The Art and Soul of Baking

Happy New Year - Ring It In Sweetly, and Have Some Baking Fun

I got two pieces of baking equipment for Christmas this year. You might think I have all the equipment in the world at my disposal, but I continually edit to keep it all from piling up around me. At one point, my kitchen gear took up not only my kitchen and an adjacent closet, but half the garage as well! I love all the fun pans and gadgets, but a few years ago, in an effort to make room for the car, I pleaded with my family, “no more equipment!” Then I pared back to the equipment I deemed essential for my kitchen. Much of the excess was given to baking students eager to fill their kitchens, and some was donated to charity. I could even park the car in the garage! But recently, I found myself positively wistful for some new equipment or decorating tools. So I was both surprised and elated when I received two pieces of equipment for the holidays…an Ebelskiver pan and a Giant Cupcake Pan.

The giant cupcake is a party in a pan. Huge, with a full-on wink toward the little individual versions (isn’t that the point of a cupcake?), this is definitely centerpiece material. The pan has two compartments, one for the cone-like top of the cupcake, and the other for the fluted bottom portion. Once cooled, you stack them, gluing them together with icing. Kids and adults alike go crazy for its damn-the-diet, behemoth appearance, and I have to admit, it sure is cute. The only drawback is that the top of the cake looks like a mound of frosting, which begs the question – where does the real (Rebecca, italics “real”) dome of frosting go? Because, let’s face it, frosting is at least half the reason we eat cupcakes. If you frost only the outside of the giant cupcake, there’s just not enough of the gooey stuff to be satisfying. But if you slice each piece of the cake in two and fill them with frosting, then finish the outside with a thin layer of frosting, you get a moist, 4-layer, towering, Texas-size cupcake that will satisfy everyone.

I’ve included the Classic Yellow Layer Cake recipe from the book below that is perfect for layer cakes (or even standard-size cupcakes), and it works very well in the giant cupcake pan. You’ll need to double the recipe for enough batter to fill the giant cupcake pan – and because there are a couple of pan sizes out there, take care to only fill the pan 2/3 full. Any excess batter can be used for small cupcakes or a cake on the side. The deep giant cupcake pan will take longer to bake than the shallow cake pans of the recipe, so be sure to test with a toothpick and look for visual clues instead of relying on the baking time included in the recipe.

When I saw the ebelskiver pan, it took me right back to childhood and family visits to Solvang in central California, a Disney-esque version of a Danish city, replete with, thatch-roofed buildings, pricey boutiques, and lots and lots of ebelskivers and petit fours. I’m quite sure they served other things in the city as well, but even before my pastry career began, I was focused on the sweets. Ebelskivers are small balls of light dough surrounding a center of jam. Served warm from the pan and showered with powdered sugar, they are a true delight. I’d never thought to make them at home, but suddenly I had not only a craving, but also just the pan for the job. I jumped up, made my favorite pancake batter, got out some fabulous Italian sour cherry jam (another lovely gift), and tried out the pan then and there. Yum! They were better than anything I’d ever eaten in Solvang. And it was so fun! Guess what we’re having New Year’s morning? As I make my new year’s resolutions for 2009, having fun in the kitchen is definitely near the top of the list. I hope it’s on yours as well. Keep on baking!

This is my final posting for this fall-into-winter baking blog that celebrates the world of pastry and the book The Art and Soul of Baking. The postings will be up for quite a while to come, so check back when you need a recipe, or want to read up on topics or specific postings that you’ve missed. And if you know kids who enjoy baking, or want to learn, look for another great book from myself and Sur La Table on kids baking due out next fall. It'll have some dynamite recipes and step-by-step instructions for the next generation of bakers. It’s been a pleasure sharing my love of baking with you. Keep the comments and questions coming. You can contact me at cindy (at) cindymushet (dot) com. Best wishes to everyone for a happy and treat-filled new year!

More Happy New Year ideas and recipes follow after the jump

Cold Nights, Hot Chocolate

Winter is definitely here, even in Los Angeles. Oh, we still have plenty of sunshine, but at night the temperature can dip surprisingly low (well, it sure feels low). Whether winter means 40F. or -40F., when bone-chilling cold comes around, it’s time for some deeply warming food and drink. And nothing says “warmth” like chocolate.

Winter brings out the chocoholic in me. The darker the chocolate, the better. If it’s bittersweet and hot, I’m there, whether it’s a steaming bowl of hot chocolate or a meltingly warm dessert like molten center chocolate cake, chocolate bread pudding, or brownies still warm in the pan. The ultimate in hot chocolate desserts is the ethereal soufflé – hands-down my favorite. Simple to prepare, as desserts go, yet sublimely elegant. And even a small, individual portion of soufflé is incredibly satisfying.

Whenever I mention chocolate soufflé, my guests gasp as though I’ve prepared some miracle. They seem to think a soufflé is labor intensive, mysterious, and way too fragile. But the truth is…if you can whip egg whites and melt dark chocolate, you’re nearly there. The most time-consuming part of chocolate soufflé is preparing the dishes. And the best part of all – and what makes it perfect for entertaining – is that chocolate soufflés can be prepared up to a day ahead, kept in the refrigerator until the dinner dishes are cleared, then simply popped in the oven to bake while you relax. Dessert doesn’t get much better than that!

Raspberry Souffles with Hidden Chocolate Truffles

The best way to eat soufflé is in a dish that’s all-to-yourself. I like to make it in individual portions so everyone gets their own. I’ve made chocolate soufflés in dishes ranging from the classic ribbed white dishes (or ramekins) to coffee cups, demitasse cups, custard cups, and more. As long as the vehicle has straight sides to guide the soufflé upward, it will crown beautifully. And individual desserts is bake quickly, so you can enjoy them sooner. If I end up with an extra dish or two full of batter, I simply wrap in plastic and freeze, then bake another day (or night, when it’s ‘mom’s movie time’).

The recipe below gives you lots of guidance on making a sensuously satisfying soufflé. If you’re a visual learner, or just want a bit more direction, be sure to check out the video of me making chocolate soufflé in the cookbook club section (registration is free) of Gourmet.com. And while custard sauce (recipe below) is the classic accompaniment, whipped cream is also a great option. Or, try my favorite - a miniature scoop of ice cream (I love coffee) dropped right into the center of the hot souffle. The ice cream melts halfway, creating a lovely blend of liquid custard sauce and bracingly cold ice cream against the hot chocolate. Oh yeah. Choose a rich, dark chocolate, and this dessert will warm your soul on a cold winter’s night.

More Cold Nights, Hot Chocolate ideas and recipes follow after the jump

The Warmth of Christmas Breakfast

There’s a lot required of Christmas breakfast – it needs to be special, celebratory, easy (or at least do-ahead), appealing to kids and adults, and not too filling, since there are treats and dinner just ahead. That’s a tall order for a morning meal. My solution is to always go simple, seasonal and comforting. We have steaming café au lait bowls of hot chocolate topped with cream, a compote dish filled with citrus segments – blood oranges, navel oranges, oro blanco and ruby grapefruit – along with super-crisp bacon, and either French toast or scones, both of which can be prepared ahead of time.

For French toast, simply soak the bread in the custard overnight and it will be ready to sauté to golden crispness in the morning. I like to include cardamom, cinnamon, and a splash of Grand Marnier in the custard. Scones can be prepared even further in advance, so there’s nothing to do the night before. Several days (or weeks) ahead, make the scone dough, cut it into portions, freeze until firm, then transfer into a ziptop freezer bag until Christmas morning. Once the bacon is done, turn the oven up and, as you warm the hot chocolate, bake the scones (yep, straight from the freezer to the oven, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time). Or if you don’t want to get that far ahead, simply make the dough the night before, cut it, and arrange for baking on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until morning.

There are plenty of delicious scone ideas, but the most outrageously over-the-top one I can think of is Chocolate Toffee Scones. Moist and tender and bursting with mini chocolate chips and toffee chips, then topped with even more toffee chips that melt into a crisp crust of caramel-y goodness, these are a special occasion treat. Just the sort of thing for Christmas morning. If you want to be just a bit more restrained, try the Buttermilk Scones with Dried Cherries and Orange, which are deceptively simple yet incredibly addictive. Both of these recipes have converted scone haters – “they’re so dry and dense” – into scone addicts – “Oh wow, this is how scones are supposed to taste!” Comforting, easy, and delicious – either one is pretty much the perfect start for a warm and wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

More A Taste of Tradition ideas and recipes follow after the jump

Creating A Gorgeous Cookie Tray

No doubt about it, its cookie time. No matter how much we love them the rest of the year, during the holiday season, we go into an absolute frenzy for cookies. For proof just look at the cover of nearly any December-issue food and family magazine.

There’s no better gift than a tray of assorted cookies from your kitchen. And after you’ve put all that effort into making wonderful cookies, why not make their presentation as good as the flavor? With very little effort, you can make a gorgeous cookie tray to rival one from any patisserie. To truly showcase your handiwork, however, there are a few things to take into consideration. Here are my top 5 tips for the most beautiful presentation.

1. Plan an assortment of colors Obviously there will be shades of brown –after all, they’re cookies! But some dramatic differences are more fun to arrange and admire than an assortment that doesn’t offer obvious differences between cookies. For instance, place dark chocolate cookies next to powdered sugar-covered cookies next to chocolate chip next to raspberry jam-filled cookies. When choosing the cookies to prepare, think about how they’ll look next to each other.
2. Be sure to create an assortment of shapes Again, a variety of shapes makes the cookie platter pop. Lots of cookies are round, but the holiday season offers other shapes as well. Linzer cookies with little Christmas tree cut-outs in the center offering a glimpse of jam, or squares of caramelized nut bars, sugar cookies cut in the shape of stars, or spritz cookies piped into bars or letters of the alphabet. You can even create a sense of shape by dipping some of the cookies halfway into dark, milk or white chocolate. If the cookies are square and you dip them in chocolate on the diagonal, suddenly you have triangles as part of the picture. Likewise, a drizzle of lines across a round cookie adds additional texture, color, and visual interest.
3. All the cookies should be approximately the same size For the prettiest platter, you want all the cookies to be similar in size. Large cookies that dwarf the others, and tiny cookies that get hidden beneath their neighbors make the whole arrangement look haphazard and messy. If all the cookies are similar in size, their different shapes and colors really stand out.
4. Arrange them in rows or groups of cookie type Just like a garden, you don’t want a tulip next to a rose next to a daisy. You create drama and a visual impact when you group the same items together. You can either group the same cookies together in a strip or wedge (think spokes of a wheel or slices of pie), or arrange them in straight lines, like the offerings on a buffet table in a hotel. Ten chocolate cookies in a straight or angled line, slightly overlapping, next to ten Russian tea balls next to ten thumbprint cookies is a sight to behold. Line them up precisely, like soldiers in formation, and your platter will look like it came from a patisserie.
5. Assemble the cookie trays at the last moment to keep flavors and textures intact Some cookies are crisp and dry, while others are moist and chewy. If you put them all together, wrap tightly and leave for a few hours, not only will the crisp cookies soften as they absorb moisture from the chewy cookies, but the moist cookies will taste stale. Even worse, all the flavors mingle and start to taste like one big and very confused cookie. If you want to bake ahead, be sure to store each cookie type in a separate airtight ziptop bag or container until you are ready to assemble the tray. Once assembled, it’s best to deliver the tray as soon as possible, while all the flavors and textures are at their best.

Please enjoy my version of spritz cookies, offered below, for your cookie selection this holiday season. Simple and buttery, like the best ones, this cookie has almond paste added to the dough for a rich, round almond flavor, and a touch of orange blossom water for a hint of the exotic. Leave them plain, pipe a dot of chocolate into the center, or fill them with jam. Shape them with a cookie press, or pipe them through a star tip in a pastry bag – they’re beautiful any way you make them.

More Creating A Gorgeous Cookie Tray ideas and recipes follow after the jump

Spices of the Season

Don’t you just love the scent of holiday baking? Kitchens all across the country are filled with the warm aromas of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg. Spices are links to our ancient past, when they were used as medicine for centuries. They were considered quite valuable, and both trade routes and political alliances were for created to procure these precious food stuffs. Today, they enhance our baking in subtle and striking ways, turning a plain-Jane dessert into something quite memorable.

Spices are actually the dried bark, seeds and fruit of trees and plants, and I often wonder who the first person was to peel the bark from a type of laurel tree (for cinnamon), dry it and drop it into a stew pot…or the first person to ferment and dry vanilla beans. We had adventurous ancestors! We get to enjoy the fruits – or spices – of their labor in our favorite desserts of the season. Apple pie filled with cinnamon-scented apples, quince poached with cardamom (a relative of ginger), pears roasted with vanilla bean and cloves, and pumpkin pie, featuring a careful blend of spices, are fall and winter desserts that celebrate the season’s produce with that special underpinning of spice that rounds and completes the flavor profile of each dessert.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy the warm baking spices this time of year is gingerbread. Cookies, cake, scones, soufflés – even coffee drinks entice us with the name gingerbread. With the deep, round flavors of brown sugar and molasses playing against the blend of spices, I find nearly anything titled gingerbread irresistible. Today, I’d like to offer you a favorite recipe of mine that is perfect for holiday season entertaining – Gingerbread Shortcakes with Caramelized Apples and Cider Sabayon. It’s warm and comforting and elegant all at the same time. There’s plenty that can be done in advance, so be sure to check the notes at the end of the recipe. And if all you want is a great scone to start the day, warm gingerbread scones (the shortcakes of the recipe) are just the ticket on a winter’s morning. Gingerbread latte anyone?

More Spices of the Season ideas and recipes follow after the jump

Gifts For Bakers – What Bakers Want!

People always ask me for gift suggestions for their friends and family who enjoy baking. Have I got ideas! I love shopping for bakers – there are so many great tools, pans, books and toys to enjoy in the kitchen that I scarcely know where to begin. Of course there’s equipment, but baking and decorating classes are also a fun way to improve your skill and share the passion. Plus there’s all the incredible food stuff for bakers. Okay, I’ll just jump right in…

I have two favorite gifts this year…the first is my new book The Art and Soul of Baking (but you knew I was going to say that!). As one of the reviews said, “If you buy only one baking book this season, make it The Art and Soul of Baking.” It doesn’t get much better than that for a writer (or a baker)!

The second is my favorite new piece of equipment – the Beater Blade+, a paddle attachment for the KitchenAid mixer (the same company also makes a comparable attachment for the Cuisinart, Viking, and DeLonghi stand mixers). With a rubber edge that extends beyond the paddle, you’ll rarely have to stop the mixer and scrape down again! Why didn’t someone think of this before? I love it!

Gifts for the beginner:

• An oven thermometer (the glass tube-style oven thermometer by Taylor is the best)
• A digital scale
• Good quality measuring spoons (and dry measuring cups if you don’t think they’ll use a scale) and a 2-cup liquid measuring cup
• A KitchenAid stand mixer makes mixing easy and effortless
• A set of standard-size basic baking pans, including two 9-inch cake pans, a cupcake pan (and cute liners), a 11 x 17-inch baking pan with ½-inch sides, a 9 by 13-inch pan, and a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan – all in sturdy aluminum, plus a 9-inch pie pan (Emile Henry clay pans are the most beautiful by far).
• A set of wide, nesting stainless steel mixing bowls
• Silicone spatulas – one mini, one medium and one large
• Digital timer
• Mini offset spatula
• Parchment paper
• Large, good quality rolling pin
• Cooling rack
• Digital instant-read thermometer
• Citrus zester (also good for grating fresh ginger, chocolate and cheese!)
• Oven mitts
• Clear plastic ruler

For the bread baker:

• A banneton or two (woven reed baskets for proofing bread)
• Baking stone
• Lame (razor blade in a handle for slashing the top of bread)
• Pizza peel
• A flour mill for grinding fresh flour at home

For the cake baker:

• A cast iron heavy-duty decorating turntable
• Gorgeous and fun NordicWare cake molds – I couldn’t resist the giant cupcake mold, and have a whole collection of the beautifully designed bundt pans
• Cake cardboards and decorative presentation cardboards – these make life easier
• Disposable pastry bags, both small and large
• Interesting tips (such as the St. Honoré, which makes a beautiful ridged pattern)
• Fun sprinkles, sparkling sugars, and luster dust colors
• Gold and silver leaf for the ultimate bling for pastries
• A class in cake decorating (or advanced decorating)
• Cake or cupcake boxes for transporting the treats
• Cake or cupcake pedestal – there are so many beautiful and creative ones available. Okay, I admit it, I had to buy 8 individual glass pedestals with matching cloches to hold each guests’ gorgeous cupcake for the finale to a special party – wow, it was stunning!

For the pie and laminated dough baker:

• Large, natural bristle brush (4 to 5-inches) for removing flour easily and efficiently
• Dough docker (or dough prickler) to quickly poke holes in the dough
• Pastry board or slab of marble for keeping doughs cold during rolling
• Metal or ceramic pie weights – enough to fill a deep pie shell to the top
• Large, good-quality rolling pin, at least 15 inches in length
• A pretty pie server, new or antique

For the cookie baker:

• Extra baking sheets and cooling racks
• A stack of parchment paper cut to the size of the baking sheets
• Ice cream scoops (or dishers) in their favorite cookie sizes
• Unusual and fun cookie cutters, mini to giant
• Fun sprinkles and decorating sugars
• An assortment of chocolate chips and candy or flavored chips

For the crème brulée or custard baker:

• A propane torch with automatic ignition (yes, hardware store size), or an extra-powerful small butane torch that won’t run out in the middle of 8 brulées.
• Shallow porcelain crème brulée dishes
• Lovely custard cups or ramekins or ceramic pots de crème (little French pots with lids)
• Chinois (very fine, conical sieve)

For the soufflé baker:

• Tall individual soufflé dishes
• A copper bowl (creates the most beautiful egg whites ever, hands-down)
• Large balloon whisk (to help fluff those egg whites)

Foodstuffs:

Boyajian Flavoring Oils provide a pure, clean burst of flavor, whether it’s citrus or peppermint or more. I always have a stash of these on hand in various favorite flavors.

Chocolate – don’t get me started…how about a whole selection? We all have our favorites, and there are always more to explore.

• Amadei dark chocolate bars are to die for – any of them. Guittard makes lovely chocolate (dark, milk and white) for the retail market in small rounds that don’t need chopping - and are great for chips in cookies!

• Michel Cluizel dark chocolate is heavenly – love the 65% Mangaro

• New Tree Renew (black currant- flavored) 73% dark chocolate bars – for nibbling

• ScharffenBerger, especially the 70% - I like a piece of it after dinner alongside a few toasted almonds.

• Valrhona Manjari (64%) is sublime – look for it in feves – rounds that are perfect for melting, so you don’t have to chop. Their Gianduia (hazelnut chocolate) is addictive.

• Valrhona Crunchy Dark Chocolate Pearls – crunchy centers (like a cross between feuilletine and Rice Krispies) with 55% dark chocolate on the outside. For crunch between cake layers, as garnish on top of cakes and tarts, on top of ice cream, or straight into the mouth. Oh yeah.

• And don’t forget the cocoa nibs! I eat them by the handful! If they’re around long enough, they make their way into cookies or sensuously delicious cocoa nib whipped cream.

Dulce de Leche: This thick caramel from Latin America is dreamy. Look for La Salmandra brand in specialty stores – and try to keep from eating it by the spoonful.

Preserves: Every baker loves meltingly delicious fruit preserves, even if it’s just on toast! June Taylor marmalades, Katz and Company jams, Frog Hollow Farm meyer lemon marmalade, Casa Giulia sour cherry or quince jam, Stonewall Kitchen wild Maine blueberry jam…I could go on forever.

Maple sugar: This granulated maple syrup is addictive! Use it as you would regular sugar for a burst of pure maple flavor. Or sprinkle it over cookies before baking. Or use it on oatmeal. Or line soufflé molds with it. Or…..

Sea salt: For the top of pretzels, dinner rolls, caramel tarts - heck, wherever you want a burst of clean salt flavor.

Star Kay White’s Pure Chocolate Extract: It’s been around over 100 years and for good reason - it adds a punch of chocolate flavor.

Vanilla Beans : Love them, can’t live without them, feel nervous if there aren’t 4 or 5 in the cupboard. Madagascar or Mexican beans are top quality, Tahitian are slightly different in look and flavor and are exquisitely floral (and quite pricey) – some of both, please.

Vanilla Extract or Paste: Always buy pure vanilla extract for top quality and flavor. Your efforts deserve the best, and we must support the vanilla farmers in third world tropical countries who work so hard to bring us this unique flavoring. Did you know each orchid flower needs to be hand-pollinated to develop a bean? And that’s just the beginning! Nielson Massey brand is excellent. Extract is thin, paste is thicker, sweeter and speckled with tiny vanilla seeds – either is good - they are equal in flavoring strength.

Tools of the Trade:

• Holiday Bake Shop
• Professional Baking Shop

Recipes and Photos are reprinted with permission from Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC. The Art and Soul of Baking © copyright 2008 by Sur La Table, Inc.

Gingerbread Houses

‘Tis the season for gingerbread houses of all sizes and shapes. Everything from mansions and log cabins to yurts and street scenes has been made out of gingerbread and embellished with fanciful candy and icing decorations. Ginger has been highly prized since ancient times - employed by Confucius as well as Greeks and Romans for its calming and digestive relief – but the blending of spices into decorative “cookies” became popular much later, during medieval times when elaborately decorated gingerbread was the snack of choice at faires throughout Europe.

Decorating gingerbread became an art form, and was so popular that Queen Elizabeth I had her own gingerbread baker to supply the royal family with these beautiful – and often gilded – treats. It was in Germany that the idea of building houses out of gingerbread originated. The fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, in which two children happen upon a house built of gingerbread and sweets, was the impetus for creating elaborate structures and decorating them with icing, candies, and sugar.

Baking and building your own gingerbread house is a project that requires precision, patience, and time, and if you have the inclination to do it, it’s a worthwhile project for a weekend. Me? I like to get right to the fun stuff – decorating. Oh, I used to bake gingerbread houses, but ever since the arrival of pre-made gingerbread houses (and my daughter), I leave that to others. Truth be told, I’d rather invest my time and energy in other types of baking and holiday activities this time of year. The pre-fab gingerbread houses (available at Sur La Table and craft stores) let me and my daughter have all the fun of decorating – and over-decorating – without the time-consuming process of mixing, rolling, cutting, shaping, and building.

We set aside a night by the fire, I bake a gingerbread cake and make hot apple cider, put on some Christmas music, then we go to town on decorating. I make some royal icing with meringue powder and fill a couple of disposable piping bags with some of it, then set the rest aside to use as inspiration strikes. I also pick up some food coloring markers, which allow us to draw on the house and the decorations, such as outlining bricks or shingles, or writing our name on the mailbox. The gingerbread house kits sometimes come with candy, but I scour grocery stores, cake decorating stores and candy shops looking for fun and unusual candies to add to the house. I find candy rocks for the garden, little royal icing wreaths for the doors and windows, tiny candles, pine trees and all manner of fun details. A bit of royal icing acts as glue to attach them to the house or garden. The finished house goes on display, and it’s fun to see how my daughter’s creativity and artistic capabilities improve year by year. While you can save the houses in an airtight container, I prefer to take pictures and have one less thing to pack away. Besides, there’s always time for a new house next year.

Tools of the Trade:

• Wilton® Ultimate Gingerbread House Kit
• Nordic Ware® Gingerbread House Mold
• The Gingerbread Architect
• Hand-Painted Gingerbread Ornament

Recipes and Photos are reprinted with permission from Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC. The Art and Soul of Baking © copyright 2008 by Sur La Table, Inc.

A Taste of Tradition – Sour Cherry Linzer Tart

I love the fact that most Christmas baking is steeped in tradition, connecting us to generations of bakers around the world. Take, for example, the classic Austrian dessert called linzertorte, a spiced pastry with lattice-work top, cradling a filling of raspberry jam. It originated in the northern Austrian city of Linz, along the banks of the Danube River, many generations ago. The aromas of this tart while baking - a heady combination of nuts, spices and fruit - are enough to conjure snow drifts outside the window and ice skaters on a frozen pond, even here in California, which makes it a perfect celebratory ending for the holiday season.

The name linzertorte links this dessert to others with similar attributes, as tortes are a type of cake that have most or all of the flour replaced by ground nuts. True to form, the dough in the recipe below has a measure of ground nuts – both almonds and hazelnuts - along with the flour. The addition of cinnamon, cloves and citrus zest round out the Christmas flavors, right down to the red filling peeking through the lattice top. I think the presentation of linzertorte is prettiest when baked in a fluted, removable bottom tart shell, though I’ve used a cake pan in a pinch.

The classic filling is seedless raspberry jam (and there is a variation for this in the introduction of the recipe below), but I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I love dried sour cherries and think they are the perfect partner to the richly spiced tart dough, so I’ve come up with a fabulous filling that sends this recipe over the top. The presence of these chewy, sweet-tart cherries pumps up the flavor and gives this classic pastry a fun, modern twist that is irresistible.

If you add a bit of extra flour (about 3 tablespoons), the linzer tart dough can be used to make pretty window cookies for your entertaining and gift-giving. Roll the dough quite thinly – about 1/8-inch - and cut it into simple shapes, like circles or squares. Use a small, similarly-shaped cutter to cut a peek-a-boo window into half of the cookies. Be sure to bake the tops and bottoms of the sandwich cookies on separate pans because the cookies with holes in the center will bake more quickly. Once the cookies have cooled, spread a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam across the solid cookies, then dust the window cookies with powdered sugar before setting them atop the jam. These are easily the prettiest cookies on a holiday cookie platter (and the first to disappear). I have to give these away as soon as I make them; otherwise, I keep nibbling away at the stash until they are all gone.

More A Taste of Tradition ideas and recipes follow after the jump

Gifts From Bakers

This is the season when handmade gifts are shared with abandon – it is truly a baker’s wonderland. It does my heart good to hear people in line at the supermarket or the coffee house discussing pie and cake recipes or exchanging cookie decorating tips. Whether it’s a plate of your signature cookies, a loaf of pumpkin bread, or a box of lovingly decorated cupcakes, gifts of food connect us all, kitchen by kitchen. In these uncertain economic times, simple gifts from hearth and home create a more meaningful holiday season.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Cookies: A plate of freshly baked cookies is a delight during the holidays. Just one type of really good cookie is all you need to spread the joy. If you decide to give a selection of your favorites, keep a few points in mind. Keep all the cookies in separate containers until it’s time to assemble the platter, then deliver it shortly. This will keep the flavors and textures intact – prolonged contact will make crisp cookies soft, and soft cookies stale, and they’ll all start to taste like each other. I like to wrap the cookies individually in cellophane bags or vellum envelopes, then tuck them into a tin or container.

For a cookie gift that keeps on giving, I like to give frozen dough logs or scoops of cookie dough, to be enjoyed long after the last holiday package has been opened. I wrap slice-and-bake cookie logs in plastic, then in holiday paper. A good idea to help them keep their round shape is to tuck the logs into cardboard paper towel tubes, then wrap the tube. Be sure to attach a tag that gives the name of the cookies and baking instructions. For drop cookies (chocolate chip-style), I scoop the cookie dough using a small ice cream scoop, then freeze the dough balls and transfer them into ziptop freezer bags. When it’s time for gift-giving, I fill airtight tins or containers with the dough, and attach a tag with all the pertinent information. Just make sure it goes from your freezer to the recipient’s freezer in a timely manner. This is a great way to be remembered on a cold January night, when your friends pull warm cookies from the oven.

Here are some of my favorites from The Art and Soul of Baking:

Cookies for baking and giving: Almond and Chocolate Spritz Cookies, Raspberry Cherry Crumble Bars, Cappuccino Biscotti with Hazelnuts and Chocolate, Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Caramel Peanut Filling, and Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies.

And, of course, the classic Roll and Cut Sugar Cookies – for ideas on decorating, see the December issue of Food and Wine Magazine (bold December… Magazine), in which they are featured in an article on the best baking books of the season. The same article features my recipe for simple yet addictive Vanilla Crescents, one of my most requested recipes ever.

Cookies for freezing and giving: Chocolate Earl Grey Coins (recipe provided below), a comfortingly sophisticated slice and bake treat; Cherry Oatmeal Cookies; Chocolate Cocoa Nib Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies; and Sugar Cookie Pillows.

Pie Dough: If I’m making a big batch of pie dough, I’ll make some extra to give to friends who love to make pie, but won’t attempt a pie crust. I roll it out so it’s ready to go, dust it lightly with flour so it doesn’t stick to itself upon thawing, then fold it in half and set it inside a pie tin lined with a piece of parchment paper. I’ll layer 2 or 3 between rounds of parchment, then wrap the whole thing in plastic (or slip it into a ziptop freezer bag), and wrap with holiday paper. I attach a gift tag reminding them to let each round thaw completely before unfolding (or it will crack in half), and giving baking temperatures and times. All they have to do for pie is toss some fruit together for the filling.

Crumble or Crisp Topping: Fruit crumbles are so simple and delicious, I think everyone should have some topping in their freezer for a quick, satisfying dessert. Crumble topping can easily be made in a food processor or stand mixer, and it’s child’s play to whip up several batches. Freeze it in ziptop freezer bags, then transfer into airtight food safe containers for gift-giving, along with your favorite recipe using the topping.

Cakes: A moist and tender cake is a thoughtful way to let friends and colleagues know you care. Simple pound cakes and tea cakes can be enjoyed any time of day, and freeze beautifully. I love the beautiful brown and gold baking papers that Sur La Table carries for just such baking. They come in an array of sizes, from individual cupcakes to mini loaves to standard-size loaves, to large tube or panettone style loaves. Once the cakes have cooled, wrap in plastic or cellophane and tie with a coordinating ribbon or raffia.

Good choices from my book include: Double Vanilla Pound Cake, Spice Cake, Orange Cardamom Cake, Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake, and Pumpkin Spice Cake. From the quick bread chapter, try Cinnamon Streusel Sour Cream Coffeecake, Chocolate Banana Marble Bread or Pumpkin Walnut Bread. Any of these are excellent on their own, or top them with a bit of Chocolate Ganache or Confectioner’s Sugar Icing and fun sprinkles for a festive finish. They can also be baked in cupcake form for home, office or school parties.

One of my favorite “big” cakes for giving is the Almond, Apricot and Chocolate Chip Cake with Amaretto Glaze. I bake it in one of the gorgeous Nordic Ware bundt pans, then let the glaze drip down the sides. The almond paste in the batter ensures the cake stays moist for days (and it freezes beautifully for a month, which means I can get ahead on my gift baking). If you bake it ahead and freeze it, don’t glaze the cake – it gets splotchy upon thawing. Instead, let the cake(s) thaw completely before you add the chocolate glaze.

Other Kitchen Treats: Little jars of special treats are a welcome gift. I like to give Caramel Sauce, since most store bought caramel sauce is not caramelized sugar at all, but a combination of brown sugar and milk or cream. The real thing is rich and complex in flavor and light years beyond the others. If you don’t plan on heat processing the jars to seal them, be sure to attach a tag reminding the recipient to store it in the refrigerator, where it will keep for at least a month. Other fun treats are Sugared Flower Petals for decorating; and Candied Citrus Zest in sugar syrup for chopping and adding to doughs and batters or garnishing citrus desserts. Recipes for each of these can be found in the book.

Stymied on how to wrap your gift of food? Here are some ideas:

• Make a paper cone from pretty wrapping paper or scrapbook paper – tape a piece of waxed paper inside before rolling the paper to protect it from butter stains.
• Café au lait bowl tied with a ribbon
• Pretty printed cupcake liners (standard-size or minis, depending on size of cookies) with a different type of cookie stacked inside each one, all inside a craft or candy box, lined up like chocolate bon bons.
• Antique, thrift store or modern plates (for larger gift) or tea cup sets (for smaller gift) with cookies arranged on top or inside cup, then wrapped in clear cellophane.
• Chinese to-go boxes decorated with pretty paper cut-outs or stickers or rubber stamps and wrapped with a beautiful ribbon.
• Japanese bento box, with various cookies or candies in each wooden container inside the box.
• Cellophane bags -- available at candy and craft stores -- tied with a pretty ribbon.
• Cardboard or tin lunchbox with cookies arranged in rows inside or each type of cookie stored in separate cellophane bags or envelopes to keep flavors and textures intact.
• Canning jars tied with a pretty ribbon.
• Baking pans – either new or thrift shop – when packed in baking pans, the treats are a gift for now (to eat) and one for later (a pan to bake in).

More Gifts From Bakers ideas and recipes follow after the jump

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Cookies make the world go around – it’s amazing how a simple sweet can create so much happiness. And they make such great gifts that I spend a lot of time each holiday season baking my favorites to share with friends and family. When it comes to the fancy decorated cookies, though, I believe in a group effort. Thus has evolved my annual cookie-decorating and holiday party. It’s a great way to bring family and friends together and make cookies at the same time. Everyone has more fun at a party when there is a project that gets conversations flowing. Hosting a cookie decorating party is not difficult, and I’ve developed a plan over the years to help it all run smoothly. The key is organization.

Here are some tips to help you have fun:

• Make the cookie dough in advance. I usually make the dough over Thanksgiving weekend. I always make two kinds of dough – sugar cookie dough (recipe below) and gingerbread cookie dough, but one type of dough is certainly enough. I usually triple or quadruple the recipe below so I have plenty of cookies on hand, but even a double batch will yield enough cookies for a small party.
• Roll out the cookie dough as soon as you make it. This is when the dough is easiest to roll, though if you find it difficult and sticky, you may want to chill the dough for 20 minutes or so. Roll the portions out between two sheets of parchment paper, following the directions in the recipe below, to 1/8-inch thick, and about the size of a baking sheet. I stack the rolled-out dough portions (still between parchment) on a baking sheet. Then I wrap the whole baking sheet in plastic wrap several times and stash it in the freezer until baking day.
• Bake the cookies the day before the party. Once the oven is preheated, I choose the cutters, remove the dough from the freezer and let it defrost on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes, until still cold, but not frozen hard. Cut out the shapes you want, placing the cutters as close together as possible, then carefully transfer the shapes to parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until light golden brown. Remember to bake similarly-sized cookies on the same pan – if you have very large or very small cookies, bake them on separate sheets.
• Once the cookies have cooled, stack them up according to shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment, then wrap the entire sheet several times with plastic wrap to keep the cookies airtight and fresh.
• Make the frosting the day before the party. I like to use meringue powder for the icing, and whip up great mounds of it. Then I separate it into bowls and add food coloring.
• Use disposable piping bags secured with twist ties for decorating. Once the frosting is done, spoon it into disposable piping bags until they are 2/3 full, then twist the ends tightly, and secure them with a twist tie (available in the produce section at the supermarket). This will prevent icing from coming out the back end of the bag while your friends and family are piping their masterpieces. I always have several bags of each color – especially the popular colors – so guests aren’t waiting around for someone else to finish.
• I put a selection of colored frosting-filled pastry bags into a large bowl at several points around the table, and cover their ends with a wet, wrung-out kitchen towel. Once the ends of the bags are cut and the decorating begins, you want to keep the cut ends moist, or the frosting will harden there. Let everyone know that when they are finished with a color, they should put the frosting back into the bowl with the tip of the bag under the damp towel.
• Buy a selection of fun garnishes, like colored sprinkles and sanding sugars, silver dragées, colored candies, and anything else that strikes your fancy. Make a couple of small bowls of each kind to spread around the table(s). You can also use paper cupcake liners to hold these decorations.
• Put out a selection of toothpicks, new paintbrushes (kid-size), and mini offset spatulas so those who want to spread things around can do so easily.
• I put holiday-themed plastic tablecloths on any surface that might be used as a work area, so clean-up is a breeze. A roll of paper towels and 2 or 3 wet and wrung-out kitchen towels on each table make it easy to clean up sticky hands or spills.
• I buy large paper plates, and each guest writes their name on the rim of the plate. They use the plate to choose their cookies and decorate them. If they want to decorate even more cookies, they simply get another plate. This eliminates any “hey, that’s MY cookie” discussions at the end of the evening.
• Have something simple to eat so everyone doesn’t fill up on sugar – I usually make a hearty soup or stew and serve it with some good bread.
• Have a roll of plastic wrap or a box of ziptop bags at the ready as guests go home. Wrap each plate tightly, or slip it into a ziptop bag so the cookies don’t end up on the seat of the car or someone’s clothing.

I started the tradition of this party for the kids, but have been pleasantly surprised over the years to see just how much the adults love the decorating. The kids decorate a few cookies then move on to playing in another room. It’s the adults who really get into the decorating, and allow their creativity to shine. Sitting around a big table sharing stories, food, and cookie decorations is one of the best ways I can think of to celebrate the season.

More Cookies, Cookies, Cookies ideas and recipes follow after the jump