Newsgroup: it.hobby.cucina
Titolo: Christmas sweets from around the world

Avevo promesso che avrei postato un original "English Plum Pudding", e
mantengo la promessa, anzi mi sono allargato un po'.
Per non essere troppo provinciale (le lasagnette irpine di nanninella)
ho pensato bene di esplorare altri orizzonti, percio' ricette in
inglese ed in italiano, quelle in inglese sono  tratte da un
ricettario professionale in lingua inglese, mentre quelle in italiano
sono tratte dal solito  "Das grosse internationale konditoreibuch",
tradotto in italiano come "l'arte della pasticceria", pertanto fate
attenzione si tratta di ricette diverse anche se riguardano lo stesso
prodotto.
I dolci di "Christmas Sweets from around the world" sono:
English Plum Pudding (Inghilterra);
Basler Lekerli (Svizzera);
Buche de Noel (Francia);
Stollen (Germania);
Thorner Lebkuchen (Polonia).
English Plum Pudding
In England, it wouldn't be Christmas without plum pudding; the treat
that's filled with all sorts of good things just like the holidays
themselves. Spices, nuts, candied fruit peel and many more tempting
ingred-ients are put into this delightful dessert. In this happiest
season of the year, what could be a more festive finish to an
enjoyable dinner than English Plum Pudding!
ingredients:
3/4 cup dried currants;
1 cup seedless raisins;
1 cup white raisins;
3/8  cup finely chopped mixed candied fruit peel;
3/8 cup finely chopped candied cherries;
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds;
1 small tart apple, cored and coarsely chopped;
1/2 carrot, scraped and coarsely chopped;
1 tablespoon (finely chopped orange peel;
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel; 
1/4 pound beef suet, finely chopped;
1 cup flour;
2 cups fine, fresh white bread crumbs;
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice;
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
procedure:
Place the first eleven ingredients in a large bowl and stir them with
your hands until well mixed. Sift the flour with the allspice and salt
and add to the fruit mixture. Mix well. Then add the bread crumbs and
brown sugar and mix again. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until
fluffy. Add the brandy, orange juice and lemon juice. Stir well. Pour
this mixture over the fruit mixture and knead with your hands until
blended well. Cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for at least 12
hours.
Next, butter two 1-quart pudding molds, or several small individual
molds, and spoon in the pudding. Adjust the covers so they fit
tightly. Then butter the seams where the covers meet (he sides of the
molds, (The English use a bowl-shaped mold without a cover and tie a
floured cloth cover over the rim with a string). 
Put the covered molds on trivets placed in a large kettle. Pour in
boiling water till it covers 3/4 of the sides of the molds. Bring
water back to boiling point and cover the kettle. Then reduce heat and
simmer for 8 hours, adding water as needed to keep the level in the
kettle constant.
When the puddings are done, take them out of the water, remove the
covers and cool to room temperature. Replace the covers (or cover with
foil) and refrigerate for at least 3 weeks. (Plum puddings used to be
made a year in advance and kept in a cool place until Christmas)!
Before serving, place molds on trivets in a large kettle and pour in
boiling water as before. Cover the kettle, bring to a boil and simmer
for 2 hours. Then loosen the sides of the pudding from the molds with
a knife and invert pudding on a serving plate. Decorate the center of
each pudding with red and green cherries and sprigs of holly. Serve
with chilled brandy hard sauce or hot rum sauce.
Pudding Dl  Natale (Christmas Pudding {Plum Pudding})
500 g di grasso di rognoni di bue pulito e depurato, 500 g di uva
moscata privata del semi, 750 g di uvetta di Corinlo, 250 g di cedro
candito tritato fnemente, 250 g di arance candite tagliate in pezzetti
minuti, 500 g di zucchero bruno, 500 g di mollica di pane fresco
grattugiata, 150 g di farina, 5 uova intere, 15 g di sale, 50 g di
spezie miste, raschiatura e succo di 3 timoni e di 3 arance, latte,
birra scura, sherry, cognac o whisky, oppure l'uno e l'altro mescolati
assieme.
Mescolare accuratamenle tulti gli ingredient! indicati e lasciare che
il composlo cosi' ottenuto riposi per 48 ore in luogo fresco. Spalmare
di burro gli speciali recipienti per pudding (tazze di porcellana
bianca dai bordi piutlosto alti), e versarvi il cornposto sino a
livello del bordo. Coprire con un foglio di carta imburrato che si
saldera' con un panno di mussola o di lino, annodato tuti'intorno.
Cuocere il pudding, dope averlo imnmerso nell'acqua bollenfe, per 4-6
ore a seconda delle sue dimensioni. Servirlo sopra im vassoio rotondo,
spolveralo con zucchero abbondante. Bagnarlo con cognac o whisky caldi
e fiammeggiarlo. Servire contemporaneamenie al dolce una salsa
all'inglese, panna dolce o salsa alla vaniglia al rhum. Calcolare per
persona 125 g di pudding .
Basler Lekerli
Swiss Basler Lekerli, glazed cakes of candied fruit and nuts spiced
with just the right touch of cherry brandy, is truly a dessert as
delightful as Christmastime it-self. And it's a sweet you can make and
store in advance, so when the busy holi-days arrive you're ready with
an interesting surprise for your friends!
ingredients:
2+1/4  pounds of Lebkuchen Ground Dough {Recipe below);
2 ounces chopped white almonds;
2 ounces chopped candied citrus fruit;
2 ounces chopped candied orange rind
2 tablespoons cherry brandy;
3/4 ounce allspice;
1/8 ounce powdered ammonium carbonate (may be purchased at a drug
store);
a pinch of baking soda;
part of a whole egg.
procedure:
First dilute the powdered ammonium car-bonate and baking soda with
part of the whole egg, using as little as possible. When the powder is
diluted to a smooth, but not runny consistency, add to the Lebkuchen
Ground Dough and mix well. Then, add the allspice, almonds, fruit,
brandy and blend well. Roll out the dough to finger thickness and
place on a baking sheet. Bake in a moderate oven labout 350°) for
approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in refrigerator overnight and
the following day glaze with powdered sugar lemon icing. (Recipe
below.) Cut in rectangles and store in tightly covered container.
Powdered Sugar Lemon Icing 
Mix powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice into the consistency of
mashed potatoes. Heat to 90° on a candy thermometer and then spread
over cooled Basler Lekerli.
Leckerli di  Basilea  (Basler Leckerli)
750 g di miele, 300 g di zucchero, 900 g di farina, 180 g di arance e
cedro canditi, 15 g di spezie per dolce al miele, 15 g di ammoniaca
sciolta nell'acqua, raschiatura di due limoni, 5 cl di kirsch, 7 cl di
latte.
Riscaldare II miele con lo zucchero e unirvi tutti gli altri
ingredienli, lavorando accuratamente il composto. Stenderlo quindi,
quando e ancora caldo, a uno spessore di 7 mm, disporlo sopra la
placca da forno e cuocerlo a 215 °C. Spalmarlo con alcuni strati di
ghiaccia all'acqua e lasciarlo riposare in luogo fresco uno o due
giorni prima di trinciarlo. Dividerlo quindi in sezioni, quadrate o
rettangolari.
Buche de Noel
Buche de Noel or French Yule Log is a melt-in-your-mouth sponge cake
richly filled and frosted. This lavish dessert, a tradition with the
French at Christmas, is as delicious to look at as it is to eat!
ingredients:
6 eggs, separated;
1/4  teaspoon salt;
1/2 cup sugar;
1 teaspoon vanilla;
1/2 cup flour;
1 recipe Continental Butter Cream (recipe below);
1 recipe Creme Chantilly (recipe below);
Beat the eggs whites with the salt until spoons of sugar, one at a
time and con-tinue beating until meringue is very stiff. In a separate
bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and vanilla until
fluffy. Gently fold about 1/4 of the meringue into the egg yolk
mixture. Then pour back into the bowl of meringue. Sprinkle with 2
tablespoons of the flour and fold. Repeat this until all the flour is
blended. Be careful not to overmix!
Finally, pour into buttered 11" x 16" jelly roll pan that has already
been lined with buttered wax paper. Bake 10 to 12 min- utes in a 400°
oven until golden.
procedure:
Sprinkle a tea towel with 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar. As soon as the
sponge sheet has finished baking, take it out of the oven and invert
it on the towel so the wax paper is on top. Do not remove wax paper.
Roll the cake tightly in the towel to a 16" long cylinder. Cool
carefully, unroll and peel off the wax paper. Trim off the crusty
edges and spread the cake with a thin layer of Continental Butter
Cream (chocolate-flavored), then with a thick layer of Creme
Chantilly. Reserve the rest of the butter cream. Then reroll the cake
and refrigerate for half an hour.
After refrigerating, cut a small piece off each end of the cake,
diagonally, and place on either side of the "log" with the diag-onals
against the cake. Put the rest of the chocolate butter cream into a
pastry bag fitted with a star tube, and pipe long lines over the "log"
to re-semble bark. Then pipe the white butter over the "log's" cut
ends. Trim with green icing leaves and red icing berries. Refrig-erate
until serving time.
Continental Butter Cream
1/3 cup water;
2/3 cup sugar;
1/8  teaspoon cream of tartar;
5 egg yolks;
1 cup soft butter;
5 ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate;
4 tablespoons extra-strong coffee;
3 tablespoons cognac;
Mix sugar, water and cream of tartar in a saucepan. Stir over low heat
until sugar is completely dissolved. Raise heat and boil without
stirring until syrup tests 238°.
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a bowl until fluffy. Then pour the
hot syrup in a thin stream into the egg yolks, beating constantly. Set
aside till completely cooled and then beat in the softened butter,
little at a time.
Now set aside a small amount of white butter cream, and then beat the
melted semi-sweet chocolate, coffee and cognac into the remaining
butter cream.
Creme Chantilly
2 tablespoons sugar;
1/2  teaspoon vanilla;
1 cup heavy cream;
1 teaspoon gelatin.
Add the gelatin to 2 tablespoons cold water in a metal or pyrex cup.
Set in a pan of boiling water and heat until gelatin dissolves and
appears clear. Do not stir! Beat this mixture into the heavy cream
just as the cream begins to thicken. Then add the  sugar and vanilla
to the whipped cream and chill.
Tronco di Natale (Buche de Noel)
75 g di zucchero velo, 75 g di farina, 25 g di burro, 80 g di tuorlo
d'uovo, 75 g di albume, 275 g di crema al burro al caffè, 275 g di
crema al burro al cioccolato, pistacchi.
Frullare il tuorlo d'uovo con lo zucchero, incorporarvi l'albume
montato a neve, la farina e, da ultimo, il burro fuso ancora tiepido.
Spalmare il composto sopra una placca ricoperta da un foglio di carta
imburrato e infarinato e cuocerlo in forno a calore sostenuto. Quando
e cotto, sformarlo, staccarlo dal foglio di carta e lasciare che si
raffreddi. Ciò fatto, spalmarlo con crema al burro, arrotolarlo e
porto in luogo fresco. Attendere che la crema si consolidi, quindi
incidere con un taglio obliquo le estremità del rotolo. Trasferire la
crema al burro al cioccolato entro una tasca da pasticceria e
spremerla sulla superficie del dolce, formando tante linee
longitudinali disposte l'una accanto all'altra, onde simulare la
scorza rugosa di un albero. Fissare quindi sul tronco 2 o 3 pezzi di
pasta per biscotto, opportunamente sagomata, cosi da imitare i rami
più piccoli segati alla base. Decorare le due estremità del tronco con
crema al burro; spargere qua e là sulla superficie del dolce un po' dì
pistacchi tritati e dello zucchero in polvere, che simuleranno il
muschio e la neve, e disporre, se si desidera, il dolce così
appron-tato sopra un supporto di pasta frolla.
Stollen
German Stollen, or Christmas cake, is a jelly-roll shaped sweetbread
with bits of candied fruit, sliced almonds and rum-soaked raisins
scattered throughout its rich buttery dough. Delicious anytime of the
day, so you can serve it with afternoon tea, after dinner or with
coffee late in the evening. And, like fruitcake, its taste im-proves
with age and can therefore be made well in advance of the holidays.
ingredients:
1+1/2 cups golden raisins;
1/2 cup mixed candied fruit;
1/2 cup preserved orange peel;
2 tablespoons rum or brandy;
1/2 cup sliced almonds;
1 cup milk;
2 sticks butter, cut up;
1/3 cup sugar;
1/2  cup flour;
2 packages dry yeast;
grated rind of 1 lemon;
1 teaspoon vanilla extract;
1/2 teaspoon almond extract;
1/2 teaspoon orange extract;
1/2 teaspoon salt 4 1/2 cups flour;
procedure:
Mix raisins, candied fruit, orange peel and rum (or brandy) in a bowl.
Cover and let stand overnight, or at least for one hour. Then scald
rnilk and put in large mixing bowl. Add the butter and the sugar. Stir
until the butter is melted. Mixture will be lukewarm. Next, mix the
1/2 cup flour with the dry yeast and add to the lukewarm mixture. Set
in warm place until mixture becomes bubbly.
Then add the vanilla, almond and orange flavorings along with the
lemon rind and remaining 4 1/2 cups flour to the bubbly mixture. Cover
and put in a warm place until mixture has doubled in bulk, (at least
one hour or more.) After the mixture has doubled, knead in the almonds
and liqueured fruit. Form 2 rolls about 8" long and 3" in diameter.
Place on a buttered baking sheet in a warm place and let double in
size. Then bake at 375° for about 40 to 45 minutes.
How to coat the stollen: Have a pan of boiling butter (one stick or
more) ready and a pan of melted apricot jam (1/2 cup jam and 1
tablespoon water.) When the Stollen comes out of the oven, pick off
any burnt raisins and with a fork poke holes all over the cakes. Paint
the cakes with melted butter first, then paint with melted apricot
jam. Roll the cakes in granulated sugar and set on racks to cool. When
cool, dust heavily with powdered sugar and wrap in plastic. Store the
fin-ished cakes in tightly covered containers or in the refrigerator.
Stollen di Dresda (Dresdner Stollen)
650 g di farina, 200 g di burro, 150 g di zucchero, 100 g di uovo
intere, 60 g di tuorlo d'uovo, 15 g di sale, 50 g di lievito, I 1/2
di latte, 75 g di uvetta di Corinto, 75 g di uva passa, 50 g di cedro
condilo tagliato finemente, 50 g di arance candite tagliate sottili,
raschiatura di un limone, 1 presa di noce moscata grattugiata, 1 presa
di macis, 1 presa di chiodi di garofano, burro fuso, zucchero
vanigliato e, a piacere, 50 g di mandorle amare e 150 g di mandorle
dolci. 
Tempo di coltura: 40-60 minuti. Temperatura del forno: 215-220  °C.
Confezionare un secondo lievito con 150 g di farina, il lievito e 2/3
del latte e lasciarlo lievitare per 20 minuti. Montare il burro
assieme allo zucchero, alle uova intere, al tuorlo d'uovo, alla
raschiatura di limone, agli aromi e al sale. Al composto cosi'
ottenuto aggiungere ii secondo lievito, il resto della farina e del
latte e lavorare il tutto sino a ottenere un impasto di una certa
consistenza. Incorporare quindi leggermente la frutta, senza lavorare
ulteriormente la pasta. Lasciare lievitare l'imppasto per 20 minuti,
lavorarlo leggermente e rimetterlo a lievitare per altri 20 minuti.
Ciò fatto, formarne due pani oblunghi, lasciarli riposare per 10
minuti e cuocerli quindi in forno, avendo cura che ci sia del vapore.
Non disponendo dello speciale generatore di vapore, versare un po'
d'acqua nel forno. A cottura avvenuta, spalmare i pani con il burro
fuso e velarli con lo zucchero vanigliato.
Thorner Lebkuchen
Polish Thorner Lebkuchen are spicy fruit-filled cookie shapes all
deliciously decorated to entice your holiday guests. These festive
Christmas sweets have a habit of disappearing quickly, so make enough
of them to last through all the season's happy get-togethers.
ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds Lebkuchen Ground Dough (Recipe below);
1/2 ounce candied citrus fruit;
1/2 ounce candied orange rind;
1 teaspoon allspice;
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon;
1+1/3 ounces ground white almonds;
1/4 ounce powdered ammonium carbonate (may be purchased at a drug
store);
a pinch of baking soda;
part of a whole egg
procedure:
First dilute the ammonium carbonate with part of a whole egg using as
little as possi-ble. When the powder is diluted to a smooth, but not
runny consistency, add to the Lebkuchen Ground Dough and mix well.
Then put candied citrus and orange rind through a meat grinder and add
to the Lebkuchen Ground Dough, along with al-monds, spices and baking
soda. Blend and roll out into a smooth dough that can be cut into
desired shapes-hearts, stars, circles. If you wish, you may roll the
dough out into one sheet pan and decorate with whole almonds and
candied fruit. Bake in a moderate oven (about 350°) for approximately
20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in refrigerator overnight and the following
day frost or decorate with nuts, chocolate or color sprinkles. Store
in a tightly cov-ered container.
Lebkuchen Ground Dough
1 pound flour;
7 ounces honey;
1 1/2 ounces light corn syrup
2 ounces brown sugar;
5 ounces water;
Heat honey, sugar and syrup well, but do not boil. Let cool, then add
flour to make
dough mixture.
Cover dough with wax paper and let rest in a cool place for at least a
full week. Then
it's ready to use.
It's a good idea to make up several batches of this dough before the
holidays.
Panforte Elisa (Elisen-Lebkuchen)
10 kg e 500 g di zucchero, 7,5 kg di mandorle brune, 1,5 kg di arance
candite, 1,5 kg di cedro candito, 5 l di albume, 2,5 kg di farina, 200
g di ammonio, 240 g di aromi per pan di spezie.
Lavorare lo zucchero, le mandorle e la frutta con un po' di albume.
Unirvi l'albume rimanente con la farina e le spezie e spalmare il
composto su una serie di ostie rotonde di 16 g ciascuna. Lasciare che
si asciughino per un giorno intero e cuocerle quindi a 200 °C. Prima
di metterle in forno se ne può decorare una parte con il cedro candito
e con mandorle dimezzate. A cottura avvenuta, lasciare che si
raffreddino e lucidarne quindi due terzi con la ghiaccia al  "filo"
(zucchero cotto a 106 °C) e una parte con copertura scura, lasciando
il resto senza ghiaccia.
Nota: Credo che questo sia la ricetta che piu' si avvicini al Thorner
Lebkuchen, manca la cannella e le mandorle non sono quelle pelate, con
queste sostituzioni  ci si potra' avvicinare al dolce originale.
ciao
ciccioformaggio

prodotto.
ciccio posso sistemarle nella rubrica di cucina etnica??
assie
angie
http://guide.supereva.it/mangiar_bene/
http://guide.supereva.it/cucina_etnica/index.shtml
http://guide.supereva.it/campania_i/
http://guide.supereva.it/uomini/
icq - 2326941
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* "e` inutile versare ruhm...     *
* nu strunz nun addiventa babba'" *
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 mantengo la promessa, anzi mi sono allargato un po'.
salvato :-) grazie!
-- 
ciao, Bruna
ICQ 48577068
chi ha buon senso ne usi

ciccio posso sistemarle nella rubrica di cucina etnica??
Certamente, pero' starebbero meglio in una sezione di cucina
tradizionale da ricorrenze (natale, carnevale, pasqua, etc.).
ciao
ciccioformaggio

tradizionale da ricorrenze (natale, carnevale, pasqua, etc.).
fatta
una cartella che si chiama Natale nel mondo
grazie di tutto
