The Scent of Christmas - Cinnamon Ornaments

OK, so this is not food, but it sure smells like it.  Mom use to make these when we were little.  Though we never decorated them, we simply hung them on the tree and enjoyed the scent.

As an adult, I thought it would be cool to decorate a Christmas tree with cookies one year.  It really didn't work all that well.  All the cookies became stale and drew moisture. Then they started to get kind of soggy.  Eventually, the ribbons pulled through the holes in the top... It was just a big mess... So I now do what my mom did and make cinnamon ornaments that "pose" as cookies.  With a little Fabric Paint for frosting, your good to go!  No fuss, no muss...  And as an added bonus... They smell awesome!  Kind of like Gingerbread, though the cinnamon is the predominant aroma.

This is a great "Christmassy" project for kids too.... (OK, adults like it too... Though from my experience, adults tend to make a bigger mess with the paint) LOL

Cinnamon Ornaments

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) ground Cinnamon
2 TB ground Ginger
1/2 TB ground Clove
1 cup (8.5 oz) Applesauce
1/2 cup (4 oz) Elmer's Glue (Not the School glue, get the good ol' "Glue-All" with the blue label)

Place all the spices in a bowl and whisk them together.

Add Applesauce and Glue....

Then mix thoroughly with your fingers (just like making pasta).....

Until it all comes together into a stiff dough. (Yep, it's that simple...)

If the dough is REALLY stiff, you can add about 1 TB of water to soften it a little.

Knead the dough until it's smooth... Careful, cause it's a little sticky.  I mean, it does contain glue after all. ;)  Then wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit for about an hour to meld. (this gives the spices a chance to absorb the liquids)

Roll out between sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. (it protects your rolling pin, cause you cannot use flour and using more cinnamon would only make the dough too dry to work with.)

Cut out your gingerbread man shapes..... and re-roll the scraps.

I did mostly Gingerbread men but I threw in a couple of Ginger-bears...

OK, since it's traditional, when we make gingerbread cookies, to make a Ginger-goats (I WAS raised on a goat dairy after all) I went ahead and cut out 1 goat.... And since this is Hunter's first Christmas, I made a Ginger-poodle so I can put the date on it. (though he doesn't have the foofy haircut that the cookie cutter has)

Move to a baking sheet, lined with fresh waxed paper.

Poke a hole in the top with a straw or a toothpick so you will be able to hang them on the tree. (a stir straw from your local coffee shop works best)

If you are using "other" cutters than a standard "gingerbread man/bear" you may need to place the hole in a slightly different spot, to ensure it hangs properly with out tilting forward or backwards on the string.

Place the sheet pan in a warm dry place and allow the ornaments to dry for 3 -5 days. You will need to turn them at least twice per day (every 12 hours) to ensure even drying, or the edges will begin to curl.

They will slowly dry from the edges towards the middle... This is day 2.... They are almost ready since the center is only slightly darker than the edges. (They have lightened in color significantly)

Now take them to your niece's and nephews, along with a bunch of "puff" paints, and let them go to town....  LOL

Ginger June and Ward Cleaver...  (Erica and Myself)

Ginger-Santa and his army of Zombie Soccer Players..  courtesy of Erica and Blaine.. Respectively

Marshall is in a "Jackson Pollack" phase.....

 

Fun for kids and a wonderful addition to your Christmas tree. (once you run a ribbon or string through the hole)

As delicious as they smell, please, please, please refrain from licking or biting them.

Mangia!!  er, well... Not literally.
~~

When Sorbet and Ice Cream Collide - Rhubarb Sherbet

Ah Sherbet.  Childhood memories of fun in the sun and sticky fingers as my Orange Sherbet dripped off my cone and rolled languidly down the back of my hand regardless of my I attempts to consume it with great haste.  I loved Sherbet when I was a youngin'.  Even those "Dixie cups" that came with the flat wooden spoons, though I always wondered why they bothered with the vanilla ice cream; as far as I was concerned the whole thing should be orange sherbet.

Then I became a pre-teen, and my sour-puss gene kicked in.... Oh, I still loved sherbet, but Lime became my preference.  mmmmmmm Lime (though I always found the green color to be a little unsettling as it reminded me of Mint Chip and I hate the waxiness of frozen chocolate) Yes, Sherbet and I had a long and passionate relationship throughout my youth. But something happened toward the end of my impressionable teen years.  Sorbet hit the market.  The flavor was so intense, and the texture was so refreshingly icy...  I began my torrid affair with Lemon sorbet and left the Sherbet of my youth behind, deciding that it was for children and I must move on to a more mature frozen treat.

Being older now, and somewhat wiser, as well as a maker of Ice Cream, Gelato, & Sorbetto/Sorbet I have decided that the time has come to give Sherbet a second chance.

So what exactly is Sherbet in relation to all the frozen teats out there?  Well, in Turkey it's a chilled fruit drink known as serbet (which is where the terms Sorbet and Sorbetto come from).  This same fruity libation is also popular in other middle eastern countries and known by many names ie. in Persian it's known as Sharbat (on which the word Sherbet is based)  Incidentally, the correct pronunciation of the word is "shur-BET" not "shur-BERT"; where the extra "r" came from, I have no idea.  I grew up hearing and using that extra "r".  So, I checked in the freezer case of my nearest mega mart and sure enough, all the containers had "Sherbet" printed on them.

Even though Sherbet and Sorbet are rooted in the same drink, as a frozen treat they are slightly different.  At least they are different in the United States.  Unlike the term Sorbet, the use of the word Sherbet is regulated.  So even though "Sorbet" is usually a combination of Juice, Sugar and Water, it can technically be made of just about any thing as it falls into the "Italian Ice" category along with Sorbetto and Granita.  However, by definition, Sherbets MUST contain between 1 - 2% dairy.  This is the key that makes them different from the others.  Ice Cream, on the other hand, has a much higher percentage of dairy as it is based on cream and eggs.  Gelato is based on Milk, and sometimes eggs; thus it's fat content, while lower than ice cream is still higher than Sherbet. Sherbet's niche is in the middle ground, between the two extremes of Sorbet and Ice Cream.

This makes the texture of Sherbet different from Sorbet as well.  Sorbet is much more icy, and while sherbet is icy too, there is still a creamy quality too it, though not as creamy as Ice Cream or Gelato.  That little bit of extra fat in Sherbet changes the freezing temperature of the mixture and helps control the size of the ice crystals.  It has a more intense flavor than Ice Cream as well, because your palate is not overwhelmed with a coating of cold butterfat. Basically, it's the best of both worlds.

Thus, with a heavy heart and forever covered in shame, I regret turning my back on my childhood love.  I shall never take Sherbet for granted again.

In an attempt to make amends, I have decided to make a few alterations to Alton Brown's Orange Sherbet recipe and take it into realms beyond the simple flavors of Orange, Lime, Pineapple and Raspberry.....  Thus, I give you...

Cloved Rhubarb Sherbet

7 oz (1 cup) Granulated Sugar (6 oz if your a sour-puss like me)
24 oz of Rhubarb (Enough to yield 2 cups of juice)
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1 TB Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Half and Half
a VERY small pinch of clove

Cut the rhubarb into small cubes (you need as much surface area as possible) and place in a medium bowl.

Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb and toss to coat.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours (this gives it time to juice up)

Once the rhubarb juices up, go ahead and strain it. If you don't have quite 2 cups, (and you probably won't) throw the drained rhubarb in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to break up the fibers in the rhubarb.

Spoon the pulp into a strainer and press out the remaining juice (you should have 2 cups of juice at this point)

Add Kosher Salt, Lemon Juice, and Vanilla extract, whisking to combine.

Add Milk and Half and Half, again, whisking to combine.

Stir in the tiny pinch of clove (careful not to overdo it)

Cover the mix with plastic wrap and chill until cold before pouring into your ice cream maker and churning according to your maker's directions.

Spoon sherbet into a container and move to freezer for 4 hours.

Serve simply, with zest of Orange and enjoy.

Mangia!!
~~

Butter Me Up - Hot Buttered Rum

'Tis the season... Or at least it WILL be very shortly.

My final post regarding the Dunkelweizen has been postponed till Saturday or Sunday.  Which is kind of depressing, cause I thought I had timed everything fairly well.  Alas, the yeastie beasties aren't reading any of my blog posts, thus there were not quite with the program.  (sigh)

In keeping with the spirit (no pun intended, then again, maybe it was) of things laced with good cheer, I decided it was time to release my Sister-in-Law's recipe for Hot Buttered Rum.  OH my, but is this is some seriously GOOD stuff!  I have seen a lot of recipes out on the net and they all seem to use ice cream. Which I find a little odd; not that they are not tasty, cause I have had them, but there is always something not quite "right".   Granted, when using ice cream the eggs are not raw, but you will be using it in an alcoholic beverage that requires boiling water, so I am pretty sure that salmonella is not really an issue. 

I remember my first hot buttered rum, down at a cafe called The Metro on Broadway in Portland, many, many, many, many moons ago...  Did I mention there were MANY moons?  I don't think that the Metro even exists anymore; which is a shame, because they also served some phenomenal mulled wine during the winter season.  It wasn't just the Metro though, there use to be a Trader Vics in Downtown Portland back then as well.  They served a pretty great Hot Buttered Rum too.  Ah, so many a cold night was kept warm via Hot Buttered Rum.  I even remember being able to buy "Trader Vics" Hot Buttered Rum mix in the store.  Sadly I have not seen it in a long time, but I am digressing.

One of the things that I remember (one of the few thing) from those Hot Buttered Rum nights was the Molasses, Spices and Butter.... No vanilla and No "milkiness", which is what you get when using Vanilla Ice cream to make your mix.  Thus, when my sister-in-law showed me this recipe I was really excited.  No Vanilla Ice Cream...  Simply Eggs, Butter, Sugar and Spices.... AWESOME!   Granted I tweaked it, cause I have this insane need to do such things, but it was more of a... "Hey, ya know... I like those flavors, so I should add this too"  kind of thing.   LOL

One thing I will say is that the Brown sugars are interchangeable.  It really depends on what rum your using.  For White Rum, I would suggest a 50/50 split (1 lb Golden and 1 lb Dark).  If you use Golden Rum like I do, then the 75/25 is good, which is how I wrote the recipe.  If you are using Dark Rum, I would suggest ALL golden brown sugar...   Just a suggestion, you are the only one who knows what your molasses threshold is.  ;)  Cheers!! 

Hot Buttered Rum

1 lb Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 lb Light Brown Sugar
1/2 lb Dark Brown Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp All-Spice
1/2 tsp Clove
1/4 tsp Mace
optional 1/4 tsp Orange oil

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.

Add both Brown Sugars and cream until light.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until emulsified before adding the next.

Add the spices and continue beating.

Add the Orange oil and continue beating.

Continue beating... And beating.... And beating... Cause the longer you beat it, the better it will be.

Store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use (it can be frozen as well)

Boil some water on the stove.

Place about 1 - 2 TB of the mix in a coffee mug.

A pinch of Salt (Seriously, it sounds odd, but you really need something to balance all the sweetness;  Besides, It's good luck, so throw some over your shoulder while your at it)

Add hot water (about 5 oz) and stir until the mix melts.

Add 2 ponies (2 oz) Rum and stir again. (or just eye-ball it like I do)

Serve with a cinnamon stick.

Cin Cin!!
~~