Skull of sugar,
Bone of bread,
We offer these gifts
To our beloved dead
I hope everyone had a lovely Samhain. I suppose greetings for the new year are in order. Today is also El Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead. This festival coincides with the Catholic festivals of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which occur on November 1 and 2, respectively. On this day families in Mexico visit the graves of loved ones. The graves are cleaned and decorated with fresh flowers. Marigolds are traditional.
Altars, or ofrendas, are constructed. These will hold a variety of objects including flowers, candles, figures of the Virgin Mary, pictures of the deceased, and the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased. Candy or small toys might be added for children. Offerings of food are also taken to the graves.
Popular symbols of this day are the calacas Рskulls made of pressed sugar that are brightly decorated. This is not a festival of grief and sadness; it is a celebration of life and of the end we must all face. La Catrina is another common symbol. Jos̩ Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure that he called "La Calavera de la Catrina" ("calavera of the female dandy"), which quickly became a popular figure.
Traditional foods and beverages include atole, tequila or pulque, tamales and Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead). The bread is often decorated with bones made from dough.
Many of you may have remembered your ancestors in ritual last night, while some of you may choose to continue the observances through November 2. Last year I posted a recipe for Pan de Muerto. For those of you who prefer a different approach, I offer the recipe for Rosemary Remembrance cookies.
Rosemary, as many of you know, is an herb used in purification. It is also good for remembrance. Rosemary is also used for healing and love, making it the ideal herb for this time of year and for the remembrance of those who have passed through the veil.
You can make shortbread cookies with rosemary, but this recipe is more of a sugar cookie. Use gingerbread men cookie cutters to give the cookies human form, or use animal shapes if remembering pets/familiars.
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter or margarine (non-hydrogenated), at room temperature
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional; use 2 tsp. vanilla if not using almond)
1-2 teaspoons very finely minced rosemary
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla/almond extract. Mix well. Add in the flour slowly and mix on low speed (if not mixing by hand) until dough starts to come together. Sprinkle in the rosemary and gently fold in.
Divide the dough into two rounds and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375. Unwrap the dough on a floured table or counter. Work with half the dough at a time. Keep the other half in the fridge to stay cool. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough. Cut out your people and animal shapes, as well as pumpkins, skulls, bats, or any other shapes you desire. Place the cookies onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Give them room to bake by placing them about ½ inch apart.
Bake the cookies 6-8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container if you do not use/eat them all.
Showing posts with label rosemary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rosemary. Show all posts
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Fruits of the Season - Figs
Figs are in season and the stores and weekly markets are full of them. If your only experience with figs is in Newton form, I recommend trying a fresh one. I personally like them better dried (and yes I do love Fig Newtons as well), but they are really beautiful, inside and out.
A fig isn’t an actual fruit; it is a hollow, bud-like object filled with immature flowers and mature seeds. Figs are associated with several deities, including Dionysius and Juno. The fig was sacred not only to the Greeks, but also to the Egyptians. Some Biblical scholars believe that Eve tempted Adam with a fig, not an apple, and that fig leaves were used as the first body coverings.
From Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen:
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Energies: Strength, money, sex
The following recipe comes from the Williams-Sonoma website and it sounds soooooo good. I am desperate to try it. The only problem is thyme. (We could say I can’t find the thyme, but that would be too corny of a joke, even for me. Hee.) I may have to try it without the herbs and see how it turns out. I can get wonderful, fragrant fresh dill, mint and parsley, but rosemary and thyme are very difficult to find. Oregano is almost always dried. I happen to have a Greek bush basil, however, and plan to make the most of it!
Fig Tart with Goat Cheese and Thyme
(Note: This recipe calls for a fire-ruled ingredient and a water-ruled ingredient, which is the thyme. If you do not wish to combine these two elements into one recipe, I recommend using rosemary. It is a fire-ruled herb and is used as an all-purpose substitution).
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into
1-inch pieces
1 to 2 Tbs. ice water
For the filling:
10 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 large black Mission figs, quartered lengthwise
Aged balsamic vinegar for serving
Honey for serving
Directions:
To make the pastry, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the flour and salt and beat on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the butter and continue beating until pea-size crumbs form, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the water 1/2 Tbs. at a time and continue beating, adding more water as needed, until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together to form a 5-inch disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness to fit a 9-inch square tart pan. Press the dough into the pan and trim the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang around the rim. Fold in the excess dough and press it into the sides so they are thicker than the bottom. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Line the pastry shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the shell is set, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and continue baking until the shell is golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
To make the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together the goat cheese, eggs, thyme, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture in the tart shell. Arrange the figs on top, covering as much of the cheese as possible.
Bake until the tart is golden around the edges and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and honey. Serves 9.
Source: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen, www.williams-sonoma.com
Are you drooling yet? I am!
A fig isn’t an actual fruit; it is a hollow, bud-like object filled with immature flowers and mature seeds. Figs are associated with several deities, including Dionysius and Juno. The fig was sacred not only to the Greeks, but also to the Egyptians. Some Biblical scholars believe that Eve tempted Adam with a fig, not an apple, and that fig leaves were used as the first body coverings.
From Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen:
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Energies: Strength, money, sex
The following recipe comes from the Williams-Sonoma website and it sounds soooooo good. I am desperate to try it. The only problem is thyme. (We could say I can’t find the thyme, but that would be too corny of a joke, even for me. Hee.) I may have to try it without the herbs and see how it turns out. I can get wonderful, fragrant fresh dill, mint and parsley, but rosemary and thyme are very difficult to find. Oregano is almost always dried. I happen to have a Greek bush basil, however, and plan to make the most of it!
Fig Tart with Goat Cheese and Thyme
(Note: This recipe calls for a fire-ruled ingredient and a water-ruled ingredient, which is the thyme. If you do not wish to combine these two elements into one recipe, I recommend using rosemary. It is a fire-ruled herb and is used as an all-purpose substitution).
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into
1-inch pieces
1 to 2 Tbs. ice water
For the filling:
10 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 large black Mission figs, quartered lengthwise
Aged balsamic vinegar for serving
Honey for serving
Directions:
To make the pastry, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the flour and salt and beat on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the butter and continue beating until pea-size crumbs form, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the water 1/2 Tbs. at a time and continue beating, adding more water as needed, until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together to form a 5-inch disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness to fit a 9-inch square tart pan. Press the dough into the pan and trim the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang around the rim. Fold in the excess dough and press it into the sides so they are thicker than the bottom. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Line the pastry shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the shell is set, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and continue baking until the shell is golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
To make the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together the goat cheese, eggs, thyme, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture in the tart shell. Arrange the figs on top, covering as much of the cheese as possible.
Bake until the tart is golden around the edges and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and honey. Serves 9.
Source: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen, www.williams-sonoma.com
Are you drooling yet? I am!
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