Saturday, December 20, 2008
15 December: Elise rode the NATO Santa Train with her class then she sung a bunch of Christmas songs with her class before sharing cookies with all the camera toting parents waving and watching. The teachers gave small gifts to the kids and the kids gave the gifts they make to their parents - daring edible snowmen made with white German cookies for the bodies and a domino cookie for the top hat.16 December: I should have been at a meeting this morning, but I needed a day at home and so did Elise, so when she didn't want to go to Tinny's and I couldn't find another sitter, we spent our morning napping and cuddling on the couch. So my morning wasn't super productive, but it did recharge me to tackle painting dough ornaments with the girls after school. The girls are making all sorts of random crafty things that they'll wrap and we'll get mailed out after the holidays.
17 December: This morning I baked gingerbread boys for one of the kindergarten classes. Two years ago when Arianna was in that class I brought dough to the class and the kids rolled, cut, baked, and decorated cookies. The teacher had taken that activity and turned it into an entire day of fun for the kids. Elise still talks about the gingerbread boy who popped out of the oven and ran away. So, this morning I brought 20 prebaked cookies for the kids and one large unbaked boy who ended up running away just like the boy in the story and leaving notes all around the school. It was fun to watch the kids run screaming from place to place so excited to find the big cookie they'd seen earlier. From the kitchen to one playground, then another, to the Principal's office and finally to the library where the gingerbread boy had gotten tired and gone back to his book. It was cute.
18 December: My day. These last few weeks have been so crazy that I'd only been to one Christmas market - ok two, but the second one I was dancing in and didn't shop. It's sad. This is my last Christmas in Germany and I feel like I haven't seen enough or done enough here. So many markets... so much to see... so much tradition and beauty. And I've frittered away my time being busy with stuff. Stuff just happens and my calendar fills before I have time to schedule in the fun. But today, instead of being sucked into some unnecessary things that I could do, I kidnapped a similarly fun deprived friend and we headed to Aachen with no agenda but to wander and enjoy the city and the market. Coffee at Middleburg, wandering around the tiny streets, having what will probably be my last Christmas market meal here, and shopping for a few treasures that are made in Germany... that was my day. Beautiful, peaceful, and needed. We even got a bit of sun before it turned dark and cold. Elise had her last day of school and a pizza party. Arianna had her class party and store where she could spend the play money she'd earned all year. And I just relaxed and met them at the end of the school day. 
19 December: Last day of school before the holiday break. Luci's class had her party. The principal read two stories to the kids. I baked sugar cookies for the occasion and so the kids rotated through centers: cookie decorating, bingo, bean bag toss with prizes, and a craft. Then food and heading home. Arianna and Luci got out of school at 11. Tiara was done at 1230. The girls relaxed and watched movies... I went to Rita's house and learned to make flodni.My friend, Rita, is Hungarian. She was also a cook for a family in England. And, she's a foodie. Meaning, she has a wonderful appreciation for food. Last week we'd made tentative plans to make flodni today. Then earlier this week she sent me a note telling me about this amazing baked apple dessert at my favorite cafe that she wanted to analyze with me. Today we got together and did both.
The sun was actually out, so we walked to cafe Schleypen, sat, and savored their seasonal baked apple dessert trying to figure out what was inside so we could make it ourselves. The chocolate covered star cookie sat on top of home made vanilla speculatus ice cream - a creamy vanilla ice cream with little chunks of German speculatus cookies (or may be a bit of printen?) inside. The baked apple sat on a square of pastry. The inside was filled with marzipan and raisins, then topped with warm vanilla custard sauce which pooled on the plate under everything. Sweet whipped cream sat to the right and it was all sprinkled with cinnamon. Absolutely delicious! Worth trying at home.Stuffed from our cafe treat, we headed back to her house to make Flodni - a traditional Hungarian dessert that I'd had at the Froliche Pastry Shop in Budapest. The version that I had had halva as the bottom layer though - a Jewish sesame sweet that I am not real fond of - so I like Rita's version a bit more.
Rita's Flodni
Line 9x13 baking dish with pie dough (store bought or home made). Cook 2 cups finely chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup raisins (more or less to taste), and 2 T. white wine (more or less to taste) in a small saucepan. Stir together for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.
Cook 6 apples thinly sliced with 2-3 T sugar and 2-3 T white wine for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.
Process 2 cups poppy seeds in a coffee grinder. Add 1/4 cup sugar (more or less). Cook over medium heat for just a few minutes with a bit of fresh squeezed orange juice and some orange zest. Set aside.
Spread nut filling over the crust in the pan. Top this with another crust. Spread poppy seed filling over the second crust. Top with another crust. Spread apple filling over the third crust. Top with a final crust. Seal the edges pulling to the sides of the pan and tucking into the rest. Brush with egg yolks and bake at 300 for 60-90 minutes.
Serve at room temperature. Stays delicious for a week. Best the second day.
Labels:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I LOVE MOO! Creative.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
0 comments: