Yule visions

December 2005

 

I woke up this morning with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.  Trust me, that’s not as great as it sounds.  I dreamed I was being pelted with brown blobs dusted in confectioner’s sugar. 

I assumed the missiles were sugarplums, because there I was nestled all snug in my bed, and it is that time of year.  But it occurred to me that I have never actually seen a sugarplum, not having grown up in Victorian England.  I probably wouldn’t recognize one if it did smack me in the head. 

Just what is a sugarplum anyway?  Is it fruit?  Candy?  An oddly named internal organ of a cow?  Anyone who has ever been misled into ordering sweetbreads—which are not sweet and contain no bread, and are really the pancreas or thymus gland of a calf–understands the need to be wary.  Truth in advertising is a rare commodity.  Foods do not always live up to their name.

From what I could tell in my dream, sugarplums are a kind of sugar-covered blob, perhaps related to a meatball. But beef content seemed unlikely. Even in the worst ballet recital production, the Sugar Plum Fairy is somewhat light and ethereal.  I didn’t think ground chuck was a likely ingredient for her namesake.

But if not, then what is this fabulous Christmas confection?  I needed to know.  And I wanted to be able to bring you the kind of authoritative, informative, and absolutely trustworthy information you count on from me.  I knuckled down for days of scholarly research.

In other words, I Googled “sugar plums.”

200 web pages later, I was still confused.  Apparently, there is an actual fruit called a sugar plum. But it ripens in late July or early August and is an unlikely candidate for Yuletide visions.

Another description sounded suspiciously like stewed prunes. Tasty, perhaps, but a Christmas gift on a par with sturdy socks.

Another definition– a small round or oval piece of sugary candy—seemed more on track.  But isn’t that just hard candy? 

Recipe consensus clustered around the final definition: a small confection consisting of dried fruit and nuts, coated in fondant or powdered sugar.  That sounded more like the confection of my dreams.

I printed out several recipes, and then threw them out and invented my own.  Since there seems to be no standard version, you can feel free to do the same and use your imagination.  The ingredients in the recipes I reviewed were all over the map, from chocolate chips and crumbled vanilla wafers to apricots and almonds. 

But here’s the interesting thing. You heard it here first — my fine investigative reporting turned up the smoking gun. While some cooks include a symbolic smattering of prunes, there appears to be no requirement that “sugar plums” actually contain plums.

It’s sweetbreads all over again.

 * * * * *

Betty’s Sugarplums au Chocolat 

Several references trace the “plum” name to the size of these confections, which are generally about the size of a small fruit.  Mine are less traditional–I prefer them bite-size.  And I coated them in chocolate, because what isn’t better with chocolate?

1 cup whole almonds

3 T. honey

1/4 tsp. orange oil* or 2 tsp. grated orange zest

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 cup cognac, brandy or rum

2 T. lemon juice

1/2 cup dried crystallized ginger (the fairly moist kind they sell with the bulk dried fruit at the supermarket)

3 to 4 cups dried fruit of your choice.  The mix should include dried apricots, pitted dates, and dried pineapple.  It can also include dried cranberries, prunes, dried cherries, raisins, or anything else similar that you find lurking in your cabinets.

1 12 oz. package good quality chocolate chips, or other chocolate of your choice

1. Toast the almonds for several minutes in a dry skillet on top of the stove, tossing or stirring them frequently to prevent burning.  Let them cool, then chop them finely in a food processor and put them in a large bowl.
2. With the food processor, finely chop the dried fruits, with the exception of the ginger.  Place them in the bowl with the nuts.
3. Put the crystallized ginger in the food processor and run the machine until the ginger is reduced to a paste.  Add the cognac, honey, lemon juice, orange oil, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and blend together for about 10 seconds, until mixed.  Scrape this mixture into the bowl with the fruit and nuts.
4. Using your hands, combine all the ingredients thoroughly, making sure the nuts and ginger mixture are completely incorporated.  Then roll the mixture into small bite-sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet.  (Hint—wetting your hands frequently will keep the mixture from sticking to you.)  If you don’t want to coat them with chocolate, you can roll the balls in powdered sugar before you put them on the cookie sheet.
5. Chill for several hours or overnight.
6. In the top of a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate, stirring frequently.  When melted it should be warm, but not hot.  Roll the balls in the chocolate, coating them thoroughly, then place them back on the cookie sheet and chill them again.

Depending on the size, this should make 3 to 4 dozen sugarplums.  And you may find yourself with a new holiday tradition.

*Citrus oils are an amazing addition to your pantry. They’re the pure oil squeezed from the rind, so they are intensely flavorful—a little goes a long way to really kick up taste.  They’re available in specialty grocery stores, or on line from a company named Boyajian (www.boyajianinc.com).  They’re worth adding to your Christmas list!