Christmas Baking -It's a great tonic!

Ginger, Cinamon, Cloves, Nutmeg...all smells that will be wafting from the kitchen this weekend as I make the goodies for the gift boxes that I make for friends & family every year. I made our Christmas Cake sometime ago and have been regularly adding uisce beatha to it for the past few weeks. Christmas Baking reminds me of living in Germany and the great Christmas baking traditions they have there. Stollen,Zimt Sterne, Vanillekipferln, Lebkucken and the aroma of Gluhwein! All delicious! I have a few recipes from my time spent there but I also like to use a few from Irish Cookbooks. Who can forget making Christmas Logs in Home Economics Class? Will save that recipe for another day! We have some great baking traditions here in Ireland as well and I thought I'd share some recipes with you from Maura Laverty's Traditonal Irish Cook Book Full & Plenty 1

I found this book in a Charlie Byrne's bookshop a few years ago. It is a fascinating book with over 300 bread and cake recipes but the most interesting thing about it is the stories, food folklore & helpful hints! There are some great down to earth recipes in this and the stories are great. A great insight into Ireland's past. Its was published in 1960 with a reprint in 1985. One story is about a widow who was delighted when her son started courting a domestic economy instructress. She invited her to Sunday Tea to meet her for the first time but following a conversation with one of her neighbours she was anxious that her home cooking wouldn't reach the standard of a 'high falutin' lassie & college trained cook! But all was well when the domestic instructress at Sunday tea praised the widow's soda bread much to the disgust of the interfering neighbour.

In Laverty's intro she says that cooking/baking is the 'poetry of housework' and that rubbing butter into flour for scones is a 'better tonic for neurotic people than anything their doctors could give them'!! So escap the Christmas panic and do some baking...it's a great tonic!
Here are a few samples of her Christmas recipes..simple ingredients, straightforward instructions but they taste good. I have experimented a little by adding spices, grated orange rind or other flavours to them.

Chankele (Christmas Candles)

• 3 eggs
• 50z icing sugar (150g)
• 6oz ground almonds (175g)
• 4oz flour (110g)

1. Beat the eggs until light.
2. Add the sugar gradually and beat until thick.
3. Stir in the almonds and enough flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough on to a floured board and form into rolls the shape of a very small candle.
5. Fry in deep hot fat for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Drain, cool and roll in more icing sugar.

Christmas Biscuits

• 8 0z flour (225g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 0z castor sugar(225g)
• 4 0z butter (110g_
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 egg whites
• 2 oz chopped nuts(50g)

1. Sift together flour,baking powder and sugar
2. Cut in the butter finely
3. Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla and work dough until smooth
4. Leave in a cold place for a couple of hours until firm
5. Roll thinly on a lightly floured board and cut as desired.
6. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
7. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes in a 375F oven (gas mark 5)

Christmas Shortbread

• 8 oz butter or margarinee (225g)
• 8 oz icing sugar (225g)
• 1lb flour (450g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Cream the butter,beating in the sieved icing sugar.
2. Gradually work in the flour which has been sieved with the baking powder.
3. Knead well, roll out about 1/4 inch thick and cut into strips about 2X3 inch.
4. Bake for 45 mins in a 300F Oven Gas Mark 2 taking care not to brown the shortbread.
5. When cooked, coat each piece of shortbread evenly with icing sugar.