A Traditional Christmas: Citrus Cookies and Ricotta Cookies

"Always on Christmas night there was music. An uncle played the fiddle, a cousin sang "Cherry Ripe," and another uncle sang "Drake's Drum." It was very warm in the little house. Auntie Hannah, who had got on to the parsnip wine, sang a song about Bleeding Hearts and Death, and then another in which she said her heart was like a Bird's Nest; and then everybody laughed again; and then I went to bed. 

Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept." - Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas is Wales

There's comfort for me in the phrase "Always on Christmas night..." After a ridiculous number of courses (plus some scotch or whiskey, wine and cognac), my Italian and Uncles would indeed start singing around the "adult" table while my cousins and I (at the cousins table) watched in horror. I am so glad for those days.

My husband had oyster stew ever Christmas Eve in honor of his father who was born on Christmas Eve. When my father-in-law's first grandchildren appeared, he was Santa for over a quarter of the century every Christmas Eve. Every grandchild sat on his knee. Even when the knee was giving way. I'm grateful for those days, also.

My son waited for Santa by the door and would fly into his arms. I'm very grateful for those days. And grateful that the uncles have kept the tradition for my grand-nieces and nephews (two new grand-nieces arrived this year). Grateful.

This year, I have found comfort and strength in looking back to go forward. My baking is a combination of traditional American cookies and the old Italian ones. I have shared the Italian ones before but I am revisiting them for memory brings comfort. Christmas Past, Present and Future coexist is my kitchen. Funny what a cookie can do.

Citrus Cookies (my son-in-law's favorite)

And ricotta cookies (my favorite and judging by the fact I need to make them a few times during the holiday season - it's a favorite of others).

Citrus Cookies (makes about 24)

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened and cut into pieces 

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

zest of 1/2 orange

juice of 1/2 orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 baking pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add the zest and juice and briefly mix. Add the flour in 3 additions and mix well. If dough is too sticky, refrigerate for an hour.

Pinch off a two-inch piece of dough. Form into a ball and then a log - about 8 inches long and  form into a lose knot or simply cross the ends. Space them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes (just until the edges look like they are browning). Can cool in pan. But I cool on a wire rack after a few minutes. 

Ricotta Cookies (makes about 30)

Ricotta Cookie Ingredients - about 30 cookies

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Ricotta Cookie Glaze (optional)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-4 teaspoons milk

Ricotta Cookie Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside baking sheets. No greasing required. 
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. 
3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the zest and sugar. I add the zest for a brighter flavor - the cookies will not be lemony. 
4. Add the butter in chunks and the ricotta cheese and beat till smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat till combined. Slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until all is combined. Dough will be soft and a bit sticky. 
5. Form into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet. 
6. Bake for fifteen minutes - until bottoms are browned but cookies are not. If desired, glaze immediately while warm and cover with sprinkles (immediately - the glaze dries quickly) or just use the glaze. Cool and serve.

Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in saucepan. Stir over medium heat till the mixtures turns liquidy and into a glaze. Brush tops of ricotta cookies as soon as they come out of the oven and cover with sprinkles. 
These are not an overly sweet cookies, so if you like your cookies sweet, the glaze is a good idea. If you like a not-so-sugary cookie, simply cool.
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Quedlinburg: Where we visited Matthew in September and this week - Matthew comes home for Christmas. Grateful.

We visited the castle and he visited the Christmas Markets. There's at least one more trip to that medieval city in my future. Grateful.

Pino (mostly) stays under the tree these days. The bottom third of the tree remains undecorated.

And he still rings the bell every day. Many angels have gotten their wings.

Wishing you bell ringers and cookies in 2017. Say some words to the close and holy darkness before the New Year. Wish the world well.

A Baking Journey

When I was young(er), my sister and I would come home from school and take store-bought cookies and place them on a baking sheet and "cook" them until the chocolate melted. While we thought we were entering Baking 101, the reality is - we wanted melted chocolate and we had never heard of chocolate fondue. (This was in the olden days.) We later graduated to Tollhouse cookies. Baking cookies was usually something done over the holidays.

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During my single-actress-poverty-stricken days, I usually had free dinners where I waitressed. (Actress=waitress). On Mondays, I had the tradition of working lunch and taking my earnings to cook myself a gourmet meal (by myself) in my tiny 5-flight-walk-up Greenwich Village apartment. The kitchen had a bathtub/shower in it. Oh yes, I lived in charm. I always made a luscious dinner and dessert always came from a local pastry shop. I didn't bake.

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During my "children growing up" days, I cooked up a storm. But I rarely baked. Baking needs attention. Careful measuring. Time at oven. Hovering. I worked anywhere from 2-3 jobs at a time as a freelancer and had children who seemed to aspire to getting into the Guiness Book of World Records by seeing how many activities they could join. I baked over the holidays and then when I had an odd craving for a biscotti that no one seemed to make. In the last three years, my New Year's resolution has been to start baking. And this winter, the resolution finally took wing. Along with my weight!

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I first made these chocolate chip cookies from Donna FFW's website My Tasty Treasures. (It's the "My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Recipe" from Tyler Florence.) Each cookie can feed a family of four, so this time I adjusted the portion and the timing of the cookies. I've gotten hooked on the taste of freshly-baked. Just as I prefer that my dinner not come through a window while I sit in a car, it just took one winter to convince me that the store-bought cookies are not worth the calories. And I really wanted some cookies and milk yesterday. And the recipe couldn't be easier. Enjoy. (I like to use the Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips - but that's me.) Mr. Florence's recipe is just sitting there with nothing to do.

'twas the day after Easter ...

... and I'm still recovering. The Haas tornado whipped through the home in the afternoon and we certainly made merry. Now, today - too many chocolate eggs and cannolis later - I feel a biscotti and a cafe are in order - only the biscottis are gone. I sent Easter sweets - including three types of dessert up to Collegeville - with my son today. This is to ensure that I do not make too many trips to the refrigerator this week.

Now, my mother's Wheat Pie is another story. The Pizza du Grane remains in the fridge - carefully hidden by Kirsten. It is my daughter's favorite dessert and she guards it as a She-Bear guards her cub. It somehow did not make it to the dessert buffet table yesterday! In fact, when my husband peeked into the fridge yesterday and exclaimed, "Oh no - we forgot to put out the Easter Wheat Pie" and indeed - started to actually take it out - my daughter rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the pie from his hands and carefully sneaked it back in- and covered with "stuff." More on that tomorrow. Happily, there were at least 8 desserts on the table. It was not missed. Really.

As I bemoan the loss of my biscottis which disappeared quickly, I am cheered by the knowledge that I have the recipe and the ingredients! And now you will, too.

From: Sweet Sicily: A Story of an Island and Her Pastries by Victoria Granof
8 T unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2-1/2 cup flour
2 t baking powder
3/4 cup sesame seeds

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until just combined. Beat in the yolks, milk and zest. (The mixture will seem curdled and that is fine) Sift the flour with the baking powder and stir into the butter mixture. Mix until the dough comes together in ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 1 day (being a lazybones I always refrigerate overnight). It makes the dough easier to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease two large baking sheets.

Ms. Granof has you rinse the sesame seeds in a fine mesh strainer and dry. I did not do that. I did turn them out in a shallow baking pan.

Divide dough into eight equal parts. Shape each one into a ball and then roll each ball with the palm of your hands on a lightly floured ball into a rope about 8 inches long. With a sharp knife, cut each rope into 4 pieces. Roll each piece in the sesame seeds and place 2 inches apart on the greased baking sheet. (I needed to brush them with milk so that the sesame seeds would adhere.)

Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned. Let cool for five minutes and then place on baking racks.

I probably ate 2 piping hot! Sweet Sicily is a sumptuous book - containing mouth-watering photos and some history behind each of the pastries and the various cultures that have influenced Sicilian desserts. I may need to write a play about a dessert. And it won't be a drama! Happy Easter Monday, all!