Starr's Kitchen: Dreams of Sugar Plums

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dreams of Sugar Plums

Dairy-Free Sugar Plums - Is it only a dream?

With each passing season and holiday I'm discovering more possibilities and more dreams-come-true. Christmas Cookies present a particular problem, since, as Mark Bittman recently observed, they really are nothing more than butter, sugar and flour composed in various shapes with various flavorings. Remove the butter, and there is not much left.

But there are options. One would be butter-flavored shortening, which might sneak into the kitchen under the guise of a rare holiday necessity. But that excuse is pretty flimsy considering the unhealthy qualities of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, artificial colorings, artificial flavorings and artificial everything that goes into that can.

The time-tested and deeply rooted traditional option is lard. Contrary to all the warnings of recent decades, natural lard is not the heart-killer medical science once believed it to be. Compared to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, lard qualifies as a health food. Lard also produces amazing pastries and delicious cookies. Read more on this posting.

A third option would be good quality oil. Neutral flavored canola oil works in many recipes, but olive oil is delicious in some Mediterranean sweets. Both the Brownies and the Biscotti listed below use oil.

Finally, there are a few genuinely dairy-free margarines available, but read the labels carefully. If you plan to use them in recipes, beware of "lite" and "low fat" margarines whose fat-to-water ratio could ruin a batch of dough.

So, here are a number of my very favorite Christmas Cookies and holiday treats, with more to come in future postings.

Basic Oatmeal Cookies

Nurnberger: Fat-Free Honey Spice Cookies

Christmas Cookies, Butter Optional

Magic Peanut Butter Cookies

Lemon Almond Biscotti

Brownies: The High Class Dessert

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What's happening in the KITCHEN?

Where's the friendliest, most comfortable place to talk about our dreams and deepest thoughts? Why, the kitchen, of course, where you might be comforted with a gooey cinnamon bun along with a warm hug.

This blog started out as a recipe blog, but gradually transformed as it became apparent that more friends needed help with their dreams than help with their pastries.

The recipes are all still here, so if you're baking bread from scratch, making your own sausage or rendering lard, you'll find the information you need. Just use the search window, below.

Health and safety are two big concerns here, whether we're talking about dreams or doughnuts. We're careful about lactose intolerance, cholesterol, the glycemic index and the plethora of other eating issues our families encounter. Nevertheless, food is meant to be gathered and prepared and shared and eaten with great joy.

Much the same could be said about dreams, which are gifts of grace and wisdom. But dreams need to be embraced carefully, with wisdom informed not only by the Spirit but also by verifiable research and sound psychology. We tolerate sentimental nonsense no more than we tolerate junk food.

Now, come sit down, here's a warm mug, what can I give you to eat? And tell me about that dream... "

"A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read." ~The Talmud

+++ Book Review +++

How to Cook Everything, 10th Anniversary Edition
by Mark Bittman,
Double B Publishing, inc.; 2008; 496 pp.

Everything? Not quite, but pretty darn close. I love this cookbook. Find an excuse to buy it, and prop it up right beside the stove.

This hefty tome has been an award-winner and favorite for over 10 years. It's the perfect mentor for newcomers to the kitchen but it includes plenty of adventuresome and unexpected recipes to keep kitchen veterans interested. Bittman's style of cooking is informal and flexible, so along with the usual lists of ingredients for basic dishes he includes multiple options one could use for infinite variations on every theme. If a key ingredient isn't in the pantry, well, try something else in its place.

I'd like to see some photos, but there are note. Excellent line drawings that illustrate tricky techniques, like how to peel plantains and how to kill a lobster, almost compensate for that shortcoming. But it would be helpful to see how the finished plantains or lobster would look on the plate.

Bittman doesn't include everything; I couldn't find Yorkshire Pudding or Kale Chips (don't ask.) He does have recipes for Watermelon Mint Soup (p. 967.) and Braised and Glazed Radishes (p. 348.) That's probably as close to everything as any cookbook should get.

The Bottom Line

From time immemorial, food has come from the garden, farm, ranch, river or ocean directly to the kitchen, maybe with a brief passage through a local market. Things have changed a lot and we can't always have the ideal, but here are a few things we CAN do:

We CAN think about what we are eating and decide to eat what is wholesome and beautiful, healthful and delicious.

We CAN make the choice to buy fresh, real food in place of highly processed artificially flavored, enhanced, plumped or dyed "food products."

We CAN choose whole grains and flours and baked goods instead of processed white products with their nutrition stripped then partially replaced by synthetic nutrient substitutes.

We CAN refuse any products containing partially hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, and any other ingredient that our great-grandmothers would not recognize as wholesome food.

We CAN choose organic local foods in season from local producers whenever possible.

We CAN eat thoughtfully and joyfully, with thanksgiving for the great blessings of food.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dreams of Sugar Plums

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