My mother-in-law has gotten years of mileage out of that pun. As I understand it, German-style fruitcake — stollen — was always a big thing in my wife’s family, and I find that interesting since they’re a very Irish lot. But then Stollen was also a big thing in my own mother’s family, especially where […]
READ ONReader Sandra weighs in on the aging of sweets: Today you say ‘Or maybe it’s simply that “ripe” fruitcakes just taste better than young ones.’ I don’t know about fruitcakes, but brandy balls/rum balls (etc.) most *definitely* improve with age. I remember making some with my roommate a good many years ago (no, I don’t […]
READ ONThe natural question to ask at this point is: can a fruitcakes really be kept at room (or cellar) temperature for weeks, even months without spoiling? Yes, my friends, they can. Well-made fruitcakes have been known to keep for years, even decades if you can believe it. And you probably can. One of the big […]
READ ONAnother day where I meant to post more, but didn’t. I’m in a new work situation, you see, and still trying to achieve a state that one might call “normalcy”. That of course is no excuse — fruitcake makers await! So let’s get down to it. Start by whisking together your dry ingredients. Then cream […]
READ ONThat was fast. Not one, but TWO complaints that I referenced veal on a blog ostensibly devoted to pastry. I guess I’m not surprised (though I am shocked at the speed of the responses), since I’ve noticed that several vegetarian blogs link to me (big dessert hounds, those vegetarians). Here’s an excerpt of one that […]
READ ONRyan, 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 […]
READ ONI didn’t get many posts up, or at least not the ones I was planning. Thursday evening my butcher called to tell me he’d been busy, and had twenty pounds of veal bones waiting for me if I wanted them. It was a windfall I couldn’t ignore, and I spent the weekend making stocks and […]
READ ONWas fruitcake responsible for the discovery of the New World? Mmm…possible. The influx of exotica from Araby in the 1200’s certainly did whet the continental appetite for spices. So much so that when the spice supply was squeezed with the fall of Constantinople in 1453, European heads of state were forced to take radical action. […]
READ ONThis week’s New York Times features a recipe, not for a fruitcake, but a gooey chocolate bundt cake that apparently works with just about any type of whiskey added. Looks like one hell of a way to fall off the wagon (whichever one you happen to be on).
READ ON…something like this comes along and blows your tiny mind. It looks like real flowers set into a clear mold of Jell-O. In fact the flowers aren’t real, but pigments somehow inserted into the mold before it sets, creating this unbelievable effect. And I thought color-layered Jell-O shots were impressive. This Mexican pastry chef is […]
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