Christmas Cookie 5: Pfeffernüse

Here it is, the quintessential christmas cookie.  To my mind at least.

It’s got everything related to christmas.

Candied orange and lemon peel? √

Brown Sugar? √

Allspice? Nutmeg? Ginger? Cinnamon? √ √ √ √

Pepper? Umm, yeah ok, why not… √

Sour Cherry Linzer Tart

It has started snowing in Berlin. The biting cold and early evenings mean I am spending a lot of time indoors, flexing my baking muscles.  Cindy Mushet‘s Sur la table – The Art & Soul of Baking is becoming a serious contender for my favourite baking book.  Even thought it’s an American publication.

I like the North American creative approach to all things baking related, but I can’t stand cup measurements or butter measurements given in spoons.  I have been told that in the US, spoons are labeled on the butter packet but in Europe I have to google “spoon into grams” every time.  And cups?  Baking is an exact science, measuring things in cups is clumsy and messy.

Mushet is aware of all this and dedicates a fair few pages in the book praising the virtues of measuring out in ounces instead of cups.  I want you to try this tart so I went to the trouble of converting ounces to grams for you. (My conversion is 1 ounce equals 28.35 grams and I round up to the nearest 5 grams.)

This Sour Cherry Linzer Tart is gorgeous to look at, relatively easy to make and oh so yummy.

Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze – David Lebovitz

One of the blogs I visit frequently is David Lebovitz’s Paris based site.  I went to University in Paris and I still find it to be the most charming city in Europe.  Yes, it’s true, Parisians work in mysterious ways and it can take you a lifetime to finally get clued up on all the intricate do’s and don’ts (I gave up after 4 years) but the wealth of culture to be found is incredible.   Since I have no plans to move back to the Paris in this lifetime, it’s nice to be able to live vicariously through David.

I like that his site gives me access to a professional chef’s experience, recipes, tips and adventures.  There are so many great food blogs out there.  The overwhelming majority of which are run by enthusiastic amateurs and a lot of them are really charming but really,  who wants to learn from a novice?  David Lebovitz worked at Chez Panisse for 13 years!  He is someone I want to learn from.