Christmas Lunch

I spent Christmas day with three other families in air-conditioned comfort and relief... it was 40+ degrees outside, so the choice of venue or space was vital.  It was decided that no-one should cook for Christmas lunch and we should focus on cold foods.  Seafood salad and cold chicken tandoori had already been decided on.  I had hoped to cook this fab meat and mushroom sour-cream pie, but I'm not a big fan of any fusion cooking, and abhor Christmas feasts without a theme.  I decided to re-interpret the cold issue, and decided that it was more that one shouldn't spend too much time cooking on Christmas day.  With a bit of to-ing and fro-ing of the various cooks, this was our final menu:

Christmas Cooking and preparations...

Jorge's gingerbread men and trees...

It was with surprised relief that I took down our Christmas tree the day after Boxing Day.  I don't ever recall feeling so much relief that Christmas was finally over.  It seemed to have gone on for weeks, and my mood ebbed and flowed according to the rhythms of the various gatherings I attended, the food I cooked (or didn't get around to) and the planning around the actual day. There is so much pressure on each individual to get that day right.. to spend it with the 'right people' - friends or family, and to get that feast 'right'!  This feast day and festival is imbued with so much relevance about one's legitimacy as a person.  Next year, I want to take off to Vietnam or Cambodia a week before, and let the day drift by with barely a whimper.  I doubt my son will let me do this.  He is hanging on to every last thread of the Santa myth that he can...  including the food.  Here is the before and after shot of Santa's feast for this year. Santa's food consisted of: gingerbread men and stars, turkish delight, soft chocolate torrone, cherries and ginger beer, of course! And he and the reindeers left behind a big mess on the floor by way of paw prints.  I'm wondering if this will be our last visit from Santa, but I suspect not.

Santa food, before and after

This year's interpretation on
the
Christmas Nativity.

Christmas Treats: Sourdough Stollen

Last year I made  Dresden Stollen for friends for Christmas.  Not that I'm German (I'm not), but I do find the German Christmas traditions endearing, and yes, one day I may even  experience them.  This year I adapted my stollen recipe and made sourdough stollen, sadly it didn't make it to friends.  My family ate all three loaves (apart from a half loaf that could still be sitting in Jamie's bag?)  It was a great success, and stayed moist for much longer than my previous stollen.  But after eating so much  stollen , I couldn't face making any for  friends.  Instead they got or are still to get torrone, loukamis and/or paneforte.

Stollen is a German yeast bread, made traditionally for Christmas.  My (skippy) Mum made great stollen and some of my sisters try to emulate it, but they never succeed in my opinion.  My mother followed the wonderful recipe in the Foods of the World German Cookbook for Dresden Stollen.. I have also followed this recipe in previous years, but have adapted it this year for use with sourdough and  according to what is available in my pantry in terms of dried fruits ((I have added some beautiful dried sour cherries. )

So, you will need an active 'mother' or starter, and it needs to be ready to go.  I had been feeding mine for 24 hours before I started this recipe.. Also, this recipe is meant for a warm humid Australian summer day... perfect for bread-baking, and the amounts are a bit of guess work, in particular the ratio of starter to white flour.

Ingredients:

150 gm sultanas

150 gm glazed citrus (I have used orange and citron)

75gm glazed cherries

75 gm dried cherries

Almonds,

6 tbsp brandy

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon or lime rind

pinch salt

Vanilla bean

100gm unsalted butter

2 eggs

50gm melted unsalted butter

200gm White sourdough starter

600gm White flour

100ml Milk

200gm white sugar

Icing Sugar

Method

1. Place sultanas, glazed citrus and cherries in bowl with brandy and soak for at least one hour.  
2. Drain the fruit (keeping the liquid) and pat dry. Toss the fruit with about one datblespoon of flour and set aside.
3. Heat 125 gm sugar with milk and allow to cool.
4. Put flour, sourdough starter, milk, eggs and brandy into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough attachment and 'knead' until a rough dough is formed.
5. Add pinch salt and grated lemon or lime rind, vanilla and continue to knead for another 5 minutes.  The dough should be quite moist.
6. Place a tea-towel on top and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
7. Return the dough to the mixer, and with the speed on low, gradually add the dried fruit and almonds.  Allow to rest for another 20 minutes.
8. Return the dough to the mixer, and with the speed on low gradually add the butter piece by piece until is is fully absorbed.  Allow the dough to rest for between 1 and 2 hours.
9. Divide the dough into three.  
10. Place one of the pieces onto a floured board and roll out or press out until the dough is about 30cm long and 20cm wide.
11. Divide melted butter and sugar into three lots and spread the butter and sugar down the centre of the dough (leaving aside a tablespoon of extra butter for each loaf.).
12. Fold one long end of the dough over then the over end.  The dough should resemble the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes.  Place on baking tray and coat the loaf with some remaining butter.
13. Put plastic over top and repeat with the other two loaves, and allow to rest for at least two hours or up to three hours depending on the temperature.
14. Half an hour before you are ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
15. Bake the bread for around 45 minutes until golden and crusty.
16. When ready, allow to cool completely on rack.  Repeat with other loaves.
17. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar.