It's Panettone Season

 They're everywhere. In stores. Gracing bakery windows. On every Nonna's holiday table. What are these popular holiday treats?Panettone or panetung if you grew up in a Piedmontese household.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about thos beloved and historic bread in today's New YorkTimes Food section. This traditionally Northern Italian treat has become a global moneymaker with all sorts of variation over the world. The standard which originated in fifteenth Century Milan is a domed sweet bread with a golden crumb. scented and stidded with sugared fruit.It's in the same family as German stollen,Polish chalka and British fruitcake.It was made with expensive ingredients like eggs and butter, refined flour and sugar, spices from Asia and preserved fruit from the Mediterranean.Later on bits of chocolate were added and regional ingredients such as lemon from the Amalfi coast and hazelnuts from Piemonte. As Italy unified panettone became the national symbol of Christmas.It was beribboned and wrapped in fancy paper. However thanks to commercial baking the bread lost some of its' famed luster.They became dry and flat tasting thanks to cheaper ingredients like candied squash (!!!) and milk powder.

Luckily there is a renaissance of sort for the treat.There are more artigianle ones being made as opposed to industriali, that is it's going back to it's hand wrought origins instead of being mass produced.There's also the threat of outside sources such as  Peruvians, Argentinian and Brazilian producers like Bauducco and D'Onofrio where Northern Italian immigrants settled in the late 19th Century (especially in Argentina). The other problem is that panetoone from MIlan is protected like San Marzano tomatoes or prosciutto from Bologna. Luigi Biasetto, a top baker in Padua is leading an effort to have the bread declared as part of the world's cultural heritage.It is a difficult bread to create. Two separate doughs are required, each a challenging mix of high gluten flour. The first dough is slowly fermented to a specific level of acidity which takes twelve to twenty four hours, depending on microbial activity.It requires constant monitoring of temperature and humidity. rich ingredients , much like during panettone's early days are being added in. Gucci (yes Gucci) and Fornasetti are adding Belgian centrifuged butter and pure Madagascar vanilla. The king of panettone Ray Schvartzapel creates a more bready one  with cherries and pistacchios. There are even World Cup style panettone competitions.

Panetoone is such a cherished holiday treat. You can spend a lot or a little on it. Every slice is a wonderful bite into tradition.

Brisket For The Holidays

 Whether it's Christmas or Hannukah , brisket is the meat to serve.It;s' tasty and can be prepared a number of different ways. Another plus is that it's great for sandwiches the day  after.

What is brisket exactly first of all?It's a large cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of the cow.It is one of the nine beef primal cuts and one of the four main barbecue meats.It's relatively a tough cut because the animal works for moving. You can easily buy it at your grocery store but you'll get a better cut at your butcher's. The best way to soften the meat is slow cooking which breaks down the meat's fibers.If you want to make it for one of the nights then think of cooking it with brown sugar, tomatoes and red wine vinegar for a tangy sweet and sour bite. Serve with carrots and potatoes to round it out. You can also cook the meat first and them create a sauce to pour over it (which also would be good for hot leftovers the next day). Can you oven cook it? Yes! Rub it first with salt and pepper (or any rub).Doing this will create a craggy, crunchy crust that's a crowd pleaser. Then it's cooking it low and slow over night in the oven for twelve to eighteen hours. Keep the temp at 250 degrees farenheit.if it higher it will dry out the brisket and toughen it.Tent it with tinfoil for a tender bite and then leave it uncovered for the last three hours.

Brisket makes a wonderful alternative to ham and turkey for Christmas. Shake it up some by first rubbing it with a mix of garlic, onion and chili powders blended with Cajun seasoning and a teaspoon of liquid smoke.The spices are rubbed on the lean side of the flank and then sprinkle on the liquid smoke. Tightly wrap the brisket in Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.  While this it chilling make the sauce. Take half an onion and two to three garlic cloves and mix with A1 steak sauce, liquid smoke and Worcester sauce. Add thyme, Cajun spices and cayenne pepper for more spice. This sauce is poured over th e meat and everything is cooked for  six hours.  (You will have to get up super early on Christmas morning if you want it done by one PM) save the pan drippings and cook for ten minutes in a sauce pan over a low flame.  What to serve with this.Roasted sweet potatoes would be good, especially if you serve it with a whipped cinnamon honey butter. Another tasty side is a tangy green bean salad, a change up from the traditional casserole.

Brisket is perfect for either Hannukah or Christmas.The cut is perfect for a family dinner or party. Try it at your holiday gatherings.

A Tiny Break

 We're taking a teensy tiny break and will be back soon with some interesting ideas and recipes

Are You Christmas Ready

 The big day is a week away. Are you ready for that day tha'ts not only known for gift giving but major cooking. Are you all set for that second or third batch of Christmas cookies?

To be honest it's tough to find good deals. Few groceries are offering discounts on such Christmas staples as ham and turkey. If you haven't bought yours yet, then think about going to Aldi or LIDL for a discount.The next question is what to serve with it. Ham is a bit easier, You could easily go German style and have potato salad and baked beans. As for the turkey , you could do a rehash of Thanksgiivng and have stuffing along with cranberry jelly and green bean casserole. If you're going this route decide if you want to use Stove Stop stuffing - which is easier - or homemade stuffing which is more labor intensive. For vegans and vegetarian have you bought you tofurkey or tofu loaf yet? These are becoming arder and harder to find on store shelves.Have a Plan B on the ready. Keep in mind you can create a festive loaf using Beyond Meat and then serving it with a mushroom gravy. Another Plan B meal is Gardein's Turkey Cutlets with gravy. These taste like the real thing and have gravy with them. Buy a few packages of these (there are four cutlets per package) for your dinner.

Have you started on your baking? What about what to serve after  Christmas dinner? Luckily there are some small deals on baking ingredients so take advantage of these. Do you have enough flour for all those batches? What about the other baking basics like eggs and sugar? Buy two dozen eggs if you feel you'll need a lot for baking cookies and cakes. Sugar,  like flour , goes fast. Buy a four pound bag instead of a two pound (you can always use the extra for every day coffee and tea. Do you have enough confectioners sugar. That too goes fast, thanks to it being turned into butter cream and royal icings. Another must check are deocorations. Do you have enough food coloring in both liquid and gel. Remember that some icing recipes work better with colored gels than liquid dye. Are there enough sprinkles and sanding sugar? Now is the time to stock up before you actually start baking and decorating. what about that Christmas dessert? do you want to go with a fancy cake like a red velvet or a trifle. The second is an  easy and fun boozy mix of a cake like pound cake layered with pudding, cream and fruit. You can douse it with rum for even more kick. 

Are you Christmas ready? This is the week to make it so. It's not too late to plan a sumptuous Christmas feast followed by a lush dessert.

Congo Plaintains - The Perfect Holiday Snack

 Thunk Congo Plantain chips when you want something different and tasrty for your holiday party. These fun chips are a nice change up from the usual holiday party bowl fare. There are three different type that  are fun to mix with theother flavors.

I LOVE these chips!!!! I'm a big plantain fan and these are far better than any regular potato chip. They're really a first for Congo a food company that sells such exotic fresh fruit as fresh plaintains,. dragon fruit (!) and cassavas. They also sell coconut water in a coconut with a straw (somehow perfect for ringing in the New Year!)dark chocolate and coffee.

It's the chips that stand out (although I do want to try their chocolate, coffee and cassava) . There are three types, the salted which has a slightly potato tastes. Then their are the maduros or  fried ripe ned ones that have a sweeter flavor (TRy this with ice cream ro in a trifle for an exotic taste)and a garlic flavor that's sooo addictuve.Keep in mind that plantains are rich in potassium and fiber. They're great energy boosters and another plus during these times - low in cholesterol. 

Have Congo Plantain Chips in your party bowl this holiday season. They're a great addition to any gathering. They're also jst a great snack on their own. Try them for something tasty and different.

Candy Treats

 Onr of the best aspects and even gifts of the holidays is hoemmade . As easy as it is to eat, it's tricky to make. Luckily there's help to guide you through in making the three most popular - fudge, caramel and nougat.

Regular contribtur and baking cookbook author , Claire Saffritz wrote about these goodies in yesterday's New York Times Food section.For any of these candies she strongly recommnends a candy thermometer, along with a heavy saucepan that won't cause scorched candy and a kitchen scale for exact measuring. The first and easiest recipe is fudge.Hers is a rich blend of cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips, butter and whole milk. There's also corn syrup and honey along with granulated sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Home confectioners must cook the fudge into "soft ball "phase, meaning the candy forms a soft ball when dropped into water. The mixture should be cooked at 235 degrees Farenheit and stirred constantly. The sugars and cocoas are first  cooked separately  and then combined. .Once the fudge hits the soft ball phase then take it off the heat and poured in a pan lined with parchment paper and cooking spray. It'll keep up to a month.

Caramels start with sugar, cream and butter . Ms. Saffitz also infuses the cream with coffee to counteract all that sweetness.Unlike with the fudge, don't stir the mixture and wash down the saucepan walls with a wet pastry sauce to avoid any crystallization.It's cooked until the hard ball stage which is putting a good drop of the mixture into cold water and seeing to become a hardy chewy ball. The hardest candy to create is nougat. It's an eleaborate mix fo egg whites, sugar and nuts. The pistacchios are toasted first then the egg whites salt and sugar are whipped in a stand mixing bowl (think meringue) After this heat the corn syrup, sugar and water together . Cooked honey is also added in and hotne finally the meringue mixture , This really is a two person venture with one mixing the egg white while the other watches and stirs the syrup. This last is added to the mix and it's beaten until the nougat is voluminous. The nuts are then added and the candy is poured into a parchment paper lined pan to set. Let it set for six hours to overnight before cutting into squares.

There's nothing like the sweet treat of candy as a gift. It's a great present, full of homemade ingredients and careful cooking. Make a batch of fudge , caramel or nougat for your holiday sweetie.

The Delicious Best

 There are a lot of lists right now , extolling the best of this year. From best cars to best actors everything is being ranked.Ot's no different with food. The year produces favorite recipes and dishes. What are the best?

The New YorkTimes Food section asked the same question and came up with an interesting list in today's issue. There are four catagories, one featuring top restaurants and dishes,most popular recipes, standout cookbooks and memorable wines. what were the hottest eateries and dishes? The restaurants were all Manhattan based ,Yoshino was voted one of the best with its' French food ideas woven into traditional Japanese dishes. There is a vichysoisse filled with hairy crab and a heap of ostera cavier on it. He takes tamago, a sweet egg omelet and puts burnt sugar on it like a creme brule. Claud offers FRench bistro cuisine with escargots  refashioned into buttery panko crumbed croquettes. The indivudual dishes are heavenly too such as the rice balls at Cafe Spaghetti and the quenelle de brochat at Le Gratin. There were also budget bites such as the Rowdy Rooster that features a mashed potato sandwich (!!) and Sanmiwigo's Dumpling House withtheir variety of their dumplings. The recipes are just as tasty. Home chefs should try brothy Thai curry with silken tofu and herbs or Greek chicken with cucumber feta salad. There's also a good stuffing recipe and a sticky coconut and rice.

What were the best cookbooks fo this year? There are so many to choose from. If you;'re big on barbecue then buy Kevin Bludsos with Kevin Noah's Bludsos BBQ Cookbook: A Family Affair In Smoke and Soul. Contributor Sara Bonisteel recommneds this book chock full of shrimp and grits along with a brisket.For those everyday cook's try the former The Great British Baking Show's winner Ruby Tandoh's Cook As You Are.Recipes for Real Life, Hungry  Cooks and  Messy Kitchens It's a gathering of simple and tasty recipes with coommon and uncommon ingredients.Bakers will love Jessie Sheehan's Snackable Bakes 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes For Exceotionally Scrumptuous Sweets and Treats which has all sorts fo yummy recipes for quick breads , muffins and cupcakes.You need something to drink with all that food. That's where Eric Asimov's wine list comes in handy.One wine recommneded was eighty years old, produced in the middle of the Second World war!!!It was a 1942 Chateau  Clemens Barsac. It was processed when France was under Nazi occupation which adds to its' story.Try the Chilean wine Herrara Alvarado Cuegode vaca MargValley  vointage 2020 an outstanding Pinot Noir.

These are the best of the best votied by The New York Times Food section. Try them all. Will they beon your best of thebest for 2022?