Holiday joys, past and present
The end of November each year comes with a spark of excitement for the coming Holidays and unwittingly brings up memories of those past. It is a time of the year filled with traditions, many specific to cultures, nationalities and families. For anyone older than twenty, such memories demonstrate not only the comfort of tradition but also point out how specifics of these traditions evolve with time while retaining the seminal sentiments of the events we celebrate with candlelight gatherings, music, food and gifts we exchange.
Personally, I have adapted from the European focus on Christmas Eve with live candles on a tree, children reciting poetry before the family feast, and the arrival of Father Christmas with a large sack full of surprise toys or birch switches for naughty children, with adults attending church at midnight. My own sons had electric lights on the tree, church early enough for all to attend, Santa appeared miraculously during the night to fill stockings and bring presents for Christmas day with its celebratory feast. Birch switches had disappeared; and for my boys’ stockings, one particularly rambunctious year, I found it impossible to even find a few lumps of coal in Philadelphia.
Traditional music and the lighting of candles has fortunately survived across continents with love and good cheer. Food traditions are usually family oriented and so we have pīragi (Latvian bacon and onion filled rolls) still every year, turkey has replaced traditional goose, and some modern recipes appear as well. Shopping of course has changed dramatically, but I still remember with nostalgia taking my boys to downtown Philadelphia in December to walk on Market and Chestnut streets to view the magnificent displays of toys set in winter scenes in Wanamaker’s and other department store windows, and to listen to the daily Wanamaker organ concert of seasonal music in the center court of the store. There is something to be said about the joyous ambience as we join others and stroll the streets in our small towns even today, with seasonal decorations by local shopkeepers.
With all the abundance of seasonal catalogues, infinite variety of internet shopping in addition to local stores, choosing a gift becomes a quandary. For a cook choosing among the plethora of gadgets is fraught with problems and can be expensive. Would anyone like a tabletop pizza oven? Besides the staggering price, counterspace in most kitchens comes at a premium. A good meat thermometer can be useful, but it might be wise to subtly inquire beforehand. Food and exotic spices on the other hand are always welcome and inspirational, as my friend’s gift of English treacle some years ago led me to baking proper English gingerbread.
My standby gift for attending an evening gathering at friends is to take home made scones for the hosts next morning’s breakfast, accompanied with an interesting jam.
Ginger-currant-pecan scones
Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a food processor whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup sugar and 1 tbsp. baking soda. Add 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter cut in 12 tbsp. and pulse 15 times. Pour mix in a large bowl and toss with ¾ cup currants and ½ cup chopped pecans. Combine liquid in another bowl: ¾ cups milk, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 egg, 1 tsp. freshly grated peeled ginger, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. lemon flavoring. Pour this into the flour and mix with a fork to combine. Turn out on floured board, knead to blend, divide in half and transfer to the prepared pan. Press each half to form a 6 ½ inch disk and cut in 6 wedges. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle each with 1 tbsp. demerara sugar. Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees and serve with jam.
The following cookies are a tradition at our house. It is my mother’s recipe which she baked each Christmas until her 93rd year and is reprinted from my column in 2021.
Beat 1 cup (½ lb.) unsalted butter to light with an electric mixer, then beat in 1 cup sugar. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time and 1 tsp. vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, thoroughly stir in scant 3 cups flour mixed with 2/3 tsp. baking powder. Chill the dough ½ hour.
Roll out portions of the dough ¼ inch thick, cut out forms with cookie cutters or moons and half-moons with a glass. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and baste with a glaze of 2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tbsp. water. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-13 minutes until golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing with a spatula.
For joyous Holidays to all different traditions, here is a quote from “Fiddler on the Roof” by Topol and Stern: “Without our traditions, our lives would be shaky as… a fiddler on the roof”.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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