Rich with tradition, symbolism and treasured ingredients, Easter breads figure prominently in many cultures’ Easter celebrations. These yeast breads, full of eggs, butter, fruits, nuts and spices are a symbol of breaking the Lenten fast on Easter morning. Each ethnic group seems to have its own unique version of this sweet bread. Bread has long played an important role in religious ceremonies and holidays and is often baked in symbolic shapes. It has been said that bread is the ‘staff of life’ with Easter being the ‘celebration of life’.
I have wonderful memories of my mother’s Easter bread. It wasn’t iced or decorated but it had such a glorious flavor. She would bake it in tall cylinder shaped loaves and it always had a nice yellow color. Oh, the taste of a memory!
Every Easter I like to try something slightly different from the previous year when making Easter bread. Lately I have been using orange blossom water in different recipes with good success. So why not in Easter bread with anise seeds and almonds? The method is a little different in that the egg whites are beaten separately. Brion and I both thought it tasted real good.
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Easter Bread with Anise & Orange Blossom Water
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Instructions
In a large mixer bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, 2 Tbsp sugar & salt; mix well. Add lukewarm water, butter & egg YOLKS. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat about 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in orange zest, mixed peel, aniseed, almonds & orange water.
In a small bowl, beat egg WHITES until stiff; gradually add 1/4 cup sugar. Fold into flour mixture. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a SOFT dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth & elastic, 3-5 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl & turn to grease top. Cover & let rise until doubled in size.
Punch down dough. On a lightly floured work surface, pat to a 14 x 7-inch rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch ends & edge to seal. Place in a greased 9 x 5-inch bread pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F. If you wish, you can glaze the loaf with egg wash before baking. Bake about 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan & cool on a wire rack before slicing.
The name of this pie definitely conjures up a cornucopia of fall flavors. The idea of combining fruit and vegetables has forever appealed to me.
I have always had a love for zucchini as far back as I can remember. Even though it is served as a vegetable, its technically a fruit because it comes from a flower. It has a golden blossom that grows under the leaves.
A member of the gourd family, zucchini is an easy to grow, summer squash, native to Central America and Mexico. Zucchini became quite popular after the 1940’s with the interest in Italian cookery.
In 1992, I came across a recipe in a little ‘Pillsbury Classic Cookbook’ for HARVEST PIE. It had a great combination of apples, zucchini, carrots and spices. If you like these ingredients, this ‘classic’ will become a favorite fall ‘go to’ dessert recipe for you.
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Ingredients
- 1 - 9" unbaked double crust pastry shell (see recipe notes)
- 2 cups apples, peeled & shredded
- 1 cup zucchini, UNPEELED, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup margarine, melted
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 egg plus 1 Tbsp water, beaten for egg wash
- 1 cup whipping cream,
Ingredients
- 1 - 9" unbaked double crust pastry shell (see recipe notes)
- 2 cups apples, peeled & shredded
- 1 cup zucchini, UNPEELED, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup margarine, melted
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 egg plus 1 Tbsp water, beaten for egg wash
- 1 cup whipping cream,
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a 9-inch DEEP pie with pastry.
In a large bowl, combine apples, zucchini, carrots, nuts & flour; toss to coat.
In a medium bowl, beat brown sugar & margarine until well blended. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, vanilla, orange zest & 2 eggs; blend well. Add to apple mixture; mix well.
Spoon filling into pie crust-lined pan. Top with second crust & flute; slit crust in several places. In a small bowl, blend egg & water; brush over top crust. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cover pie loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.
Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Oven temperatures often vary, so if you prefer, bake pie at a bit lower temperature.
You could say the German pancake is a cross between a souffle and an omelet. Baked in a round pan with sides, it is quite similar to a Yorkshire pudding in which the center is sunken. It derived from the German Pfannkuchen and is also called Dutch baby pancake. This light, airy pancake is crispy around the edges while retaining a tender, custard like middle.
In most cases these pancakes would be served with lemon slices, powdered sugar and butter. My choice today is to serve them with sliced bananas drizzled with orange sauce.
This is one of the simplest dishes to prepare and one of the most impressive to serve. I don’t actually recall my mother making these but we certainly did eat the more ‘common’ pancakes, which were so good as well.
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German Banana-Orange Pancakes
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Ingredients
Pancakes (2 - 9" pancakes)
Ingredients
Pancakes (2 - 9" pancakes)
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Instructions
Pancakes
Preheat oven to 400 F. Generously butter two 9-inch cake pans. In blender, process eggs gently until light in color. Add remaining ingredients; process until smooth & pour into pans. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 350 F. & bake 10 minutes more. Slide onto warm plates. Prepare banana/orange sauce WHILE pancakes are baking.
Banana/Orange Sauce
In a skillet, combine butter, sugar, orange juice & zest; bring to a boil. Peel bananas & slice; add to orange sauce. Stir to coat. Remove from heat. Pour banana/orange sauce over baked pancakes & serve.
Eostre is an obscure Germanic and Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and dawn, and it is thought to be the namesake of the Christian holiday Easter. Because food has always had a close association with Easter, special dishes were cooked in her honor. Most important of these was a small spiced, sweet bun from which our ‘hot cross bun’ derives. These little spiced buns are a rather old English tradition, which are still traditionally eaten on Good Friday. They are marked on top with a cross which is of ancient origin connected with religious offerings of bread.
Hot Cross ‘Scones’ are an easy take on the seasonal classic bun. They are the best of both worlds; hot cross yeasted buns and a tender spicy scone. Scones work for me in the way that most of the time I have the ingredients on hand and they only take about twenty minutes or so to make.
As always, I enjoy the idea of variation in just about everything. I had three scone recipes in mind for today’s blog. One recipe is a hot cross scone made by changing out the regular flour for ‘Kamut’ flour. This flour is made from an ancient grain originally grown by the pharaohs of Egypt. It contains more protein, minerals and other nutrients than modern wheat.
The other two recipes are Spiced Orange & Fresh Apple Hot Cross Scones, both made with a sour cream batter. Hopefully they will become part of your Easter recipe collection.
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Easter Hot Cross 'Scones' X 3
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Add butter; using a pastry blender, blend until mixture forms fine crumbs. Stir in spices, dried fruit & orange zest.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, & vanilla; whisk until well blended. Add to flour mixture; stir until a soft dough forms.
Scoop onto lined baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven, combine water & honey glaze. Warm very slightly in microwave; brush over tops of scones. When scones have cooled, decorate with icing crosses.
Recipe Notes
FOR VARIATIONS:
- To make Kamut Scones use 1 3/4 cup kamut flour & 3/4 cup white flour instead of all white flour.
- To make Apple Scones add 1/4 of a large apple, peeled & cut in 1/4" dice. to basic recipe.
Its true that a good scone is a delicate flavor balance of opposites: rich but light, tender but sturdy, satisfyingly sweet but not overly so.
As baking soda and baking powder came into use as rising agents in the mid 19th century, the familiar light, raised scones began to appear in recipe books.
Scones are closely related to biscuits in that they contain much of the same ingredients — flour, baking powder, salt, shortening or butter.
The making of tender scones lies in the technique itself. The ‘secret’ is to mix the dough as little yet as thoroughly as you can. The less you work at it, the more tender the scones will become.
Scones as well as muffins seem to fall in and out of ‘fashion’. For me, I love them both and never tire of making either one.
This particular recipe I developed some time back with a lot of room for variations. My sister, Loretta and I share a common addiction for scones and fully believe it should be a constant in one’s life. This one is for you, Loretta. Enjoy!
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Spiced Apple & Carrot Scones
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor, pulse oatmeal for a few seconds; transfer to a large bowl. Whisk oatmeal, flour, baking soda, spices, salt, flax & pecans (sunflower seeds) together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk egg, brown sugar, syrup, oil, applesauce, orange zest, orange juice & vanilla together until combined.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stir a few times, then add raisins, carrots & apple. Fold together gently just until blended.
Scoop onto baking sheet & bake 3 minutes at 425 F. then reduce heat to 350 F. & bake for an additional 9 minutes or until they test done. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack.
The Christmas season makes us reflect on many different things; to live life a little more grateful, more hopeful and a little more peaceful. It is a time to connect with friends and loved ones to enjoy the traditions we grew up with.
Today, December 25th, our family celebrates my sister Rita’s birthday as well as Christmas. I have fond memories of her Christmas Eve family birthday ‘parties’. On the eve of Christmas, our family would go to church. After returning home, we were joined by some family friends to have birthday cake and homemade rootbeer. My parents wanted my sister to always have this special time to honor her birthday apart from the Christmas festivities.
As I write about this memory, something else comes to mind. Our church at that time, was a small, old building. For the choir it had a small loft. As long as I can remember, the same lady played the organ as well as directing the choir members in song. She in turn, had a teenage daughter gifted with an unbelievable voice. One of the highlights of the Christmas service was to hear her sing a solo version of ‘Oh Holy Night’. You could hear a pin drop, it was breathtaking how angelic and beautiful her voice was. I get emotional even now remembering it.
Brion and I have spent many Christmas seasons in other parts of the world. One of the many ‘scenes’ that has left a lasting memory was in Italy, in the town of Assisi. We arrived in late afternoon with the Trafalgar group. The town sits atop one of the rolling hills in the region. The Basilica is a massive structure that dates back to the 13th century. By the time we finished visiting the Basilica the sun was setting. Brion and I stepped outside and in the meadow of the church stood a huge nativity scene with human size, terracotta figures. It was just an amazing sight to see and especially right at that time of day.
As much as I love to look at and appreciate the beauty of seasonal decorations, I’ve never been one who gets to involved with that aspect of the season. Food preparation has always been my calling and probably always will be. I hope you have enjoyed my pre-Christmas blogs as well as found them useful. I’m keeping it simple today with just two recipes. One is SAVORY STUFFING for your bird. This recipe is my best effort at a ‘taste of a memory’ from my mother’s stuffing. The second recipe is for MINI CHEESECAKES. These are my virtual ‘birthday cakes’ for you Rita. HAPPY BIRTHDAY –we love you — enjoy your day!
SEASON’S GREETINGS to anyone reading my blog.
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS IS FOUND ANYTIME SOMEONE’S
DREAM BECOMES REAL BY THE KINDNESS ANOTHER EXTENDS!
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Savory Stuffing / Mini Cheesecakes
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Ingredients
Base for 3 dozen Mini Cheesecake Cups
Lemon Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Chocolate Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Orange Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Ingredients
Base for 3 dozen Mini Cheesecake Cups
Lemon Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Chocolate Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Orange Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
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Instructions
Savory Stuffing
In a saucepan, boil potatoes; drain & mash. Set aside. Saute onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms & seasonings in margarine. Remove from heat. Combine with bread cubes, mashed potatoes & broth. ADD ONLY ENOUGH BROTH TO MAKE A PROPER STUFFING CONSISTENCY. You may not need the full amount of broth. This will make sufficient stuffing for a 4 - 4.5 kg (9 - 10 lb) turkey.
Base for Mini Cheesecakes
Combine crumbs, sugar & margarine. In each of 36 paper-lined, mini tart pans (2 1/4" dia.), press 1 Tbsp of crumb mixture. Bake at 325 F. for 5 minutes.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine cream cheese, sugar, zest, juice & vanilla until well blended. Beat in egg; fill cups. Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool before removing from pan. Chill. Garnish as desired before serving. For the chocolate cheesecakes, blend beaten egg & vanilla with cooled chocolate before beating in cream cheese & sugar so the chocolate does not harden into lumps.
Christmas without making a few candy treats just wouldn’t seem right. Even if its not at the top of your baking list, they are just so handy to have on hand to add to those holiday gift trays.
There was only one very special candy treat my mother made at Christmas that I remember. A small group of ‘neighbor’ ladies in our farming community had formed the ‘Willonor Club’. It wasn’t just to gather for coffee and chit chat. They were all very hands on women that enjoyed ‘networking’ about a variety of subjects. Each meeting would be hosted by one the members in her home. They would always have a specific focus to learn or do something new. One of the ladies had learned how to make dipped chocolates with her church group. She, in turn taught the Willonor Club members. Now these were not just your average chocolates. They looked every bit as professional as the ‘Pot of Gold’ brand but tasted so much better. None of this sugary sweetness — just a creamy, not overly sweet center, covered in a milk chocolate. Yum!! I came across the recipe in her little file box, written in her lovely handwriting and there I was, reliving the ‘taste of a memory’ by just reading it.
I decided to limit this candy blog to three, tried and true favorites. They are KAHLUA BALLS * PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE TRUFFLES * APRICOT DATE BALLS. Easy to make, taste great and freeze well — perfect!
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Sweet Delights
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Ingredients
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles
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Instructions
Kahlua Balls
In a large bowl, combine cookie crumbs, walnuts & powdered sugar. Add Kahlua & corn syrup; mix well. Shape into 48 balls & roll in desired toppings such as cocoa powder, fine colored sugar, sprinkles, finely crushed walnuts or oreo crumbs. Chill overnight then either freeze or store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles
In a double boiler over medium-low heat, melt the 55 grams of white chocolate. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients & beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover & chill until solid enough to roll into balls. Once mixture can be formed, roll into 16 balls.
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Chop almonds in almond bark then carefully melt in double boiler. Transfer to a small, deep bowl. Drop a few balls at a time into melted chocolate. Working quickly, spoon chocolate over truffle to coat. Using a small spoon or fork, lift truffle out of chocolate & shake off excess, transfer to prepared sheet. Chill truffles until chocolate is completely set. Place in an airtight container & either freeze or store in refrigerator.
Apricot - Date Balls
In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, apricots, dates & eggs. Cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until mixture pulls away from the sides of saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat & stir in walnuts & vanilla. Allow to cool until mixture can be handled. Line an airtight container with wax paper. Shape apricot/date mixture into 30 balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place in container & either freeze or store in refrigerator.
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Recipe Notes
- If preferred, use all gingersnap crumbs instead of graham crumbs in the original recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles.
I think my mother enjoyed Christmas baking very much. Many of the ingredients for the special things she would bake at this time of year were just too expensive to have on hand all the time. Somehow she would work her magic and make that grocery money stretch to include these things.
While we were at school, over the weeks prior to Christmas, she would bake many different kinds of cookies & squares. When we would arrive home in the late afternoon there was no trace of what she had baked. Every cookie tin and various other containers were being filled with these glorious goodies.
Mom & Dad would make a ‘batch’ of their homemade rootbeer as well. During our Christmas vacation from school, after supper and all the outside chores were done, we as a family gathered around the dining room table. In four of her prettiest dishes, mom would put mandarin oranges, unshelled mixed nuts, Christmas candy and some of her baking. In small little pretty glasses she poured for each of us some homemade rootbeer.
It was such a special family time to visit with each other and nibble on these treats. Life in the fifties had a gentle rhythm to it and I am forever grateful to have been a part of it all.
Even though there is just the two of us at our house, I can never resist finding some reason to do some Christmas baking. I mean, what better gifts for the neighbors and friends than homemade goodies! Over the next few weeks while I’m baking, I’d like to share with you some of these recipes so I’ll start off with a sour cream cookie.
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Anise-Orange Sour Cream Cookies
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Instructions
Cookies
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, anise seed & salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat margarine, sugar & egg until light & fluffy. At a low speed, beat in sour cream, orange zest & vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well combined. Cover & refrigerate 1 hour or more.
Filling
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, cranberries, 2 Tbsp sugar & orange zest. Beat until light & fluffy.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place chilled dough on a piece of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap & roll dough into a 15" ( 38 cm) square. Remove plastic wrap & carefully cut dough into 30 - 2 1/2" (6.35 cm) squares (making sure not to cut through parchment paper).
Place entire sheet of paper with cookie squares on baking sheet. Make 1-inch cuts from each corner toward the center of the dough. Spoon about 1 Tbsp of filling onto center of each square. Fold alternating points to the center to form a 'poinsettia'; pinching gently at center to seal. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire rack & cool. If desired, drizzle with a cream cheese frosting.
