MALIBU WAY OF LIFE / By Jody Stump
This is such a strange and wondrous time of year. As the days grow ever shorter and people turn from the harsh light of super sunshine into the warmer glow of fires and lamplight, I think something sentimental happens inside each of us, whatever our religion or personal traditions. It is a time for going within with the lengthening of the night, and the celebration of lights and hot libations is as old as cold weather.
In our home, the solstice portends Christmas. I know that for some people, Christmas is a hollow holiday, filled only with the ka-ching of cash registers and clamoring gimmes from kids fed too rich a diet of commercial TV. For others, it is a period of familial angst just knowing that someone-possibly you-will be disappointed by expectations dashed at the last moment by loved ones missing, crabby or late. In my home, my sister was a box-counter and my father a heel-dragging shopper, so Christmas Day might be dampened by tears. Still, the lead-up was pure joy, from the day after Thanksgiving when we chose our balsam wreath and hung it with bright red ribbon until January seventh when the ornaments were packed away for another year and the tree chopped into firewood.
Many of my happiest memories were made in the kitchen. There, the distinct fragrance that is Christmas gets its start in a potent blend of sharp spices, citrus and pine. Right after Thanksgiving, all the cousins gathered for a kids’ project with a big bowl of fruit, mounds of cloves and a vivid bunch of ribbons and lace. Pomanders are fun to make, smell delicious, look pretty on the tree and keep the moths out of your closet all the rest of the year. Who could fail to admire such a worthy venture, and it only takes an hour or two to make enough balls to fill the house with the scent of Christmas for weeks to come.
More than once, we worked over the broad kitchen table dressing batches of gingerbread people to hang on the tree. This was a hazardous project that was annually dependent upon the size and age of our dogs that year. Rich cookies on lower branches are temptations too irresistible for the tree to stay upright after a hungry hound grabs an illicit bite. Still, the house smelled wonderful with ginger creatures baking in the oven.
Mulled wine and chocolate truffles. Evergreens and dried herbs for potpourri. All the scents of the winter kitchen combine in an intense assault on the senses that insists the holiday is near. May yours be fun-filled, merry and bright-and may all your wishes come true.
Pecan Puffs
Adapted from “The Joy of Cooking”
Makes about 40 1″ balls
This sweetly tender variation on a powdered sugar ball comes from the American South. At a glance, you might recognize the basic cookie as a Mexican wedding cookie. It also bears a striking resemblance to Greek kourambiedes and many eager eaters assume it is a German pfefferneuse that tastes of spice. Once in the mouth, there is no mistaking the rich simplicity of this crumbly cookie made with little more than butter, nuts and sugar. They are completely addictive and, in my home, they are the first clue that Christmas is coming. They are so easy to make we start baking almost as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey turns to tetrazinni and serve them still warm with hot mulled wine and cider. Happy holidays!
1 cup pecans
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sifted cake flour
powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Process the pecans until crumbly. Do NOT over-grind.
3. Beat butter with sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in the flour and nuts to make a light dough. Chill for 15 minutes to an hour.
4. Either grease a baking sheet or use a Silpat sheet. Roll the dough into small balls and set 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake about 30 minutes.
5. While still hot, roll in powdered sugar. The sugar will stick and turn slightly yellow. Set on a rack. When cool, dust again with fresh powdered sugar.