Find Recipes Instantly! (Type the Recipe name or any Ingredient) BELGIUM Speculoos are spiced cookies baked for Christmas tree decorations and holiday snacking. The smell of warm candles, fresh pine, and these cinnamon, ginger, and clove cookies creates a Belgian child's first holiday memories. Special meals are also an occasion for aardappel kroketjes, fried potato croquettes that are simple, delicious, and highly addictive. Vrolijke Kerstmis! BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES Speculoos, a specialty of Belgium in which flat gingerbread cakes are cut into different shapes, are the inspiration for this recipe. Similar cookies called speculaas are made in Holland, Germany and Austria. These are decorated with melted white chocolate and some pretty red sugar. 2 cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg 2 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker's), melted Red colored sugar Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Gradually add dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into rectangle. Wrap with plastic; chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets. Roll out1 dough piece on lightly floured work surface to 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Trim edges to form 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 24 4x1- inch rectangles. Lightly press miniature cookie cutter into each rectangle to make imprints (do not cut through dough). Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until edges begin to darken, about 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool. Repeat with remaining dough piece. Working with 1 cookie at a time, brush imprints with melted white chocolate. Sprinkle colored sugar generously over chocolate. Let stand until chocolate sets, about 2 hours. Shake off excess colored sugar. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.) Makes 4 dozen. DAUPHINE POTATOES (Deep-Fried Potato Croquettes) 1 1/2 pounds russet (baking) potatoes (about 3) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits 1 teaspoon salt a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs vegetable oil for deep-frying the potatoes coarse salt for sprinkling the croquettes if desired Bake the potatoes in a preheated 425°F. oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are soft, halve them lengthwise, and scoop the potato out of the shells with a spoon, reserving the shells for another use. Force the scooped-out potato through a ricer or a food mill fitted with the medium disk into a large bowl. (There should be about 2 cups riced potato.) In a saucepan combine 1/2 cup water, the butter, the salt, and the nutmeg, bring the mixture to a boil, and stir in the flour all at once. Reduce the heat to moderate and beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes, or until the paste pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a ball. Remove the pan from the heat, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition, and beat the mixture until it is smooth and shiny. Add the potatoes and beat the mixture until it is combined well. The potato mixture may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. In a deep fryer or large kettle heat 2 inches of the oil until it registers 340°F. on a deep-fat thermometer. Transfer the potato mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip and pipe eight 2 1/2-inch lengths, cutting them with kitchen shears or a small knife, directly into the oil. Fry the croquettes, turning them with a slotted spoon, for 3 minutes, or until they are crisp, golden, and cooked through, transfer them as they are fried to paper towels to drain, and sprinkle them with the salt. Make more croquettes in batches with the remaining potato mixture and transfer the drained croquettes to a rack set in a jelly- roll pan (to prevent them from becoming soggy). The croquettes may be made 2 hours in advance, kept covered loosely with paper towels at room temperature, and reheated on the rack in a preheated 400°F. oven for 5 minutes, or until they are heated through and crisp. If not making the croquettes in advance, keep them warm in a preheated 300° F. oven. Serves 6. GREECE January 1 takes precedence over Christmas Day for honoring St. Basil, the Greek Santa Claus. Children receive gifts, and a lucky silver coin is baked into a spongelike New Year's cake called Vasilopeta. When serving the dish, the first slice is set aside for St. Basil and the second slice for Christ. The following slices go to members of the family in descending order of age. A decorated and more breadlike version of the delicacy, Christopsomo, is made on Christmas Day itself. Kala Christougena! GREEK NEW YEAR'S CAKE 1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar 3 eggs, separated 2 eggs 2 tablespoons water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 quarter, washed, wrapped in foil 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds (about 2 ounces) 2 tablespoons sesame seeds Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease and flour 10x4-inch tube pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter with 1 3/4 cups sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in 3 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, water and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder in small bowl. Gradually mix dry ingredients into butter mixture (batter will be very thick). Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites with salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Press coin into cake. Sprinkle with nuts and sesame seeds. Bake until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Run knife around pan to loosen. Invert onto plate. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature.) Makes 12 Servings. HOLLAND Despite the name, oliebollen — or oil balls — are delicious and zealously consumed over Christmas in The Netherlands. These bite-size flour and raisin pastries are deep-fried and sprinkled with sugar. Zalig Kerstfeest! Oliebollen 1 package yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 3/4 cup warm water 3 eggs, beaten 2 cups warm milk 3 tablespoon light corn syrup 4 cups flour 1 tablespoon salt 1 cup raisins 1 cup chopped apples Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; let stand in warm place for 30 minutes. Combine eggs, milk, corn syrup, raisins, apples, and yeast mixture in large bowl. Add flour and salt into mixture. Mix well for 2-3 minutes. Test a spoonful of dough to see if it will fall into a "lump" form from the spoon. If not, add more milk. Let rise in warm place for 2 hours. Drop by teaspoons into 375^ of vegtable oil. Fry until golden brown. Top with powdered sugar while still warm. PORTUGAL Gathered around a nativity crèche instead of a Christmas tree, Portugese families feast on the national holiday dish of dried codfish, called bacalhau. Dessert can be rabanadas, slices of white bread soaked in eggs and wine, dredged in sugar, and fried until the coating is crusty and candylike. Children ask the Infant Jesus for gifts, place their shoes by the fireplace, and hope for a piece of Bolo Rei, a circular cake coated in glazed fruits, crushed nuts and sugar icing. Boas Festas! Bacalhau 1 pound package, dried salt codfish 4 cooked potatoes, cut in thin sticks 2 tablespoons oil 12 ripe olives, chopped 5 eggs, beaten 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Prepare fish as directed on package. Dice. Saute potatoes in oil until golden. Remove potatoes. Brown fish in same oil. Add 1/2 of the potatoes with olives. Combine eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Add to fish mixture cook, stirring gently for 4 minutes. Serve with remaining potatoes. Serves 4. SCANDINAVIA In Scandinavia, Christmas season starts on December 13, which is known as St. Lucia Day, when the oldest daughter dresses in white, wears a wreath with seven lighted candles, and serves coffee and buns to her family. Among the other popular Scandanavian dishes during the Christmas season are roast goose, ham, pickled herring, lutefisk, and rice pudding. Glaedelig Jul! Lutefish [LOO-tuh-FIHSK] A Scandinavian specialty made with unsalted dried COD. The age-old preparation method is to soak the dried cod in regularly changed cold water for a period of eight days. The cod is then soaked for two days in a mixture of water and potash lye, after which it's soaked for two more days in fresh water. (Thankfully, for fans of this dish, ready- to-cook lutefisk is commercially available.) The final step is simmering the fish for 10 to 15 minutes, just until it becomes translucent. Just before serving, lutefisk is sprinkled with ALLSPICE, salt and white pepper. It's accompanied with white sauce (see BÉCHAMEL) and, typically, boiled potatoes. Layered Pickled Herring Salad With Tart Apples And Red Onion One of the layers in this delicious salad is lightly pickled sweet- and-sour cucumbers, a favorite throughout Denmark. They do need to marinate overnight, so make sure you start this recipe a day ahead of time. Cucumbers 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons pickling spice 1 teaspoon salt 1 large hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds Salad 1 pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill 1 1/4 cups sliced trimmed radishes 2 6-ounce jars spiced cut herring, drained, each piece halved Boston lettuce leaves Fresh dill sprigs (optional) For cucumbers: Mix vinegar, water, sugar, pickling spice and salt in heavy medium saucepan; bring to boil, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool to room temperature. Place cucumbers in large glass bowl. Pour marinade over cucumbers. Cover; refrigerate overnight. For salad: Mix apples, red onion, sour cream and chopped dill in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using slotted spoon, remove cucumbers from marinade. Arrange half of cucumbers in bottom of 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass dish. Arrange half of radishes atop cucumbers. Spoon half of apple mixture over radishes. Arrange herring evenly atop apple mixture. Spoon remaining apple mixture over herring. Cover with remaining cucumbers, then radishes. Cover and chill salad 3 hours. Arrange lettuce leaves on platter. Spoon salad onto leaves. Garnish with dill sprigs, if desired, and serve. Serves 8. Raisin Rice Pudding 4 3/4 cups (or more) milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat) 2/3 cup medium- or short-grain white rice 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter 1 cinnamon stick Pinch of salt 1/3 cup golden raisins 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large egg yolks Combine 4 cups milk, rice, sugar, butter, cinnamon stick and salt in heavy large saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, stirring frequently, about 1 hour. Remove from heat. Discard cinnamon stick. Stir in raisins and vanilla. Pour 3/4 cup milk into heavy small saucepan. Bring to simmer. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk into beaten yolks. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium heat until thermometer registers 160 °F, about 2 minutes (do not boil). Stir egg mixture into rice mixture. Transfer rice pudding to large nonmetal bowl. Cover and chill until cold, about 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Thin rice pudding with more milk, if desired. Spoon into bowls and serve. Serves 6. Golden Cake from Verona: Pandoro di Verona Yeast Mixture: 1/4 cup warm water 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Cake: 5 cups all-purpose flour 8 egg yolks, plus 1 egg 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup water 1 lemon, zested 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup water In a small bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, 1 egg yolk, and 1/2 cup flour, and blend well. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. On a clean work surface, mound 3 of the remaining cups of flour and make a well in the center. In a medium bowl, beat together 4 of the egg yolks, 1/2-cup sugar, the butter and 1/2 cup water. Add the yeast combination from above and mix well. Pour the entire mixture into the flour well and gradually mix the flour into the liquids to form a sticky dough. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or use the dough hook attachment on an electric mixer. The dough should remain somewhat tacky, unlike bread dough. Grease or oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Punch down the dough and add the remaining flour, egg yolks, 1/2 cup water, egg, sugar and lemon zest and knead until blended, then knead for an additional 10 minutes on a floured work surface. Place in a greased or buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then let rise for an additional 2 hours. Butter and flour two pandoro molds or coffee cans. Punch the dough down, divide it in 2, and roll each piece into a ball. Place one ball in each of the molds, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the pandoro for 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and water and stir well. Drizzle the pandoro with the mixture and serve in wedges. Yield: 2 cakes, serving 14 to 16 people. Panettone Makes 3 small loaves You will need three 3 3/8-by-7-inch brown paper bags to make this recipe. 1/3 cup warm water (100° to 110°) 2 packages active dry yeast 4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup warm milk 2/3 cup sugar 4 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 cups mixed dried and candied fruit Zest of 1 lemon Zest of 1 orange Canola oil, for bowl 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, for paper bags 1 large egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1. To make the sponge, warm a small bowl by rinsing it with hot water. Pour in warm water, and sprinkle 1 package yeast on it. Let stand until yeast has dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until doubled, about 30 minutes. 2. Sprinkle remaining package yeast over warm milk. Let stand until dissolved. 3. Beat together sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix in yeast- milk mixture. Add sponge, and stir until well incorporated. 4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and remaining 3 1/2 cups flour until crumbly. Slowly pour in egg mixture, and beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until dough is elastic-looking and long strands form. Beat in fruit and zests. Turn dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled, 2 to 3 hours. 5. Fold down tops of bags to form a 3-inch cuff. Brush inside and out with melted butter. 6. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times to deflate. Divide dough into three pieces. Roll each into a ball, and drop into prepared bags. Place bags on a baking sheet about 4 inches apart, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled again, about 2 hours. 7. Heat oven to 400°. Carefully cut an X in the top of each loaf with oiled scissors. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and heavy cream to make an egg wash. Brush top of each loaf with egg wash. Place baking sheet in bottom third of oven. After 10 minutes, lower heat to 375°. Bake for 30 more minutes; if tops get too brown while baking, cover with foil. Loaves are done when a wooden skewer inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.