Holiday Grind

by Cleo Coyle

  Esther’s Roasted Garlic and Herb Latkes

  (POTATO PANCAKES)

  Latkes or potato pancakes are Esther’s favorite Chanukah food. The Jewish custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil comes from the original miracle of the Chanukah menorah, which involved the discovery of a small flask of oil that lasted many more days than it should have—which is why the “Festival of Lights” is eight days long and is marked each night by the lighting of a new candle! Here’s Esther’s own unique spin on her mom’s traditional latke recipe, which adds the pungent flavor of roasted garlic as well as the aromatic notes of rosemary and scallion. You can even try experimenting with this recipe, replacing the fresh rosemary with a favorite herb of your choice. Serve the pancakes plain or with sour cream on the side. Yum!

  Makes 2 servings or about nine 3- to 4-inch latkes; for family-size meals, you’ll want to double, triple, or quadruple this recipe and have two frying pans working at the same time!

  10 garlic cloves, roasted and smashed

  (see note)

  ¾ cup onions (2 to 3 medium size onions), finely grated

  2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped

  1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (optional) or

  ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

  2 teaspoons salt

  1½ pounds Idaho baking potatoes (about 3 medium russet potatoes)

  1 large egg, beaten with a fork

  Canola or light olive oil

  Sour cream (optional)

  Step 1—Prepare aromatics: First, preheat the oven to 250°F. In a large bowl, combine the garlic with the onions, scallions, rosemary, and salt.

  Step 2—Grate potatoes: Do not peel your potatoes. Grate by hand with a simple box grater, or use a food processor. Add the grated potatoes to the bowl of aromatics and stir well.

  Step 3—Press out moisture: Place the potato mixture in a large sieve and press down to strain out moisture. Esther notes that getting rid of excess moisture will help you create latkes that are crisp and golden brown. Now return the mixture to the bowl and stir in the egg to finish your latke mixture. Cook immediately.

  Step 4—Fry pancakes: Place a heavy frying pan over medium heat and add oil, at least ½ inch deep. As Esther says, “Don’t freak over the amount of oil. It’s the temperature of the oil that makes for greasy latkes, not the amount of oil. Besides, the mitzvah is the oil!” When the oil is hot enough, begin cooking. (See note at the end of recipe on judging when oil is hot enough.) Pack potato mixture into a ¼ cup measuring cup. Turn out onto a plate in a little mound. Do this four times. Place the four mounds in quick succession into the hot oil and immediately flatten each mound into a 3- to 4-inch pancake. (Flattening is important or you may have latkes that are cooked on the edges but raw in the middle!) Cook each pancake for about 3 minutes on the first side, until the bottom is golden brown. Now flip and cook the other side 1-3 minutes until it’s golden brown, too. Do not flip more than once, but Esther suggests lightly pressing the pancakes a few times with your spatula during the cooking process to make sure the centers cook. Drain in a single layer on paper towels. Keep finished latkes warm in the 250ºF oven while you’re cooking the rest of the batter. Serve warm with sour cream!

  NOTE: If your oil is too hot, you’ll burn the latkes. If your oil is too cool, your latkes will be greasy. Test the oil with a drop of water. When it dances or bounces on top of the oil, it’s ready. If the oil begins to smoke, it’s too hot! Also keep in mind that if you crowd the pan with too many latkes, the oil temperature will drop dramatically, so don’t fry too many at once—for big batches, have two pans going at the same time.

  HOW TO ROAST GARLIC

  Using a whole head: Cut the top off the head (the pointed end), then wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, until the garlic is soft. Remove from the oven. Let the foil-wrapped garlic cool down enough to handle. Pop the warm, roasted garlic pieces out of their skin and you’re good to go. Roasted garlic is delicious and good for you! Try spreading it on slices of a French baguette or Italian bread, or mashing it and mixing it into your mashed potatoes!

  Using prepeeled cloves from a jar or green market: Place your peeled cloves into a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with a bit of oil (olive is best), and add a splash of water. Cover with foil, place in the oven, and bake as described for a whole head.

  Dante’s Christmas Fruitcake Cookies with Snow-White Glaze

  As a fine arts painter, Dante appreciates the jewel-toned colors of the traditional holiday fruitcake, but he never tasted a fruitcake he actually liked. This is his solution—yummy, buttery, refrigerator cookies with chopped candied fruit peeking through the batter like stained glass windows in a brown brick church. Like a hot cross bun, the simple snow-white glaze cross finishes off each treat, reminding us all of the reason for the season.

  Makes 2 to 3 dozen refrigerator cookies, depending on how you slice them

  ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

  ¼ cup granulated sugar

  1 egg, beaten with a fork

  ¼ cup sour cream

  ½ teaspoon orange extract or 1½ teaspoons Grand Marnier

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  ½ teaspoon lemon zest, freshly grated

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon allspice

  ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  1½ cups candied fruit, finely chopped and drained of any liquid

  (see note)

  ¼ cup pecans, chopped (optional)

  Step 1—Make your dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars. Add the eggs, sour cream, orange extract, vanilla, and lemon zest, and blend well. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, and nutmeg.

  Step 2—Fold in your goodies: Using a large spoon or spatula, fold in the chopped fruit and (optional) pecans.

  Step 3—Form your log and chill: Dust your hands with flour. Dump your dough onto a nice big sheet of wax paper. Form the dough into a long log about 1 foot in length and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log up tightly in the wax paper and chill well in refrigerator—at least 3 full hours. (Overnight is even better. You can even make the dough in advance of baking and keep in the fridge for a day or two.)

  Step 4—Bake, cool, and glaze: First, preheat the oven to 375ºF. When ready to bake, unwrap your well-chilled log and make uniform slices between ¼ and ½ inch in thickness. Slicing tip: use a sharp, smooth knife (one that is not serrated) and press straight down, no sawing. Place cookies on a lined or greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-13 minutes. Cool completely and serve plain or drizzle a cross, like a hot cross bun, over each cookie with the easy Snow-White Glaze (recipe follows).

  NOTE ON CANDIED FRUIT: Around the holidays, containers of ready-made candied “fruit and peel” are usually easy to find in grocery stores. (Always drain these well before using.) Like any homemade goodies, however, the quality of the final product is reflected in the quality of your ingredients. That’s why, like Dante, I always create my own candied fruit mix for these cookies. I start with jarred maraschino cherries (be sure to drain and chop before adding). To the cherries, I add chopped golden raisins and candied pineapple, bought at my local grocery store. Finally, I add candied orange peels, which I make myself at home—you can, too, just follow my recipe (page 364). It’s easy to create your own unique mix based on what appeals to you. Here are more suggestions: candied citron; candied papaya; dried blueberries, figs, dates, currants, cranberries, prunes; or any of your own favorite dried or candied fruits or peels. If you’ve got a really picky crowd to bake for or finicky kids and don’t think a fruit mix will fly, just drain and finely chop 1½ cups of maraschino cherries. Most people love these sweet cherries on their ice cream sundaes and should enjoy finding the same flavor in these buttery sweet cookies.

  SNOW-WHITE GLAZE


  1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

  2 tablespoons milk

  Whisk together both ingredients and drizzle glaze in the shape of a cross (like a hot cross bun) over cooled Christmas Fruitcake Cookies. Let dry 20 minutes, then serve or store in an airtight container.

  Tucker’s Gingersnaps with Whiskey-Lemon Glaze

  Tucker’s ex-Hollywood actress mom did love her bourbon. According to Tuck, this gingersnap recipe was something her southern family baked for years around the holidays. The whiskey-lemon glaze, however, was his mother’s own “spirited” version of the more traditional royal icing!

  Makes 36-48 cookies

  2½ cups cake flour (see note)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  2 teaspoons ground ginger

  ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature cup light brown sugar, packed

  ¼ cup molasses (unsulphured, not blackstrap) cup milk

  Step 1—Assemble dry ingredients: First, preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and ginger. Set aside.

  Step 2—Make dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar; add the molasses and milk, and blend again. While continuing to beat at a low speed, slowly add in your dry ingredients, blending just enough to make a smooth dough. Do not overbeat at this stage or your cookies will be tough.

  Step 3—Wrap and chill: The dough will be very sticky. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight is fine, too. (You can also make the dough a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge.)

  Step 4—Roll dough: Using a rolling pin, roll out the refrigerated dough on a flour-dusted board or between sheets of flour-dusted parchment paper. For tips on rolling out dough, see the recipe for Clare’s Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies (page 330). The biggest issue you’ll have is with the dough’s stickiness. Adding flour to your board and rolling pin will help. If using the parchment paper method, slip the flat sheets of paper (with the rolled-out dough between them) into the freezer for 10 minutes. Once the rolled-out dough is well chilled, it will firm up and separate more easily from the paper. The thinner you roll your gingersnap cookies, the crispier they’ll bake. Tucker suggests ⅛ inch, but you may prefer ¼ inch or thicker for a softer cookie. Experiment with what appeals to you.

  Step 5—Cut cookies: Use your favorite shaped cookie cutter or a small biscuit cutter, or even the round rim of a juice glass. When you lift the snaps onto the baking sheet, be careful since they’re thin and soft. (Try slipping a metal spatula or pie server under the cutout cookie dough. Or bake the cookies right on the parchment paper where you rolled it.)

  Step 6—Bake and glaze: Your baking sheet should be greased, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, or lined with parchment or silicon sheets to prevent sticking. Bake for 8- 10 minutes. Cool on a rack and brush with Whiskey-Lemon Glaze (recipe follows).

  NOTE ON CAKE FLOUR: I strongly recommend using cake flour for this recipe for the best results. Cake flour is milled finer and lighter than regular, all-purpose flour and will give you a more tender cookie. If you’ve never bought cake flour before, look for it in boxes (not sacks) in the grocery store aisle where all-purpose flour is sold. If I still haven’t convinced you to use cake flour, and you want to use all-purpose flour for this recipe, then make sure to reduce the amount of flour by ¼ cup. In other words replace 2½ cups cake flour with 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour.

  WHISKEY-LEMON GLAZE

  1 cup powdered sugar

  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  1 tablespoon whiskey

  Too easy. Just place the sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and whiskey until smooth. Brush onto your freshly baked gingersnap cookies—but allow cookies to cool before glazing!

  Tucker’s Supremely Easy Candy Cane Brownies

  1 package of your favorite brownie mix

  1 cup pecans, chopped

  1 cup chocolate chips

  Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions. Fold the pecans and chocolate chips into the batter. Bake according to the package directions. Cool, frost with Candy Cane Frosting (recipe follows), and cut.

  CANDY CANE FROSTING

  Makes 1¾ cups frosting—enough to frost a 9 × 13-inch pan of brownies (also fun to use on birthday cakes and cupcakes)

  4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened to room temperature

  1-2 tablespoons milk

  1½ cups powdered sugar

  ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract or 1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps

  ¼ cup candy canes, finely crushed (see note)

  Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Stop the mixer! Add the milk, sugar, and peppermint extract. Fire up that mixer again—at a low speed—and blend until the sugar is fully dissolved (about 1 minute). Add the crushed candy canes and beat at a higher speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 1 minute more). If the frosting is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of milk. Frost your brownies, cut, and enjoy!

  NOTE: To make finely crushed candy canes, simply place your store-bought candy canes in a plastic storage bag and bang the heck out of them with the back of a ladle or meat hammer. An instant holiday stress reliever, too.

  Mike Quinn’s Chocolate Cherry Cordials

  See photos of this recipe at www.CoffeehouseMystery.com

  Yes, this is the recipe Mike made for Clare. Mike’s mom gave him the recipe for this candy with helpful, handwritten notes. She made it almost every year at Christmas for family and friends.

  30 maraschino cherries with stems (one 10-ounce jar has

  about 30 cherries)

  ¼ cup amaretto or other liqueur (optional)

  4 tablespoons butter

  4 tablespoons light corn syrup

  1cups powdered sugar

  3 cups chocolate chips (see note)

  NOTE: If you would like to use blocks of chocolate instead of chips, you’ll need 18 ounces, chopped into small, uniform pieces to ensure even melting. You can use milk, dark, or white chocolate for this recipe, depending on your preference. Or divide the total amount of chocolate into thirds and make a variety of chocolate cherry cordials: 1 cup of melted chocolate chips will cover 10-12 cherries.

  Helpful hint on chocolate conversion:

  6 ounces of block chocolate = 1 cup chips

  Recipe notes from Mike’s mom: There are four simple steps to making this candy. Step 1 is getting the liqueur flavor into your cherries, which you need to do the day before you make this candy. If you don’t want your cherries to have any alcohol infused in them, you can skip the first step. Step 2 is creating the sugar coating around the cherry. Step 3 is dipping the candy-coated cherry in chocolate. Step 4 is letting the finished chocolate-dipped candy set in the fridge for 1-2 weeks so the sugar coating around the cherry has time to liquefy inside the chocolate shell, giving you the sweet liquid around the cherry center. So keep the timing in mind if you are planning to serve this candy for a special occasion. In other words, be sure to start well in advance!

  Step 1—(Optional) Infuse cherries with liqueur flavor: Drain the liquid from one 10-ounce jar of maraschino cherries, reserving the juice. If the reserved cherry juice measures less than ¾ cup, add water to make ¾ cup of liquid. In a saucepan, bring the cherry liquid to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool for 2 minutes before stirring in ¼ cup of any one of the following: amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur), Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur), white crème de cacao (clear chocolate-flavored liqueur), OR kirsch (cherry-flavored liqueur). Add the cherries and stir. Once the mixture has reached room temperature, transfer the cherries and the liquid to a bowl, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator overnight or even longer if you’re in no hurry. You can allow them to sit for a few days or even a week. (NOTE: Liqueurs work best to create “spirited” cherries because of their high sugar content. Sweet wines and champagnes will also work, but stay away from hard alcohols like rum, whiskey, gin
, and vodka—they’re strong, but they won’t give you a pleasant taste.)

  Step 2—Create sugar coating: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and stir in the corn syrup. Add the sugar and continue stirring until it’s completely dissolved. Remove pan from heat and transfer the thick white mixture to a bowl. Let cool for a full 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep smooth. Use your fingers to mold about a teaspoonful of the white doughy mixture around each cherry. Be generous and make sure the entire cherry is covered, sealing it up to the stem. Place the finished cherries (stem-side up) on plates lined with wax or parchment paper. Chill in the fridge until firm—at least 3 hours.

  Step 3—Briefly freeze cherries: To prevent the white sugar coating from melting off your cherries during this process, transfer the cherries from the fridge to the freezer for at least 10 minutes before you begin enrobing them in warm chocolate.

  Step 4—Melt chocolate: You’ll need a heatproof bowl and a rubber spatula. Make sure both are completely dry. (Even a few drops of water can ruin the texture.) Place chocolate chips or pieces into the bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan with water. Turn heat to low and stir chocolate with your dry rubber spatula until it’s completely melted and smooth. Make sure the chocolate stays melted during the coating process or you’ll have trouble working with it. Just keep the heat on low beneath the pan and every so often, stir the melted chocolate. (Do not let the water boil or touch the bowl’s bottom or you’ll risk scorching the chocolate and ruining its taste.) For advice on properly melting chocolate, see How to Melt Chocolate instructions on page 335.