I recently visited one of my favorite bakeries here in North Jersey, the B&W in Hackensack and bought my favorite cake.It's a spice cake with chocolate icing. This has been a popular treat with my German relatives for decades. It has a little more excitement than a cupcake, but not the full on spiciness of a gingerbread square.
Spice cakes started in England around the 1100's, Popular and easy to make they were a hot item at the fairs. especially the Saint Bartholomew's Day one. The Germans had something simliar, but eventually redisgned it so the cake became the cookie or lebkuchen. Why my German ancestors loved the cake form I don't know . Perhaps they first had it here and made it part of a family traditon. Perhaps it was similar to a type of ginger cak baked in their native Swabia and Bavaria. It's always been a family favorite whether it was bought or made.
You can make your own spice cakes if your bakery doesnt bake them. Take a package of any gingerbread mix , add a sparse amount of raisins and bake in cupcake papers.You can leave them plain or dust with powdered sugar.The B& W ices them with a fine chocolate glaze that offsets the rich, spicy taste of anise , ginger cardomin and clove. You can also leave them plain and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. the best way is with coffee or tea and usually as an afternoon snack.
Spice cakes are a wonderful treat. They have an old world richness and feel , different from the mass produced American snack cakes. Buy or bake them to enjoy their flavor.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Marzipan, A New Take On An Old Treat
Marzipan is a candy worth revisiting. It's usually seen during Christmas and Easter in the shape of seasonal objects. Even though it''s tasty it's not a readily accepted sweet. Yet one taste of its' creamy sweet almondine flavor and you're hooked.
Marchepane or marzipan, amix of rose water and bitter almond paste, has it's orgins and meanings from different countires. It was first eaten by the ancent Persians and the Arabs. later it was brought to Spain by them and toItaly by Turkish traders. The Germans and Hugarians also lay claim to being it's orginators. Where ever it came from, it's was a treat, especially during Christmas and medeival weddings. Some European wedding cakes today have a marzipan icing .
You can by it already dyed and shaped, mostly at Italian bakeries in the US. You can also buy logs of it and mold and color your own shapes. Marizpan is a nice accompaniment to Easter candy and you can shape in the form of Easter lilies or any Spring flower. You can also create wonderful Easter eggs with it, by using dyes and nonparels.
Mais a wonderful treat. If you haven;t had it already go out and try some. It's not like today's overly sweet candy that hits you with a flavor burst. It has a subtle charm that steals your heart.
Marchepane or marzipan, amix of rose water and bitter almond paste, has it's orgins and meanings from different countires. It was first eaten by the ancent Persians and the Arabs. later it was brought to Spain by them and toItaly by Turkish traders. The Germans and Hugarians also lay claim to being it's orginators. Where ever it came from, it's was a treat, especially during Christmas and medeival weddings. Some European wedding cakes today have a marzipan icing .
You can by it already dyed and shaped, mostly at Italian bakeries in the US. You can also buy logs of it and mold and color your own shapes. Marizpan is a nice accompaniment to Easter candy and you can shape in the form of Easter lilies or any Spring flower. You can also create wonderful Easter eggs with it, by using dyes and nonparels.
Mais a wonderful treat. If you haven;t had it already go out and try some. It's not like today's overly sweet candy that hits you with a flavor burst. It has a subtle charm that steals your heart.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Mini Mes
These days everything seems to have shrunken, including our food.From muffins to cookies, our favorite things have gone down in size. Are they any good? As my mom always says all good things come in small packages, and that includes foods.
Anything mini is good from planning on a small meal for yourself or throwing a large affair. I recently bought a bag of sixteen mini croissants and found that they could be used a small sandwiches along side of a salad or as hot rolls accompanying a soup.Small muffins are great to make and serve You can make double the batch amount of the larger kind and also make them in a variety of tastes. .You can also try your hand at making them in different flavors from the traditional blueberry to something funkier like a cranberry granola or a n orange wheat germ.They're perfect at brunches where they cna accompany omlets and stratas along with bacon and eggs.
Minis aren't just relegated to baked goods. There are baby veggies such as asparagus and corn that look wonderful accompanying a chicken quarter or even a Cornish hen. Brussels sprouts, although not really miniatures themselves , are perfect little cabbages and can ring a nice slice of ham or turkey. Grape tomatoes, a hybrid, created for their small size is perfect in a salad or even grilled onto kabobs.The last you surely can't do with with regular tomatoes(although you can't make sauce with grape tomatoes.Too much acid and also the taste will disappear when cooking).
Mini foods are great. They're easier to eat than their bigger versions as well as being more versatile. Try some today whether they be croissants, muffins or veggies with your dinner,
Anything mini is good from planning on a small meal for yourself or throwing a large affair. I recently bought a bag of sixteen mini croissants and found that they could be used a small sandwiches along side of a salad or as hot rolls accompanying a soup.Small muffins are great to make and serve You can make double the batch amount of the larger kind and also make them in a variety of tastes. .You can also try your hand at making them in different flavors from the traditional blueberry to something funkier like a cranberry granola or a n orange wheat germ.They're perfect at brunches where they cna accompany omlets and stratas along with bacon and eggs.
Minis aren't just relegated to baked goods. There are baby veggies such as asparagus and corn that look wonderful accompanying a chicken quarter or even a Cornish hen. Brussels sprouts, although not really miniatures themselves , are perfect little cabbages and can ring a nice slice of ham or turkey. Grape tomatoes, a hybrid, created for their small size is perfect in a salad or even grilled onto kabobs.The last you surely can't do with with regular tomatoes(although you can't make sauce with grape tomatoes.Too much acid and also the taste will disappear when cooking).
Mini foods are great. They're easier to eat than their bigger versions as well as being more versatile. Try some today whether they be croissants, muffins or veggies with your dinner,
Monday, March 2, 2009
Food For A Snowy Day
Here in my part of North Jersey, we're covered under five inches of snow. I don't know about you but to me that means hearty eating.It also means a day of heavy snow shoveling which translates into intense exercise. What do you eat on a day like today?
Comfort foods! And not just any comfort foods. Stick to your ribs foods that will see you through long hours of driveway and walk shoveling or sleigh riding. It's a good day to break out the pasta and make some carbs for yourself and your loved ones. My favorite is pasta con burro ; spaghetti served with a simple sauce of just butter and garlic. It is easy to make a crowd pleaser in a house with kids. You could also make pasta with sauce (if you have too much work , just use a jar or a mix of tomato paste and plum tomatoes).Serve with garlic bread . Grilled cheese is another snowy day dinner. If you have tomatoes, ham and bacon around, add those to create a heartier meal. Also don't just use cheddar. If all you have is Swiss then use it for a variation of the French croque monsieur.
Soup is another cold weather pleaser. I've just discovered V-8's ( in conjunction with Campbell's) soups. These are fresh tasting, and relatively low sodium veggie soups. The butternut squash is my new soup favorite but there's also the tastes like it's just been picked broccoli and the tangy red pepper. Unlike other more watery soups,. they're thick and satisfying.These new V-8 soups have been my go to lunch and supper when I've been to busy to cook. Just heat up a box (yes a box) and then serve. For larger families use two boxes. I love my soups with a crusty roll and butter.
If you;re experiencing the Blizzard of 2009, (or just bad weather) load up on some rib sticking foods.These will get you through those hours of scraping ice, shoveling snow or just getting the kids out of their snow suits. .
Comfort foods! And not just any comfort foods. Stick to your ribs foods that will see you through long hours of driveway and walk shoveling or sleigh riding. It's a good day to break out the pasta and make some carbs for yourself and your loved ones. My favorite is pasta con burro ; spaghetti served with a simple sauce of just butter and garlic. It is easy to make a crowd pleaser in a house with kids. You could also make pasta with sauce (if you have too much work , just use a jar or a mix of tomato paste and plum tomatoes).Serve with garlic bread . Grilled cheese is another snowy day dinner. If you have tomatoes, ham and bacon around, add those to create a heartier meal. Also don't just use cheddar. If all you have is Swiss then use it for a variation of the French croque monsieur.
Soup is another cold weather pleaser. I've just discovered V-8's ( in conjunction with Campbell's) soups. These are fresh tasting, and relatively low sodium veggie soups. The butternut squash is my new soup favorite but there's also the tastes like it's just been picked broccoli and the tangy red pepper. Unlike other more watery soups,. they're thick and satisfying.These new V-8 soups have been my go to lunch and supper when I've been to busy to cook. Just heat up a box (yes a box) and then serve. For larger families use two boxes. I love my soups with a crusty roll and butter.
If you;re experiencing the Blizzard of 2009, (or just bad weather) load up on some rib sticking foods.These will get you through those hours of scraping ice, shoveling snow or just getting the kids out of their snow suits. .
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Return Of The Foodie
Even though this is Sunday night I just wanted to tell everyone I'm back after a slight computer glitch (all , right it was a big computer glitch as in I had to get a new one).
Tomorrow will be business as usual. Sorry this happened.
Liz
Tomorrow will be business as usual. Sorry this happened.
Liz
Thursday, February 26, 2009
I'm Back In Time For Lent
Hey , foodies sorry about yesterday. My computer went viral and had to be fixed. I'm back on just in time for Lent. This is the period where Catholics and Orthodox Christians give something up. Most give up some kind of indulgent food such as chocolate or cake. I was never one of those, preferring to give up intolerance or impatience with other people (and winding up with chest pains by Easter). Lent does offer some interesting foods however.
Hot cross buns are a favorite Lenten treat. These are raisin and citron yeast buns marked with a thick white icing cross. Their origin in British, the first being made during the Tudor times. They were only sold and specifically eaten on Christmas, Easter and mourning times. Later, during Early Hanover England they were eaten during the forty days of Lent. Instead of raisins , currents and different spices were added. The word bun itself is from the Greek word boun which means offering to the gods. Sailors also kept the buns aboard their ships to protect the vessels from catching fire. Homeowners followed this belief as well , keeping at least one hot cross bun, usually bake don Good Friday.
Other Lenten traditions include no meat on Fridays for the Catholics, no meat, butter, eggs or cheese, on Wednesday and Friday for the Greek Orthodox for their Lent. During this time, most of us become reacquainted with tuna fish, shrimp and crab cakes. This is actually healthier than seven days of red meat and poultry. After all we all need some Omega 3 in out diets anyway.
So foodies, are there any Lenten food customs that you observe? Let me know here what your traditionare foodwise.
Hot cross buns are a favorite Lenten treat. These are raisin and citron yeast buns marked with a thick white icing cross. Their origin in British, the first being made during the Tudor times. They were only sold and specifically eaten on Christmas, Easter and mourning times. Later, during Early Hanover England they were eaten during the forty days of Lent. Instead of raisins , currents and different spices were added. The word bun itself is from the Greek word boun which means offering to the gods. Sailors also kept the buns aboard their ships to protect the vessels from catching fire. Homeowners followed this belief as well , keeping at least one hot cross bun, usually bake don Good Friday.
Other Lenten traditions include no meat on Fridays for the Catholics, no meat, butter, eggs or cheese, on Wednesday and Friday for the Greek Orthodox for their Lent. During this time, most of us become reacquainted with tuna fish, shrimp and crab cakes. This is actually healthier than seven days of red meat and poultry. After all we all need some Omega 3 in out diets anyway.
So foodies, are there any Lenten food customs that you observe? Let me know here what your traditionare foodwise.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Down with a virus
Hey fellow foodies!i`m writing this from my cell phone!crazy,huh? My laptop is down with a virus and will be fixed within a few days. Bear with me. have a good mardi gras!
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