There were five kinds of home baked goodies that we threw in our Christmas gift baskets for this year. In the basket were chewy Food for the Gods, Wedding Balls, Nut and Fruit Clusters, Creamy Fudge and Sugar Cookies.
These were all baked by my wife who has patience with weights and measures. Baking for me is very rudimentary. I am one passionate cook who does not have a feel for pastry and cake making because of their demands for exactness. I hate to measure . I do not submit to recipe rules. Bakingwise, the results would always end up as disastrous masterpieces.
It's the rebel in me I guess who always finds dissent a self-fulfilling pleasure. I have a growing collection of cookbooks with the recipes ready for deconstruction. I read them as trivia, history and inspirational fiction rather than as a bible inciting to religion. I believe cookbook writers doesn't excellent preachers make.
First to bake was Food for the Gods. This dark buttery and chewy squares filled with chopped pitted dates and walnuts hover strongest in my memories of childhood holiday binging. I remember this to be a consistent gift of an aunt at Christmas. It would always come in a white box with each square wrapped in either red or green cellophane. It has a stiff cake-like texture with a hint of either rum or brandy on it. I love to nibble on the darker crusty portion where the flavor is strongest and slightly bittersweet.
The Food for the Gods we baked was the chewy version with a consistency similar to Butterscotch.It was based on a recipe published by Junjun De Guzman and Adoree Uy in their Manila Bulletin column Baking 101. The taste was different from my childhood version. It was probably the absence of the rum or brandy or, perhaps it is only in the imagination that a definite flavor is preserved. The Food for the Gods of the now held its own. It was worth the challenges in dealing with the dates. They stick on the oiled knife's edge and require more effort to chop.Tricky and frustrating as it is rewarding when it didn't disappoint the sweet tooth. It offered new nuances to the palate as it connived with other pleasures that will as well become memories.
Heres the recipe from Junjun de Guzman and Adoree Uy:
Food for the Gods (Chewy Version)
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. honey or light molasses
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9" x 13" rectangular
pan OR 2 – 8" square pans with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder
together. Divide this mixture into two. Use one-half to
dredge the chopped dates.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine melted butter, brown
sugar, sugar and eggs. Mix until well-blended. Add in
the honey or molasses and vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients to the batter mixture.
Lastly, fold in the dates and walnuts. Pour the mixture
to the prepared pan. Spread evenly. Bake in the oven for
35-45 minutes or check doneness with a cake tester.
Insert tester close to the side. It should come out
clean and dry. The center would still be a little wet
when tested. Cool completely. Slice into bars.
Wishing you and your family a HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!
Eric aka senor enrique
Posted by: erisac | December 23, 2005 at 08:57 PM