Sugar Plum Adjacent

A Few Holiday Recipes

Winter is no longer coming—it has arrived. The solstice came and went, and tomorrow is Christmas.

I love Christmas, and always have, even though it was never imbued with religious meaning in our home. When I was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1970’s, Christmas meant a twinkling Christmas tree, and holiday decorations throughout the house—the Hawaiian bells from my parents’ honeymoon, a tall wooden nutcracker, delicate golden ornaments from the Danbury Mint, a new one every year. There were always homemade cookies, and homemade eggnog, too. Once, my father took me to midnight mass at the local Catholic church. Occasionally, we sang carols with our neighbors, to our other neighbors. Sometimes my mother would host a dinner party. At other times, grandparents would visit, or a dear family friend. Always, my mother made her exquisite chicken liver pâté. And whatever tensions may have been palpable in our family at the time, we tried to put them aside around Christmas.

In our home now, we have two young men who have returned from semesters in Europe, a warm fire in the wood-burning stove, and a hookah smoking caterpillar on the top of our tree. I don’t remember when the hookah smoking caterpillar became our tree-topper, but he has been so for some years.

This week, I am sharing three recipes for sweet things, things that are not at all good for a person, but which one might still enjoy on occasion. I am no purist. A medium rare rib eye topped with butter and generous sprinkles of large flake sea salt is delicious and nutritious; a ginger cookie is merely delicious. There is, I posit, room for both in a human diet.

Also here: a recipe for fudge first published in The Los Angeles Times, made every year by my mother when I was growing up.

Finally: hazelnut butter and cacao nib meringues. You are welcome.

Perhaps soon I will write about dry fasting. After this season of feasting, it may well be time.

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Brown Sugar Ginger Crisps

These cookies look unimpressive, but I promise you, if you like ginger, and butter, and crispy goodness that melts in your mouth, these cookies are a revelation. They were originally published in Gourmet Magazine, I believe, in November 1989.

Cooking time will vary significantly depending on the thickness and material of your baking sheets, and how accurate your oven is. These cookies aren’t all that fussy though; they just don’t want to be burned.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups (= 7.5 oz) flour (I use gluten-free flour)

• ¾ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened

• 1 cup packed (= 6.5 oz) brown sugar

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• ½ cup (= 3 oz) finely chopped crystallized ginger

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer at moderate speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Beat in yolk, vanilla, and gingers.

5. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined.

6. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough about 3” apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, 13 – 15 minutes.

7. Cool cookies on sheets on racks ~5 minutes, then transfer with metal spatula to racks to cool completely.

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Mexican Chocolate Fudge

Back in 19 sixty-something, or maybe it was 19 seventy-something, when this recipe was first published in the Los Angeles Times, apparently all it took to make something “Mexican” was the addition of cinnamon.

This fudge is stupendous. You will need an electric skillet—the “electric” part means that you don’t have to monitor the temperature of the candy as it cooks. This means that you end up with perfect fudge every single time. The only reason that I own an electric skillet is to make this fudge. It’s that good.

You will also need both evaporated milk, and mini marshmallows. The only reason that I own either product is, again, to make this fudge.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)

• 1 ½ cups chocolate chips

• ½ cup miniature marshmallows (I use these)

• 1+ tsp vanilla

• Chopped pecans, if you desire (I do not)

Directions

1. Combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, and evaporated milk in large electric skillet.

2. Set thermostat to 280° F.

3. Bring mixture to a boil; then cook for five minutes (set a timer), stirring constantly.

4. Turn off skillet, and add chocolate chips, marshmallows, vanilla, and nuts (if you must). Stir vigorously until chocolate and marshmallows are melted and smoothly blended.

5. Pour and scrape into 8” square pan. Cool before cutting.

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Hazelnut Butter and Cacao Nib Meringues

I do not remember the original source on this recipe. If I had to guess, I’d say it came from Gourmet, before the untimely demise of that lovely magazine, or Bon Appetit. But I really don’t know. Regardless, these are unusual and delightful meringues.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw, skin-on hazelnuts

• ¼ tsp salt

• 4 – 5 large egg whites

• pinch of cream of tartar

• scant ½ cup (3 oz) granulated sugar

• scant ¾ cup (3 oz) powdered sugar

• a bunch of cacao nibs (or coarsely chopped coffee beans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Toast hazelnuts on rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 10 – 12 minutes.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 200° F.

3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Bundle nuts in clean kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove skins. Let cool.

5. Blend hazelnuts and salt in a food processor until a smooth, creamy nut butter forms. It will be very fluid—keep processing if it is still stiff.

6. Using KitchenAid, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, about one minute.

7. With motor running, gradually add granulated sugar and beat on high until medium peaks form, about six minutes.

8. Gradually add powdered sugar and continue to beat on high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about five minutes more.

9. Gently fold half of hazelnut butter into meringue, leaving plenty of streaks. Add remaining hazelnut butter and fold once just to barely blend. Mixture should be marbled with thick ribbons of nut butter.

10. Spoon heaping spoonfuls of meringue onto baking sheets. Make them tall, as they will flatten slightly in cooking. Sprinkle abundantly with cacao nibs.

11. Bake until dry, 2 – 2 ½ hours.

12. Store airtight at room temperature.

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