A Kwanzaa Treat Gingerbread

 Kwanzaa is  known for the foods that represent African life and their contribution to the American table. Most are savory main dishes yet there is one dessert that is perfect on the holiday table. A molasses rich gingerbread cake that's perfect for any table.

Regular contributor and chef Tejal Rao wrote about this in Wednesday's new York Times Christmas Day Food section. The recipe comes from cookbook autohr and culinary  historian Jessica B. Harris. Some may know her from the  2021 Netlifx series High On The Hog, , based on her book of the same name. She has been educating Americans about the complexities of Black cuisine for decades. She first published another Kwanzaa recipe collection, A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook. She felt that she needed to connect meaningfully beyond her family. She read the work of African American activist Maulana Karanga who codified the holidays back in the Sixties.  She filtered it through her work which was equal parts historical guidebook and cookbook. Dr.. Harris made corn and Hopin John , black eyed peas for American and African friends. There was also roasted pork. This November she published a new edition of "A Kwanzaa Keepsake".

The book remains organized around the seven principles of the holiday that she brings in seven themed menus. The third night, Ujima which celebrates collective work and responsibility is full of portable dishes. There are portable dinners , perfect for potluck suppers. There is a spicy baked mac and cheese. broiled chicken thighs that are good hot or cold and a deep dis apple cobbler. There is the gingerbread,a hot water kind, spiked with ginger and cinnamon, served on Nia , the fifth night  and it means purpose. She had made the gingerbread for Betty Shabazz,Malcom X's widow.It uses the old fashioned but reliable method of adding hot water to the batter. Dr. Harris bakes it throughout the season A barely sweetened cream is dolloped on top of it. A cup of dark molasses is added for a richer flavor while cinnamon and ginger round out the spice flavor. There is also brown sugar added for a deeper,earthier taste. The molasses and boiling water are combined together. The dry ingredients are added then melted butter and brown sugar. It takes about thirty-five minutes to bake in a 350 degree Farenheit oven, Molasses and cream and whisked together for the topping.

This gingerbread is perfect for anytime of year but appropriate for Kwanzaa.It celebrates the spices of Africa while combining American baking., It's a good blend , great for any holiday.

A Proustian Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, like any holiday , is not just a time for eating but a time of reflection about why and what we eat. Like Proust's madeleines, turkey and its' merry band of sides makes us think about days past and days that are. Are we thankful for that?

That's what the New York Times Food section posed in today's issue. It was none of the usual holiday  recipes and tips (that was last week) and none of the advice from the usual culprits like David  Tanis or Melissa Clark.Only one Food regular A.O. Scott contributed and his is a bittersweet, funny take on being the designated cook. He even has a Thanksgiving Chef's cocktail  which is humorous and reflects the hell most home chefs go through on the day. Most of the pieces  are reflective essays from Pulitzer prize winning writers that show a multifaced and shimmering mosaic on this great American meal. There is one  real, you can make this at home.recipe, and that comes from Jessica B. Harris, who is the pre eminent scholar on the foods of the African Disaspora. She is also responsible for helping the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture create its' cafeteria. Hers is a more loving memory , as she reminisces about setting the table and the Thanksgiving day highlight - rutabega-potato mash with bacon. It's a great recipe to sub in for the usual mashed potatoes and easy to make. The bacon in it adds a smoky tang , a perfect foil for the holiday greens and cranberry sauce.

However, many essays aren't as thoughtful and as cheery as hers. Take for example 2016 Pulitzer prize winner and English professor Viet Thanh Nguyen who teaches his child about the indigenous genocide. He does soften his essay somewhat about how his hardworking parents got a tricked out Vietnamese styled birds, complete with noodles and native spices. Now his is a blend of store cooked turkey and Vietnam delicacies.  On a somewhat lighter side there is Sarah Lyall, a New York Times field reporter who worked for the paper's London branch, writes about how to explain the holiday to stumped Brits. "Just supper?" they'd ask. for a holiday with no presents and no religious overtures. She made it up, creating cookie logs for dessert and mashed squash with olive oil for a side.Emma Cline ,a very young Pulitzer recipient writes about returning to Northern California where the ride home with her dad has more weight than the family dinner. National Book Award winner, Elliot Ackerman writes about the  country being torn apart, back during the Kennedy Era and now and him being a part of many holiday dinners around the world. Other essayists are Parul Sehgal and Wesley Morris who write about cooking and its's weight.  There is an interesting one from New Yorker contributor. Masha Gassen, who gets together with her neighbor to create a welcoming and memorable one for their gay and transgender friends.

Holidays are just that holidays. With them come a wealth of recipes and reflections. They feed off each other as they feed off us.