European Holiday Treat Tour

One of the many reasons I love the holiday season so much is that it makes my baking obsession seem perfectly appropriate. During the summer many people question my decision to teach baking classes. "Who wants to be in room with 500 degree ovens in July?" I get asked.  Yet the classes sell, so I continue to offer them. And I have a special place in my heart for the students who enroll in those classes, because I know that they are as passionate about baking as I am.

During the month of December, however, baking is on trend.  It's the season when we hard-core bakers can reap the rewards of our passion. One of my main goals in life is to pass down baking traditions that are at risk of being forgotten. So, when I was asked  to appear on ABC 7/ News Channel 8's Good Morning Washington to discuss European holiday treats tomorrow - I knew that it would be the perfect time to promote the rich customs behind these sweet cultural treasures. 

Since December 18 is also National "I love honey" day, I chose the best honey-drenched holiday treats I could think of. Our taste tour starts in France and travels through Italy and Greece with my grandmothers' favorite recipes. I hope that these recipes warm your heart and please your palate as much as they do mine. 

Buon Natale, Joyeux Noel, and  καλά Χριστούγεννα!!!!

Mannala/Alsatian Brioche Buns

These traditional little bread men are made out of a savory brioche-like dough which tastes a little bit like a homemade, fresh pretzel. In Alsace, they are served on Dec 6 for St. Nicholas Day and throughout the holidays. My students like to shape them into snowmen as well.

Makes: 8

Ingredients

2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup milk, warm
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced

¼ cup Chocolate chips

1 egg yolk diluted in a little milk, for brushing

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the yeast with ½ cup of milk and honey.

Add egg and beat well.

Add the remaining milk and mix. Set aside for 2 minutes.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine flour, salt,  and baking soda.

Stir in the diced butter with your fingertips.

Make a well in the flour and add the milk, sugar and egg mixture.

Knead on low speed until reaching a dough that does not stick.

Moderately increase the speed, add the salt and knead for 8 minutes.

The dough should not stick to the edges of the container. Add a few tablespoons of flour if necessary.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 hour.

Place the dough on a floured surface and work a few minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Divide the dough in pieces of about 3 ounces.

Cut a quarter of each piece of dough into a ball to form the head.

Then shape the rest of each piece of dough into a cylinder and place on the baking sheet. Lightly flatten.

Using a sharp knife, cut the legs and arms of the manual by making a V-shape from the waste-down and removing the excess dough. Use the excess to create the arms.

Place the head of the mannala above its shoulders and place 2 chocolate chips for the eyes and one for the mouth.

Cover the mannalas with a slightly damp cloth and let raise in a warm place, free from drafts, again for 30 minutes.

Preheat convection oven to 425 F degrees.

Brush mannalas with the egg yolk and milk mixture.

Place in the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 F. Bake for about 15 minutes.

The mannalas should be golden brown.

Dried Cherry, White Chocolate, and Pistachio Biscotti

 It’s easy to change this versatile recipe to coordinate with the seasons. 

I like cranberries and pistachios in winter because of their taste and colors. Walnuts and raisins, almonds and apricots, and blueberries and pecans could also be used. These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup honey

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup raw unsalted pistachios, shelled

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preparation:

                              

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined.

Beat together honey, eggs, oil, almond, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until blended.

Add flour and beat until smooth. Stir in pistachios, cherries, and chocolate.

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough in two (12x3-inch) logs which are at least 3 inches apart on cookie sheets.

Use wet finger tips to press down and make sure that dough is divided evenly.

Bake cookies for 30 minutes, remove from oven, and let cool for about 30 minutes more.

Reduce oven temp to 325F degrees.

Transfer logs to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut each log into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Stand biscotti upright in 3 rows on a baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Petrali/Fig Cookies from the Southern Italian province of Calabria

These cookies (also known as cucidati in Sicily) were the single most important culinary tradition of Christmas in my household. Each year, I remember my grandmother meticulously following the same recipe that her mother passed down to her. Making the cookies was a three-part project. The first step was to make the delicious, citrus infused dough. Next, came the traditional filling of figs, nuts, honey, citrus zest enriched with my great grandmother's addition of strawberry jam, dates, cherries, and cinnamon. Last, the dough was rolled out and the cookies got filled and baked.

I'm not sure exactly what made them so special to us. Could it have been the aroma, the flavor, or perhaps the fact that my grandmother was the only one who made them in our area? We never really thought about it, because we were just happy to get them. Even Santa requested Petrali at our house, which is why, my mother explained to me, that we never left him chocolate chip cookies or cut out cookies like the other kids in my class did.

If you are making this recipe for the first time, I recommend doing it in stages. Make the filling one day and refrigerate it, the dough and the icing on another day, and roll out and assemble them on another day. They can be made ahead of time and frozen.

For the Dough:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, or as needed plus orange zest


For the Filling:
1 pound dried organic white figs*
1 pound dried pitted dates
1 whole orange, zested and juiced
1 whole lemon, zested and juiced
1 pound walnuts or almonds
1 cup honey
1 small jar Maraschino cherries, drained
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar


For the Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
juice and zest of 1/2 orange
sprinkles

Preparation:

*If organic white figs can't be found - substitute any dried figs. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer, on low heat, until soft, and cut off stems.

Drain figs and place in food processor with dates Add in orange and lemon zest and juice and process. Add in walnuts, honey, cherries, cinnamon, and sugar. Process until combined.

Make the dough by combining all of the dough ingredients in a standing mixer.

Once ingredients are combined and form a dough-like mass, turn the dough out onto a surface and knead a few times until a smooth ball of dough is formed.

Flatten ball into a disk.

Roll out the dough until approximately 1'8 - inch thick (like pie dough).

Make strips 4-inches in length across the diameter of the dough (same process as ravioli).
Place a 1 1/2-inch strip of filling in a log across the middle of the strip.

Roll up the dough strip to cover the filling. Cut cookies with a pizza cutter or knife into 1-inch diagonal pieces.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place cookies onto well-greased or lined baking sheet leaving 1/2-inch in between each one. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. In the meantime, make a glaze by whisking butter and powdered sugar together. Add in vanilla and orange zest and stir well to incorporate.

Add in orange juice, bit by bit, until you achieve a glaze consistency. Spoon glaze over cookies as soon as they are cool and top with sprinkles.

Struffoli

This traditional Neapolitan dessert is called Pignolata in Calabria and is popular throughout Southern –Italy and a staple in the home of many Italian-Americans at Christmas time.  The honey-covered dough balls were originally served during the Carnevale period prior to lent, and eventually became part of Christmas traditions as well.

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 lemon, zested and juiced, plus 1 lemon, zested
3 orange, zested
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

canola or peanut oil, for frying
6 cups honey
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Sprinkles, for garnish

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, place flour, eggs, yolk, zest of 1 lemon, orange zest, salt, and mix well to form a firm dough, 8 to 10 minutes. Place in the refrigerator and allow to rest 30 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and cut golf ball-sized pieces of dough from the main batch. Roll each ball into a 1/4-inch thick dowel (rope) and cut each dowel into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and continue until finished with all dough.

In a 12 to 14-inch skillet with at least 3-inch sides, heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Drop enough balls in to cover about half of the surface of frying oil and cook until dark golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to turn them regularly, and expect them to puff up while cooking. As they finish, remove them to a tray covered with paper towels, and drain well. This should take at least 5 batches.

When all of the struffoli are cooked, heat the honey, lemon juice, and zest together in a wide 6 to 8 quart saucepan until quite warm, about 150 degrees F, and substantially thinner. Add struffoli to honey and stir carefully until well coated. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan, stirring regularly. Pour out into a large serving tray in the form of either a pyramid or a ring mold. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Melomakarona/Greek Honey and Walnut Cookies

These were always the highlight of my YiaYia’s Christmas cookie platter. The original version of this recipe came to Cyprus from Egypt and then spread throughout the mainland. They are a holiday staple in the homes of Greeks around the world, as well. These cookies freeze well.

Makes: Approximately 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

Syrup:

1 cup honey

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Dough:

1 cup sunflower oil

½ cup sugar

½ cup orange juice

zest of 1 orange

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup semolina

3 ½ cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

To make the syrup, combine honey, sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Skim the foam off the top and set aside to cool.

To make the cookies, combine the oil, sugar, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, cloves, cake flour, semolina, and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.

Form small balls (approximately the size of a whole walnut) and roll into an egg-like cylinder shape. Place onto a parchment paper-lined or greased baking sheet. Using your fingers, flatten the top of the cookie slightly. Repeat until all of dough is used.

Bake cookies until tops are lightly golden (20-25 minutes).

Remove from oven. Using a slotted spoon, dip cookies into the cooled honey mixture to coat. Place onto a cooling rack (with wax or parchment paper placed underneath. Quickly sprinkle nuts on top of cookies before the honey mixture dries. Allow to cool and serve in paper baking cups.