Vasilopita

January 2: Feast Day of St. Basil

Long before we started blogging, Highlander gave Islander the cookbook “Cooking with the Saints” as a Christmas gift. Vasilopita was the very first recipe she made in the new year and for the Feast Day of St. Basil. Now we can blog about the traditional Greek cake that we bake for a simple new year’s celebration at home.

According to the author, Ernst Schuegraf, “different recipes (for Vasilopita) exist, (but) they all include the hiding of a silver coin in the cake, which is supposed to bring luck to the person who finds it. The head of the family slices the cake and distributes the pieces in a very precise order. The first piece is for St. Basil, the second one for Christ, the third one for the oldest member of the family and on down to the youngest.”

The hiding of the coin represents Baby Jesus hiding from King Herod. Different cultures make cakes with hidden coins, beans or trinkets around this time of the year. Include Vasilopita in your recipe repetoire during the 12 days of Christmas, which come to a close on Epiphany (January 6), and celebrate the new year and the Feast Day of St. Basil with this special cake.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

For the cake

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

For the topping

• 1/3 cup nuts, chopped (we used walnuts)
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Line an 8-inch round pan with waxed paper. Lightly grease the bottom and sides with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the flour and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

In a measuring cup, pour the milk then stir in the baking powder. Add this to the flour mixture and blend until smooth. In another small cup or shot glass, mix the lemon juice with the baking soda (it will be fizzy). Add this to the cake batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Place a clean coin (optional) in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing the chopped nuts and sugar. When the 20-minute baking time is up, remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle the topping over the cake. Return to the oven and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes until the cake is done. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Remove from the pan and transfer to a cake plate or serving platter.

Notes

• If there is a coin hidden in the cake, let others know about the symbolism—and safety!—before they eat their slice. We usually wrap a silver dollar in waxed paper or foil before including it in the cake batter.
• The cake may be decorated with numbers representing the new year.
• Serve Lakror as the main dish, followed by Vasilopita for dessert, for a full meal on the Feast Day of St. Basil. The recipe for Lakror is included in an earlier blog post.
• The Feast Day of St. Basil is observed on January 1 in the Eastern Orthodox Church; January 2 in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches; January 15 in the Coptic Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox churches; January 30 in the Byzantine Rite; and June 14 in the Episcopal Church.
• Bake a galette des rois (3 Kings Cake) a few days later with a hidden bean (instead of a coin) to celebrate Epiphany.

Leek and Tattie Soup

January: National Soup Month

We warm up in the wintertime with a traditional Scottish soup. Leeks and tatties (potatoes) are cheap and chunky to make a filling first course. Though this soup is simple, it is served at even the finest Burns Suppers. This is when the Scots get together on January 25 to celebrate the birthday and life of their national poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). Traditional Scottish food is served, such as soup, haggis, oatcakes, whisky and dessert. Guests enjoy poetry readings, bagpipe music and Highland dancing.

We like leek and tattie soup straight from the stock pot when we cook it at home. But sometimes we add milk and cream and puree everything in the blender to make a fancy French version of this soup called Vichyssoise. Savor the soup made with leeks and tatties during National Soup Month or on Burns Night on January 25.

Recipe

(Adapted from “Scottish Heritage Food and Cooking” by Carol Wilson and Christopher Trotter)

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 2 leeks
• 3 large potatoes
• ¼ cup butter, divided use
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Chop the onions. Wash and slice the leeks, discarding the thread-like ends on the white part. Wash, peel and chop the potatoes.

In a large pot, slowly melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute the onions and the leeks until soft (about 5 minutes) but do not brown. Stir in the potatoes and mix with the onions and leeks. Cook for about 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot.

Notes 

• Happy New Year and Hogmanay to our blog readers! Robert Burns wrote the traditional new year’s anthem “Auld Lang Syne”.
• Thanks to our neighbors across the street, Glenn and Anna Maria B., who are pioneer settlement re-enactors, for letting us borrow their rustic clad iron soup kettle as a prop for the final food photo.
• Search our blog for more Scottish and other soup recipes.

Chocolate Earl Grey Cupcakes

January: National Tea Month

Host a happy new year’s day tea party with a platter of decadent desserts, such as Chocolate Earl Grey Cupcakes. These royal treats are rich, aromatic, fluffy and moist. The cupcakes are also crowned with a luxurious chocolate glaze with flecks of tea leaves for a unique texture and taste. Serve Chocolate Earl Grey Cupcakes for a sweet start to the new year and for a celebration of National Tea Month!

Recipe

(Adapted from Real Simple)

For the Chocolate Earl Grey Cupcakes

• 3 Earl Grey tea bags
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 1 egg, large or jumbo
• 1 cup sugar, granulated white
• 2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate (we used Baker’s brand)
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• ¼ cup plain yogurt

Directions

Steep the Earl Grey tea bags in water for five minutes. Discard the tea bags. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg. Melt the chocolate and cool slightly.

Add the melted chocolate into the creamed butter mixture. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into the batter until smooth. Pour in the tea.

Mix in the yogurt. Scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with a dozen cupcake papers. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Chocolate Earl Grey Glaze

• 1 2.47-ounce Earl Grey chocolate bar (we used Dolfin brand) or 2 ½ squares (2 ½ ounces) semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons corn syrup

Directions

In a glass bowl, place the chocolate, butter and corn syrup. Microwave for 1 – 1 ½ minutes. Stir until melted and smooth. Dip the tops of the cupcake into the frosting, swirling around for even coating. Let the frosting set on the cupcakes at room temperature.

We decorated our Chocolate Earl Grey Cupcakes with leftover fondant flowers. Arrange the flowers on top of the cupcakes. Dab a dot of white icing gel (we used Wilton brand) on the flower center. Drop a silver dragée (we used India Tree brand) on top of the gel, positioning it with a toothpick if necessary. For fondant flower photo tutorials, refer to our posts on Chocolate Cupcakes and Cherry Blossom Cake.

Notes

• The final food photo of the Chocolate Earl Grey Cupcake features our fine china from our wedding registry, albeit a discontinued pattern (Noritake Sterling Cove).
• Search our blog for other tea time treats.