The Penguins became a tradition in my family many years ago when I made them as a pre-dinner snack one Thanksgiving. Since we now go to my grandmother's for Thanksgiving, and all is catered (the best thing my grandmother learned to make for supper was reservations), we now make these at Christmas. The recipe was in a magazine a long time ago, but of course now you can find a lot of variations on the Interwebs. In our family, they are just olives, carrot (fresh, not pickled, as some recipes have), and cream cheese.
(Picture added - very cute, very popular, VERY yummy!)
One thing that I should have prepared before now, so it would have a nice "cure," is my fruitcake. This is not the weird, sugary, nuts-and-candied-fruit item so prevalent now, that're more candy than cake and tends to include something I've always called "that weird pickled green thing" and have learned is either angelica or coloured pineapple. Neither of which is quite "fruit" in my mind, and I think the things are entirely too lacking in the "cake" element as well.
Many years ago when a beloved adopted uncle and aunt held Scottish First Footing parties, and I would travel up to Milwaukee for the night (and much of the next day), I decided to take something to add to the groaning board. I can't remember how I decided to make Black Bun except that the recipe is in one of the cookbooks I bought when living in England, and it's Scottish and for New Year's! But I wasn't confident in my pastry-making skills at the time, and dubious about baking a cake inside a pastry case. So I skipped that part and just made the filling and told people it was Scottish Fruit Cake.
Some avoided it on principle, but I wheedled several into trying it with promises that it really included just FRUIT and CAKE and "no weird pickled green things." All declared it quite yummy, and I get asked for the recipe. So here it is, approximately, since I tend to adjust the fruit to what I have on hand or can find easily, and the liquid to what I think the recipients will enjoy.
If you want to do this really traditionally, you can look up a recipe for the details. To make the pastry case, follow a basic two-crust piecrust recipe, and add about a half-teaspoon of baking powder, to make it a little flakier. Roll out about 2/3 of it to line a deep casserole, a loaf pan, or some other deep baking tin, and keep the rest to make the lid later.
To make mine:
About six cups of chopped (see Step 1) dark dried fruit: raisins, currants, prunes, figs, dates, etc.
1.5 cups flour (if you want to go gluten-free, substitute GF baking mix)
1/3 cup soft brown sugar (light or dark doesn't matter)
Spices: allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves. Adjust to taste, about 2 tsp total, up to 1 T.
NOTE: It's better to go heavier on allspice or cloves and lighter on the cinnamon and nutmeg.
One-half teaspoon bakng powder.
One tablespoon brandy or orange juice or cider. (If you are soaking the fruit, up to a 1/4 cup.)
One large egg.
1. Chop the largest into pieces about the size of the smallest. So the prunes and figs and dates get cut into pieces about as big as raisins and currants. Do not use yellow raisins (sultanas) for this. They are very good for snacking (especially mixed with toasted, salted pecans) and wasted in this recipe. Be sure you take out any stones/pits and hard stem bits when you chop everything. The finished amount should be six cups, be generous rather than scanty.
1a. If the fruit is very dry, soak it in a bit of the liquid for a few hours or overnight.
2. Start the oven at 325F/160C/Gas Mark 3. If you are using the pastry case, make sure it is ready. If you aren't, as I don't, just butter (or oil, or use spray-on stuff) the pan. Flouring on top of the buttering is optional. You can also line the pan with paper and butter the paper. Some people just put paper (parchment or waxed) in the bottom of the pan. My pans seem to release easily so I don't need to do the extra steps, but do them if you do, especially as this is a sticky cake.
3. Stir the sugar into the fruit. Mix the flour, spices, and baking powder together (stir or sift) and add to the fruit. Mix the egg and liquid together and add to the bowl. If you used the liquid to soak the fruit, REMEMBER THAT and don't add more, or the cake will be soggy.
4. Now stir together until everything is well mixed. The batter should be very dark and lumpy.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, cover with a piece of foil, and put it into the preheated oven. If you are using the pastry case, be sure to roll out the lid and fit it on top and seal the edges of the pastry before you put it into the oven. You can use scraps to make additional decorations if you like, and if you want to be really fancy brush with a bit of egg wash (beaten egg thinned with water) if you like. For really, really fancy, tint some bits of the egg wash with food colouring and paint the design, or paint a picture or message on the pastry top.
6. BAKE for 2.5-3 hours. Something like that. Just go away and watch a holiday movie or something, then check. At some point you might want to remove the foil so the cake (or pastry) can brown. Alternatively, add the foil after about 45 minutes of baking. Because of the sugar and fat content, the cake or pastry can burn before the cake cooks all the way through, thus you need to use the foil. Test the cake to make sure it's cooked all the way through. Ovens and the size and shape of the cake can affect how long it will take to bake.
When the cake is baked through, take it out of the oven and put the pan on a rack to cool. If you did not use a pastry case, unmould the cake after about ten minutes and let it cool. If you did use a case, leave it a bit longer before you take it out to cool. When thoroughly cold, wrap the cake tightly and tuck it away until Hogmanay. If you did not use the pastry case, you can brush it every so often with brandy or rum or bourbon or whatever you like to make it more alcoholic. I don't do this.
When serving, cut thin slices. You don't need to ice this, but you can do the traditional almond paste coat and royal icing on top if you want to get fancy. I don't bother, as I like the taste "as-is".
No comments:
Post a Comment