The Cheese Board (32 page)

If making by hand,
add the salt, oats, and caraway seeds, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Using the spoon, mix in the raisins. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; add a bit more buttermilk if the dough seems too dry. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the oats to absorb the liquid.

Place the dough on a generously floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half and roll it again until it is 1 inch thick. Repeat twice more. Your final rectangle should be approximately 5 by 9 by 1 inch thick. Divide the dough in half lengthwise and then cut each piece into 6 even triangles.

Place the scones on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until light brown. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.

 

Even if you don’t like fruitcake, you may love these. There are no weirdly colored unidentifiable candied fruits in this recipe, only dried fruits and whole nuts. Weighing the ingredients makes for a more successful cake, but we have included cup measurements in case you don’t have a scale. The most time-consuming part of making fruitcake is amassing all the ingredients.

The dried fruit needs to soak in the alcohol overnight to soften, so begin making these one day ahead. The flavor improves with age; we make our cakes in October for sale at the end of November.

To soak the fruit, combine the 1 cup brandy and 1 cup rum in a large bowl. Add the fruit and soak overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 275°F. Generously butter or spray with cooking spray the insides of 3 small (5 by 3-inch) aluminum loaf pans.

Chop or process the lemon and orange until they are a fine, smooth purée. Set aside.

Sift the flour and the spices together into a small bowl. Set aside.

If using a stand mixer,
combine the butter, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl. With the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the mixture together for about 4 minutes, until
light and fluffy. Add the molasses and eggs and mix on low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture and mix briefly. Reserving 9 almonds, add the nuts, chopped orange and lemon, and the soaked dried fruits (and any remaining liquid), and mix until completely blended, about 2 minutes.

If making by hand,
combine the butter, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cream the mixture together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and eggs and mix until blended. Add the flour mixture and mix briefly. Reserving 9 almonds, add the nuts, chopped orange and lemon, and the soaked dried fruits (and any remaining liquid), and mix until completely blended.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops of the batter into gentle domes that rise just over the rim of the pans. Decorate the top of each fruitcake with 3 of the reserved almonds. Place the pans on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, then rotate the pans front to back and trade their positions. Bake 40 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack.

Combine the 2 tablespoons brandy and 2 tablespoons rum in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the cakes with the liquor while they are still warm. Let cool completely. Unmold the cakes. Wrap them first with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil, and store in an airtight container in a cool place. Let age for at least 1 month before eating. We have eaten delicious fruitcake that has been aged for a year! (If you do keep the cakes this long, douse them with 2 more tablespoons each of the brandy and rum halfway through the year.)

 

The Days of the Dead are celebrated throughout Latin America on November 1 and 2. Images of the dead in skeleton form are made as sweets to be offered and eaten in memory of the departed. Day of the Dead Bread was first made at the Cheese Board by children as a fundraiser for a local school. The students fashioned dough into the shape of people, glazed them with sweet orange icing, and decorated them with dried currants. The project inspired us to include this bread in our holiday repertoire. (You can also top the breads with brightly colored candied aniseeds, found in Indian food markets.)

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast into the warm water until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, aniseeds, and salt.

If using a stand mixer,
add the butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with the paddle attachment on low speed for 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, lukewarm water, and orange juice, and mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook, increase the mixer speed to medium, and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough loses its rough texture and begins to acquire a satiny sheen. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

If making by hand,
add the butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, lukewarm water, and orange juice, and mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 12 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 pieces. Gently form each piece into a
loose round
and cover with a floured kitchen towel. Let rest for 10 minutes. Imagining each round to be a domed clock face, make five 1½-inch cuts into the interior of the round (leaving at least 1 inch across intact in the middle of the round), at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes (
fig. A
).

Shape each piece of dough into a human form by gently pulling, rolling, and shaping the arms, legs, and head (
fig. B
).

Put the shaped dough on the prepared pans, crossing the arms (
fig. C
).