HOMEPLATE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAY BAKING More great recipes: 18-19
Geraldine’s Fruitcake BY STACEY ADGER
T
his fruitcake was a favorite of my father’s and an annual tradition. My mom (Geraldine) would make the cake two to three weeks before Christmas and wrap it in foil, placing it way in the back of the refrigerator. Dad would take it out, douse it in rum and cut off a chunk, careful to rewrap it, placing the uncut segment toward the front and feign innocence when the cake was finally unwrapped.
IMAGE VIA RECIPE WIKI
Jam-Filled (Bow-Tie) Cookies BY RACHEL PARENT
8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for rolling out the dough ¾ cup good-quality jam (peach, apricot, or your favorite) 1 large egg, beaten powdered sugar, for dusting the cookies
INGREDIENTS 2 pounds golden raisins (can be mixed with dark raisins) 2 pounds candied fruit (typically sold in 1 pound containers) ½ cup honey 1 tablespoon ginger 1 cup shredded coconut 1 to 2 cups of pecans ½ cup orange juice (cherry or other fruit juice) ½ cup dark rum 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup softened butter 1 cup softened margarine 2½ cups brown sugar PREPARATION 1.) In a large bowl that can be covered, combine raisins, candied fruit, honey, ginger, shredded coconut, pecans, orange juice, and dark rum. Stir, coating all of the ingredients in liquid. Cover and let soak overnight. 2.) The following day, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 3.) In a separate large bowl, combine butter, margarine, brown sugar. Beat these ingredients together until light, about 4 minutes, blend in just until combined; 10 large eggs, one at a time. 4.) Gradually incorporate dry ingredients. The batter will get heavy, so the last of the dry ingredients may have to be incorporated by hand. Gradually stir in the soaked fruit by hand. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Line and heavily grease with vegetable
CANSTOCK
Stacey Adger contributes a beloved family recipe for Homeplate for the Holidays. shortening-not oil, a parchment paper lined two-part tube pan covering the post, base and sides. (Mom usually used a heavy brown grocery bag to line the pan, writing facing away from the batter.)
Take out and cool completely, leaving paper on. Wrap in foil, but before completely sealing, pour evenly over the top of the cake, ½ to ¾ cup of a combination fruit juice and rum.
Bake for 3½ hours or until firm. Try to avoid opening the oven too much to avoid cracking.
Refrigerate.
Partially open the oven door and let the cake in the pan cool gradually for about 30 minutes.
You can re-wet cake with the same mixture of fruit juice and rum, but allow five days to absorb into cake before serving.
In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Scrape down the bowl and paddle. With mixer on low, add flour gradually, beating well after each addition. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Turn dough out onto a work surface dusted with flour and knead briefly to form a ball. Divide dough into three equal portions and wrap each in plastic or waxed paper. Flatten each piece of dough into a square and refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 400°F. Line three cookie sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. Trim the rough edges of the dough so the sides are straight, and so the piece of dough measures 8 inches by 8 inches. Cut dough into 2-inch squares. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of jam onto the center of each square. Do not overfill. If overfilled they don’t seal properly and will open up in the oven. Fold one corner into the center, dab with the beaten egg, and then bring the opposite corner into the center. Pinch firmly together to seal the corners. Transfer cookies to cookie sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Bake one sheet at a time until lightly browned on the bottoms and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely then dust with powdered sugar. Cookies can be frozen or stored in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
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