Since the evolution of gingerbread is linked inextricably to the history of ginger in Europe, let’s start there. Ginger was probably the most important spice in Medieval Europe after pepper. It was known to the Greeks, who discovered it over the course of their escapades in Persia. The Romans knew about it as well, and […]
READ ONTwo egg whites plus three cups of powdered sugar plus a squeeze of lemon juice. That’s the standard formula that I learned years ago, though these days, because of concern over the use of raw eggs, more and more people are using meringue powder to make royal icing. I’d need to consult with an expert […]
READ ONHere’s a good sturdy gingerbread that’s excellent for either gingerbread cookies or gingerbread houses. It’s not half bad for eating, either! Yes, it contains vegetable shortening, but that’s a better choice when you’re fashioning a house or making a cookie that’s destined to become a tree ornament. Why? Because shortening won’t go rancid. If you […]
READ ONI know there are at least three readers who’ve been anxious for me to get to these, even though Christmas is six weeks away. But what they hey — Thanksgiving weekend is coming up, and it’s always a good idea to have a decorating project around for the kids. I’ll try to channel my inner […]
READ ONI’m getting a site upgrade, so I’m hoping there will soon be a solution to my periodic email problems, whereby I lose a whole slew of reader questions at one go. Until then, please keep after me if you’ve sent me a question and haven’t heard anything back. I’m not ignoring you, I’m just technologically […]
READ ONReader Dianne writes: Dear Joe, I hope you can solve my mystery. I have been making World Peace Cookies successfully for several years, until now. Suddenly my cookies are coming out flat. And the edges are sometimes bubbled, kind of like Florentines. I am using the same recipe and the same oven and the same […]
READ ONReader Joe writes: I saw that Rick Rogers has an entry on Rehruchen in his Kaffeehaus book. He mentions that “Rehruchen is always made with cake crumbs, never flour and is gently spiced.” I also found this on Wikipedia in Spanish and translated: The Rehrücken Baden-Baden is a traditional dish of the region of Baden-Baden, […]
READ ONReader Tom writes in from Vienna: The Rehrücken is traditionally part of the Austrian confection of pastry, like Sacher Torte. Yet I have no evidence to prove it except it is really traditional. [Your recipe] is kind of strange because of the ginger, which is definetly not part of any Rehrücken-recipe here. Same goes for […]
READ ONAlright. All you men out there, take a knee. Gentlemen, let’s face it, it can be hard to hold your head up high when you tell people you make cakes for fun. Pastry has certain pantywaist associations that can be hard to live down. But right here is a cake that any man would be […]
READ ONThis is one of those components that’s so simple that it almost doesn’t need a tutorial. However I remember the first time I ever read a recipe that called for it, I thought: what the heck is that? It was never explained. Now me, I’d rather err on the side of too much information, so […]
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