Holiday Decorations

What's Christmas cookies ,cakes and cupcakes without decorations? They turn ordinary baked goods into works of true art. Yet which route do you go? Homemade or store bought? You could try a little of both.

One of my favorites is Wilton. I LOVE this company! They carry everything from pans and spatulas to melts and fondants.Yet it's their icings and sprinkles that are perfection. I already have my bottles of easy squeeze bottles for cookie decorating. (which you'll see in another week)

                                    I got the basic Christmas colors of red and green along with white.

     I can;t wait to start baking and decorating. This will be used on the classic sugar cookie. I may already start with an aquafaba (chickpea brine) royal icing.ust mix it with water, lemon juice or cream of tartar along with a pound of confectioner's sugar. white gel food coloring is added for brightness. I still haven't decided on the flavoring yet. Maybe I''l try orange extract for half the icing while flavoring the other half with lemon extract

 For my gingerbread iced cupcakes I will use Wilton's gingerbread sprinkles, which are actually gingerbread crumbs and for my take on Nigella Lawson's  decorated chocolate shortbread (Monday's treat) I will use the red, green and white holiday sprinkles.

Both can also be used on cakes and gingerbread constructions too for a festive look.

Get decorating!!!!! Ice those cookies and cakes. Put a puff of frosting on those cupcakes. Create pretty designs for your holiday baked treats.

Different Kinds Of Bakers

 There's no doubt that this is baking season. There are many sorts of home bakers out there. The traditional, the health conscious and the vegan. The question is what kind are you.

A traditional baker will use  traditional ingredients. They're not going to worry about gluten, fat or aninal products. They're full on going to use  refined flours and sugar along with a rich amount of butter and eggs to make the best cakes and cookies. If your;'e this kind of baker then think of fun cupcakes. Start with a basic cake recipe and then go from there. Tint a buttercream icing green and pipe it into triangles on top of each cupcake for a Christmas tree. Add mini M&M's and holiday sprinkles. You can also try fruitcake in the form of cupcakes. This is riff on the tradtional recipe.It's made with basically the same ingredients, especially the different spices , rum and fruits. Theicing is an almond marzipan one. Keep in mind this is a boozy treat reserved for only adults. As for cookies traditonal bakers go for one loaded with sugar. The prettiest ones are the spritzes , made with a cookie gun. The recipe is a whole cup of butter which gives them that shortbread taste and feel.  They can be decorated with everything from sanding sugar to sprinkles. Of course chocolate chip cookies are on the must bake list. Make them even more lush with giant chocolate chips.

What happens if you want to be a healthy baker? This is where healthy and vegan intercept. The two sorts won't use real dairy. This is where plant butters like Melt come in. This tastes like the real thing and is great for cookies. Melt is good for baking only and not for creating fluffy frostings.. It can come off as runny, with the icing slipping off the cake's surface. Use Miyokos Plant Butter or Earth Balance for a stiffer , firmer topping instead.Many home bakers are flummoxed when it comes to omitting eggs. Not to worry.Many vegan home bakers incorporate Just Egg in their cooking and baking. This egg substitute is primarily made from mung beans and canola oil. Three tablespoons equal one egg and can easily be subbed in. You can also use the powdered Vegg egg substitute. This also works OK in baking. Other egg replacements are applesauce and flaxseed. Nut milks are usd too, to replace dairy . Almond milk works the best because it has the best consistency. what about that all important ingredient sugar? Stevia and agave syrup work just as well as the refined white stuff. Also try maple syrup or honey too. Both give  a warm earthy flavor  to baked goods.

You cna create tasty treats whether your a traditional, healthy ot vegan baker. There are all sorts of recipes out there. Use them for a fun holiday table full of delicious cookies and cakes.

A Buffet Of Party Nibbles

 This is the season to party. It's time to welcome back guests with festive and delicious bites for a festive and delicious times. What to serve? There's a guide that will help you.

Regular contributor Ali Slagle wropte up a great guide with all sorts of recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food section.She offers several different categories , from dips and spreads to cocktail snack mixes and one bite wonders. There's also boards and bowls that are great if you have hungry guests or ones with big appetites, along with crackers and chips.Pick one or two from each category for a varied and flavorful party menu. The dips are wonderful combinations of something creamy mixed in with salty or sweet. Forget the traditional onion and sour cream. Try molten feta with nuts. This is a dreamy mix of oven warmed feta covered with such nuts as hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds. Olive oil and honey is also drizzled on top along with thyme.serve this with charred pita wedges. A stand out and unusual dip os the one made with  charred tangerines.It's  first taking  olive oil, honey, thyme and pepper flakes and simmering them together. The tangerine slices are added and cooked until charred. They're then stirred in the oil and served on baguettes with ricotta cheese. Of course there have to be party nibbles The  easily made crunchy ove roasted chickpeas with za'atar sounds like a great nibble along with the caci e pepe popcorn. This is just tossing warm popcorn with Parmesan and black pepper.

There also the one bite wonders that woudl even make a great appetizer to a Christmas dinner. Stuff olives with havily herbed raisins. You can also try them with blue ro goat cheese , anchovies , almonds or garlic cloves. A perfect antepasto is pear wedges with prosciutto for a take on the classic dish with melon. A really lush nibble is caviar potaot chips with lemon cream. This is a contribution from another Food section writer , Melissa Clark, This is stirring lemon zest into creme fraiche and then layering it and caviar on potato chips.Boards are very popular and you can easily go with the classic charcuterie one. Add pate, smoked fish such as salmon, along with such new additions as dates  and guava paste. If you want simple then copy one of Manhattan's oldest bars. McSorley's first founded in the 1880's Put out a plate of sliced white Cheddar with Saltines, spicy brown mustard and sliced white onion. You could fry the crackers in butter like Gabrielle Hamilton. Every party should have a bowl of chips. Try the latest Korean craze honey butter potato chips. Mix butter with honey and then top a chip with it. You could also melt it and dip the chips in the m Bake them at 300 degrees Farenheit for ten minutes. You could also do the same wirh Italian cold cuts like prosciutto, pepperoni or pepperoni.

The perfect party should have the perfect nibbles. Try any of these or other mentioned in the guide. They're fun bites for you and your guests.

The Versatile Shortbread Recipe

 One cookie is a Christmas baking must - shortbread,This Scottish classic is a tasty nibble, full of buttery goodness. What makes it even better is that the recipe is versatile. Yiu can add other ingredients to make it different and even savory. it's an amazing recipe in any home baker's arsenal.

Regular contributor , food stylist and chef Yewande Komolafe wrote about this delcious bite in today's new York Times Food section. She gives the basic recipe and six variations incluiding the hot recipe this season, the savory shortbread. This article is a keeper and perfect for those holiday parties and cookie exchanges. The basic remedy is a blend of two cups of unsalted butter which gives the dough its' rich flavor and deep golden color along with five cups of flour, two cups of sugar , two large egg yolks and two teaspons of kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal. You can double or triple the recipe if you want to make three of the recipes. The first one is a fancy but simple one. It's taking the crumbled shortbread dough and rolling it into logs.each log surface is brush with egg white and then rolled into colored sugar spread out on a sheet of parchment paper. They're then sliced and baked at 350 degrees Farenheit for twenty two minutes. This is a good way of using red and green for a festive, fancy cookie.A different spin is spiced chocolate marbled shortbread. This is a yummy mix of the two flavors enhanced with ginger and citrus zest.

Shortbread can also be the base of bars and rounds. Chef Komolafe has a great recipe for strawberry jam bars with cardamom. This is taking the shortbread dough and first adding cardamon to it. The dough is sep

arated.One half will be pressed into a cookie pan while the other is refrigerated. Any kind of fruit jam  like strawberry or raspberry is layered on to it . It's then topped off lemon zest  chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts or pistacchios. The reserved dough is crumblred on top of this and it's then baked for thirty five minutes. It's then cooled for half an hour and dusted with confectioner's sugar. Another yummy treat peppermint patty shortbreads. This is using the recipe as a base and topping it off with mounds of homemade marshmallow and homemade chocolate ganache. Crushed pepper mint candy decorates it.It's a labor intensive recipe with the mounds resembling that cookie classic Pinwheels, but so worth it. An easier recipe is the shortbread combined with salted caramel and peanut butter. The unicorn in all of this is the savory shortbread.Chives, black pepper and cheddar are added and the dough is cut into strips..They're bent and then baked. Imagine these topped with egg salad or devilled ham.

Shortbread is the most versatile of all the cookie doughs. Try it in it's classic style, savory or mixed with other ingredients. All are delicious.

Themed Christmases Part Two

Yesterday the holiday cuisines of Britain , Australia and Jamaica were explored for a themed Christmas dinner. Now it's time to get other ideas for a holiday meal, complete with after dinner treats. They're tasty and fun, perfect for celebrating. 

One of the most delicious palates is the French. True French cuisine derives from Catherine de Medici's  Northern Italian influence on her husband's Henri II's  court. Canapes, small slices of toasts or puffed patry are topped with such Gallic treats as charcuterie slices and dabs of Brie and Gruyere. Escargot in a garlicky butter sauce and foie gras follow howevr if these are too much then think of a comforting chestnut soup. This is a mix of pureed , boiled chestnuts , whole cream and vegetable stock, spiced with a bay leaf. The main course varies according to region. The Perogord region in central France prefer a roast duck while most of the country love a good roast ham. France is known for one of the most famous Christmas desserts - Bpouche de Noel or Christmas log. This is a delicous marriage of flourless chocolate cake or sponge to a chocolate whipped cream topping. Make it more foresty with marzipan mushrooms and a trail of cranberries on the plate. Greek Christmas tradtions are steeped in centuries of tradition. You could easily make their braised lamb shanks with a tangy feta and anchovy laced salad. The Greek Christmas cookie kourambiethes are sheer heaven in every bite.These are buttery balls liberally dusted with powdered sugar.

If you want a "meat" themed holiday dinner then think Argentina. The best beef in the world comes from this interesting South American country. enjoy a good grilled slab of beef wtih chimichurri or salsa verde. They also have a heavy Piedmontese influence (Pope Francis is one such Argentinian with roots near San Maurizio Canovese). The meal is a Piedmontese classic with veal in a tuna and anchovy sauce. It's called viteela al tonno and it would even make a great New Year's day dinner. enjoy it with a gplass of anana fizz, a heady mix of cider or sparkling wine  and pinrapple juice. This comes bottled but you can make your own version with pineapple juice , and sprakling wine. Finish with a pan dulce or panetone, This is great end to a dinner and a good evening snack too. Now you cn get it with chocolate chips for an even tastier bite.Another warm weather country with a Christmas bounty is Nigeria. You could start off with beef or a roast chicken served with a tasty side of jollof rice. Make your version with tomato and curry with cooked long grain rice. Ginger, green peppers and onions are also added for a flavorful mix.Dessert is a coconut patty made with flaked coconut and powdered sugar.

A themed Christmas dinner is a fun trip around the world. Have one country or mix it up with two or three. The end result will be a tasty and memorable meal.

Themed Christmases Part One

Are you dreading a boring Christmas dinner? Then think beyond the usual fare. Have a themed holidsy dinner with different foods from around the world. It's a fun chamge up that's even more exciting than those Christmas gifts.

Most people would choose an English style holiday meal thanks to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". The 1843 ghost and redemption story hints at a great feast of turkey and steamed pudding and it can easily be replicated here. In fact their holiday meal was probably the basic for our Thanksgiving. Along with the bird there is stuffing, gravy , brussels srpouts and cranberry sauce. You could give it a Northern English falvro by subbing in Yorkshire pudding a savory whole pan popover for the stuffing. You could also serve a great joint of roast beef too instead of the turkey. The steamed pudding which is actually a cake is really the star of the whole meal. This dessert is really a steamed cake made with the usual batter ingredients of eggs, flour milk and sugar along with vanilla for flavoring. It;s poured in a large parchment paper line bowl which itself is placed into a sauce pan halfway filled with water. It's then steamed for two hours , Afterwards its' inverted upside down and is covered with brandy and a sprig of holly.The pudding is set afire and served flaming to the table. Custard or ice cream is usually served with it.

Another idea  and this depends where you are is the Australian Christmas barbecue. The Aussies go wild with the grill  since the holiday falls at the beigninng of summer Down Under. It's bring out the burgers and dogs along with chicken kebobs and shrimp. Cold oysters are another treat if you want to be authentic. They also make a potato gratin or scalloped potatoes,This dish is good even with any kind of Christmas main course. It's layering sliced potatoes with butter, cheese and cream and topping it off with crunchy bread crumbs or even crushed potato chips. WHat to finish off a big summer meal ? A fruit trifle is a popular choice.It's layers of any kind of fruit, gelatin or custard and fresh whipped cream. If you're really ambitious try the Pavlova, named for the early Twentieth Century Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.  This layered cake of meringue, again fresh whipped and usually strawberries is a light and airy showstopper. Another warm weather Christmas meal is a Jamaican one. The main course is ham while the sides are a fun baked mac and cheese along with a fresh salad. Dessert is a yummy sweet potato pudding which is the crustless version of the pie.

These are just the beginning of an iinternational Christmas. Pick one and run with it. You can have fun with a traditional meal or a summery barbecue. Go wild. It's Christmas.

Cookies Cookies Everywhere!

 This is the time of year that home chefs start looking at cookie and treat recipes . There are so many? what to choose. Do you go with a variation of one recipe?Or go across the board with a wide array of different ones.

That's the dilemma I'm facing right now. My plan is gifting family and friends with tins of homemade treats. The question is what to put in them.I  am planning on baking two or three sugar free versions of such classics as shortbread and brownies for diabetic friends. Baking such is going to require sugar substitutes like Splenda which I'm not happy with using. I'd rather go for the all natural Stevia and I have  been looking into recipes for cookies requiring it.From there  its on to the traditional ones. I know I want to make the rolled out sugar cookie ones that require royal icing. As for the royal icing, the traditonal recipe calls for egg white as the binder however I'll be using chickpea brine or aquafaba for that. Of course I'd like to make regular shortbread.It's a Scottish holiday tradition where the family initials are fork printed into the dough. Am I going to dip some of the shortbread triangles in chocolate to create my family's classic devil ears (so named by my Mom noticing how our cats' ears flattened and turned into "devil ears " when they hissed at each other). Yes! Shortbread and dark chocolate are the perfect couple so that recipe is a go! Another idea I've been flirting with is savory shortbread. I love this idea of taking the sugar out and putting in  Parmesan and rosemary for flavor. These would be great topped  with a dab of tapanade or cold cuts.

Other cookie ideas that are tempting to try are homemade Oreos.I'm looking at the recipe and thinking it coulbe an easy bake and bake. The filling is a no brainer.It's a vanilla butter cream. The idea of adding a pinch of espresso powder  to it for a different spin sounds good too. Of course my cookie tins will have chocolate chip cookies Again I may change it up by using dark chocolate M&M's instead of the usual chips. This gives the cookies a festive holiday look. Will I try a big chunky chip too? It would be different and there are some friends who love a cookie that's more candy than dough .Oatmeal cookies are always a welcome treat in any cookie tin. I plan on using my Mom's Fannie Farmer Cookbook recipe for lacy oatmeal cookies. They were one of my childhood favorites with the cookies having  a crisp, delicate edge and a warm buttery flavor. Another recipe which I want to try is a moon or whoopie pie. This is more of a cake than a cookie with a dense marshmallow buttercream filling. I think it's a fun change up from the traditional and it would be a different way to end Christmas dinner.

There are cookie recipes everywhere. The question is which to try  -what's in your comfort zone? Pick three or four and stick with them, The result will be a tasty array of holiday treats,