Gingerbread

Gingerbread

Gingerbread

A classic holiday cake that just tastes like Christmas

Makes

9 servings

Active time:

20 minutes

Total Time:

1 hour

Good For:

Dessert, Breakfast

Inroduction

About this Recipe

I’ll admit it–as a kid, I had no idea there was such a thing as gingerbread that was a cake instead of a cookie you could shape into men or build a house with. But the first time my mom made it, I was in love! A moist, dense cake with that same familiar flavor, this is reminiscent of coffee cake…and so can totally be breakfast as well as dessert. Right? Right??

And though I will always love gingerbread cookies, this has another something going for it–it comes together super fast! Perfect for your holiday table or the next gathering of family and friends!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup unsulphured molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup boiling water
  1. Preheat your oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 9×9 pan or line with parchment paper
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  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and stir until combined. Add egg and vanilla and stir again until combined.
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  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices.
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  4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing well.
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  5. Slowly pour in boiling water, mixing until ingredients are combined and smooth.
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  6. Pour batter in to pan and bake in the center of your oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. You may want to turn the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
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  7. Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

From the Books

In Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor, Lady Mariah is known to indulge in a hearty slice of gingerbread for breakfast before dashing off to the village to plan her Christmas surprise, and she and Cyril enjoy it together in Christmas Wood when they’re planning said surprise as well!

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Sugar Plums

Sugar Plums

Sugar Plums

One of the most classic holiday treats, so beloved that “sugarplum” came to be used as a term for ANY candy.

Makes

Around 4 dozen

Active time:

1 hour

Total Time:

13 hours

Good For:

Dessert, Snack

Inroduction

About this Recipe

We all know phrases like “visions of sugarplums danced in their heads”…but how many of us have ever actually had a sugar plum these days?

Traditional sugar plums are simply sugared prunes, repeatedly baked until they’re a dense, chewy, sugary treat–and they are delicious! So delicious that they were an incredibly common, well-loved holiday candy that became so ubiquitous that “sugarplum” came to be used for any candy or confection, especially around Christmas.

This recipe, however, is all about the original. Dense, chewy, sugary dried plums that are sure to make a few visions of deliciousness dance in your head too!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1 16 oz tub of prunes (dried plums)
  • Around 1 pound sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 175º or its lowest setting.
2. Soak the prunes in hot water for 5 minutes to soften them, then drain them.
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. In a low bowl (like a cereal or soup bowl), pour some of the sugar.
5. Using one hand, pick up a prune and drop it into the sugar, rolling it around to coat evenly. Using your other hand, pick up the sugared prune and put it on the baking sheet. Repeat with all the prunes.
6. Bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.
7. Re-roll the plums in sugar as in step 5.
8. Bake again, then re-roll in sugar, refilling your bowl as necessary.
9. Repeat for a total of 4-5 bakes, depending on how chew you like your sugar plums and how dry they were to begin with. At any point in the baking, if you run out of time, you can pause and leave them sit out at room temperature overnight, then continue the process the next day. After the final bake, the sugar should be crisp and the plums chewy. Feel free to bake more or less to taste.
10. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.

From the Books

Sugar plums are a favorite treat in Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor–so very dear to our heroine that at Christmas time, when they make the treats, she renames the entire estate to reflect them, and Plumford Manor becomes Sugar Plum Manor. =)

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Plum Kringle Classic Dough

Plum Kringle Classic Dough

Plum Kringle Quick Dough

A classic Danish holiday recipe gets a plum twist with its traditional, tender, flaky yeast dough

Makes

2 pastries, 8 servings each

Active time:

1 hour, 20 minutes

Total Time:

9 hours, 20 minutes

Good For:

Dessert, Breakfast

Inroduction

About this Recipe

Kringle is a traditional Danish pastry popular around the holidays…or anytime. Because once you get a mouthful of flaky pastry crust and an ooey-gooey fruit filling, you’re going to want more!

This traditiona Kringle dough has a lot of chilling time between steps so takes quite a while overall…but not all that much active time. If you’re doing a side-by-side taste comparison between this as the quick dough I also provide a recipe for (here), this traditional dough wins every time! (Though if you’re doing a side-by-side, you won’t find anything lacking in the quicker version).

Traditional Kringle is filled with tart cherry jam and almond paste, which you are welcome to use! You could substitute any favorite fruit jam or preserves as well. But in honor of the plum orchards at Plumford (aka Sugar Plum) Manor, I decided to create a plum version that’s featured in Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor and is sooooo tasty! Plum preserves can be difficult to find, fair warning. I had to order Bonne Maman’s from Amazon.

Ingredients

Instructions

For the Kringle

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg white for the wash
  • 1 cup plum preserves

 

For the Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and mix. Add the butter and cut together, either with a pastry cutter, two knives, or a few pulses in a food processor. You want the butter to be reduced to pea-sized pieces.
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  2. Whisk the whole egg and milk together. Add to the dry mixture and gently fold until it comes together in a dough. (If the dough is too crumbly, add a few drops of water at a time, just until it holds together when pinched.) Shape into a flattened disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 6–48 hours.
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  3. On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 9×15 inches (you can mark it out on the underside of a piece of parchment paper and roll directly onto it for ease of measurement). Take the short ends of the dough and fold it into thirds, creating a 9×5 rectangle. Turn it 90 degrees and repeat the process. Wrap again and chill for another 30 minutes.
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  4. Repeat the step above. At this point you can either make and bake the Kringle, refrigerate it for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to a year (wrapped in plastic wrap and store in a zipper freezer bag).
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  5. When ready to assemble, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and roll each portion into a 5×20 rectangle. Spread a thin line of preserves down the middle of each, leaving 2 inches on either side and a half inch at the ends.
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  6. Fold one long side of dough over the jam. Use the egg white to brush over the unfolded portion and ends. Fold that over as well, pinching and smoothing the dough closed all along the side and on the ends. Form each length of dough into a circle, pinching the ends to unite. Flip them so that the seam is downward onto the parchment lined baking sheets. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
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  7. Preheat the oven to 375˚. Once the oven is hot and the dough has puffed, brush the egg wash over the top and sides of the Kringles and then bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
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  8. Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Drizzle over the warm pastry. Remove pastry to a wire rack to cool.
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  9. Best enjoyed within a day of baking, though it will keep at room-temperature for 3–4 days.

From the Books

Plum Kringle plays a rather pivotal role in Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor, when our Danish antagonist commissions this regional spin on one of his favorite holiday treats from a local baker in Castleton.

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Plum Kringle Quick Dough

Plum Kringle Quick Dough

Plum Kringle Quick Dough

A classic Danish holiday recipe gets a plum twist…and an American quick-dough for an easy breakfast or dessert!

Makes

2 pastries, 8 servings each

Active time:

1 hour

Total Time:

3 hours

Good For:

Dessert, Breakfast

Inroduction

About this Recipe

Kringle is a traditional Danish pastry popular around the holidays…or anytime. Because once you get a mouthful of flaky pastry crust and an ooey-gooey fruit filling, you’re going to want more!

Traditional Kringle is made with a yeast dough that isn’t hard but is definitely time-consuming. This sour cream-based dough is yummy but also quick to come together!

Traditional Kringle is filled with tart cherry jam and almond paste, which you are welcome to use! You could substitute any favorite fruit jam or preserves as well. But in honor of the plum orchards at Plumford (aka Sugar Plum) Manor, I decided to create a plum version that’s featured in Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor and is sooooo tasty! Plum preserves can be difficult to find, fair warning. I had to order Bonne Maman’s from Amazon.

For the traditional yeast-dough recipe, you can click here or look in the back of the book!

Ingredients

Instructions

For the Kringle

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks butter, chilled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup plum preserves

 

For the Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Using a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and the vanilla.
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  2. In a large bowl, cut together the flour and the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives (or, alternately, pulse a few times in a food processor). You want the mixture to be pea-sized pieces. Stir in the sour cream mixture and mix to form a dough. Divide in half and shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. At this point you could also freeze the dough (if wrapped in plastic and stored in a zipper freezer bag, dough will stay fresh in the freezer for a year).
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  3. Preheat the oven to 450º. Whisk the egg in a small bowl or cup.
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  4. Cut a piece of parchment paper at least 12 inches long (a little longer for overhang) and on the reverse side, draw out two 12×6 rectangles. Flip the parchment over and, using that as your guide, roll each disk of dough into the 12×6 rectangles.
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  5. Spread the preserves in a thin line down the center of each rectangle, leaving 2 inches on each end. Using the parchment to help you lift, fold each long side of the dough over the preserves. Fold the ends, pressing to seal. Brush each Kringle with egg wash.
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  6. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. As it’s baking, whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over the Kringles as soon as you take them out of the oven. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy! (Best within a day of baking but can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature.)

From the Books

Plum Kringle plays a rather pivotal role in Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor, when our Danish antagonist commissions this regional spin on one of his favorite holiday treats from a local baker in Castleton.

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Fruit Tart

Fruit Tart

Fruit Tart

This classic fruit tart recipe eliminates the most time-consuming aspect by using a boxed pudding mix. Delicious and easy!

Makes

8-12 servings

Active time:

30 minutes

Total Time:

90 minutes

Good For:

Dessert

Inroduction

About this Recipe

Perfect, buttery-sweet pastry crust…creamy filling…fresh fruit bursting with flavor. What could be better on a bright summer’s day? Best of all, this fruit tart recipe is EASY! (Because, yeah, I cheated. And I’m not apologizing for it.)

As I was hunting for classic fruit tart recipes, I quickly decided that the time-consuming custard filling was the part making me not want to actually tackle the recipe. Then I thought, “Why get hung up on that? Just use a boxed pudding mix, silly!” And so I did. 😉

I chose a cheesecake flavored pudding (great choice, but vanilla would work too!), and it was sugar free, because that’s what my supermarket had in stock. As it happened, I also had sugar-free apricot jam on hand when I randomly decided to make this on a Monday evening over the summer…so I thought, why not embrace the no-sugar-added thing and use All Purpose In the Raw for the crust too? It turned out PERFECTLY, and I didn’t spill the beans on the sugar-free bit until AFTER the four adults, 1 teen, and 5 children had already devoured their initial servings and fought over the the last pieces. 😉

Making this in the summer meant I had some really delicious fresh berries on hand–I chose strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and some fruit-cup mandarins that I had stashed too. I’ve made it before with kiwi slices, which I love, and mango slices would work as well. The key to fruit selection is making sure they’re things that won’t juice too much or turn too brown, which rules out apples, bananas, pears, peaches, or sliced full-size oranges.

This recipe takes a bit of planning ahead, but most of the time is just chill time. Active time is really only about 30 minutes total. Plus, you get the joy of something truly beautiful and artistic with those berry arrangements! I promise you, this dessert LOOKS incredibly impressive and will get some oohs and ahhs from whomever you share it with, but it’s easy-peasy to put together.

Ingredients

Instructions

For the Crust

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sugar or substitute
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Nonstick cooking spray and/with flour for the pan

 

Filling

  • 1 box vanilla or cheesecake instant pudding
  • 2 cups milk
  • ~4 cups fresh fruit (berries, kiwi, mandarin pieces, mango) assorted
  • ¼ cup apricot jam
  1. Using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar or sweetener and salt until pale and creamy. This should take about 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and then add the flower, mixing until it’s fully incorporated. It ought to resemble course sand. Add the egg yolk and mix again. Knead the dough into a ball with your hand. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 5 days.
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  2. Spray a tart pan with a removable bottom (anything from 9-11 inches in diameter will work for this recipe) with nonstick cooking spray; either use the kind that has flour in it already, or else flour the pan after you’ve sprayed.
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  3. Press the crust dough, bit by bit, into the pan in a thin layer, making certain it gets in all the fluted edges and covers the whole bottom. There will be enough, promise! Use a knife to trim any excess from the top edge and work it into the bottom. Freeze for another 30 minutes.
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  4. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350˚. Bake the crust for 23-26 minutes, until lightly browned and golden. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
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  5. While the crust is cooling, mix up your pudding with the milk according to package directions, making sure you get all lumps out. Chill while the crust cools.
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  6. Once the crust is COMPLETELY cool, spread the chilled pudding over the shell. Top with sliced strawberries, (unsliced) blackberries and/or raspberries, blueberries, mandarin orange slices, sliced kiwi, sliced mango, or other fruits that won’t juice too much or brown too quickly.
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  7. Melt the apricot jam in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it’s loose enough to spread. Use a pastry brush to brush it over the fruit, giving it a nice gloss.
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  8. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Slice like a pie into 8-12 servings and enjoy!

From the Books

Fruit tart plays a rather crucial role in A Beautiful Disguise when Lady Marigold’s “stunt double” makes the misstep of eating some when the lady herself never would have. For shame, Gemma! 😉

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Hollandaise Sauce in a Blender

Hollandaise Sauce in a Blender

Hollandaise Sauce in a Blender!

Hollandaise was once the most temperamental of sauces…but that was before blenders made it quick, easy, AND delicious!

Makes

8-12 servings

Prep time:

5 minutes

Total Time:

10 minutes

Good For:

Dinner, Breakfast, Side

Inroduction

About this Recipe

I’ll be honest. I hadn’t had Hollandaise sauce until a couple years ago…when I was inspired by my own writing to try it out, LOL. In The Lost Heiress, Brook is facing down a moody chef at Whitby Park, and he chides her for interrupting him when he’s making Hollandaise, the most temperamental of sauces. Which I chose by looking up “most temperamental dishes” or something like that. Back in the day, one whisked this sauce by hand, and you literally couldn’t stop or it would separate.

Well, thank heavens for blenders! Seriously. You can now make this “most temperamental of sauces” in half a blink, just by tossing it into a blender instead of using a whisk. Woot!

The recipe I first tried called for a tablespoon of lemon juice, and I found that to be WAY to sour for my family’s taste. I dialed it back to a teaspoon, and my husband said, “Yeah, little more than that, please.” So my instructions say to start with 2 teaspoons, but add more to taste. (I liked it with only 1 teaspoon, LOL.)

It’s also very important to note that the temperamental soul of the sauce is still there. You MUST drizzle–don’t pour all at once!–that melted butter into the egg base WHILE the blender is running! If you don’t, you’ll end up with a mess. (Ask me how I know.)

Serve over eggs benedict, aspargus, chicken, pork, or anything else that needs a jolt of salty, rich deliciousness! This recipe makes A LOT, so you’ll have plenty to try on a variety of things. 😉

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 10 tablespoons salted butter
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons – 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Dash of cayenne
  1. Melt the butter in a spouted measuring cup.
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  2. Put egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender. If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to it. Blend on medium high speed until the egg yolks lighten, about 30 seconds.
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  3. Turn blender to lowest setting. While running, slowly dribble in the butter. After butter is added, taste for salt and lemon juice, adding more of either if needed.
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  4. Transfer to a container you can pour it from and keep it warm (not hot) until you’re ready to use.

From the Books

Hollandaise Sauce is specifically mentioned in The Lost Heiress, when the Brook interrupts the chef while he’s making it and he’s none too happy about it.

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