This is a sweet Christmas


In Germany Christmas is white and cold, extraordinarily cold. But traditions such as advent calendars, its careful decoration, mulled wine and Christmas markets give it great warmth. At this time of year, the most characteristic sweet is the christstollenoriginally from the city of Dresden, in the east of the country.

It is a sweet with centuries of history. The first document in which stollen is mentioned is an invoice from the Christian hospital of San Bartolomé dating from 1474. At that time, during the fasting season, it was prepared only with flour, yeast and water since the Church did not allow the use of stollen. milk or butter as a sign of withdrawal. However, Prince Ernst, Elector of Saxony, and his brother petitioned Pope Innocent VIII to revoke this prohibition. The pontiff agreed and, since then, Drede’s stollen also incorporated these ingredients.

Almost a century later, in 1560 the Dresden bakers, who used to present the sovereign with a stollen for Christmas, gave him one that weighed 18 kilos. But this bun dwarfs when compared to the one that the Elector of Saxony Augustus the Strong ordered in 1730, which weighed around 1.8 tons. Still today, the stollen festival, which takes place every year on the day before the second Sunday of Advent, commemorates the Elector Augustus and his giant stollen.

Flour, yeast, raisins, butter and sugar are the fundamental ingredients of this traditional German Christmas treat. The combination of spices can vary from one baker to another or in each of the homes in which it is prepared. Food lovers can use this recipe to make their own stollen.

Stollen

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At this time of year, the most characteristic sweet in Germany is stollen, originally from the city of Dresden, in the east of the country. (DZT/MIKE HOFSTETTER.)

Ingredients:

1 kg of wheat flour

80 grams of baker’s yeast

375 milliliters of milk

250 grams of butter

200 grams of raisins

100 grams of peeled and chopped almonds

100 grams of candied lemon peel

100 grams of candied orange peel

Half a teaspoon of salt

2 egg yolks

Icing sugar for dusting

Spices to taste

Preparation

To prepare the stollen, first of all, you have to put the flour in a large bowl and crumble the baker’s yeast on it. (If desired, some spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, or a combination of these can be added to this mixture.)

The next step is to heat 375 milliliters of milk with 250 grams of butter until the latter has melted. This liquid is poured into the container with the flour and yeast, then add the almonds, the chopped candied orange and lemon peels, half a teaspoon of salt, the sugar and the two egg yolks. With your hands, mix everything until you get a soft dough and, once this is done, add the raisins. When they are already integrated into the dough, cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in volume.

After this time, it is kneaded to give it shape and placed on an oven-safe container previously covered with baking paper. It is placed in the oven at 190 °C and cooked for between 45 and 60 minutes. After removing it from the oven, the last step is to brush it with melted butter and sprinkle icing sugar over it while it is still hot. If we wrap the stollen in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in a cool, dry place, it can keep for several days.

Roscon de Reyes

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The traditional roscones de reyes put the finishing touch to the Christmas festivities. (EFE/VILLAR LOPEZ)

The roscón de reyes is a very traditional sweet in Spain that is eaten on January 6, the feast of the Three Kings, generally for breakfast. However, it is usually available in pastry shops from the beginning of December or even before. It is a spongy bun, decorated with sliced ​​almonds and candied fruit.

Its origins go back to Roman times, specifically to the Saturnalia, festivals dedicated to the god Saturn that were celebrated around the winter solstice, when the days began to get longer. During these celebrations, a round cake made with figs, dates and honey was eaten and in which a broad bean was hidden. Contrary to what happens now, this legume was a reason for happiness and good luck.

Currently, the roscón de reyes has a hidden bean and a porcelain figurine. The latter is the symbol of good luck. As the popular poem says: “In the roscón there are hidden a bean and a figure. Whoever is going to cut it, do it without mischief. Whoever finds something a bit hard in their mouths, maybe it’s the bean or maybe the figure. If it is the bean that was found, you will pay for this dessert, but if it is the figure, you will be crowned king.

Throughout the Christmas period, it is common to find roscones de reyes in bakeries and supermarkets. But there is also the possibility of preparing it at home.

Ingredients:

400 grams of flour of strength

70 grams of butter

100 grams of sugar

2 eggs

20 milliliters of rum

100 milliliters of water

25 milliliters of orange blossom water

30 milliliters of milk

Olive oil

Salt

candied fruit

laminated almonds

granulated sugar

Preparation

The first step is to put the flour in a large bowl and crumble the yeast over it. Then you have to add the sugar, an egg and a pinch of salt and mix it. In another container, pour the rum, milk, water and orange blossom water. Once this is done, add the liquid to the bowl where we have put the flour and mix everything. Next, add the butter, which should be about to cream, and knead.

Place the dough on the counter and continue to knead. When you finish kneading, you have to deposit the dough in a clean bowl, cover it with a cloth and let it rest until it doubles its size. Once it has been folded, the dough is placed on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and given its characteristic circular shape with a large hole in the middle, covered and left to rise for another 40 minutes. As the mass will grow, the hole will tend to close. To avoid this, you can place a bowl upside down in the center of the roscón.

After this time, the bowl is removed and, if desired, the bean and the figurine can be inserted into the dough. Then the dough is varnished with beaten egg and the sliced ​​almonds, granulated sugar and candied fruits are placed on it. These, with their bright colors, simulate the precious stones of a royal crown.

The last step is to put the roscón in the oven, previously preheated to 170 °C, and cook it at that temperature for 5 minutes. Then you have to raise the temperature to 190 ° C and continue baking for 15 more minutes or until golden.

Once out of the oven, it is left to temper and can be cut in half and filled with cream, custard or chocolate. In case of filling it, the bean and the figurine can be placed in the filling instead of inside the dough.

Caramel cookies

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In Argentina, alfajores are almost a national emblem. They are consumed throughout the year with great delight and cannot be missing at Christmas either. (THE TITA FROM BUENOS AIRES.)

In Argentina, alfajores are almost a national emblem. They are consumed throughout the year with great delight and cannot be missing at Christmas either. There are several versions of this emblematic sweet but, on this occasion, we are going to prepare the cornstarch alfajores with the recipe of Ana Antolini, head chef and co-owner of the Tita stores in Buenos Aires, located in Madrid (Spain).

Ingredients:

90 grams of butter

90 grams of icing sugar

100 milliliters of egg yolk

3 milliliters of honey

6 milliliters of vanilla essence

75 grams of flour

7 grams of baking powder

175 grams of cornstarch

250 grams of dulce de leche

40 grams of grated coconut

Preparation

With these quantities we will get 12 large alfajores. To make this dessert, the first step is to put the butter and icing sugar in the mixer and beat it until it becomes a creamy paste, which will take about 6 or 7 minutes. Next, add the egg yolks, honey and vanilla essence and beat for another 6 or 7 minutes.

Then the flour is sifted with the baking powder and cornstarch and gently added to the rest. Once this is done, increase the power of the mixer, which should be at medium speed, and knead with it for 10 minutes. When it is like a bun, it can be kneaded by hand. When the dough no longer sticks to your hands, it can be taken to the blast chiller so that it reaches a cold temperature and is easier to handle.

A blast chiller is a machine that is usually used in workshops and other catering businesses and that allows the temperature of food to be quickly lowered. If we are going to prepare the alfajores at home and we do not have a blast chiller, we can let the dough cool in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for about 20 minutes.

Once the dough has cooled, it is stretched well with a rolling pin and the round pieces are cut with a mold. These are placed on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and baked at 160 °C for 6 minutes. When they are removed, you have to let them cool. Then, with a pastry bag, dulce de leche is put on one of them and covered with another, making a kind of small sandwich. The last step is to pass the alfajores through grated coconut.

for Purification Leon

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