Two Savory Holiday Gifts
December 9th, 2012
Something takes over around now, and it’s like going into labor–once it starts there’s no getting off! I feel overcome with the compelling urge to make things–food, of course, but also wreathes out of grape vines, arrangements of magnolia and holly and berries on the mantle, centerpieces for the table. Inspired by a photo posted on pin interest by Twitter friend @katiesheadesigns, I took out an old bottle rack and made a decoration of candles and greens. If I’d had one of my larger ones in Italy, I could have made something more spectacular. As it was, everyone at dinner thought it looked sweet, until it caught on fire! That’s sand in the jars. The original used terracotta pots but my rack was too small.
The next one I made ended up in the back hall because it looked a bit like something you’d buy for a patient at the hospital gift shop. The jack-in-the-box is a toy I had when I was three.
No other time of year, except perhaps tomato season, draws me so magnetically to the kitchen. It’s the time for huge pots of ragù simmering, and for slow-roasted quail with juniper berries, herbs, and pancetta. Both recipes are in The Tuscan Sun Cookbook.
At this time of year, I like to have things ON HAND. And, always, I find–probably as many of you do–that I turn to what I loved when I was growing up. Despite my enjoyment of Italian pannetone, biscotti, and Monte Bianco–the rich chestnut cream mountain that Tuscan love, at home in the USA I am making what my mother made–roasted pecans, cheese biscuits, and her famous Martha Washington Jetties. Roasted pecans–the key is fall crop pecans, big, fresh, and whole. You simply empty a pound bag onto a parchment lined baking pan–single layer–and dot with a stick of butter–4 ounces. Sprinkle with salt and roast in a 350 degree oven for about eight minutes. Half way, take a spatula and scoot the pecans around to make sure they’re all coated with butter. Allow to cool and then place in a nice tin lined in waxed paper. Anytime someone comes around and a bottle of wine is opened, a little bowl of these nuts will be devoured with exclamations of joy. They’re also easy and welcome gifts.
The other MUST on myChristmas list : Cheese biscuits. Grate 8 ounces of sharp cheddar. Mix with 4 ounces–one stick–of softened butter. With a mixer, work in 1 cup of flour, some salt, cayenne, and pepper. I like to add, though my mother did not, some thyme leaves and chopped rosemary Form the mixture into logs and chlll for a couple of hours.
Slice thinly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about eight minutes or until the edges start to brown and crisp. Or, you can just form the dough into little mounds like small cookies and bake the m the way my mother made did. Before baking, she placed on top of each biscuit a pecan half. When they cooled, she sprinkled on a little powdered sugar. I don’t do that–mine are more like wafers–but it is tasty that way. I just figure the cheese and butter is enough with out the sugar hit. These are universally scoffed up, so much so that dinner can be ruined. They are lethal to have left over because you find yourself just drawn to that cookie tin with each coffee or glass of wine or nothing at all. As a true southerner, I thought that Coca-cola was the perfect pairing. Just irresistible. If lots of entertainng is on your calendar, double the recipe, then just pull a log out of the fridge and bake as your guests ring the bell, so that a warm plate of cheese wafers is at the ready.
As soon as my daughter and I make them this year, I’ll post the recipe for Martha Washington Jetties. Every Christmas of my life I have indulged in the making of these candies. Whether the real Martha actually made them, I don’t know. But I do know that my mother made them once a year, as do I, and as does my daughter. It simply would not be Christmas without the depression glass candy jar filled with these delectable chocolate-covered pecan fondant dreams.
I would love to hear what you are compelled to concoct as the solstice nears!
[Photo to come]
Thanks for your blog, Frances!! I really enjoy it!!! Happy Holidays!!!!
Dear Frances,
I just want to come over and taste all your delicacies. Taste shows from your pictures. Solstice is coming and that is the night me and my soulmate celebrate. it is a tradition of years, since Xmas days are filled with family gatherings and so forth. So solstice is my party every year, also it is the feast celebrated by Pelle Grød one of my fairytale creatures. ( in my FB fairytale Pelle Grød and the sea sorrow)
Buona notte
I love the solstice too–soon the days will be long again. I will have to look up the fairytale. ciao–f
A great memory for me are the Italian cookies called Totos, which my Aunt Adeline used to make, and I’ve been hankering after them. An Italian-American woman I know gave me her recipe – are you familiar with them? They’re made with oil, and have coffee and dark raisins in them and nuts if you want, and lemon icing on top – sort of like a mound shape. They’re great! I don’t know which region they come from; if you would like the recipe, I’ll be glad to share it!
Otherwise, my brother gets so many goodies from his clients that I really have no need to bake, and my cousin hosts Christmas – I bring a fruit salad.
I’m sure I’ll make a few fruit crisps during the season.
Do send recipe–they sound wonderful!
In Scandinavia we love Molded Wine – called “Glögg”. It is rather spicy but warms really good on a frosty day. It is made of red wine, warmed up close to the point of boiling. Ad 85 grams of organic sugar per bottle of wine. Then it is spiced up with gloves, some slices of orange zest, a bit of cardamom (whole), a stick of cinnamon and finally some allspice. The spices are put in a teabag so that they are easy to remove before serving. It is served in mugs in which you ad some raisins and some chopped and skinned almonds. One or two teaspoons of each. The raisins add some sweetness to it all, and if you want the deluxe version you can soak the raisins in brandy or Marsala Crema de Mandorla over night before serving them. This ads signifiantly to the taste (and red cheeks by the fireplace). I believe italians have Vino Caldo or something like that?
Obviously I meant cloves – not gloves!
Glad for that! You’ll need those gloves!
Sounds so cosy!
Your cheese wafers look scrumptious, I love the idea of having a few savory items on-hand to counteract all the sweets!
OK! Totos recipe
1 c. cold coffee
4 c. flour
1 egg
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. chopped nuts
2/3 c. oil
1 c. raisins
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. orange zest
2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 c. cocoas
Mix all together (raisins and nuts last) – the dough will be sticky. Roll into balls with well-oiled hands – about a soup spoon size. Bake at 350 for 25-35 mins. till a little brown (if you can tell!) When cool, ice with lemon juice and xxx sugar.
*the woman who gave me the recipe said bake for 50 mins, but that’s way too long! They’re cakey, full of flavor and wonderful! I wish I knew which region they come from, though.
Thanks for your interest!
(My half-Sicilian cousins pronounce it “duh-DAWS”)
p.s. It’s my understanding that cocoa recipes often contain baking soda, but this does not.
Lisa–grazie!!!
Frances – I’m so thankful for the holidays – where everything on the table is prepared with plenty of butter, cream and sugar! As Julia Child would have said – you can substitute butter and cream, but you’ll be sorry. So, while we watch what we eat most of the year, holidays, birthdays and other anniversaries are meant to be enjoyed and celebrated without restraint. Happy holidays to you, both.
Merry Christmas everyone. All gray and ice covered in Ottawa today, but we dodged the 10-15 cm of snow that was forecast, so that is always good!
Your centerpiece sure was pretty. I must admit to a shocked chuckle that it caught fire. Gosh, that must have added a little unexpected life to the party. Oh my!
I am not much for xmas baking. My kids just don’t have that sweet tooth cravings – but if there is no spinach dip or almond studded cheese ball – well, I cannot be held responsible for their actions. Also xmas will be all topsy-turvy this year as my oldest has to have wisdom teeth removed on GROAN – Dec 21. As for other baking, I have just finished a marathon baking session for my son. Muffins, soup etc.
Stay warm and well,
Barb
Ah-h,pecans. When I was a child in the south they were the staple of baking at Christmas time. They are still my favorite nut. sitting around the table cracking nuts with my Dad is a treasured memory of mine. I love those large 100+ year old pecan trees. I have planted several in the places we’ve lived in California.
Oooh thank you. I wanted that cheese wafer recipe. They look delicious. Merry Christmas.
The quail looks delicious! I adore your cookbook. I am currently in the middle of making a batch of Riccardo’s Limoncello. I will be adding the syrup in 2 days. Made it before and it was a hit with my family and friends. I have decided it is going to be a holiday tradition to make and pass out to my loved ones. I am going to attempt the “finger-burner” lamb chops over Christmas break. Wish me luck!
My family is enjoying the many delicious recipes in THE TUSCAN SUN COOKBOOK. What music do you like listening to while cooking? And what two hour PLAYLIST would be cued up as your guests start to arrive?
Jim– Good to hear. We do like cooking to music. Often listen across the classical repertoire but just as soon hear Pink Martini, Buddha Bar, Lieber, rock and arias…. A range. Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Evora, it’s endless. You? Frances
There is something magical about the holiday season and at our house we seem to go into overdrive to spend time with family and friends. All three of my children will be home–adding a daughter-in-law and granddaughter to the dinner table this year, something that doesn’t happen often–so there is much joy in our house, as I gather there is in your house. Having moved too many times in my life (and especially in my early years), I am lucky enough to realize that it isn’t the ‘where’ you may necessarily spend your holidays but the ‘with whom’ that matters most and, as a result, I am especially fortunate.
Our time in Cortona was special, too, and we have a terracotta nativity (purchased in a shop in Cortona) perched on top of a mantle in our family room as a gentle reminder of the wonderful trip and our time with the Italianis this year. (We are already planning our next trip!)
Your blog is a special indulgence and break in my work day. Best wishes for the holidays: Scott
After a busy day of holiday-related tasks, we are ready for a day of cookie baking with our 4-year-old granddaughter: the dough for sugar cookies and gingerbread people sit in our fridge as we await tomorrow morning and the arrival of our chief baker at about 9. It is extra special to repeat family traditions with the next generation, just as we did with her father and his siblings. (Since a 4-year-old’s attention span may dwindle, the puzzles and games are ready to be played, too.) The best part of the holidays is spending it with the people we love–and the cookies don’t hurt a bit, either. It’s like rolling out the memories with the dough and both are sweet.
Well, Frances….I don’t know how many pecan trees you have at Chatwood, but?…..next Fall, you might do well to trot down the road to The Webb House, come pecan-harvesting season.
For better or worse (which depends on whether you’re raking, which I do, or baking, which I don’t), two of the state’s 3 largest pecan trees are in this yard. That’s a LOT of free pecans.
Like one of your previous commentators, I NEVER bake at this time of year. Someday, should you tire of your current domestic arrangement, try marrying a doctor who works in pharmaceuticals….you’ll be taken aback by how many baked goods and fancy wines are given by clients and colleagues.
Last year at this time, Herve brought home yet another (we already had ten or so) tins of lovely baked goods that some receptionist or another had given to him at the office. I sat there in my kitchen, looking at the TABLEFUL of carefully baked goods in their various boxes and tins…..and then I looked inthe wine closet (which held the thirty or so bottles of prohibitively expensive wine various, over-paid colleagues had given to us over the preceding year). I should add that we’d also just received TWO 18-20 pound hams in the mail, AND two “cheese assortments”. We were to be leaving for France in a week, and I simply said “We should throw a party and get folks to eat and drink up all this stuff.”
So, we did. We didn’t invite any of the fancy folks/friends who’d actually given any of the Very Expensive wine; we invited all the folks we know (courtesy of my own vocational pursuits) from the grubby fringe of the local artistic/literary circles……various artists and struggling writers and always-hungry gradstoodints, etcetera.
I think the only thing I bought was bread, in case folks wanted ham sandwiches.
It was a great party (Herve referred to it as our “Christmas Potlatch”, since we basically gave away everything we had)….lasted until midnight or so…..and those hungry folks ate and drank EVERYTHING….and it felt very christmas-y. I sent two hapy gradstoodints home with expensive bottles of some Brunello, telling them “Oh, give it to your father for Christmas…it IS very nice…just too good for Herve and I to be drinking”. Afterwards, the cupboards were manageable, and I was able to leave for 3 weeks.
Merry Christmas,
david Terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
David, my job as a child was to pick up pecans in our yard. I love them, but don’t relish the gathering. If you’ll gather and shell, I will bake the pies!!! Frances
Dear Frances,
a bit off topic but I don’t know if we’ll cross paths in Cortona when I pop in this month. I was interviewed about my paintings & living abroad and I mentioned you and how you (and your success) essentially helped launch my career in Italy. Just wanted you to know how grateful I am. Here is the article:
http://scottsdaleartistsschool.blogspot.it/2012/12/painter-traveler-finds-wonder-and.html
Katerina Ring – Lucca & Zambia
ps. greetings to Ed, how is your olive crop this year?
Katerina, think of you often–we have your peaches painting in our kitchen. We are not in Italy again until spring, alas. Olive crop was small, though the oil was splendid. See you next year in Cortona!!! xoxxo–Frances
For the past 25 years or so we have made pecan tassies for the Christmas season. These are like miniature pecan pies about the size of a half dollar for those of you who have never had them. They are wonderful. For some reason Christmas is the only time we make them. I wish all of you a Merry Christmas…
Frances, I just made a batch of Totos – 25 minutes in the oven is plenty long enough – too much maybe in my warm oven. I hope you really do have time to make them!
Oh, Miss Frances, my mother and I make the Martha Washington jetties, too! And, of course, cheese straws, pecans sent by Texas relatives from backyard trees roasted up, divinity (only on days that aren’t too damp here in Asheville or it doesn’t set up right), buckeyes, spiced cut out cookies that take hours to decorate and that I don’t even want to taste once I’m finished, and something new every year that I just have to try (this year was white chocolate cherry shortbread. Pretty but only meh). Walking in the woods to bring in greens and being in the kitchen are quintessential for me at Christmas as well. Buon Natale and the merriest of Christmas to you and your loved ones!
April, about to post the jettie recipe. Wonder if it’s like yours. Sounds lovely there–Frances
Frances, my mother-in-law (originally from Maryville, TN) just sent us a tin of whole pecans from Sunnyland Farms in Albany, GA and I’m going to try your roasting recipe. Thank you always for your beautiful and evocative writing. I still remember when you came to visit Ed Smallfield’s poetry class at UC Berkeley Extension nearly 20 years ago and what an impression you made on me then. Merry Christmas to you and yours, —Mari
Mari! I know that farm. Enjoy! Sorry to have lost touch with Ed Smallfield. Do you know where he lives now? best, Frances
Frances,
Not quite related to this post, but a favour to ask… we have recently purchased a house in Chianti and are looking for an architect to assist with the approvals/restoration as we are based in Australia at the moment. Would you be able to provide a name for a local architect you worked with? I know this process is not going to be without challenges, but it is nevertheless very exciting. Your books have been an excellent reference so far.
Buon natale!
Rebecca
Rebecca, I don’t know anyone in that exact area, but Fulvio Di Rosa who lives in Lucignano is the absolute finest! fulviodirosa@tin.it Good luck–Frances
Merry Christmas, Frances!
Kate–You, too!!! Frances
Thanks for posting your cheese biscuit recipe. I like the idea of adding thyme or rosemary. Have you made these with any other cheeses?
Happy Holidays!
Freda
Chapel Hill, NC
Freda, no I haven’t. Maybe gruyere?? Frances
Merry Christmas~Frances.
I’ve read your book in chinese 5 times,its amazing,love it so much!
Frances, the cheese biscuits (the savory version with thyme & rosemary) were a big hit with friends who came for dinner the other day and are wonderful with ham & bean soup as well. It was fun to try something completely different and have it work out! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I’ve wanted to share with you a way to prepare pecans (and other nuts) that we find very tasty. It comes from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook. According to Sally, any type of nut becomes easier to digest if, when still raw, they are first soaked in a brine solution to break down the natural enzyme inhibitors within the nut that act as its preservative. Soaking in a salt solution for 7-12 hours breaks down those inhibitors and makes the nut more digestible and the nutrients in them more available to us humans. The soaked nuts are then dried until they are “crispy.” This process really brings out the natural flavors of the nuts and makes the simple process worth the while. For pecans, it really brings out their buttery flavor. No toasting in the oven is really needed after they’ve been processed this way, although i’m sure you still could.
To make “Crispy Pecans,” start with 4 cups of raw pecan halves or pieces, mix with luke warm filtered water to cover and 2 tsp salt. Cover and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. (I use a small crock and set it on top of the refrigerator.) Drain in a colander. Rinse them a bit and let them drain some more. I spread them out on the trays of my food dehydrator and dry them at high heat (145 degrees F) for about 6 hours. When they are completely dry and crispy to eat, they are done. I’ve never done it this way, but you can also dry them in a low oven (no more than 150 degrees F) spread out on a stainless steep baking pans. This takes longer (12-24 hours) and they need to turned occasionally until they are completely dry and crispy. I think an oven with a convection feature might speed this up a bit.
I hope you’ll try this. I’ve been doing this process for many years with all kinds of nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts) and love the results.
Julia
Julia-Thanks! I never heard of this and it sounds so interesting. Frances
Dear Frances,
I have been reading your wonderful book “Under the Tuscan Sun” and thoroughly enjoying it. Decided to google you and stumbled upon your blog. I’m a fellow Georgian and live in Loganville. The Stone Mtn Pecan Co. Is about 10 miles from my house. After reading the previous entries I know I will be making a trip soon for more pecans. They sell a container of sugar glazed pecans accented with a little cayenne . Delicious!
Wishing you a wonderful New Year
Susan