Christmas Market at Home: Sugar Roasted Nuts l Weihnachtsmarkt Zuhause: Gebrannte Nussmischung

At present, there are no Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) that we can visit during Advent season. I must admit that I miss walking past the wooden stalls and inhaling the many familiar smells of Christmas season. But there is no need to despair this year, as there is always the possibilty to make some of those much beloved Christmas market treats at home. 

Usually, there are quite a few treats to chose from. There is the ever present fried sausage (Bratwurst) in a roll with mustard, waffles, cotton candy, candied apples, mulled wine (Glühwein), potato fritters (Reibekuchen) with apple sauce or smoked salmon, and thick slices of Christmas Stollen with a generous layer of powdered sugar that will inevitably fly off and cover your dark winter coat with lots of white specks while you indulge. But one of our favorite treats are the Gebrannten Mandeln (literally translated as 'Burnt Sugar Almonds'). They are usually sold in colorful paper cones.

With as few as six ingredients, water, sugar, vanilla sugar, spices, salt, and nuts, most recipes out there for Christmas-market-style Sugar Roasted Almonds have only minor variations. Some cooks add only cinnamon, some even a bit of pepper, but I prefer a rather generous amount of Speculoos Spices and vanilla. For the Speculoos Spices, I sometimes make my own mix, other times, I add a trusted Speculoos Spice Mix  – both options will result in delightful caramelized nuts. If you need a recipe for making your own spice mix, take a look HERE. 

And btw Speculaas is the word the Dutch use, while Speculoos is the Flemish word - they both mean the same, though. And a classic Speculoos aka Speculaas Spice Mix will contain most of or all of the following warm spices: cinnamon, cloves, mace, ginger, white pepper, cardamom, coriander, anise, and nutmeg.

In previous years, I mostly used almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln) but this year I prefer a mix of almonds, hazelnuts and a handful of pumpkin seeds (Kürbiskerne). As far as the nuts are concerned, I should add that while it’s obviously okay to use regular nuts and seeds, I find that it makes a difference if you use organic produce – not only is the flavor superior but, of course, it’s better for all of us. But no matter what the origin of your ingredients, make sure they are fresh and their flavor is not off – nuts do tend to go rancid rather quickly. Storing them in a cool place and buying smaller quantities is therefore always a good idea. No need to take the skins off the nuts by the way.

As far as the flavoring is concerned, I should add that although this Christmas season it’s all about my Speculoos Spice Mix (Spekulatius Gewürz Mischung), you could also use a Pumpkin or Apple Pie Spice Mix, or Gingerbread Spice Mix (Lebkuchen Gewürz Mischung). The added salt is up to you – I like to add a pinch of salt to the caramel while cooking but it’s also very nice to sprinkle your favorite coarse sea salt on the still warm nuts once they have finished cooking, that way you can enjoy a mix of sweet and salty caramelized nuts. 

The trickiest part of the process is deciding when to remove the nuts from the pan. Ideally it’s a balance between the initial powdery white coating and the eventual crunchy hard caramel. You will probably have to try it a few times to get it perfect. 

Sugar Roasted Nuts  l Gebrannte  Nussmischung

Ingredients

• 125ml water
• 200g sugar
• 16g pure vanilla sugar (Bourbon Vanille Zucker)
• 1 tbsp Speculoos Spice Mix (Spekulatiusgewürz) ready made or homemade OR use 1 tbsp of your Gingerbread, Apple Pie or Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix
• generous pinch of sea salt
• 200g mixed nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, macademia nuts or pecans OR a mix thereof - I also like to add a few seeds such as pumkin seeds or some sunflower seeds (for a total of 200g)
• a sprinkling of coarse sea salt (entirely optional) to sprinkle on the Sugar Roasted Nuts while they are still warm

Preparation

1. Put the water, sugar, vanilla sugar in a medium pot. Without stirring, place over medium high heat and let the sugars dissolve. 
2. As soon as the mixture is clear and bubbling, stir in the nuts, then the Speculoos Spice Mix (or other spices you are using) and salt - this is best done using a wooden spoon.
3. Keep stirring, the clear sugar will first coat the nuts. As you keep stirring, the sugar will turn white and powdery. Keep stirring.
4. The sugar will then start to caramelize a little and again coat the nuts. Continue stirring as you want the caramel to be between golden and amber colored. This stage takes a little practice - if you feel like your pan is getting too hot, just take it off the heat.
5. Once the nuts are well coated with mostly shiny caramel, pour them out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and use two forks or spoons to separate them. Be careful, they will still be very hot. You don’t have to separate each individual nut, but just make sure there are no big clumps.
6. Leave them on the baking sheet and let them cool before you serve them - once they have cooled completely, you can store them in a cookie tin, glass jar or pack them up in paper bags and share them with your Knuffelcontact ....(this is the Flemish Word of the Year and means "hug buddy or cuddle contact" and has become a basic right for every Belgian during the corona crisis).

While you prepare these Sugar Rosted Nuts, you should remember that caramelizing sugar can be a bit dangerous. The caramel will be incredibly hot and it can turn from golden to black in a matter of seconds. Make sure to keep an eye on it at all times - especially with little persons around.

If you want to double the recipe, be aware that it will take longer for all the sugar to get powdery and then to caramelize. Just keep stirring, the sugar with get powdery and then caramelly eventually.

For more delicious inspirations for your Speculoos aka Speculaas Spice Mix, you might want to take a look at:

• Gevulde Speculaas - a traditional Dutch Christmas cake filled with amond paste (HERE)
• Kruidnoten - Dutch spiced cookies in the shape of nuts (HERE)
• Speculaas Muffins with Marzipan (Spekulatiusmuffins mit Marzipan) (HERE)
• Speculaas Biscotti with Almonds (Spekulatius-Biscotti mit Mandeln) (HERE)
• Speculaas Waffle Rolls (Spekulatius Eiserkuchen) (HERE) 

And for lots of pics and information about the origin and history as well as a recipe for those famous Speculoos Cookies, you might want to take a look HERE.

Tarte Flambée with Shallots & British Back Bacon l Flammkuchen mit Schalotten & Back Bacon

Having blogged about Tarte Flambée (Flammkuchen) before, I will not go into the details of its origin or history. But I will tell you that the Pizzawheels that I wrote about last week, aren’t the only fingerfood of sorts that we like to indulge in while spending a lot ot time at home these days.

Lately, Tarte Flambée (Flammkuchen) has become a new go-to dish for me. And just like my Pizzawheels versions (vegetarian, vegan or regular) are wonderful on their own, with just a side salad or a steaming bowl of soup, my interpretation of Flammkuchen is also quite delicious with just a salad – these days I usually go with lambs lettuce (Feldsalat). And should you be looking for a more substantial meal, a soup is also absolutely perfect with Flammkuchen – my current seasonal choice is a creamy German potato soup (Kartoffelsuppe) – the recipe will follow in one of my up-coming posts.

With this recipe, I somewhat veer off Flammkuchen tradition - with this version I like to roll out the dough not too thin, and I use shallots instead of onions as shallots are milder and sweeter with a less dominant onion flavor, but still very flavorful. And I love the look of rashers of bacon instead of cut-up cubed or thinly sliced bacon. If you cut the Tarte into 4 equal parts, everyone gets a nice slice of bacon with their piece. 

Overall, with the crème fraîche, the shallots and the bacon, this is a creamy, oniony, delicious Tarte Flambée that is easy to put together.

Tarte Flambée with Shallots & British Back Bacon l Flammkuchen mit Schalotten & Back Bacon

Ingredients 

For the Dough

• 250g (8 oz) white spelt flour (around here Dinkelmehl Type 630) OR strong white bread flour (around here Weizenmehl Type 405), plus extra for dusting
• 3.5g dried yeast (Trockenhefe)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp mild olive oil (suitable for cooking)
• 6 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp fine sea salt

For the Topping

• 200g crème fraîche (I use 30%)
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
• mild olive oil
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
• 250g shallots, peeled and very finely sliced (I like to use the my mandoline for getting even slices)
• 8 slices of smoked bacon, speck or pancetta (I like to use British back bacon)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat your oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Put 50g (2 oz) of the flour, the yeast, sugar, olive oil and 4 tbsp of the water in a bowl and mix together. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for about 30 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the flour, about 2 tbsp more water and the salt to the proved mixture and mix the dough.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes (OR use the dough hook of your stand mixer and mix for about 10 minutes) until the dough is quite sticky and elastic.
5. Divide the dough in half and then roll out onto two floured baking sheets – either leave it a bit thicker (which is what I like to do OR roll it out as thin as possible).
6. In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche, freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and chives – taste for seasoning (remember that the bacon is relatively salty, so make sure to go a bit easy on the salt).
7. Spread the crème fraîche mixture over the dough, sprinkle with thinly sliced shallots (at this point I like to add a good grinding of black pepper again but that is optional) and lay the slices of bacon on top of the shallots (go with 4 slices of bacon per Flammkuchen). 
8. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned at the edges.
9. Sprinkle with additional chives and serve piping hot.

More Flammkuchen inspiration:

• Tarte Flambée with Purple Asparagus (Lila Spargel-Flammkuchen) (HERE) - pictured above
• Tarte Flambée with White and Green Asparagus and Prosciutto (Flammkuchen mit weißem und grünen Spargel und Prosciutto) (HERE) 
• Tarte Flambée with Goat's Cheese & Zucchini (Flammkuchen mit Ziegenkäse & Zucchini) (HERE) 
• Tarte Flambée Sucrée with Apples and Cinnamon Sugar (Süsser Flammkuchen mit Äpfeln und Zimt-Zucker) (HERE) - pictured below

And a 'Flambette' inspiration:

• Late Winter Comfort Food - Wholegrain Spelt Flour 'Flambettes' with a Topping of Caramelized Fennel (Flambette mit karamelisiertem Fenchel) (HERE)

Christmas Stollen Scones l Weihnachtsstollen Scones

Inspired by the traditional German Christmas Stollen (Weihnachtsstollen), I decided to bring you a Christmas Stollen Scones recipe - a scone version of the traditional, fruity bread traditionally eaten in Germany at Christmas time and during Advent season.

Just like the classic German Christmas bread, these scones have candied peel, almonds, traditional German Christmas Stollen Spice Mix (Weihnachtsstollen Gewürz) and a thick dusting of icing sugar.

Christmas Stollen Scones (Weihnachtsstollen Scones) are an easy scone to make for any teatime, coffee break, or for your Christmas morning breakfast. It is nice to pair these delightful scones not only with your favorite hot beverage but also with some fresh butter, jam and local honey (my personal favorite).

Christmas Stollen Scones l  Weihnachsstollen Scones
(yields about 14 scones)

Ingredients 

For the Scones

• 300g plain (AP) flour (around here Weizenmehl Type 405) OR white spelt flour (around here Dinkelmehl Type 630), plus some for the work surface
• 2 tsp baking powder (Weinsteinbackpulver)
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 50g superfine baking (caster) sugar 
• 8g pure vanilla sugar (Bourbon Vanille Zucker)
• 2 tsp Stollen Spice Mix (Weihnachtsstollen/Christstollen Gewürz) the recipe for a homemade Stollen Spice Mix is HERE) OR use Pumpkin Pie Spice (common in American cuisine) OR go with Mixed Spice (popular in British cuisine)
• 6 tbsp neutral tasting oil such as sunflower oil (suitable for baking)
• 5 tbsp milk, room temperature (I use 3.5%)
• 150g Quark (you can substitute Skyr), low fat (around here Magerquark 10%)
• 1 tbsp candied lemon peel, organic if possible (Zitronat)
• 1 tbsp candied orange peel, organic if possible (Orangeat) – OR use a total of 2 tbsp mixed peel instead – OR with just water, sugar and organic/untreated peel make your own
• 100g natural almonds, chopped
• grated peel of ½ orange, organic and/or untreated (you can substitute the zest of 1 organic/untreated lemon)

For the Garnish

• 25g unsalted butter, for brushing on top
• 25g icing sugar, for dusting on top 

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). 
2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper or a silpat mat.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, vanilla sugar and and Stollen Spice Mix (or other spice mix) into a mixing bowl. 
4. Add the oil, milk and Quark (or other fresh cheese).
5. Add the candied peels, almonds and lemon zest.
6. Gently knead the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 1cm (0.5 in) thick – my dough rectangle measured about 28 cm x 16cm (11in x 6in).
7. Cut into 14 triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until risen and springy to the touch. 
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. 
10. Melt the 25g of butter and brush the still warm scones immediately with the warm melted butter and sprinkle very generously with icing sugar. 
11. Serve with your favorite tea, coffee, hot chocolate, mulled wine (Glühwein) or non-alcoholic punch. 

For more Christmas Stollen (Weihnachtsstollen) inspiration and lots of information about the history of this famous festive bake, make sure to take a look at:

• Christmas Stollen (Weihnachtsstollen) (HERE) 
• Stollen Spice Mix (Weihnachtsstollen Gewürz) (HERE)  
• Stollen Muffins (HERE) - pictured above
• Christmas Stollen Bar Cookies (Stollenkekse) (HERE) - pictured below

It is definitely nice to have a scone recipe up your sleeve that comes together in no time, yet packs all the wonderful, familiar flavors and textures of a traditional German Stollen - instant festive mood even on a weekday.

Endless Possibilities: Veggie Pizza Pinwheels with Sweet Potato & Spinach l Unendliche Möglichkeiten: Pizzaschnecken mit Süßkartoffel & Spinat

What’s not to love about Pizza Pinwheels. They are like pizza we all know and love, but in a form that allows them to be stacked on a plate and passed around the dinner table. In general, they are perfect as a snack, a small lunch, or as an appetizer, for movie night, or when playing board games with family - which seems to be a very popular activity for us these days.

In the months (and years) before life slowed down considerably, I made a habit of serving Pizza Pinwheels as an appetizer, part of the antipasti spread to our pasta dinners. Alongside the many other dishes and nibbles like different kinds of olives, artichoke hearts, insalata caprese etc. there were always those tasty-feel-good-rolls packed with the flavors and textures that we enjoy. I usually went with two different kinds – one with homemade pizzasauce, paper-thin prosciutto cotto, mozzarella and basil, the other with the same base recipe but with Italian salami instead. We also enjoy them alongside bowls of seasonal veggie soups, such as cream of carrot. 

Another thing I like about these pizza pinwheels is that they can be baked right away. No need to wait for the rolls to rise as I made these particular pizza pinwheels with my favorite good-quality store-bought pizza dough I picked up while I was out running errands. You can make your own dough, of course, but store-bought dough means less need to plan ahead.

Here then comes the part where you can do as you please and cook as you want. Instead of the good quality store-bought pizza dough, use homemade instead. Sometimes if time and flour stocks permit, I experiment with different types of flour (such as spelt flour) for the pizza dough. And sometimes I like to use puff pastry instead, as do a lot of other homecooks and the pros. I tried a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi for Pizza Pinwheels with a puff pastry base and a topping of tomato sauce (grated tomato, tomato paste, oregano, garlic), grated mozzarella, parmesan, chorizo and parmesan, served with a fresh tomato sauce for dipping - see pictures below - very tasty too. 

Back to today’s recipe. While in the past I stuck to the basic cheese-and-ham-and-salami combo with my rolls, you can, and should, swap in your favorite pizza toppings. You simply cannot go wrong here. 

So last week I found myself starring at some sweet potatoes and fresh baby spinach that needed some attention. And I decided that they would make a formidable filling for some Veggie Pizza Pinwheels – if you want to make them vegan, make sure to use a vegan pizza dough (with just flour, yeast - most vegans eat yeast - water, salt and olive oil) and swap the regular mozzarella that is usually made with sheep's or cow's milk or a mix thereof for a vegan variety – I usually go with an almond or cashew based mozzarella which a widely available around here, it has a wonderful slightly nutty taste and melts nicely (of course, vegan mozzarella can also be made at home).

These Veggie Pizza Pinwheels are best eaten right after baking, while still piping hot and cheesy -  not a tall order if you have a crowd of people waiting in the living room. If you have any leftovers, they make very good afternoon snacks, are perfect for lunch boxes (if and when they will be in use again) either eaten straight from the fridge or warmed up in the oven or microwave.

Veggie Pizza Pinwheels with Sweet Potato  & Spinach  l Pizzaschnecken mit Süßkartoffel & Spinat
(makes about 12 pinwheels)

Ingredients

• fresh pizza dough, 400g to 600g (14 to 16 ounces), store-bought or homemade and rolled out
• 1 to 1 ½ baked sweet potatoes (depending on their size), cooled, peeled and puréed to a smooth mash (add salt and pepper to taste)
• 600g baby spinach, washed carefully, dried but with some water still clinging to the leaves (no need to tear off the tender stems)
• 2 spring onions, washed, dried and thinly sliced (you can substitute 2 finely diced shallots)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and finely minced (can be omitted)
• olive oil (suitable for cooking)
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt (to taste)
• 200g mozzarella cheese, grated (either regular OR vegan)

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, heat some olive oil and sauté the onions (medium heat), then the garlic (if using) and a few flakes of pepperoncini (hot Italian chili flakes), add salt and pepper, stir and sauté for a further minute or two. Then add the spinach, some more olive oil and stir until the spinach leaves have wilted (this will take a few minutes).
2. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (400°F).
3. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or a nonstick baking mat.
4. Dust your work surface lightly with flour.
5. Place the roll of pizza dough on top (or roll out your homemade pizza dough into a rectangle).
6. Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly all over the dough, leaving 2.5cm (1in) of clean border at the top. 
7. Scatter the cooled spinach mixture atop the sweet potato mixture and spred it as evenly as possible (using an offset spatula).
8. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese over the spinach.
9. Starting at the long end nearest you, begin rolling up the dough. When you get to the top, pinch the dough closed along the seam. Use a sharp chef's knife to slice the long tube into approx.12 rolls. Use the flat of your knife or a pastry scraper to help transfer the rolls to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the rolls a few centimeters/inches apart. Tighten up the rolls as needed after transferring and tuck any toppings that fell out back between the folds.
10. Bake the pinwheels until the cheese is bubbly and the rolls are turning golden on top, 12 to 15 minutes.
11. Cool the rolls for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a serving platter. Best served while still hot.
12. Leftover rolls can be refrigerated in an airtight container and reheated either for a few minutes in a pre-heated oven or for about 30 to 60 seconds in the microwave.

Enjoy my Veggie Pizza Pinwheels with a small seasonal salad alongside - this time I went with more baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced persimmon (no need to peel) and pomegranate seeds (healthy) that I served with a clementime salad dressing (just add fresh clementime juice to some white wine or cider vinegar, mild olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, sea salt and local runny honey). Or serve with a warming, seasonal soup such as a Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup. Or make them part of your antipasti/mezze spread. The possibilities are endless.

Chocoladetaart - Belgian Chocolate Cake

One of the things that I greatly miss during these times is our visits to Belgium, in particular our Saturday-day-trips to the more than charming City of Antwerp (Antwerp lies in the Dutch/Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, the city plays the role of unofficial capital of Flanders). But you know what they say - if you can’t travel there, make a treat from there, a kind of soulfood, a feel good moment during the Advent season. 

When I feel a yearning for the distinct taste of Belgian chocolate or a slice of Belgian chocolate cake with my afternoon cup of tea, I dig into my secret hoard of Belgian chocolate. I take one hundred and fifty grams from my carefully stacked piles, take a smell at the dark bittersweet baking chocolate and bake a slightly fudgy Chocoladetaart, a Belgian Chocolate Cake with only six ingredients. This is what I call a simple recipe, yet I find it very pleasing, it seems to fit my current state of mind so well - less is indeed more.

A fudgy center is expected and desired with this recipe. No need to pull out your hand-held mixer either, do it by hand, all you need is two bowls, a whisk and a cake pan that measures about 23cm (9in). And this recipe, of course.

Chocoladetaart – Belgian Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, plus some for greasing the baking pan, cut into chunks
• 150g bittersweet chocolate (with a cacao range of 70%), OR semisweet chocolate (which has a cacao content of around 60% and can be used interchangeably with bittersweet chocolate), preferably Belgian baking chocolate bars, roughly chopped into smaller pieces for melting
• 225g superfine baking (caster) sugar (feinster Backzucker)
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 4 eggs (L), free range or organic, room temperature
• 100g plain (AP) four
• 
  
• unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Belgian - for dusting the cooled cake (optional)
• powdered sugar - for dusting the cooled cake (optional)

In addition

• springform baking pan (23cm/9in) 
• baking parchment

Preparation

1. Pre-heat your oven to 165°C (325°F).
2. Melt the butter, add the chopped chocolate and stir. Let stand for about 2 minutes to melt.
3. Line a 23cm diameter round springform pan with baking parchment, butter and flour. Knock out excess flour.
4. Then to the butter mixture add the sugar and whisk. Then whisk in the salt, then the eggs, one at a time. And last, stir in the flour. 
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, cover loosely with baking parchment. Continue to bake for another 30 minutes (45 minutes total) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with fudgy crumbs.
7. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, remove the outer ring of the springform pan, then cool completely and remove the bottom of the cake pan.
8. Dust with dark cocoa powder and/or a bit of powdered sugar (I like the look that it lends to this simple cake) and serve with softly whipped cream and homemade caramel sauce (I rather like the a Salted Caramel Sauce), or fresh berries or seasonal fruit, or just plain - that way you will really taste the wonderful chocolate.

If you are interested in more pics and history from the City of Antwerp, take a look at: 

• A Visit to Antwerp (Belgium) - Part I (HERE) 
• A Visit to Antwerp (Belgium) - Part II - Market Day (HERE)
• A Visit to Antwerp (Belgium) - Part III - Antwerpse Handjes & Philip´s Biscuits (HERE)

Looking for pics and a typical recipe from the City of Bruges, you can take a look at:

• A Visit to Bruges (Belgium) - Part I (HERE)
• A Visit to Bruges (Belgium) - Part II (Speculoos) (HERE)

If you are interested in another recipe for a Belgian-inspired cake, take a look at:

August Baking: Belgian Salted Butter Pound Cake - Backen im August: Belgischer Salzbutter Kuchen (HERE)

And for Gentse Waterzooi & Geraardsbergse Mattentaart recipes (Belgian Stew and Puff Pastry tarts), have a look HERE - one of these dishes was much beloved by the wonderful Julia Child.