HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-12-05, Page 69Christmas cooking
and baking can be
spiced up just right
Using spices in Christmas cooking and
baking is one of the oldest traditions of our
civilization. Archaeologists believe that the
knowledge of seasoning extends back at
least 50,000 years. Primitive man
discovered the flavor added to food by wrap-
ping meat in leaves before cooking.
Christmas specialties enjoyed today
wouldn't be possible without spices. If
spices were left out, no one would be in-
terested in plum pudding, turkey stuffing or
gingerbread cookies.
Through the centuries, it was the search
for—spices that persuaded 'explorers to ven-
ture to the far corners of the earth. In the
late middle ages a handful of cardamon was
worth as much as a poor man's yearly
wages:
To make this Christmas special, include
spices in your gift giving and decorating as
well as baking and cooking. That very
special gift is always the one that you have
made yourself! Package together your
favorite recipe and bottles of spices used in
the recipe. Your closest friend or relative
will be thrilled.
Try the following recipes for your own
holiday entertaining or gift giving:
Spice Batter
81/2 pound butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried lemon peel
Pinch of cloves
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
Melt butterin heavy saucepan. When
melted, add brown sugar, nutmeg, cin-
namon, lemon peel, cloves and coconut ex-
tract. Pour into hot sterilized jar. Seal.
Keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.
Mikes approximately 1''2 cups.
This batter is a delicious base for many
recipes:
Hot Buttered Rum
Pour a jigger of rum into a coffee mug and
fill mug with hot water. Top with a spoonful
of Spice Batter and serve.
Spiced Toast and Muffins
Instead of butter, spread some of the
Spice Batter over toast and muffins.
Spiced Tea and Coffee
Add a spoonful of Spice Batter to your tea
or coffee. Top with whipped cream for a
festive after dinner drink.
Aromatic Pomander Ball
Try making an Aromatic Pomander Ball!
Select thin-skinned firm oranges, lemons or
limes and stud them with whole cloves. Use
a nail or skewer to start holes for the cloves.
Add row after row of cloves until the fruit is
covered. Mix 1 tablespoon each of cinnamon
and arrowroot and roll clove -studded fruit in
mixture. Set the pomander ball on a plate
and allow it to dry for two weeks. Dust off
the excess powder and create your own
trim. _
Pomander balls were first used by "peo-
ple of quality" ,in the seventeenth century.
Today they are hung in closets or placed in
drawers to add fragrance to clothing and
linens.
Christmas Gift Guide -21
Holiday fruitcake makes
a nice gift for a friend.
Would you consider using a gift before giv-
ing it to a friend? Probably not, but here is a
gift suggestion that requires using the gift
before you give it away.
The suggestion is for a holiday fruitcake
given in its baking dish. The decorated
Christmas fruitcake is something extra
when given with a piece of versatile glass -
ceramic cookware. It suggests that special
thought was given for this particular gift.
Once the cake is baked, remove it from
the pan to cool and then wrap in plastic
wrap.
Return the wrapped cake to the pan and
you have a gift to be enjoyed now and a
handsome addition to someone's cookware
collection. You might include the recipe,
too.
Holiday Fruitcake
1 package Betty Crocker Snackin' Cake Ap-
plesauce Raisin Cake Mix
1 cup mixed candied fruit
/ cupchopped pecans
Glaze (below )
Candied cherries
Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and
flour two -quart glass-ceramicpan. Prepare
cake mix in bowl as directed on package, ex-
cept stir in candied fruit and pecans with the
water. Pour into pan. Bake until wooden
pick inserted in center comes out clean,
about 55 minutes. Immediately remove
from saucepan; cool. Spread glaze over top
of cake, allowing some to drizzle down sides.
Decorate top of cake with candied cherries.
After glaze has set, wrap cake in plastic
wrap; return to pan.
Glaze is made by blending 1/2 cup sugar
and 1 tablespoon water until smooth.
Cooks enj oy books as gifts
If you have several gourmet cooks on your
holiday shopping list, there's no need to rack
your brain for gift ideas. Nowadays,
specialty shops and housewares depart-
ments of stores offer all kinds of gadgets to
delight culinary artists.
Opening clams is a cinch with a steel clam
opener that does the job easily for your
favorite cook, comes apart for cleaning.
A cleaver set that includes boning and
paring knives, cleaver and slicer will make
the amateur chef feel like a ' real
professional.
Your favorite cook can read added
compliments on his or her pasta, with a
noodle maker forturning out home-made
spaghetti or fettucini.
a speci.aI
ristmas
1�'1S}1
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LADIES WEAR & GIFTS
36 North Street, Shoppers Square, Goderich ph: 524-8572