Weekend Mailbag

Ryan, astute observer of all things fruitcake, wrote in over the weekend to comment:

Joe…I noticed you’re not using those colored candied fruits in your fruitcake recipe. According to your story, that’s not in the tradition of your father’s fruitcake recipe, now is it?

True enough. What can I say, I was going for a more Old-World sort of affair (while still keeping firmly to the Pastry family traditions). Have no fear, the wife informed me over the weekend that I’ll also be making stollen this week, since she can’t do without it at Christmas time. So, I’ll put some in that. Fair enough?