HOLIDAY CHEF IN RESIDENCE, Stephen Block
As a special treat for you, Chef Stephen Block has shared holiday recipes from his book, Recipes From a German Grandma. Be sure to check out Stephen's web site at www.kitchenproject.com. It's a great site and he has lots of recipes you will enjoy.
Without further ado, Here is Stephen!
Chef Stephen Block
Hello, Guten Tag, My name is Stephen Block. I am from the Pacific Northwest. A chef of 30 years, I fill my life doing interesting cooking projects, Hence the name of my website, The Kitchen Project. Starting my career in 1973 as a chef, I have cooked most every cuisine style, taught classes and co-authored a German cookbook.
It is time to do some Christmas Baking.
In the Black Forest of Germany, as in a lot of the old world, friends and relatives around Christmastime bring baskets of baked goodies covered with a nice piece of linen to the door when visiting. I thought maybe you'd like to do it this year with your friends and relatives, as it makes such a thoughtful gift, whether or not you are of European heritage.
 The following excerpts arefrom Stephen's book, Recipes from a German Grandma
http://www.kitchenproject.com/html/GBcover.html
STOLLEN
(German Christmas Bread )
with
 Vanilla Candied Fruit
and
Vanilla Plumped Raisins
LEBKUCHEN
PFEFFERNUSSE
Rolled in Vanilla Powdered Sugar
Stollen is nice because it is not too sweet, and has a nice soft buttery texture with hints of lemon and candied orange, toasted almonds, and wine soaked raisins and currants.
With the candied fruit, it is a traditional German Christmas bread, often called Christstollen, because it is shaped like the baby Jesus in Swaddling clothes. In Dresden, Germany, there is a Stollen Festival during the holiday season where a huge Stollen, weighing over a ton, is carried into the festival square by the bakers in the town. It is then cut into small pieces with a special knife and sold to the festival goers, with the proceeds going to a charity.
Stollen is also popular year-round with or without the fruit. My father makes wonderful stollen throughout the year without the candied fruit. I often have a piece with espresso in the afternoon when I visit with him.
Pure vanilla enhances my grandmother's Stollen recipe as it does all Christmas treats. So many people say that it is the secret of those baked goods that get wonderful reviews.
Here is the web site with step by step instructions and pictures. http://www.kitchenproject.com/german/stollen/index.htm
Vanilla Candied Fruit
This is not hard to make and you won't have to depend on the expensive candied fruit in the store. Multiply the recipe if you want.
Ingredients:
Peel from 2 oranges, coarsely ground or cut into 1/4 inch pieces
Peel from 2 lemons, coarsely ground or cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3 cups water, divided use
2 cups Karo Syrup or 2 cups sugar
vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Instructions:
Simmer the orange and lemon peel in 2 cups water for approximately 10 minutes, then drain peel into a sieve.
Now add the fruit and 1 cup of water and simmer for 20 minutes with Karo Syrup or sugar and vanilla bean.
The fruit now can either stay in the syrup, or it can be spooned onto a cookie sheet and left to dry and crystallize. I usually just keep it in a jar. I spoon what I need into the recipe.
If you use the sugar it will crystallize like the candied fruit that you see in the stores. If you use the Karo Syrup it will be gooey. (I like the gooey.)
Vanilla Candied Pineapple
2 cups approximately, or one can of Pineapple tidbits
(This can be more or less it doesn't matter. As long as there is enough liquid to cover the pineapple chunks.)
Cut pineapple and simmer in 1 cup water, 2 cups sugar or Karo syrup and a vanilla bean, split lengthwise (use the same vanilla bean that you used for the citrus if you want)
green food color (if desired)
Vanilla Candied Cherries
1 cup or so of maraschino or pie cherries and follow the recipe instructions above
Vanilla Plumped Raisins.
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup white wine (such as a Riesling)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Simmer the raisins in the white wine with the split vanilla bean.
STOLLEN
(Braided Coffee-Cake)
Grandma's Stollen was one of her very special productions. The dough was always beaten, at great length, using her bare hand and beating in only one direction. She was sure that this procedure made the dough strong and very light. The Christmas Stollen had candied fruit added to the dough, but Stollen was also made without fruit, and just decorated with almonds. The following recipe has been adapted for use with a Kitchen Aid Mixer.
Ingredients:
7 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 pound butter, softened
2 pkg. dry yeast
6 large eggs (should be 1-1/3 cups eggs)
1/2 teaspoon mace
2 teaspoons salt
grated rind of one lemon
1-1/2 cups milk, lukewarm
Optional:
3/4 to 1-1/4 cup finely chopped Vanilla Candied Fruit, mixed with 1 cup Vanilla Plumped Raisins
1 beaten egg for glaze
1 cup blanched almonds to decorate outside
Instructions:
Heat oven to 335-350 degrees
In the large Kitchen Aid bowl, starting with mixing paddle: dissolve yeast in milk, add 2 cups flour and 1/4 cup sugar to make a sponge. Mix and let stand while assembling other ingredients. (About 15 min.)
Add eggs, butter, lemon rind, 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and mace; mix untill smooth.
Add fruit.
Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, changing to dough hook when the mixture becomes too stiff for the paddle.
Knead for about 15 minutes, or until dough is smooth and shiny, scraping sides of bowl when necessary. If it is sticky because of the moisture in the fruit, add a little more flour. Dough will be soft, so don't add too much more flour.
Put into large greased bowl to rise in warm place, about 2 hours, or until doubled.
Turn out on floured board, cut into 4 pieces. (Knead a little flour into each if dough is too soft.
Cut each piece into 3, roll each section into a short rope about 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter and about 9 inches long.
Lay these 3 side by side, pinch together at one end, and gently braid, loosely, just a few crossings.
Transfer to cookie sheet (either greased or non-stick.)
Repeat with the other 3 pieces, putting each finished braid on a separate cookie sheet.
Allow to rise until nearly double. (Additional rising will take place in oven.)
Brush with beaten egg, decorate with halves of blanched almonds, and bake at 335-350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
To Blanch Almonds: Put 1 cup shelled almonds into pan, cover with hot water, bring to boil. Turn off heat, allow to stand 5-10 minutes. Drain off hot water and cover almonds with cold water, letting them stand for a few more minutes. Skins will readily slip off when pinched. Split each almond in half, otherwise they are too bulky, do not cling to the dough as well, and are too hard to cut through after Stollen is baked.
A lot of folks make a folded Stollen that looks like a big parkerhouse roll. The cool thing about it is that it has a 1 inch tube shaped piece of marzipan down the center of it.
LEBKUCHEN
I wanted to include this recipe because it is rather unusual.
This recipe is truly baked in the old-fashioned German way. The dough, which had to sit for 3 weeks in a cool basement, was made early in December so the cookies would be ready by the Christmas holidays. They are still great if you don't have the full 3 weeks. But the flavors really have time to marry this way and they have such a wonderful flavor.
Again I have added to my grandmother's recipe the wonder of pure vanilla.
These have molasses in them, however some recipes use honey, both of which work well.
Ingredients:
3 lb. flour (about 6 cups)
1 lb. molasses (about 3 cups)
1 cup brown sugar
5 oz lard or shortening
2 oz candied orange peel
1 cup rose water (or 1 cup water)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 oz cloves
1/2 oz cinnamon
1 grated lemon rind
1 cup almonds, blanched and split in halves
Vanilla Candied Fruit and Raisins. (From 3/4 to 1-1/2 c)
Instructions:
Heat the molasses, sugar and shortening to melt and dissolve the sugar.
Let cool, then stir in everything else, with the flour being last.
Let the dough stand covered, at room temperature for 3 weeks. If you don't have that much time, it's okay.
Roll out fairly thin, cut into rectangles 1-1/2 inches by 3 inches (4 x 8 cm) with a fluted cutting wheel or a knife.
Bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes, then let cool. Check the texture. If you desire a crispier texture, bake an additional 5 min.
In the center of each cookie put either an almond half, or a candied cherry.
This recipe makes lots of cookies, but they keep well if kept in a tightly covered cookie tin, a plastic storage bag, or in the freezer. These cookies get better with age.
PFEFFERNUSSE (Pepper-nuts)
The most fascinating thing to me about this classic German Christmas cookie is how the flavors of this cookie develop with aging. A few weeks in a cookie tin and all the spices and flavors double in flavor.
Some recipes actually call for a very small amount of ground pepper to be added to the dough. We recommend that the pepper be used at the discretion of the cook. Since these cookies contain no shortening, they become rather hard; they may need to be "dunked" in milk or coffee.
Ingredients:
1 lb.(2 ¼ cups) brown sugar
5 eggs
¼ tsp. cardamom
¼ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. baking powder
3 tblsp. citron, cut fine
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 lb. flour (4 cups)
Vanilla powdered sugar (recipe follows)
Instructions:
Beat the sugar and eggs thoroughly. Sift flour with baking powder and spices; add to sugar and egg mixture. Add lemon rind and citron. Mix well and set in a cool place overnight. Make little balls, place them on greased cookie sheets; flatten and place an almond in the center of each. Bake in oven about 350 degrees to 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Roll in vanilla powdered sugar. Store in a cookie tin, or on a plate inside a plastic zip storage bag.
Vanilla Powdered Sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean
Grind vanilla bean and sugar in food processor for one minute or until well pulverized.
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