SO MUCH GOING ON.
Really, my head is spinning. I’m used to writing fiction. As long as you suspend disbelief, as long as I have no typos and the good guys win, we’re good. Right? Right.
Publishing a cookbook involves so much more. Facts matter. Science is a thing, and conversions from Imperial to Metric to Volume and back rule the day. So do oven temperatures, notes on “what to do if your flour’s gluten content is too high,” and so on. Fortunately, the cookbook is now in the capable hands of our graphic designer, so that’s one less thing to worry about while Scott and I focus on what we do best.
And baking – oh, so much baking. It’s like our big Holiday Crush (we’re ecumenical here, the Menorah burns just one room away from the Christmas tree), except the house smells like baking spices while the temperatures are still warm enough to take my inflatable paddle board on the lake.
In theory, we’ll be sending out a Cookbook Sampler download code along with a cookie tin to a few people, and we’ll be sending that plus a cookbook to a few food writers and reviewers. Thus the cookies.
Behold our first batch! These are springerle, and they are very pretty. The mold we’re using here was a gift I got for Scott from e-Bay two years ago. It’s hand-carved wood and dates back to the 1850’s. It requires cleaning with a dedicated toothbrush and a skewer, oiling, flouring, and then we can press the dough in and see what unmolds. Fortunately, the mold came with its own oval cookie cutter, just right for trimming the edges into a neat shape. The cleaning and proper preparation is critical – behold these two cookies. The top one was done with a well-used mold, the bottom one with a freshly cleaned and oiled one:
Scott chose the Speculaas (Dutch windmill cookie) spice mix. It’s a mellow, warming “cinnamon and friends” blend that’s both memorable, yet lacks the bite of gingerbread. Had he stayed with the traditional anise, lemon, or rose water, the cookies would’ve had an amazing white color and would look more like ornaments and less like an edible item! Just FYI, it looks lovely and makes great tree ornaments. Some people like to highlight the raised features with a bit of edible paint or a dash of gold. Just knowing that makes me feel good, because there’s nothing like knowing that some bakers go to even more extreme measures in the chase for the “perfect look,” and I can let go of nagging doubts about my own sense of priorities!
Keep posted on our progress. Gingerbread is next, then Lebkuchen, then Zimsterne. Baking against a deadline – yes, it’s an endurance sport. Who knew?
What are you baking now? Let us know either here, or on our FB page at https://www.facebook.com/heritagecookiesoftheoldandnewworld
Happy baking from both of us,
Kate