traditional christmas recipe

This homemade take on fig Newtons combines is a delicious combination of gently aromatic cookie and juicy fig filling.

Homemade fig Newtons

whole wheat pastry flour

tsp salt

cinnamon

brown sugar

unsalted butter

orange

orange juice

dried Mission figs ((1 cup is approx 6 1/3 oz))

orange zest (ie zest from 1/2 orange)

tbsp orange juice

tbsp honey

Put the flour, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together gently.

Separately, cream together the butter and sugar until glossy and smooth. Add the egg, orange zest and juice and blend in so mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture part at a time and blend in each time until mixed well.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of cling wrap/film and flatten out into a disc. Cover and chill for at least an hour or two until firm or leave overnight. If you leave overnight, you may need to take it out 20 minutes or so before rolling so it is not too cold. If you need to speed up cooling, you can freeze for around 5 minutes then continue in the fridge until it feels firm and cold.

Preparing the cookie dough (do ahead)

Trim off the stems from the figs and discard.

Place the figs, honey, orange zest and juice in the food processor and blend until a relatively smooth paste forms, scraping down and pulsing slightly more as needed.

Making the filling

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Line a baking sheet/tray with parchment.

Unwrap the cookie dough and roll it on a floured surface into a rectangle roughly 10in x 8in (25cm x 20cm). Trim or neaten off the edges so they are relatively straight.

Cut the piece of dough in half the long way (ie so you have two pieces around 10 x 4in, 25 x 10cm).

Divide the filling in two and use half to make a log the length of one of the pieces of dough, in the middle, and the same on the other piece. Make sure it goes right to the end and is relatively even all along.

Roll over one side of the dough and keep rolling so it goes all the way round and roll a little with the join on the bottom. It is fine if it overlaps slightly. Turn so the join is on top and use the side of a knife to help join the dough. Carefully transfer the log to the lined baking sheet and then repeat with the other piece of dough and filling.

Bake the two logs for approximately 15 - 20 minutes until the dough looks slightly dry and it&#39;s just starting to brown at the edges. They may feel slightly soft on top but they should feel dry. While still warm, use a dough cutter/scraper or wide knife to slice into chunks. Don&#39;t worry if it cracks slightly but try to take care. Allow to cool, separating once slightly cooler, then leave to cool completely.

Forming and cooking cookies

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1713408429/aw2sv1hvbdcepyiriqvt.mp4

These homemade fig Newtons are a delicious mix of gently aromatic cookie wrapped around a juicy fig filling. They're packed with flavor and a wonderful texture. Perfect snacking!

Grandma&#039;s Oyster Soup is a traditional Christmas menu item. Grab a sleeve of crackers and dig into this soup featuring oysters in a buttery-milk broth.

Grandma's Oyster Soup

butter

oysters (with juice)

milk

salt

black pepper

Pour oyster juice through a sieve to remove grit; reserve juice for soup .

Rinse oysters in cold water in colander to remove any broken shells.

Melt butter in a large sauce pan or soup pot over low heat. Add oysters and gently warm for a few minutes.

Add milk and oyster juice. Continue to heat slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally.

When the broth is warm (not scalded), season slowly with salt and pepper. Taste and continue to season until the milk broth is flavorful.

Serve with crackers or oyster crackers.

Well, Phyllis you are close.  Back in the mid 1940s when I was a teen ager my Mom made oyster stew all winter in Panama City, FL.  She used whole milk and Carnation just as you do. Dad's business  frequently took him to Apalachicola  and he would bring home a 40 lb crocus bag of oysters in shell ($2.00).  He taught me to shuck em.  Mom never used margarine, even during the war.  I sometime had to take cream off top of milk to make the butter with a little hand crank beater.  You missed one essential ingredient: 1 or 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, that brought out umami before we even heard of umami.  I'm making stew tomorrow. A pint of Pacific extra small ($12.00 @ Walmart  all I could find) is what I will use.  Wish  me luck.  My wife of 68+ years recently died so I am learning to cook some of her favorites and my Mom's stew was one of her favorites.

this is exactly the recipe that my grandmother always made at Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. It is a cherished memory. after her death, my mother always made it. Once I got married, I kept up the tradition. It’s so exciting to see that others love this too. never had a written recipe. I’ve just made it from memory. It’s nice to have it written down. Thank you so much for doing that and for The special memory. I can’t wait till Christmas Eve. I just may have to have it before.

Delicious! I used my pressure cooker to steam oysters open, with 1 cup of water, (after thoroughly cleaning them with water and a scrub brush). Once pressure cooker heated up, I let them cook for 2 mins then quickly released the pressure. After pouring them into a colander, (lined with cheesecloth), I was able to reserve the juice for the soup and the partially-steamed oysters were easy to get out of the shells.

Great recipe! I've been making Oyster Stew this way for years but have never had a recipe to follow. Quality butter and whole milk are so important. We like a little heat so I add a small amount of Cayenne Pepper (to taste) when heating the stew. Being from Maryland we also love Old Bay Seasoning so I usually put the ole' can on the table for those who want to add in another layer of flavor. Seasonings are added sparingly as we certainly don't want to overpower the stars of the stew, the oysters. Glad to see this recipe. Thank you!

Great recipe and definitely ole time and delicious ! Just made it, yummy !

An addition that puts it over the top is dried minced onion flakes (I add when melting the butter to soften them).  Also use whole milk and real butter...I mean really,  we're not making this very often..indulge!  Our family also had this treat on Christmas eve...Great memories...

Exactly how my 76 year old grandmother used to make it! This is the only recipe I've seen online that is made like this. Thanks for sharing!

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Top 2 traditional christmas recipe recipes from across the web

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Homemade fig Newtons

Grandma's Oyster Soup

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