Of Pie Crusts and Roasted Shallots

In the past week, I have baked five different batches of cookies, two pies, and one panforte. I am going through bags of sugar like it's going out of style. I buy candied orange peel every time I see it in the store, because I can't seem to keep it in stock in my pantry. And not a day goes by without some sort of nut toasting in a pan. Christmas in Germany (or the Advent time leading up to Christmas, I should specify) is serious business.

But, oh, it's so lovely. I can sit in my kitchen working on yet another spice cookie thing and hear the four-person brass band playing Christmas music at the Weihnachtsmarkt across the street. We lit our first Advent candle last night and let it burn in its pine wreath almost down to the nub. I have stockpiled a tower of tins for cookie-sharing and gift-giving. The best part is that it's all just so cozy at the same time as it's busy and productive, which is a lovely feeling. I'd dare say it's the nicest thing about this time of year.

I have also been doing a lot of cooking, but being up to my eyeballs and elbows in molten hot honey or a panful of nuts just this side of toasted at the same time has made documenting my dinner properly a little difficult. So! I'm going to do a little recipe round-up today instead.

I finally got around to trying Judy Rodger's panade with Swiss chard and Gruyère, which is so toasty and silky and delicious that it is very difficult to stop eating. What is it about stale bread and hot liquid? It's amazing to me that something so rough and scratchy around the edges, something as mundane as old bread and hot broth, can be transformed into something so supple and elegant. There's also the alchemy between long-stewed onions, teetering just on the edge of being too sweet, and nutty Gruyère cheese, which undergoes some sort of Cinderella-pumpkin thing in the hot oven. All put together, it's wondrous stuff. I find myself wanting to hide old bits of bread in the bread box so that we have a reason to make this more often.

Speaking of bread, I made some of my own! Inspired by none other than the 100th issue of Goop. This seeded whole-wheat loaf, from Tartine's new bread book, was featured in the newsletter, along with instructions from the owner and resident bread baker at Tartine for making natural leaven for bread simply by using water and flour and the natural yeasts in the air, instead of commercial yeast. For those of us who can't dedicate three days to producing natural leaven, you're given the alternative to make a pre-ferment poolish, which is what I gratefully did, and a weekend later, I had two glorious loaves of whole-wheat bread, full of flavor and delicious seeds and a chewy, holey crumb.

Except, you know what? I live in Germany now, or the Land of Bread as it's alternatively known (well, not really, but it should be), and making my own bread doesn't hold the same allure it once did. Also, these loaves were a lot more work than Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread. So, my verdict: for those of you living anywhere but in Germany, make this bread! It's so satisfying to watch bakery-style loaves emerge from your oven. And you'll never get tired of the chemical wondershow that is one measly gram of yeast turning a bunch of flour and water into bread. For those of us in Good Bread Land, eh, get thee to a bakery.

The other day, on the (fruitless) hunt for fresh cranberries at an organic grocery store in the south of Berlin, I came across a bin of lovely torpedo shallots from France. Isn't torpedo a good word? Torpedo, torpedo. The shallots are good, too. They have such good heft, such a nice shape. I like to just let slip around in my hands or skitter them around on the counter in an impromptu game of shuttlecock. When it came time to cook them, I took Molly's, or should I say Brandon's, lead, and roasted them with vinegar until the entire apartment smelled like a vinegar factory - and I mean that, quite literally, in the best possible way - and the shallots themselves had collapsed into the sweetest, slipperiest, most fragrant and wonderful version of themselves. I wish I had a photo for you, but they were gone so fast I could barely blink. I also had the distinct feeling that I could have made twice the batch and they would have gladly been eaten. We were all being rather polite at the table, I think. They're going to be a staple in our kitchen for a long time to come.

And finally, I was in charge of desserts at our friends' German-American Thanksgiving this year, so I made my usual squash pie (with Hokkaido squash instead of butternut), but with the very best crust I've ever made, if I do say so myself. I cobbled it together from Deb's recipe here, but with Melissa's brilliant "think lima beans!" instructions from here. Check out the flake on that thing! People at the dinner party thought I had used puff pastry, it was so flaky. And I did it all by hand, armed only with two dinner knives and some high-fat German butter. It's my new go-to crust recipe.

I'll tell you about the panforte (with candied quince!) in my next post, and then I have to divvy it up among the cookie tins, along with Spekulatius, some sort of nut brittle, snow-white Springerle and a few more things that have yet to be determined. Also, I have recently been bewitched by the sound of a hazelnut-prune tea cake that must be made mine, so stay tuned. And tell me, dear readers, what are you baking these weeks before Christmas? What's going in your cookie tin?

Comments

[Megan]

Love it! You're inspiring me to get up from under my warm, cozy blanket and actually cook something (a feat in and of itself!).

[Pam]

Thank you for sharing your lovely holiday spirit!! I have begun my baking by having a "dough-a-thon." Several batches of cookie dough are in the freezer as well as the traditional Christmas bread dough, a yeast bread with Christmas fruit. But now I am going down to the kitchen and pull out my Zuni Cafe cookbook. The panade will be on the table sometime this week!

[Jessika]

My father is from Bayern as is the rest of his family and boy, do they bake for christmas!! These days so do I. I seem to hit all time high per year when it comes to german cooking during the christmas season and easter.

[Jessica]

cant wait to hear about the panforte!!!

[Susie Bee on Maui]

I will definitely make more of the Nantucket Cranberry Pie, which is really a cake that I made just before Thanksgiving and for brownies, these zucchini whole wheat ones. Your pie crust looks fabulous! I'm looking for some cookies made (successfully) with whole wheat-anybody have any to share?

http://eatlittleeatbig.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-for-nantucket-cranberry-pie-cake.html

http://eatlittleeatbig.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-for-double-chocolate-zucchini.html

[Annie]

I'm with Pam - in the midst of a dough-a-thon, with dough for fig pinwheels and orange poppyseed cookies (the latter thanks to David Lebovitz's latest book) parked in the freezer and a double batch of yet-to-be-frosted Zimtsterne (also DL's) already on the counter. Once this early wave of cookies is in the mail to far away friends, I get to begin baking for local friends, and my family coming to town for the baby's first Christmas! Such a wonderful time of year!

[christina]

And I thought I was the only one who started Christmas early! Being a Norwegian living in Miami who started baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving I sometimes feel like the odd -woman out...I let my advent candle, cranked up the ac and made my Serina kaker and kokosmakroner.

[Charlotte]

My fruitcakes are aging in the cupboard now - I made them a couple of weeks ago and since then I've been busy making presents. But I have plans for baking - pffernuse, ginger shortbread, sugar cookies shaped like candy canes which are a big hit with the small ones (and big ones too) plus toffee, peppermint bark and maple fudge. Phew. I better get busy! Thanks for this lovely post about the joy of Christmas baking.

[Sasa]

Advent in Austria has been rather hectic too - I've spent a lot of time eating spekulatius from someone lovely to calm my nerves ;P I've made soup dumplings (very Christmassy, I know) Mont Blancs, a lot of muesli bars and several cakes, as well as Molly's amazing stewed carrots, I ate the entire batch...alone. I've never really thought about a savoury version of bread and butter pud but that panade has made its way onto my hit list.

[Gemma]

I think I need to make that panade, it looks perfect for this cold weather. I made Christmas cake yesterday which will be liberally doused with brandy over the next 3 weeks, the chutney is maturing and I need to make onion marmalade, chilli jam, candied orange slices dipped in chocolate and gingerbread to go with the chutney for Christmas presents. I love the tradition (sadly not a tradition in the UK) of sending cookies to friends. Maybe I should try to kickstart it here!

[Jennie]

The holiday season sounds so lovely there. The tree is being lit in Rockefeller Center tonight, so we're well under way here in NYC too!

[Caroline Shields]

I want to hear a "four-person brass band playing Christmas music at the Weihnachtsmarkt across the street," (how lovely)! I'm making apricot kolackys for my cookie tins this year.

[R @ Learning As I Chop]

Thank you for posting all of these recipes. Very helpful, especially the pie crust!

[Ona]

AMAZING crust!!! I am SO impressed! Especially after a particularly damp effort on my part on Friday (have just moved to Barcelona, and maybe the flour is more hydrated here, er???)
You are right to feel proud :)

[Jaimie]

How cozy, indeed! I've just started a "seasonal baking" project - where I pick one seasonal ingredient each month and bake away at it to my heart's content. November: pumpkins and sweet potatoes. December: spices (think gingerbread!). My favorite November recipe was for the pumpkin pancakes, which can be seen on our blog. Tonight: pumpkin cornbread! :)

[Amanda at Enchanted Fig]

Yeah for Advent! And yeah for so much molten honey and toasting nuts!

I am planning a peppernut making party and a last-minute (terrible, I know) Christmas cake soaking-making-baking-sitting too. Merry Christmas!

[Suzy]

I bought cranberries at Rewe on Chausestrasse, they are imported from the US and are in the fresh fruit section.
Your pastry is very impressive. I can't believe you did the two knife thing. They taught us that way at Leiths in the first semester and it drove me bonkers!

[Chef Basket]

Thanks for this post. The whole wheat bread looks wonderful!

[Jessica]

I'm in charge of the cookie tray this year. (My family is full of sweet teeth.) I am including David's macaroons, Molly's coffee crunch cookies (from last year's Bon Appetit), classic peanut blossoms rolled in demarara sugar, and my deceased grandmother's orange cookie recipe. However, I am altering the recipe because her's calls for margarine. My kitchen is butter-only. I have been trying out a lot of recipes to find the 5th one for my tray, but I haven't found a keeper yet. Any suggestions?

[Erika]

Anisplatzelen! My family's recipe for self-frosting anise cookies...requires a stand mixer (I blew out my aunt's hand mixer one year trying...) but so yummy! And Banket (Dutch almond letters). Sigh. I love holiday baking :)

[Christine]

I suddenly have an urge to bake some bread. Great post! I'm definitely going to try out that squash (whaat??) pie and the roasted shallots.. love it!

www.ThePantryDrawer.com

[Luisa]

Susie Bee - for whole wheat cookies, I love Kim Boyce's whole-wheat chocolate chip cookies and anything in her book, Good to the Grain. There are Buckwheat Cookies in my recipe index that are amazing, too.

Charlotte - love that you have fruitcakes in multiples! :)

Ona - thank you!

Suzy - Ha! I actually gave away my pastry blender because it drove me bananas, the two knives were a cinch compared to that! :)

Jessica - that sounds incredible, what an assortment! I do really love the buckwheat cookies that I mentioned in the comment above. They're from Melissa Clark in the NYTimes.

Erika - self-frosting anise cookies?!?!? Recipe, PLEASE! Those sound lovely.

[Anna Johnston]

How amazing to be baking while hearing a 4 piece band, all this baking stuff makes me want to get cracking with some cookie making or breading kneading. Here in Australia its starting to warm up into our summer, although lots of Christmassy baking is still going on all the same.

[julie]

I too made bread this week and a great Hungarian raisin nut roll(Kolach) passed down from my Grandmother.

But no preiselberren where you are? Warum?

I miss the Kristkindlmarkt! Enjoy.
Julie
http://theredhouseproject.eathappy.net/

[Emily]

This year I'm planning my baking projects around our newborn's nap times (not usually very predictable!)But I'm determined. I think I'll make a few tart/pie doughs to keep in the freezer. That way I can whip up a couple pies in no time!

[diana]

Buongiorno. I make Lahey's bread almost daily during my B&B season - with mixed flours and seeds. The one thing hard to find here in Italy are the whole grains that I was able to get in Germany. However, I did not bake bread much in Germany-- it was too easy to go down the street and literally buy a balanced meal at the bakery in the form of a loaf of something amazing. If there is one thing I miss- terribly - about Germany it is bread. Bread, bread, bread. And Matjes. And Gänse with Rotkraut. And Grünkohl.

Oh my.

[Luisa]

Julie - you can find them at limited times in some stores, but they're wicked expensive since they come all the way from the US.

Diana - sounds like you need a visit!! Or a care package. :) I know so many Germans (and adopted Germans) far away from home who miss their bread terribly, even children! It's really such special stuff.

[Nuts about food]

I love the Christmas season and all it involves. It is such a wonderful time of the year. I just wanted to let you know I posted about your great leek, pea and sauerkraut soup and linked to you. Hope you don't mind. Wanted to comment on the actual post, but comments were closed.

[Angela@spinachtiger]

So happy to find your blog. It's written with energy and deliciousness. I've read about 30 food blogs today and at the end of the day, this came forth as fresh as ever.

[TreehouseChef]

I have really enjoyed reading your blog! I do plan on making this bread. Thanks for sharing.

[Susan: My Food Obsession]

Sounds like a fabulous time to be in Germany - full of Christmas spirit!

[margie]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reminding me of that ridiculously delicious-looking panade! I saw it years ago when Molly first posted it, but for some reason my adoration for soggy bread seems to center around the summer time, when I toss them with endless piles of juicy tomatoes.

In winter, it always becomes stuffing/dressing, and even though I mix it up a bit (I've recently added apples to my sausage stuffing), I need to break out of my rut.