Today is the last day I'll be blogging for 2007 (don't you cry or I'll start, too!) Over the next week or so I'll be at home relaxing and creating holiday memories with my own family and friends. Like many of you, I'll be eating turkey on December 25th. I know from talking to readers that Christmas dinner preparations can be stressful. So, to make sure you have all the info you need when it comes time to prepare the bird, I want you to have this link to tips I published at Thanksgiving that will help you prepare turkey perfectly. (You'll also find my family's favorite stuffing recipe there -- feel free to try it, too!)

I hope you have a wonderful and delicious holiday! Rest up and get ready for an exciting start to 2008. The entire first week of my blog will be devoted to updating you on the latest food trends and the rest of the month promises to be exciting, too!

In the meantime, feel free to drop by and read (or re-read!) some of my earlier posts and add your comments. It's always a pleasure to hear what's on your minds!

Cheers!
Dana

(Editor's note: Are you looking for Dana's recipes from her Dec. 21 appearance on CBC News? You can find those at www.toptentable.com.)


Comments

If your only experience with fruit cake comes from radio or newspaper articles, you might have the impression that fruit cake is every holiday reveler's kryptonite. However, I've been doing my part as an investigative journalist (don't laugh! I dig into the mysterious depth of things all the time. No matter that the depths I plumb are usually hidden between the double crust of a pie!), and I've discovered that fruit cake, for all it's maligned, is actually big business.

Americans, for instance, bought 5.12 million fruitcakes worth $16 million in 2003. Although Canadian numbers aren't readily found, my inside source at Pusateris Fine Foods, John Mastroianni divulges that Pusateris has “seen an increase in fruit cake sales by double digits year-after-year for the past five years.” Where there are fruit cakes purchased, methinks there are fruit cakes being eaten!

Personally, I am neither fan nor foe. I like a sliver or two of fruit cake around the holidays but I like mine unadorned by frosting or marzipan. Although iced fruit cakes can be spectacular to look at, the rich, fruity moist cake is good enough for me. (BTW, if you want to glam up a fruit cake this holiday and need ideas, turn to Classic & Contemporary Christmas Cakes, which is filled with beautiful fruit cake ideas.)

Ready to embrace your inner fruit cake fan? Come out into the open and serve a top notch fruit cake at one of your festive gatherings. Although it's too late in the season to make your own (a fine fruit cake needs to age for many weeks) you can still buy one that has been aged appropriately:

- The Holy Cross Abbey of Trappist monks in Berryville, Virginia boast a “generous measure of fine sherry wine and traditional brandy” and come with an unconditional guarantee that theirs are the best fruit cakes you'll ever eat.

- Crabtree and Evelyn's Macallan Single Malt Whisky Fruitcake (pictured above) is a nice light fruit cake that is just the right size for a small group.

Comments

One year when I wasn't ‘rolling in dough' but had extra time to spend in the kitchen, I gave homemade cookies as holiday gifts. It was amazing to see how appreciative people were to receive an assortment of crispy sweets to enjoy over the holidays.
Besides being cheaper than many other gift options, giving someone a homemade food gift says that you care enough to give your time and in this day and age, that means a lot!
If you do decide to make cookies as holiday gifts, remember to package them in a way that's attractive but still well-insulated so that cookies don't break en route.
Likewise, to prevent crispy cookies from becoming soggy just by keeping company with chewy cookies, wrap each flavor and variety separately and snugly in plastic wrap.
Pack the box snugly so that the cookies don't get damaged when jostled and include ingredient lists for each variety.
If you plan to give an assortment of cookies, design a map (similar to the kind you find in a box of chocolates) so that it will be easy for cookie monsters to choose their favorites.
Like creating a cheese tray, combine various textures and flavors to create a complimentary assortment. A classically popular combo that's almost guaranteed to be a hit includes shortbread, ginger snaps and chocolate chip cookies.

Or, try creating an international assortment of cookies to symbolize the spirit of sharing and forgiveness that should epitomize the holidays (I know I sound sappy but the holidays bring out my soft side!). For international cookie ideas check out my Holiday Cookie Atlas that includes recommendations for great cookie recipe sources!


Bonus Tip:
You can drizzle!:

Make an inexpensive, disposable piping bag by spooning frosting into a small plastic food storage bag (placing the bag inside a short wide-mouthed glass and folding over the edge makes it easier and less messy to fill!). Seal bag, cut a tiny hole in one corner and you're ready to decorate cookies like a pro!

Comments

Each culture has its holiday cookie favorites: Scottish shortbread, Greek crescent cookies, British gingerbread and Dutch specula are a few examples of holiday cookies that have deep cultural roots.

Regardless of the recipe's origin, most cookies have a few characteristics in common: they are generally bite-sized, sweet, and baked in an oven. Technically, a good cookie is characterized by having an even, golden bottom and a pale, set top. If you've ever had trouble making picture perfect cookies, check out these tips to help you achieve cookie success every time!

1. Read the recipe all the way through before beginning to ensure you have everything you'll need. Baked goods depend on specific chemical reactions to succeed so you need to use the exact amounts and the specific ingredients called for in the recipe.

2. Measure dry ingredients such as flour and sugar, into spoutless cups by scooping the ingredient into the cup and then leveling it off with a knife. Don't shake or tap the measure on the counter to even out the ingredients.

3. Always preheat the oven until it reaches the required temperature.

4. Make sure your oven temperature is accurate - it's a good idea to invest in an oven thermometer to double check.

5. Don't sift flour or cocoa unless specified in the recipe. Also, do not substitute one type of flour for another.

6. Pack brown sugar lightly into a dry measuring cup.

7. To prevent spreading, place shaped, dropped or rolled and cut cookies on the cookie sheets and refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.

8. To prevent breakage, let the cookies cool on the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

9. Use a thin, flexible metal spatula to move cookies safely and easily.

10. Don't worry about using rimmed or rimless baking sheets. Either will work well; however, if the sheets you have are dark or badly worn, line them with parchment paper so that cookies don't stick or over brown.


Want to take your cookies to the next level this holiday season? Make a holiday wreath centerpiece by cutting ice box cookie dough into leaf shapes. Arrange in a wreath pattern, ‘gluing' leaves together with frosting. We made the bow for this wreath with Fruit by the Foot but you can use real ribbon, too.


Coming up tomorrow: Cookies as gifts.


Comments

Like the snow that characterizes the season, the best holiday cookies are crisp and even – evenly baked, that is! Although new cookie recipes can be fun to try at other times of the year, holiday cookie recipes are often family heirlooms that are passed down through generations and their inclusion on the holiday table provide comfort and continuity.

Growing up my mother always made hermits, a spiced drop cookie filled with dried fruit. In her version flakey coconut, glossy red and green glacé cherries, walnuts and raisins stud a buttery batter. The smell of hermits baking is one of my fondest childhood memories to this very day; and, although I don't really like glacé cherries, I still crave my mother's hermits at Christmas time.

In tribute, I've updated her hermits to contain fruit I do like: dried cranberries, sour cherries and, if I can get them, dried blueberries. Despite these modifications, the experience of making and eating these cookies every year brings my mother vividly to mind whether she is with us or away for the holidays.

If you'd like to add my hermit recipe (pictured above) to your holiday repertoire click here.

Coming up tomorrow: Cookie Baking Tips!


Comments