Rouses_FINAL-November-December-2017

the Holiday issue

Satsuma Rum Cake Makes 10 to 12 servings WHAT YOU WILL NEED 1

Satsuma Rum Glaze WHAT YOU WILL NEED Juice of 2 large satsumas Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons rum HOW TO PREP

bakeries and he really wanted to work with department stores.At the time, their holiday programs were massive and intricate. For the next couple of decades, they really focused on Macy’s, Saks, Bloomingdales and so on.” D.H. Holmes and other iconic Louisiana department stores carried these fruitcakes as well. In the 1950s, the fruitcake was sold in a “hermetically sealed can, back when that was a big thing,”Sorensen said. “Before they sealed it, they would pour a shot of brandy over it, and then they sealed the can.” It was opened with a can opener. Now, the lid lifts off easily to reveal a ring of neatly wrapped slices.When a friend of the bakery wanted several to take to a Rotary Club meeting, he asked for them to be sent with the pieces individually wrapped. Eventually, that led to all the cakes being cut and wrapped that way. “It got pretty tedious,” Sorensen said. The equipment they used for wrapping the slices is now antique. Sourcing the high-quality ingredients is a huge part of the fruitcake work, Sorensen said. “It’s always quite a process. At the end of the day, it’s fresh nuts, glacé fruit and the cake with the in-house glaze on top. One thing my dad does — we craft our own flavors in-house.That goes a long way with the fruitcakes. It’s not some spice blend we get elsewhere. It’s got rum and brandy. It’s such a nostalgic item. We look at every detail of it to make it.” Sorensen thinks it’s hilarious to find the tins for sale in antique stores, which frequently happens. Long after the contents are gone, that pretty St. Louis Cathedral on the top makes the Creole Royale Fruit Cake tin a popular container for sewing supplies, buttons or any small collectibles in countless homes worldwide. While I like all kinds of fruitcake, I’m really fond of fruitcake cookies, especially the ones my sister-in-law in Arkansas makes every year. Her recipe is a favorite that’s several generations old. It’s sublime! So as you can see, there’s fruitcake and then there’s fruitcake. Maybe the reason you don’t think you like fruitcake is because you’ve never had a great one. Go ahead! Try one of these recipes, and you might just change your mind.

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten Zest (grated rind) of 1 lemon Zest (grated rind) of 2 satsumas 21 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk Satsuma Rum Glaze (recipe follows) HOW TO PREP Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10- inch tube pan or Bundt pan well. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until light. Add sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs and zest of lemon and satsumas. Beat until the mixture is very light. In a medium mixing bowl, sift or mix together well the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. When the batter is well-blended, spoon it into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. While cake is still hot and still in the pan, pour on the glaze. Cake can be left in the pan for several days before serving.

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. When mixture boils and sugar is dissolved, pour evenly over the hot cake. Fruitcake Cookies Makes about 10 dozen My sister-in-law, Johnnie Trower, makes this favorite cookie froma recipe that is credited to a home economics teacher. The recipe makes a lot, so you can halve it if you wish. The cook- ies improve with age, and they freeze well. WHAT YOU WILL NEED 31 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 pound pitted dates, cut up 2 cups candied red and green cherries, cut into sixths 4 slices red and green candied pineapple, cut up 1 cup white (golden) raisins 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, plus some for tops of cookies HOW TO PREP Sift flour, soda and salt into a bowl. Add fruit and nuts to the mixture, and toss them lightly to dredge them. In a large bowl using a stand or hand mixer, mix the melted butter, brown sugar and eggs until well-blended. Stir in buttermilk. Add flour, fruit and nuts mixture, blending well. Refrigerate over- night in an airtight container. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Decorate the top of each cookie with a pecan half. Bake 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks. When cool, store in closed containers. Cookies improve with age. 1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature pound box light brown sugar 1 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017