Tiffin Squares

December 25: Christmas

‘Tis the season to see pretty plaid patterns as Christmas decorations, which are reminiscent of Scottish tartans. For many years, the English banned the Scots from wearing their cultural clothing (learn more about the “repeal of dress” here). Also, for four centuries, Christmas was banned in Scotland because Protestant rulers of the 16th century associated Christ’s mass with Catholicism. It was only in 1958 that Christmas became an official holiday in Scotland.

Now with the freedom to express themselves with plaid AND observe Christmas Day, the Scots have been very influential in their holiday celebrations with decorations and traditions.

As a Christmas dessert, we made a traditional Scottish treat called tiffin. The recipe originated in Troon, Scotland, in the 1900s, and is a chocolate cake-like confectionary commonly comprising of crushed digestive or rich tea biscuits (cookies), cocoa powder, golden syrup and dried fruit with a top layer of melted chocolate. Although it is considered a “cake”, tiffin does not require baking in the oven. Because the mixture is chilled in the refrigerator to set until hardened, tiffin is also known as fridge or icebox cake, chocolate concrete cake and no- bake chocolate biscuit cake.

Tiffin is very similar to the groom’s cake made for Prince William when he married Kate Middleton in 2011 (but the royal recipe contains eggs). Like the royal cake, tiffin is a treat that tastes rich and decadent but is very easy to make, especially for Christmas cookie exchanges and for Hogmanay next week.

Try tiffin and celebrate Christmas and be proud of plaid. Nollaig Chridheil (Merry Christmas in Scots Gaelic)!

Recipe

(Adapted from Rampant Scotland)

Ingredients

• 1 package digestive biscuits
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1-2 tablespoons raisins
• 1-2 tablespoons glacé cherries, halved (optional)
• 6 ounces good quality chocolate, melted

Directions

In a plastic bag, crush the biscuits into small crumbs. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter with the cocoa powder and golden syrup and stir until smooth.

Add the raisins and glacé cherries. Add the crushed biscuit pieces and mix to coat well. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment or wax paper with a little overhang for the handles. Press the chocolate mixture into the pan until flat and even. Set aside.

Pour melted chocolate over the top and smooth with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least an hour until firm. Lift the tiffin out of the pan using the paper handles. Slice into 36 squares.

Notes

• Because Christmas was banned for 400 years in Scotland, the Scots have celebrated Hogmanay (new year) in grander style. “Auld Lang Syne” is a popular and traditional Scottish song for the new year.
• Search our blog for other Scottish and Christmas recipes.

Star Wars Cookies

December 18, 2015: Premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

May the Force be with you…and with your spirit! Fans are literally out in full force as the new movie in the third trilogy of the famous film/space saga, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, opens worldwide in theaters today (although some lucky fans got to see the movie earlier at the Hollywood/Los Angeles premiere). We had to reserve our tickets online a few weeks earlier to get good seats at the movie theater tonight!

In eager anticipation of the long-awaited Star Wars film, we made sugar cookies to share with co-workers and friends to observe the movie’s release date. What an excuse to use some of the cookie cutters that Highlander gifted Islander one year!

We have posted two simple recipes on our blog today: basic green Yoda sugar cookies and dark chocolate-cinnamon Darth Vader cookies. Even though these classic characters are part of the previous trilogies, enjoy these sweet treats for a multi-generational Star Wars celebration or for a unique holiday cookie exchange.

Recipes

For the Yoda Sugar Cookies

(Adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
• green food coloring (we used Wilton “leaf green” food paste/gel coloring)

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg. Add the vanilla.

Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix until a dough is formed. Tint with green food coloring to the desired shade of “Yoda”. Roll the dough into a large ball, divide in thirds, cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).

Roll out dough ¼-inch thick. Cut out shapes with Yoda cookie cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking pan. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to firm up the dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for five minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely and become crisp.

For the Darth Vader Dark Chocolate-Cinnamon Cookies

(Adapted from Southern Living Incredible Cookies)

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder (we used Hershey’s Special Dark—for an intense color and “dark side” taste)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups butter, softened
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the powdered sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix until a sticky dough is formed.

Roll the dough into a large ball, divide in half or thirds, cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour). Roll out dough ¼-inch thick. Cut out shapes with Darth Vader cookie cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking pan. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to firm up the dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for five minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely and become crisp.

Notes

• Jedi mind tricks and tips: Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper and chill until ready to use. Keep the cut-out cookie dough very cold to retain its shape while baking in the oven. Dip cookie cutters in a little flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough.
• We halved the Darth Vader cookie recipe for this post.
• Search our blog for other Star Wars recipe ideas.

Maple-Glazed Ribs

December 17: National Maple Syrup Day

After visiting Highlander’s relatives in Canada, we always bring back foodstuffs so we can savor the flavors from our North American neighbors when we are back in the United States. Maple products are popular, like syrup, cookies and candies, following the iconic leaf on the nation’s flag.

We got a can of Canadian maple syrup that we typically put on pancakes. It was a lot of syrup for just the two of us so we decided to try a recipe for ribs that featured a maple glaze. We are used to the southern-style BBQ ribs with its saucy marinades. But maple-glazed ribs were a nice change and they are perfect for a picnic in the summer and, with a hint of jalapeno heat in this recipe, hearty and heart-warming to eat during the colder seasons when National Maple Syrup Day is scheduled.

Recipe

Adapted from Endless Vacation magazine (Spring 2012)

Ingredients

• 1 rack of pork baby back ribs
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 small limes, juiced

Directions

Line a lipped baking pan with foil to catch the drippings. Salt and pepper both sides of the ribs. Place meat side down. Make the maple glaze by mixing the maple syrup with garlic, ginger, japaleno and lime juice.

Brush the top and sides of the ribs with 1/3 of the glaze mixture. Cover the ribs with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully lift the foil and avoid escaping steam, turn the ribs over and brush another 1/3 of the glaze mixture on the meat side of the ribs. Cover again with foil and return to the oven to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and discard the top foil. Turn up the oven’s heat to 375 degrees F. Baste with the remaining glaze, return the ribs to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven again and continue to baste, spooning the darker drippings onto the ribs to give them some color. Bake for 15-20 more minutes. Remove from the oven, slice the ribs, put them on a platter and spoon some of the glaze drippings on the meat. Serve hot.

Notes

• There are some burnt bits of maple glaze drippings on the baking pan. Mix this caramelized gooey goodness with the thinner meat juices and brush on the ribs to give them some color.
• Serve these ribs for a summery Canada Day picnic on July 1.
• Try the recipe for maple-glazed chicken for National Maple Syrup Day.