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Holiday treats for students’ sweet tooth
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Also by Andrew Gauthier:
- Holiday treats for students' sweet tooth (December 9, 2004)
- Classic Thanksgiving dishes for holiday at home (November 18, 2004)
- Lunch lady secrets pay off on hot cookie recipes (November 11, 2004)
- Incredibles attacks social issues (November 10, 2004)
- Cinematheque celebrates film master (October 7, 2004)
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- Otto's: Madison's most perfect retreat (October 30, 2002)
- Valentine's Day around the world (February 14, 2008)
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by Andrew Gauthier
Thursday, December 9, 2004
The trouble with Browndale Hill was getting up it. Getting down was breathtakingly easy; getting up it, on the other hand, took way too much breath. The hulking snow-packed hill at the neighborhood park of my youth was sledding heaven — an enormous manmade mound with an icy sheen and ubiquitous kid-made jumps — but after a few trips back up to the top, the fat kid tended to think that he was very close to visiting the real heaven. Atop this hill my toes would twitch with excitement in oversized Sorel boots at the immediate prospect of my descent: a trip that would include unexpected turns and unforeseen lumps that would send an amply bundled, pre-pubescent mass hurtling at a velocity that could never quite be duplicated later in life. The fat kid would find himself in the end sprawled at the bottom of the hill paralyzed with laughter and, not to mention, fatigue.
So as it were every December of my childhood I became a chubby Sisyphus with overall snowpants, occasionally stopping midway up Browndale Hill to lean on my yellow plastic sled and catch my breath; the thrill of the swift, swooshing descent would always served as an opiate that made me ignore this inevitable, corresponding toil. After an afternoon of sledding a kid always looks like lines from the Clement Clarke Moore poem: “His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!” For me, though, this description continued: “He had a broad face and a little round belly/ That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.” And this is why, even upon leaving the park with my sled in tow, I was still as jovial as the smiling snowmen that adorned the fasteners that kept my mittens attached to my coat, for it was at my home or at the home of one of my friends (especially the fat ones) that our weary bodies would be stuffed with the pleasures of holiday cookies and hot chocolate.
Hands that were previously numb would feverishly tear off stocking caps, boots and parkas and then fold themselves politely on a tabletop as a mother would lay out a spread of cold weather treats that would quickly be shoved between chapped lips. In memory of the feeling of my broad face and little round belly being warmed by these December delicacies, I include three recipes that will hopefully serve as accoutrements of holiday celebrations by adults who believe that the excitement and indulgence of this month should not be reduced, no matter how difficult the walk up the hill is.
Mint chocolate martini
- 1 shot vanilla vodka
- 1 1/2 shots crème de cacao
- 1/2 shot crème de menthe
- Splash half-and-half chocolate syrup (optional)
Drizzle chocolate syrup in a martini glass and place in the freezer for a bit. In a shaker with ice add the liquor and half-and-half, shake and strain into the martini glass. Garnish with mint leaves, candy cane or chocolate shavings.
Apricot and pistachio rugelach
Makes 24
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter
- 4 oz cream cheese (reduced fat is okay but not fat-free)
- 2 tbsp buttermilk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus more for dusting
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg white
- 3-4 tbsp apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1) Using a food processor, electric mixer or whisk combine the flour, salt and spices. Cut the butter into pieces and add, mixing until no large clumps remain. Add cream cheese gradually and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle in buttermilk and mix until the dough stays together when pressed.
2) Transfer dough to a clean work surface and divide into three equal mounds. Shape them into discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.
3) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a floured work surface, flatten each disk evenly into about an eight-inch circle. Spread about a tablespoon or so of apricot preserves onto each circle of dough then cut them into eighths.
4) Sprinkle each separate piece with a healthy pinch of chopped pistachios leaving the tip of the triangles empty. Beginning with the wide end, roll each piece up and pinch the ends, creating a crescent shape. Place the rolls on a baking sheet with parchment paper on it. Brush each one with egg white and sprinkle with a liberal amount of sugar. Refrigerate until firm, which should be about 15 minutes.
5) Bake until golden brown (18-20 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack or clean surface to cool. Repeat as necessary.
Note: Rugelach can be made with great success using a large variety of ingredients. Try your favorite fruit preserves with chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts, toasted coconut or some combination these.
Gingerbread biscotti
Makes about a Dozen
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamon
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and spices together. In another larger bowl beat butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer or beater until light and creamy. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until combined; then add the molasses and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture gradually while stirring but being careful not to over-mix: the dough is done when everything is just combined.
2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the dough onto it. Form the dough into a flattened rectangle 10-12 inches in length and four to five inches in width. Drop the pan onto the counter a couple of times to bang out any air bubbles and to even it out a bit. Bake until edges are browned and middle is fairly firm, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack or other surface and cool for about five minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
3) Transfer the biscotti mound to a cutting board and cut at a slight diagonal into half inch to one-inch strips. Place the pieces, cut sides down, back onto the baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake the strips for 12-18 minutes on each side; the time depending in part on how crisp you like your biscotti. The biscotti are done when the edges have browned on both sides and the centers are the same basic color. Cool on a wire rack or other surface.
Vanilla Glaze
When the biscotti cools, drizzle the tops with a glaze made by beating 2/3 cup powdered sugar, two teaspoons of milk or cream and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract together. Pour in a small plastic bag and clip off one of the tips; carefully drizzle and let dry.
