Holiday Cookies, Fruit Cake, and more cake

How to Make Healthier Holiday Cookies

When the holiday season rolls around people eagerly break out my mixer and rolling pin and pump out tons of cookies. They're not just for us, we send them to friends and relatives as homemade gifts.

But this whole baking extravaganza means that before they hit the post office the bakers have tons of cookies lingering around the house. Since some of us take particular care about family member’s health (and my own), some of us have gotten savvier about making cookies that are better for you. Here are some tricks of the trade for making healthier Christmas cookies:

Tip 1: Cut Back on Butter
Butter is a popular ingredient when it comes to cookies, but we all know by now that it's loaded with saturated fat. There's no need to get rid of it entirely, but it is a good idea to keep it in check. Try substituting canola oil for at least some of the butter in your recipe or try recipes that call for fat replacements which can be anything from fruit purees to reduced-fat dairy products like low-fat milk or buttermilk which despite its name has very little to do with butter, it also has a very strong smell if you’ve never seen or smelled buttermilk.

Tip 2: Use Some Whole-Wheat Flour
I used to think whole-wheat flour made baked goods taste like cardboard, but thankfully this isn't necessarily the case. If a recipe calls for all-purpose flour, you can swap out half of it for white whole-wheat flour. White whole-wheat flour for baking looks and tastes similar to all-purpose, but it's higher in fiber (about 12 grams per cup vs. 3 grams for white flour). Look for it in well-stocked supermarkets next to the other flours or in the baking section of your local natural food store.

Tip 3: Keep Size in Check
There are so many cookies to try around the holidays. If they're big and you want to try them all, you're suddenly consuming tons of extra calories. Try to make the cookies small-no more than 2 or 3 bites' worth. It's a great way to keep calories in check and satisfy your craving for something sweet. Plus if you ship them like, the smaller cookies are less likely to break!

Tip 4: Avoid Artificial Ingredients
I know that it is a time honored tradition to dress the cookies up with frosting every color of the rainbow for the holiday. But its usually a good idea to try to avoid artificial colors in your cookies and decorate them creatively with white frosting, melted chocolate, nuts and jams instead.

Now for some recipes, up next is…

Fruit Cake

Christmas is only a week away!  Whether or not you celebrate it or not you can still make something nice to eat or hang out with friends or family or both.  Now I myself haven’t really eaten much fruitcake, and from what I hear its not exactly the most popular thing to eat as it is a thing to just leave out as a decoration and apparently after the holidays pack it back in a box and take it out next year kind of thing which is kind of weird but I get most of my info on fruitcake from TV shows so I don’t know but I guess if you’re a fan of cakes soaked in brandy or rum then I’m pretty certain you eat fruitcake.

A little background on fruit cake, according to Wikipedia:
The earliest recipe from ancient Rome lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added.
Fruitcakes soon proliferated all over Europe. Recipes varied greatly in different countries throughout the ages, depending on the available ingredients as well as (in some instances) church regulations forbidding the use of butter, regarding the observance of fast. Pope Innocent VIII (1432–1492) finally granted the use of butter, in a written permission known as the 'Butter Letter' or Butterbrief in 1490, giving permission to Saxony to use milk and butter in the North German Stollen fruitcakes.
Starting in the 16th century, sugar from the American Colonies (and the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits) created an excess of candied fruit, thus making fruitcakes more affordable and popular.
Fruitcakes vary in the way they are prepared or what they’re called, or even when or how eaten depending on what country they come from.  In the UK, fruitcakes come in many varieties, from extremely light to rich and moist. The traditional Christmas cake is a round fruitcake covered in marzipan and then in white satin or royal icing (a hard white icing made with softly beaten egg whites). They are often further decorated with snow scenes, holly leaves, and berries (real or artificial), or tiny decorative robins or snowmen. In Yorkshire, it is often served accompanied with cheese. One type of cake that originated in Scotland is the Dundee Cake. This is a fruit cake that is decorated with almonds.  Most commonwealth countries use fruitcakes similar to the UK varieties with the exception of the Bahamas where fruitcake is prepared by soaking the fruits and nuts in rum for extended periods of time and then drenching the finished cake in more rum.  It’s called “Black Cake” in Trinidad, and Tobago, and the French apparently just call it “cake”, and in Romania fruit cake is eaten during every major holiday.  In the US typical fruitcakes are rich in fruit and nuts.
Mail-order fruitcakes in America began in 1913. Some well-known American bakers of fruitcake include Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, and The Claxton Bakery in Claxton, Georgia. Both Collin Street and Claxton are southern companies with access to cheap nuts, for which the expression "nutty as a fruitcake" was derived in 1935. Commercial fruitcakes are often sold from catalogs by charities as a fund raiser.
Most American mass-produced fruitcakes are alcohol-free, but traditional recipes are saturated with liqueurs or brandy and covered in powdered sugar, both of which prevent mold. Brandy- or wine-soaked linens can be used to store the fruitcakes, and some people feel that fruitcakes improve with age.
In the United States, the fruitcake has been a ridiculed dessert. Some blame the beginning of this trend with various TV shows. As I said previously there are quite a few jokes out there like that there really is only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family.
Since 1995, Manitou Springs, Colorado, has hosted the Great Fruitcake Toss on the first Saturday of every January. "We encourage the use of recycled fruitcakes," says Leslie Lewis of the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce. The all-time Great Fruitcake Toss record is 1,420 feet, set in January 2007 by a group of eight Boeing engineers who built the "Omega 380," a mock artillery piece fueled by compressed air pumped by an exercise bike.
December 27 is National Fruitcake Day and December is National Fruitcake Month (December is considered National Eggnog Month, as well.)

As for the myths about the shelf life of fruit cake, according to Wikipedia, if a fruitcake contains alcohol, it could remain edible for many years. They listed an example of a fruitcake baked in 1878 that was kept as an heirloom by a family in Tecumseh, Michigan.  In 2003 it was sampled by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show which doesn’t seem very appetizing to me, but okay.

Recipe adapted from Alex Goh 'Easy Stir & Bake Cakes'
Ingredient

• 150gm plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp mixed spices
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 80gm light brown sugar
• 100ml corn oil
• 200gm mixed fruits
• 45ml brandy

Method

1. Soak mixed fruits with brandy, preferably overnight.
2. Sift plain flour, baking powder, baking soda and mixed spices together into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. Combine eggs, brown sugar and corn oil and stir till sugar dissolves.
4. Coat the mixed fruits with some of the flour mixture.
5. Pour the eggs mixture into the flour and fold to combine. Stir in mixed fruits at the same time.
6. Pour batter into a lined 8" cake pan and bake in preheated oven at 160 deg cel for 35-40mins until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Stand for 10mins before unmoulding. Cool completely on wire rack. Decorate as desired.

Apple Cardamom Cake

I got this recipe from the blog Sips and Spoonfuls it may be an unconventional sounding match but still comfortable- apples and cardamom. They form a happy family in this cake that was adapted from a Pear and Almond Cake the creator of this recipe had made numerous times. Out with the old and in with the new and everyone who ate a slice agreed. Apples and cardamom are very content with one another, they compliment each other. 

What more could you want from a relationship? Roasted almonds and custard played happy friends with this delicate cake. Try this new combination and you won't be disappointed.

Have you broken a longstanding (food) relationship? Were you happy with the results?

Apple Cardamom Cake:

Ingredients:

2 Fuji apples

3 tbs butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1/4 cup roasted almond flakes plus extra for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Centigrade. Grease and flour an 8 inch pan. Core apples and cut thin slices. Place apple slices in water and squeeze half a lemon into the bowl to avoid discoloration.

Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer and at medium speed, beat the sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl when needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the rest of the ingredients except roasted almonds. Gently stir in the roasted almonds and pour batter into cake pan. Arrange sliced apples in a circular fashion and press gently into the batter. bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out nearly clean.

Let the cake stand for 5- 10 minutes on a rack before turning it out. Serve with a drizzle of custard and sprinkle roasted almonds on top. This recipe will serve 12 people.

Next up I have a rice pudding recipe called Risalamande which is a Danish form of rice pudding which is eaten during Christmas, it was created in the last part of the 19th century. It is made out of rice pudding mixed with whipped cream, vanilla, and chopped almonds; and is usually served cold with a cherry sauce

Ris A L'Amande
3 2/3 c milk is brought to a boil
1 cup of white rice and 1/2 cup of fine sugar is added.
Cook until the rice is tender. Then Cool.
Add:
2/3 cup of chopped sliced almonds
1/2 cup of cream sherry
1 tsp vanilla
Whip then stir in gently
1 1/3 cup of whipping cream
Top with cherry sauce and serve

Last thing for today is
Peppermint Crunch Merry Whoopie Pies, Gluten Free
I got this from the food blog, the gluten free canteen

Resist trying to flatten the scoops once you place them on the parchment lined baking sheet. Leaving them alone will result in smooth tops without cracks and they will spread just enough. And remember – only 5 scoops to a sheet or you will have one large cookie. You’ll get 5-6 Whoopie Pies from the batch. The Yorks might cause some peppermint pattie leaking while baking – don’t worry about that either. You can trim them when they come out of the oven or even later once they cool. It is easy to snip with a scissors (really) to trim the extra candy spread. Serve at room temperature. And don’t skimp on the peppermint crunch on the edges – it is almost the best part. Enjoy!

Ingredients

§  Whoopie Cookie

§  1 box Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Gluten Free Cake Mix

§  1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

§  1/4 teaspoon baking soda (if using buttermilk)

§  6 tablespoon unsalted butter, just room temperature

§  5 oz. buttermilk (or regular milk and skip the baking soda)

§  2 large eggs

§  1 teaspoon brewed coffee

§  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

§  1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

§  15-20 small York Peppermint Patties cut into small pieces

§  Filling

§  2 containers Betty Crocker fluffy white frosting (gluten-free)

§  3 oz. (about 3/4 cup) confectioner’s sugar, sifted

§  1 teaspoon vanilla

§  1 teaspoon peppermint extract

§  Peppermint Crunch

§  8-10 candy canes smashed (gently) to make peppermint crunch (or buy peppermint crunch)

Instructions

Whoopie Cookie

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 3 baking pans with parchment. Set aside.

2.      In one large bowl (using a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer) place all the cookie ingredients except the cut up Yorks. Mix on low until incorporated and then beat on medium to high-speed for about two minutes. Using a silicone spatula, scrape sides and bottom to incorporate all the dry stuff. Fold in the dicedYorks with the spatula just until mixed in. Using an ice cream scoop place five mounds on each baking sheet (the last one might only hold 2-3). Keep the batter as best you can in a round shape. Rap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and to flatten them slightly. Resist using anything to flatten the scoops. Bake 2 sheets at a time for about 10 minutes and rotate. Bake about 5 minutes more or until a toothpick comes out clean. The tops may crack a little bit and the Yorks may start to slide out the sides. Don’t worry about it. When it cools you will be able to snip those loose ends with a scissor or sharp paring knife. Cool completely before filling and trim the edges where needed.

Filling

1.       Place both containers of frosting in a large mixing bowl and add the sifted sugar, flavorings. Mix together and then whip on high until very fluffy and almost doubled in size, about 3 minutes.

Peppermint Crunch

1.       Place 8-10 unwrapped candy canes in a zip lock bag (double it if you like because it might break). Using a rolling pin or something heavy, gently squash the candy canes and roll over them to turn them into shards. You can use a mesh sifter to remove the finer powder and keep the crunch larger, but I used both eventually – the finer stuff and the larger shards. Set aside in a small bowl.

Assembly

1.       When the cookies are cool trim the edges as needed. Using another ice cream scoop, drop a generous mound of frosting in the center of one cookie on the flat side. Top with another cookie of the same size and press lightly to get the filling to almost spread to the edges. Holding the filled whoopie pie over the crunch bowl, sprinkle the edges of the frosting with peppermint crunch to your heart’s delight. Place on a platter or serving plate.

2.      Best eaten the same day but will keep rather well for another day or so

French Restaurant tips, and the Paleo Diet

How to Order at a French Restaurant Without Sounding Dumb (or Pretentious)

There's something about French restaurants that immediately conjures an image of a snotty, extremely expensive bistro where your waiter sneers, just waiting for you to mispronounce something. While this is certainly accurate in some cases, the truth is that French food, like any cuisine, is extremely varied in taste, price, and regional differences. From French cafes to casual bistros, there's a world of more casual, wallet friendly options in addition to traditional high-end cuisine.

The reason French restaurants in general make such great date spots is that the French put such an emphasis on the meal. A traditional French repas is usually divided up into four or five parts: the appetizer, the main course, the cheese plate, the dessert, and of course, the wine. The important thing is not to rush: whether you order one plate or five, take the time to enjoy the food, the wine, and the company. French restaurants are practically made for lingering. A good date is therefore easily extended, past dessert and onto coffee, then followed by an apertif, etc, etc...

Of course, because the French take their food so seriously, and foodies take French food so seriously, some basic vocabulary knowledge is good to have.

The "eu" sound, in oeuf, boeuf bourgignon, and d'heuvre is pronounced with the same vowel sound we use in words like "uhm" or "uh". Consonants at the end of words aren't altogether dropped, as some assume, but they're definitely not stressed. "Ls", like the ones in bouillabaisse or sommelier are usually pronounced softly, more like the English "y."

But what matters most of all, in ordering French food, is trying: take a stab at pronouncing and go for it. People will appreciate your effort, and anyone who dares correct you (especially on a date!) is not worth your time.

A Brasserie

Bra-ser-ee. Not "brassiere." Honest mistake, but try to leave undergarments out of your first date conversation.

"Maitre" Doesn't Rhyme With "Waiter"

Thank goodness maitre d's have gone out of fashion in the past few years, because this is a tricky one to navigate in terms of pronunciation/pretentiousness. In French, maitre d' means "master of --", which is shortened from "master of hotel/restuarant/the world. (So, the head waiter/restaurant manager of, say, Applebees, would be "Maitre D'Applebees.") In French, this is pronounced "meh-treh deh", but in English it's been colloquially butchered to "Mayder Dee", which is awful, but not nearly as awful as showing up at a restaurant and demanding to speak to the "mehtreh deh".

Few restaurants have maitre d's these days, but when faced this one, you can easily sidestep the whole problem by simply saying "the restaurant manager" or "the host".

Hors d'oeuvre: Not "Orderves"

For some reason, the common English pronunciation of this switches order of the "v" and the "r" in the word. So it's not "orDERVEs", but rather "orDEVREs"s.


Crepes: "Crehp"

Pronouncing this word correctly is like walking a tightrope. If you go too hard on the vowel, you'll end up incorrectly pronouncing it "craype" (like the paper). Too soft on the vowel, and you end up saying "crap", which is pretty darn unappetizing.

It's "crehp", with the same vowel sound you make with "meh."

Crepes, by the way, are a delicious and light dish which can be prepared either savory or sweet. Probably not something you'd order as a main dish at dinner, but a perfect lunch item. As for dessert, they're of course delicious when prepared with ingredients such as chocolate or nutella (what isn't delicious when made with nutella?), but may be best in the original "au sucre" form, with just lemon and sugar.


Au Jus: Oh, Joo!

Au jus has such a disgusting definition for such a delicious thing: it basically means something that is cooked/served in its own juices.

Anyway, this is sometimes confusing because it means "juice" and it isn't too much of a stretch to interpret the spelling as "juice". Alas, the term is actually pronounced "oh joos." No risk of sounding pretentious saying it that way: it's of French provenance but a common English expression, too.

We Are The Champignons

If you pronounced this word as it is written, you'd probably end up ordering something like "Champ-pig-nons." The French word for mushroom is, however, "sham-pee-gnon."

Vichyssoise: Vee-She-Swahz

Vichyssoise is a soup made from leeks, onions, potatoes, chicken stock, and, most importantly, cream. Julia Child claims that this "French" dish is actually an American invention, which means you can pretty damn well pronounce it however you want. BUT, for the sake of erudition: vee-she-swahz.

Sommelier

While most people say "Soh-MAH-Lee-Ay", the term is actually "SEHM-eh-yay." In French the "l" is silent, but you can bring it back if you're worried about sounding too tres: Seh-Mel-yay.

Coq Au Vin: Get Your Mind Out Of The Gutter

If the thought of awkward mispronunciations makes you want to avoid this dish at all costs, don't worry: it's actually pronounced more like a short "kok" (not "cawk"): kok-oh-van (without going too hard on the "n").

A Macaron Is Not A Macaroon

Macarons are starting to be as popular as cupcakes were a few years ago: they're chic, pretty to look at, and come in a seemingly endless variety of flavors. However, these sweet almond confections are not to be confused (or pronounced like!) macaroons, which are meringue-like cookies of Italian descent. The French treat is pronounced "mah-cah-rohn."

Profiteroles

In French, profiteroles are pronounced "pro-fee-trolls," with an emphasis on the last syllable. However, this dish is common enough in the US that it's perfectly acceptable to pronounce every syllable in the American way: pro-fee-ter-oles.


The Croissant/Kwa-ssan Debate

The croissant, while obviously French in origin, is now sold at every bakery, Starbucks and 7-11 in the country. Because of this, it's completely fine to pronounce this "cruh-sahnt". Yep, in French, it's "kwa-ssant", and if you're completely committed to sticking to this pronunciation, then go right ahead, but if you ever fault someone for saying it the English (normal) way, you're going to come off as insufferable.

On a different note, what in America is usually referred to (logically) as a chocolate croissant is sometimes billed as "pain au chocolat". (Look for the square shape.) This is pronounced pan-o-sho-ko-lah.

The Paleo Diet: Why Cavemen Do It Better

If the lure of living in simpler, lower-tech times has ever intrigued you, the Paleolithic-or "Paleo" for short- diet may just be for you. This trendy eating pattern focuses on foods that made up the human diet in pre-agricultural times, consumed as close to their natural state as possible. "Going Paleo" is built on the belief that modern day processed foods and artificial additives are incompatible with human biology, making it difficult to properly digest them. Some athletes believe this diet is the secret to optimizing athletic performance, while other proponents claim it eliminates "foreign proteins" that cause modern day ailments such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, cancer, arthritis, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Foods considered to be Paleolithic are meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, root vegetables, fruit, and berries. So-called "Neolithic foods," or foods that require processing, are not allowed. These foods include grains, dairy, salt, beans/legumes, potatoes, sugar, and refined, factory-made foods. (Interestingly, however, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that archaeological evidence suggests Paleolithic Europeans did indeed eat an early form of bread based on processed root vegetable 'flour.')

For someone on a Paleolithic diet, ideal proteins consist of organ meats, wild-caught fish and grass-fed meat. Organic fruits and vegetables are preferred over conventionally-grown ones so as to avoid modern pollutants. Fats are primarily derived from fruits or tree nuts. Water is the only true Paleolithic beverage; however coconut water would also technically fit the bill. For Paleo dieters thirsting for an afternoon cocktail, drinks derived from fermented fruit would be the only acceptable option. Interestingly, coffee does not count as a Paleo-friendly beverage, since coffee is a bean and needs to undergo processing before it can be enjoyed.

From a nutritionist's standpoint, someone living on a diet high in fast food and refined carbohydrates would certainly benefit from cleaning up their diet by emphasizing more unprocessed and natural foods like those that comprise the Paleo diet. After all, there's no shortage of research to implicate modern "Western diets" as a key factor in a host of chronic diseases. On the other hand, following the Paleo diet stringently means avoiding many incredibly healthy foods such as legumes, whole grains, and low-fat dairy which provide essential nutrients like fiber, antioxidants, vitamin D, and calcium. People who have committed to going Paleo are well-advised to consult with a registered dietitian to ensure they're meeting all of their dietary needs within the context of the diet's parameters.

Another critique of this diet is the time element. Since the focal point of eating Paleo is food in its more natural form, it means giving up convenience foods that cut time and energy out of food preparation. For example, a Paleo eater could not just grab a yogurt, make a sandwich, bake a potato, boil some pasta, or open a can of tomato sauce to ease meal prep- much less eat out at most restaurants. Following this diet would take a lot of foresight, planning, and preparing-particularly to ensure you're meeting your nutrient needs- which can make it a more challenging way to eat.

If the principles behind going Paleo appeal to you but you're not willing to commit to the drastic lifestyle change it entails, why not draw inspiration from it rather than going full throttle? You could start by eliminating sources of refined flour and sugar in your diet, like white breads, cereals made from refined grains, cookies, cakes, and sweeteners. Then, you might consider upping your daily quota of fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing organic varieties whenever possible.

Life may have been much less complex for cavemen, but they had a lot more time to devote to hunting and gathering food than most modern working families do.