Christmas Fruitcake

My husband's great-aunt sent his family fruitcake every year as children, so he grew up associating fruit cake with Christmas.  I had no experience with any fruitcake other than Italian Panettone, which is really more of a bread, so I needed to do some research.  This is the recipe I came up with, and I've been baking it annually since 1982.  :)

Ingredients:

2 cups dark raisins

1 cup golden raisins

4 cups candied fruit mix, including cherries and pineapple

1 c dried figs, coarsely chopped

1 cup peach preserves

1 1/4 cups brandy, divided

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch ground clove

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

6 eggs

Directions:

The night before baking, combine the fruits with the peach preserves, 1/2 cup of brandy and the vanilla in a large bowl. Cover, and set aside to marinate.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 300, and grease and flour 3 9x5 loaf pans.

Combine the flour and spices, and set aside

Mix the nuts into the fruit mixture.

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and beat until fluffy.

Fold the flour mixture into the butter, sugar, and eggs, and stir until well combined.

Pour the batter over the fruit. Mix well, and divide into the prepared loaf pans.  Cover each pan with foil, plan on a cookie sheet, and bake for 2 hours.

Remove the foil, and bake until browned, which will take another 30-40 minutes.

Take them out of the oven, and pour 1/4 cup of brandy on each loaf.  Cool completely, and wrap tightly in foil. 

Store at room temperature for 2-6 weeks before eating.

This is another tradition that comes from my husband's family.  He was used to a traditional British Christmas - Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding, and Plum Pudding with hard sauce for dessert.  (I'll omit the hard sauce recipe, as I usually order mine on Amazon - this is the one we use every year).

I used to used to include silver pudding charms that were meant to indicate your fortune for the year...but they were sterling, expensive, and wound up disappearing every year, so now I just wrap a penny in waxed paper and use that instead.

I do use a traditional pudding mold, but you can use a metal coffee can if you don't have a mold - just cover it tightly with aluminum foil while steaming.

Please note that I use butter instead of lard - purists may cringe, but I fine it tastes just as good, and my vegetarian daughter can eat it this way.

Ingredients:

10 slices white bread - I use Pepperidge Farm, as it has a dense crumb

1 cup milk, heated

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups raisins, lightly floured

1/2 cup finely chopped figs

3 tablespoons finely chopped lemon peel or citron

3/4 cups butter

3 tablespoons brandy

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon salt

More brandy!

Directions:

Heavily butter your pudding mold.

Place a steamer insert in a pot, and fill with water so it will go half-way up the mold.  You'll want a pot that can fit the lid with the pudding inside - I use a pasta pot with insert.

Crumb the bread in a food processor, and add the egg yolks, butter, and spices, and combine until smooth.  Add the raisins and figs, pulsing a few times to combine, but not puree them.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold in the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared mold.  Wrap your pudding charms (or coins) in waxed paper, and push them down about an inch into the batter.

Cover the mold, place it in the steamer, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer, and steam for 6 hours.  Check the water periodically and refill as needed.

Allow the pudding to cool in the mold for about 10 minutes after removing from the water.

Remove from the mold, and wrap in a brandy soaked linene cloth or dishtowel.  Place the towel wrapped pudding in a zipper bag on a plate in the back of the refrigerator and allow it to stay there for 3-4 weeks before serving.

To serve, remove the cloth, place the pudding in a steamer (above the water - you don't want it to get wet) and heat until warm. Serve with hard sauce.

Pfeffernusse

My FIRST official cookie of the year - every year. This was a special "bakery cookie" we had when I was a child, and so I made sure they were in my repertoire when I started Christmas baking.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon anise oil

2 Tablespoons dark Karo syrup

1 bag confectioners sugar

Directions:

Mix flour with baking soda and spices

Cream butter and sugar; add egg, Karo syrup, and anise oil.

Add flour mixture and beat until well combined.

Place dough in a zipper bag, and refrigerate 1 hour or over night

when ready to make the cookies, preheat oven to 375.

Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece out to 14 inches long, and slice each roll into 1/2 pieces. The Cestari Bench Knife is great for this, as it has the measurements engraved right on it!

Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets, and bake for 7-8 minutes.

Remove from oven, and while still warm, coat then cookies with confectioners sugar.

Store in an airtight container for at least a week before eating so the flavors meld - I have kept them for 5-6 weeks and they were still great!

The Cestari Bench Knife will get a workout during holiday baking season, starting with measuring and slicing the Pfeffernusse recipe above. Save 20% with code BNCHKNF20 through December 10 at  the Cestari store on Amazon