Countdown to Christmas 2 :This Goes with That

After preparing this Advent blog series, I am more convinced that there are many more stories about fruitcake still to be told, but here we are at Christmas Eve already. If you have been following the blog, I am sure you are someone who enjoys a piece of scrumptious fruitcake with a cup of tea or a cappucino, or a glass of wine. Culinary experts say that these days our palates are becoming more sophisticated and adventurous , and contemporary food pairings are exciting challenges. For me, a piece of my mum's fruitcake and a cup of Lady Grey is just as perfect a pairing as you can imagine. However, foodie bloggers offer many more matches to explore:

Alcohol is obviously a tried and true partner of fruitcake :
A great opportunity to show off a sweet sherry or Madeira. A sweet oloroso sherry ...is delicious with crumbly, rich fruit cakes as is a sweet 5 or 10 year old Madeira.... A richly flavoured whisky aged in sherry casks- can also be great with a fruit cake. As can a barley wine (strong, sweet beer).
There are those who will argue that a tawny port is the perfect accompaniment to a rich fruit cake, and there are of course thousands who will swear that a strong red wine can't be beaten as a mate for fruitcake. Even a recipe for "Fruitcake French Toast" uses egg nog instead of milk to soak the bread.
Of course you could just combine the cake with the alcohol for a cocktail....

What about food pairings? It has long been a tradition to eat cheese with their fruitcake in the United Kingdom. Of course, not any cheese!

Of course it depends on the cheese. I certainly wouldn't enjoy a washed rind cheese like a Munster or a Stinking Bishop with a piece of cake but a mild hard English cheese like Wensleydale or Cheshire goes rather well. Or a creamy Stilton. .... Others recommend an old cheddar or parmesan or even blue cheese.

I realise that a few of the following suggestions would hardly tempt the gourmet, but I have tried all of these and I think they make great pairings.

1. Fruitcake and Ice cream - Just add chopped up fruitcake to softened vanilla ice cream. Add a few more nuts and glace cherries if preferred, and refreeze. A more sophisticated pairing of fruit cake and ice cream can result in a beautiful terrine.. This video shows you how easy it really is.

2. Yoghurt can also be used as a substitute for the ice cream in such desserts as parfaits - just your favourite yoghurt, mixed with blueberries, and topped with crumbled fruitcake.

3. Fruitcake Trifle is just another variation of great pairings -fruit cake, with custard and jelly.

I hope some of these ideas of great pairing with fruitcake might inspire you over the next few days to see the versatility of your Christmas cake.

Information sources and photo credits:
http://www.drvino.com/2009/12/23/christmas-fruitcake-wine-pairing/
http://thecheeselover.blogspot.com.au/2008/10/fruitcake-and-cheese.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/fruitcake-parfaits-recipe.html
http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/blogs/7-ideas-for-leftover-fruitcake

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary. Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers). This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach. Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...

From my workshop page....

Current Workshops Offerings Thinking of a workshop for your group in 2022? Art Doll Workshops : - Garden Thread Dolls (one day workshop - WoW -(Woman of Wisdom) - embellished stump doll with either cloth head or clay head. This is an a rt doll workshop .... either offered as a series of workshops or 2 full days days! - Message/Story Stick doll - doll made with found objects and upcycled cloth. ( one day) - Elemental totems - stick doll variation , with sculpture ( one or two days, depending on surface decoration of fabric) TEXTILE AND MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOPS Temari - embroidered wrapped balls in traditional style. - Dipping Into Tea - tea and embroidery on canvas with photo transfer on fabric. ( two days) work by Judith Bee, workshop participant. - Tea Bag sculpture : ...

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog