'll never know. Paul told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was too busy to grind nuts for a cake he didn't even want.
Alright. Scratch Paul grinding his nuts. I bought ground nuts.

Step two... the batter had to be mixed. Back to that memoir...
When all the fruits were in, Grandmother called, 'Come, stir the batter!'
We all took turns giving it a stir - clockwise for good luck - and made a wish.

I made a batter, threw in the fruits and called out Come, stir the batter!

Carl pointed to the electric mixer sitting on the counter and said that he was staying on the eighth level of his computer game, The Temple of Ra. He also told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was too busy to stir batter for a cake he didn't even want.

I stirred the batter, clockwise.
Don't ask what I wished.


It's been downhill ever since. Do you know about the charming Swedish custom of hiding a whole almond in a serving bowl of rice pudding? The lucky person who finds the almond has to get married or do the dishes. Either my husband or my son - the fink never confessed - managed to swallow the almond every time.

I tried the German version: whoever finds the almond receives a marzipan pig. By then Paul and Carl had their own tradition: swallowing the almond. I felt so guilty looking at that poor rejected pig.
I started my own tradition and ate him... along with the cake.

There's a Christmas carol that goes: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

Well, the goose isn't the only one.

Anna Sultana’s Simnel Cake / Mother’s Day Cake / Easter Cake

My grandmother lived with us. 

She had worked as a cook for a British family in Malta. 

Mothering Sunday was one of the British customs we continued to observe while I was growing up in New York.

Mothering Sunday may have originally derived from a 16th-century practice of visiting the 'mother church’, the main church in the region, on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. 

Historically, this was also a time when domestic servants were given time off to travel and visit their families.

I'll to thee a Simnel Bring

'Gainst thou go'st a-Mothering

So that, when she blesseth thee,

Half that blessing thou'lt give me.

Robert Herrick

Just so you know… 

The 11 balls represent the 11 Apostles, except for Judas.

That’s why this cake can also be served for Easter.

Hints:

If your Mom likes a bit of a kick, 2 Tablespoons of sherry or her favourite drink (if it goes well with the fruit) may be brushed on the cake before adding the apricot jam.

If the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil after an hour of baking.

During the baking seasons of Lent and Advent I pick up a dozen small eggs.

They won’t work exactly for the recipes, but they are just enough when I need to beat an egg for glazing, as in the end of this recipe.

If you have time, you can decorate the cake with crystallized or plain flowers.

Some also wrap a ribbon around the side.

Most don't.

At Easter the middle of the top of the cake can be decorated with small wrapped chocolate eggs, tiny chickies and such.  

The kids love that!

                        Simnel Cake

Grease an 8 inch springform pan

Dust with flour and tap out the excess.

Line the bottom and sides with greased parchment paper.

In a medium bowl mix well together

1 1/2 Cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons allspice

In another medium bowl combine

1/4 Cup flour

1 1/3 Cups golden raisins
1 Cup dried currants
2/3 Cup candied cherries, rinsed, dried and quartered
1/4 Cup candied mixed fruit peel, chopped
2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest 

Divide into 3 equal portions

1 pound almond paste

Roll out one portion of the almond paste to form an 8 inch circle. 

Set the remaining portions aside for later.

Preheat oven to 300º F

In a large mixer bowl, beat at medium speed

1 Cup margarine, softened
1 Cup light brown sugar

Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add, one at a time

4 large eggs

Beat well after each addition.

Beat in the flour mixture until just blended. 

Stir in the floured fruit.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the circle of almond paste on the cake batter in the pan. 

Gently cover the almond paste with the remaining cake batter.

Bake for 2 1/2 hours, or until evenly brown and firm to the touch.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Remove the metal side frame, place cake on large cookie sheet.

Place the cake on a wire rack and cool completely. 

Set oven to broil.

While the cake is cooling

Roll out one portion of the almond paste to form an 8 inch circle.  

Divide the remaining portion into 11 pieces and roll each into a ball.

In a small cup beat

1 egg

After the cake has cooled, brush the top with 

2 Tablespoons apricot jam, warmed

Place the second almond paste circle on top of cake. 

Brush the almond paste on top of cake with beaten egg. 

Arrange the 11 balls around the outside edge on the top of cake. 

Brush the balls with the egg.

Place cake under the broiler for 3 minutes, or until almond paste is golden brown.

Slide the cake onto a serving platter.

Decorate if you wish and serve.

Anna Sultana’s Three Colour Bar Cookies with Apricot Preserves, Maltese Style

The recipe for Ma’s Three Colour Bar Cookies with Ganache would add a nice touch of colour to any cookie platter.

I was asked if they could be prepared with a different jam or preserves.

Of course… apricot preserves works well.

This recipe is a little different.

It is handy if your 9x13 inch pans are holding coffeecakes and you only have 8 inch square pans sitting on the shelf.

For goodness sake, don’t buy more pans!

Hints:

You can substitute chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate or milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips when making the chocolate icing.

For a mocha touch, add 2 or 3 Tablespoons strong coffee.

White chocolate also works well, too.

Mint chocolate can give a nice holiday touch, especially if you add a sprinkling of crushed candy canes.

Of course you can use raspberry jam, if you prefer.

If you’re preparing these cookies for a party that has a special colour theme you can use colouring to match, if you wish.

Or you could have just the middle stripe coloured.

These cookies freeze well.

                        Three Colour Bar Cookies with Apricot Preserves

Lined 3 8-inch square pans with wax paper and grease

Preheat oven to 350º F

In a medium bowl combine

3 Cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Separate, placing the yolks in a cup and  the whites in a medium mixer bowl.

6 large eggs 

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

In a large mixer bowl place

1 3/4 Cups butter, softened

1 1/2 Cups sugar

Beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

Beat in

12 ounces almond paste, broken into pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Beat in the eggs yolks.

Beat in flour mixture.

Fold the beaten egg whites into the butter / sugar mixture.

Pour one third of the batter into one prepared square pan.

Pour half of the remaining batter into the second prepared pan and add green food colouring (about 4 drops).

Pour the remaining batter into the third prepared pan and add red food colouring (about 5 drops).

Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes or until the edges are browned.

A toothpick inserted near the centre should come out clean.

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool.

Remove the white layer and green layer from their pans.

While the cookie batter is baking, place in a small pot

10 to 12 ounces apricot preserves 

Heat over low heat, stirring until the preserves are smooth.

While the preserves are still warm spread half of the apricot preserves on the red layer which is still in the pan.

Top with the white layer and spread the remaining apricot preserves on that layer.

Top with the green layer.

Remove the cake from the pan, wrap with plastic wrap and return it to the pan.

Place an 8 inch pan on top to weigh it down and put the cake in the refrigerator. 

Let set overnight.

Chocolate Layer

The next day place a small bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Place in the bowl

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. 

Remove the cake from the pan, unwrap and place on a cutting board. 

Cut the cake into three equal pieces (about 8 x 2 1/2 inches each). 

Spread chocolate on the top of each layer. 

Cool and let dry. 

Slice into cookies. 

Anna Sultana’s Three Colour Bar Cookies with Ganache, Maltese Style

I recently posted the recipe for Ma’s Double Chocolate Cake and suggested it would be a nice dessert for ending a holiday feast.

A friend told me she’d had her fill of feasts, thank you very much, and was just going to serve veggie and cold cut platters, cookies and coffee.

Of course there’d be something bubbly at midnight.

Fair enough - feasts for some, snacks for others.

Ma’s Double Chocolate Cake and Ma's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Topping 

both have chocolate ganache.

So does Ma’s recipe for Three Colour Bar Cookies.

Along with the chocolate, there’s almond paste in the cookies, so there’s a bit of ‘something special’ oomph in them.

The Three Colour Bar Cookies would look nice on a platter, along with Ma’s Truffles and Ma's Christmas Cookies.

And, for something to drink, why not serve Carmela Soprano's Spiked Egg Nog as well as Carmela's Candy Cane Martini. 

Happy New Year!!

Hints:

You can substitute chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate or milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips when making the ganache.

For a mocha touch, add 2 or 3 Tablespoons strong coffee.

White chocolate also works well, too.

Mint chocolate can give a nice holiday touch, especially if you add a sprinkling of crushed candy canes.

If you’re preparing these cookies for a party that has a special colour theme you can use colouring to match, if you wish.

Or you could have just the middle stripe coloured.

                        Three Colour Bar Cookies with Ganache

Grease a 9×13 inch pan

Preheat oven to 350º F

Makes 30 bars

In a medium bowl combine

2 Cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In a large mixer bowl place

1 1/4 Cups butter, softened

1 Cup sugar

7 ounces almond paste

1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

Beat in, one at a time

3 large eggs

Beat in flour mixture.

Pour one third of the batter into the prepared 9×13 inch baking pan.

Place the pan in the freezer and let sit for 5 minutes.

While the pan with one third of the batter is in the freezer:

Pour half of the remaining batter into a medium bowl.

Add to one bowl:

green food colouring

Add to the second bowl:

red food colouring

Use as much or as little colouring as you wish.

After the 5 minutes, gently spread the green batter over the batter in the pan.

Freeze the pan for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan and gently spread the red batter over the green batter.

Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes.

A toothpick inserted near the centre should come out clean.

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.

Spread evenly over the baked and cooled batter

1 Cup seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate Ganache

Place a small bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Place in the bowl

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 Cup heavy cream or half and half

Melt together over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the ganache over the jam layer and spread with a spatula.

Allow the chocolate to set.

Cut into 30 bars.

Carmela Soprano's Biscotti d' Pinoli - Pignoli Cookies

I can't believe it.

We've come to Carmela's final dessert recipe.

And it's really simple.

Only four ingredients.

The big surprise is that the recipe is in Bobby Bacala's chapter If I Couldn't Eat, I'd F**king Die in Artie Bucco's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Yes, Bobby's recipes are often in the The recipe is interesting to read,

but I'd f**king die if I had to go to the trouble to make this category.

But his recipe for Biscotti d' Pinoli - Pignoli Cookies - is really simple.

Pignoli, or pine nuts, are actually seeds about the size of slivered almonds.

Don't kill yourself trying to find them.

They're not as popular as almonds.

The slivered almonds will do just as well.

A bit of an aside…

In Italy a fussy, fastidious, meticulous person is called a Pignolo.

Don't be a Pignolo about your pignoli.

If you like the simplicity of these cookies try the recipe for Almond Macaroons.

If the gang is coming over, make both.

Yes, both of these cookie recipes are that easy.

Hints:

If the dough is too dry, beat in another tablespoon or so of beaten egg white.

The batter should be soft and sticky.

Be sure to cover the cookies well with the nuts.

This will help prevent them from sticking to the baking sheet.

If you are using slivered almonds and want to kick up the flavour,
add a teaspoon or so of almond extract.

If you do manage to find pignoli, get an extra bag and make Italian pesto sauce.

Yes, there are quite a few variations.

Carmela has a recipe for Poached Chicken with Pesto.

Even lovelorn Adriana has a recipe for Linguine al Pesto.

Hey, pignoli are just seeds.

As a snack they have to be healthier than a lot of the processed stuff in the stores.

Also pine nuts can be pressed to extract pine nut oil, which has a mild, nutty flavour.

According to one study Korean pine nut oil may suppress appetite.

So check where those pine nuts came from.

Assuming you can find them in your store.

                        Biscotti d' Pinoli

Makes 30

Grease a large baking sheet    

preheat oven to 350º 

In the large bowl of an electric mixer combine

8 ounces almond paste, crumbled

Beat in

2 large egg whites beaten (or a bit more)

1 Cup confectioners' sugar

Beat until smooth.

In a small bowl place

2 Cups pignoli nuts or slivered almonds

Drop a tablespoon of the batter into the nuts and roll it into a ball.

Drop the ball back into the nuts to coat the cookie.

Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining batter and nuts, placing the cookies 1 inch apart.

Bake 20 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned.

Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets.

Using a thin metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks.

Cool completely.

Dust the cookies with

confectioners' sugar

Store in airtight containers or in the freezer up to one month.

Would I make Biscotti d' Pinoli again?

Absolutely.

It's quick and easy.

And, in January, it's a great way to use up the almond paste.

One recipe down.  One more to go.

Carmela Soprano's Cassata / Iced Sponge Cake with Ricotta Filling l Palm Sunday Customs

It's Palm Sunday!

And almost everybody has fresh palm leaves to prove it!

In Malta, on Ħadd il-Palm, both palm leaves and olive leaves are used.

Many parishes there have a shrine of 'Jesus prays in the Olive Garden' (Ġesù fl-Ort).

In memory of that, people take a small branch of olive to their homes.

In Italy palm leaves and small olive branches are also used.

These are placed above the door, where they stay until the next Palm Sunday.

Small olive branches are also used to decorate traditional Easter cakes.

In parts of the world where it's difficult to get palms, other traditions have arisen.

Palm Sunday is also called Yew or Willow Sunday, or just Branch Sunday.

Whatever branch or leaves you have, it's a day to celebrate.

It is time to make a nice dessert.

And who would know better dessert recipes than Bobby Bacala.

Bobby's chapter If I Couldn't Eat, I'd F**king Die in Artie Bucco's

The Sopranos Family Cookbook has terrific traditional recipes.

They're not something you can whip up in a few minutes.

His Cassata is fancy, yet light.

I mentioned Cassata in the post about Carmela Soprano's Ricotta Cheesecake.

Ricotta is a nice low-fat cheese.

The Cassata would be a perfect dessert for Easter.

Not everybody thinks fancy bread is a true dessert.

If you need a quick dessert today, Ma's Cannoli is similar but fast.

No, Ma's Cannoli is not as complicated as Carmela's Cannoli.

Really.  Take a look.

Hints:

The sponge cake layers can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.

Wrap in foil or plastic wrap.

The filling can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance.

Cover and refrigerate.

                        Cassata

For the Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 375º

Grease 2 9-inch layer cake pans

Line the bottom of the pans.

Grease the paper.

Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.

In a large mixer bowl, beat at low speed

6 large eggs, at room temperature

Slowly add (gradually increasing the mixer speed to high)

2/3 Cup sugar

Add

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat until the egg mixture is thick, light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.

While the eggs are being beaten, place in a sieve

1 Cup flour

Shake about 1/3 of the flour into the egg mixture.

Using a spatula, very gently fold the flour into the eggs.

Repeat, in 2 additions, adding the flour.

Fold the flour in only until there are no streaks.

Turn the batter into prepared pans and spread evenly.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

The tops should be light brown.

The center of the cakes, when pressed, should spring back.

Place the pans on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

Invert the cakes onto the racks and remove cakes from the pans.

Carefully peel off the paper.

Let cakes cool completely upside down.

For the Decoration

Knead briefly to soften

4 ounces almond paste

Place it in a food processor or small bowl of a mixer.

Add

2 or 3 drops green food colouring

Process until the almond paste is evenly green.

Add more colouring if you want it darker.

Turn the almond paste out on a work surface.

Shape it into a log and wrap it in plastic or use it right away.

For the Filling

Line a large strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl.

Scrape into the strainer

1 pound ricotta (either whole or part skim milk)

Cover with plastic wrap.

Place a plate on tope of the ricotta and a weight on top of that.

Let the ricotta drain overnight in the refrigerator.

In a large mixer bowl beat together

the drained ricotta

1/2 Cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth and creamy.

Fold in

2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 Cup chopped candied fruit, citron or orange peel

To assemble the cake:

Place one layer cake on a serving platter.

Spread the filling on top.

Place the second layer on top.

Cut the almond paste lengthwise into 4 slices.

Place one slice between 2 pieces of wax paper.

With a rolling pin, flatten it into a long ribbon, 2 inches wide and 1/8 inch thick.

Trim off any rough edges.

Repeat with the remaining almond paste.

Wrap the ribbons around the side of the cake, overlapping the ends.

Gather the scraps of almond paste into a ball.

Roll it flat.

Cut it with a pasta cutter into stars or hearts and use them for decorations.

For the Icing

In a medium bowl, whisk

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Add

2 Cups confectioners' sugar

Stir until smooth.

Spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake.

Decorate the cake with the almond paste shapes and

Candied or dried cherries, pineapple or oranges

Would I make Cassata again?

That depends...

Carmela Soprano's Cassata?  No.

Anna Sultana's Cannoli?  You have to ask?

One recipe down.  Thirty more to go.

Carmela Soprano's Amaretti - Almond Macaroons (Cookies)

Everything in moderation.

Including moderation.

After the holidays a meal just isn't a meal without a dessert.

It's just too shocking to the system to cut desserts cold turkey.

Life is stressful enough.

Eat a cookie for mental health.

There's a nice simple cookie recipe in Janice Soprano's chapter Sunday Dinner 

in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Almond Macaroons.

The recipe also uses that almond paste that didn't get used during the holidays.

And the candied cherries!

What can I say?

It was meant to be.

                        Amaretti

Makes 36

line 2 large baking sheets with foil        

preheat oven to 350º           

In the large bowl of an electric mixer combine

8 ounces almond paste

1 Cup sugar

Beat until blended.

Add

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

Beat until very smooth.

Dampen your fingertips with cool water to prevent sticking.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of the batter and gently roll it into a ball.

Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Repeat with remaining batter, placing the cookies 1 inch apart.

Into the top of each cookie push one of

36 candied cherries or whole almonds

Bake 20 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned.

Cool a few minutes on the baking sheets.

Using a thin metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks.

Cool completely.

Store in airtight containers.

Would I make Amaretti again?
Sure, what's not to like?
The recipe is easy and fairly low calorie.
And it uses up that dumb almond paste.

As does Carmela's recipe for Pignoli Cookies.

One recipe down.  Fifty-three more to go.