there´s no German christmas without a Christmas stollen...
we have it traditionally on 24th with coffee in the afternoon..while waiting for the Christkind ... she comes around twillight to bring the gifts..and the christmas tree.. as a child it was very overwhelming for me to come into the livingroom...everything was dark except the christmas tree lit up with bright candles ..
we also have fish on 24th evening...(no carp anymore.. we changed it to salmon..we all like it more than carp...) but it´s also very common to have potato salad with wieners..
on the 25th we have roasted goose with dumplings and red cabbage... a very traditonal meal..
here´s the stollen recipe...
1 1/8 lb Flour
7 oz Sugar
1 pn Salt
1 ts Vanilla
1 ts Lemon juice
4 tb Rum
1 pn Cardomom (generous)
1 pn Mace (generous)
2 Eggs
4 1/2 oz Butter
4 1/2 oz Currants well drained
9 oz Sultanas
9 oz Almonds, finely chopped
3 1/2 oz Candied lemon peel
1 3/4 oz Butter for brushing
2 tb Powdered sugar for dusting
1 3/4 oz Beef drippings
9 oz Cottage cheese, well drained
Mix and sieve together the flour and baking powder onto a pastry
board or cool slab. Make a well in the center and pour in the sugar,
vanilla, rum, lemon juice, and the eggs. Draw in some flour from the
sides of the well to mix with these and form a thick paste. Add the
cold butter, cut into small pieces, the finely chopped beef
drippings, cottage cheese, currants, sultanas, nuts and candied
peel.
Cover the fruits with more of the flour, and then starting from the
middle, work all of it together quickly with your hands into a firm,
smooth paste. If it should stick, add a little more flour. Form the
mix into a long, oval shape, and then fold it over lengthwise to
give it the traditional shape.
Line a baking dish with greased waxed paper and place stollen on
this.
Preheat the oven for 5 minutes at 500F. Then bake at a moderately
hot over (375F) for 50-60 minutes. As soon as the stollen comes
out of the oven, brush with melted butter and dust thickly with
powdered sugar.