Making food for Christmas
It is time to make plans for the Christmas season. What foods to prepare, what activities will be most meaningful for all family members and what gifts to give?
A book called A Taste of Christmas, written by Jacquie Schmit, Eileen Mandryk and Jo Wuth, published by Centax Books, has many Christmas baking and gift ideas. Included is this treat for a favorite dog.
Dog bones
2 cups flour 500 mL
(white or brown)
1Ú2 cup wheat germ 125 mL
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1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
1 teaspoon brewers’ 5 mL
yeast
1Ú2 cup dry milk 125 mL
powder
4 tablespoons 60 mL
chilled bacon
drippings
1Ú4 cup shredded 50 mL
cheddar cheese
1 egg 1
1Ú2 cup water 125 mL
In a large bowl, mix flour, wheat germ, salt, yeast and dry milk. Stir with a fork to combine. Cut in the fat and cheese as you would for pie crust. Beat egg and stir into this mixture. Add water, stirring only until you can gather the mixture into a stiff dough. Knead two to three minutes, until smooth, and roll to half inch (1.3 cm) thickness. Cut into bone shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 325 F (160 C) for 25 minutes or until brown.
Makes 12-16, depending on size.
Chocolate techniques
Baker’s Chocolate has listed in its Chocolate Celebration Cookbook, published by General Foods Inc., some most-asked questions. The answers, plus other tips in this cookbook are sure to help us when we’re working with chocolate this Christmas season.
Q: Can semi-sweet chocolate be substituted for unsweetened chocolate or vice versa?
A: No. Never substitute one chocolate for another in a recipe as this will affect the flavor and may cause the dessert to fail.
Baker’s unsweetened is 100 percent pure chocolate with nothing added, simply poured into moulds. The semi-sweet and sweet chocolate contain extra cocoa butter and sugar. Bulk food store types and other brands may not be the same as baker’s. For example, unsweetened may not be pure chocolate but compound chocolate which is manufactured with a mixture of fats including vegetable oils. These products will be cheaper, have less flavor and will not perform the same in baking.
Q: Can semi-sweet chocolate chips be substituted for semi-sweet squares?
A: No. Chocolate chips are made to keep their shape when baked. When melted they are very thick and therefore not a suitable texture for substitution.
Q: What is German sweet chocolate and where can it be obtained?
A: German sweet chocolate is available only in the United States. Bakers’ sweet chocolate, available in Canada, can be substituted for it in any recipe. Actually, they are the same product. The only difference is in the packaging, with Canadian sweet chocolate sold in an eight ounce (225 gram) package while the American German sweet comes in a four oz. package. This is important when substituting, as some recipes call for half a package.
Melting chocolate
Melt chocolate over low heat. With high temperatures it will easily scorch or burn and the flavor will be spoiled. Keep in mind that chocolate will melt in our hand so there’s no need for a lot of heat.
Place chocolate squares over hot, never boiling, water either in a double boiler or in a cup or bowl, set in a larger pan of water. It isn’t necessary to place the pan on the stove, water from the tap is hot enough.
Be careful not to let any water into the chocolate. Even a single drop will cause it to become stiff and impossible to work with. If this happens, stir in one teaspoon (five mL) vegetable oil or shortening for each square of chocolate. Don’t use butter as it contains water, which will make problems worse.
Some recipes call for chocolate to be melted with liquids or butter. It’s all a matter of proportions. A lot of liquid won’t tighten the chocolate, but a little will. The answer is to follow recipes exactly.
Chocolate for general baking, in making cakes, cookies and icings, can be melted in the microwave. Use the medium setting for two to three minutes to melt two squares. Use caution and check often. Do not overheat.
Partially melting chocolate
For dipping chocolates or fruit, for making cutouts, leaves or glazes, start by partially melting the chocolate. To do this, remove from heat when about one-third of the chocolate is unmelted. Stir until smooth and completely melted. The small pieces of solid chocolate will help stabilize the melted portion, to make it set firm and glossy and to make sure it stays that way when you serve it.
For time-consuming jobs like dipping, set the chocolate over a pan of lukewarm water to keep the chocolate from cooling too quickly. Having the centres of chocolates and candy at room temperature will also help.
A cool room of 60 F (16 C) is the best for working with chocolate so it will set quickly without refrigerating. If the room is warm, refrigerate to set the finished product. Chocolate that cools too slowly will have streaks.
Drizzling
Partially melt chocolate with butter, one teaspoon (five mL) per square. The butter makes the chocolate less firm when set and therefore easier to cut. Stir until smooth. With a small spoon, drizzle a pretty pattern over an iced cake, ice cream, frosted squares or creamed pie. For a feathered effect, drizzle in evenly spaced lines over frosting and draw a knife across the chocolate lines.
Chocolate cutouts
Partially melt chocolate and stir until smooth. Pour onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and roll lightly with a rolling pin until 1Ú8 inch (0.3 cm) thick. Chill until set, about five minutes. Peel off top layer of waxed paper and cut shapes with cookie cutters. If the chocolate is too brittle to cut, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes. The remaining pieces of chocolate can be melted and used again.
Chocolate curls
The secret is to warm the chocolate squares slightly until the texture is pliable enough to curl. This can be done by microwaving on defrost for approximately one minute or leaving in a warm place for several hours. Carefully draw a vegetable peeler over the surface of a chocolate square. Use a toothpick to pick up curls without breaking them.
Pudding failure
Dear TEAM: For many years we had no problem making Yorkshire pudding, but the past few years there is no way it will rise properly. The eggs and milk are room temperature and I heat the lard in muffin tins. Do you have any recipes that would give us good Yorkshire pudding again? – J.A., Fox Creek, Alta.
Dear J.A.: It is difficult to know what has changed to make your Yorkshire puddings fail. They need a high heat so the liquid inside the dough will quickly form steam and rise the dough before it bakes. Is your oven temperature still accurate? It is also important to cook them until well done and crisp, or they will collapse after coming out of the oven.
From the recipes I tried, this one from my friend Kay worked the best.
2Ú3 cup flour 150 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
5 tablespoons, 75 mL
approx., milk
3 eggs 3
Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).
Mix flour with salt. Add enough milk to form a thick paste. Add eggs and beat well. Cover the bottom of muffin tins with oil, lard, shortening or beef drippings. Place pans in oven until fat is sizzling hot. Quickly pour in batter to a little less than half full.
Place pans in oven, reduce heat to 400 F (200 C) and bake until the pudding has risen high and becomes crisp, approximately 30 minutes.
Yield: Eight large or 12 medium puddings.
- Puddings stick to the pan if the fat and pan are not heated before putting in the batter.
- Canola oil worked as well as lard or shortening. It will not add any flavor to the puddings. Also, canola oil can be heated to a high temperature before it smokes.
