Ginger, Orange And Date Cookies

I have been lazy.. ..plain lazy. I have all these posts in my head and that's just where they stay. All December I've been seeing these posts counting down to Christmas and told myself I have enough time to do all the posts I wanted to. And here I am two days before Christmas, scouring cookery books and websites for an apt Christmas dessert. We may not celebrate Christmas at home but it's always an occasion to take out the pretty plates and twinkly lights and raise a toast to the good times!

So, while I search for my Christmas dessert for the year, I made some cookies. Mama hinted two week back how she wouldn't mind if I baked her a batch of cookies to go with her tea. Of course, I procrastinated and finally with the Christmas inspiration all round, these cookies were thought of and baked this afternoon.

These are simple eggless cookies infused with the flavours of the season. I like the fact that the recipes uses fresh ginger as opposed to ground ginger. When they first came out of the oven, they looked so nondescript that I wondered how I could jazz them up. But, taste them and you realise that these cookies need no help. 

You will taste the ginger and the orange, and neither are overpowering. With the first bite, you might wonder if these cookies need a bit more sugar but once you encounter the dates, it all makes sense.

These are not fancy show-off cookies. These are regular cookies to go with your daily cuppa. And it helps that they hardly take any time to put together. Although, when you buy the dates, buy the pitted ones, something I clearly did not check while buying them myself!

I think I have narrowed down my dessert for Christmas and hopefully I can get it done in time, with a post to show for it. But, knowing my track record with this blog this year, I won't say much till I get the post done, for sure. So, fingers crossed!

But, what about everyone else? Anyone hosting a Christmas dinner or baking something special or any other special plans for the weekend? I'd love to hear about itl!

Gingerbread Men And Women

It does not matter whether you personally celebrate Christmas or not. In a month of holidays and partying, its just another excuse to celebrate. For the past few weeks, food blogs have been putting one Christmassy post after another. Procrastination, of course, saw me waiting till the very last for this post. At least, I got it up before Christmas!

 

I decided on the gingerbread theme. Its just so Christmassy.. you never hear of anyone making gingerbread biscuits, any other time of the year. It's only for Christmas!! And its a family affair, with everyone from kids to adults discovering their inner artist when it comes to decorating them.

 

Only one hitch .. I couldn't find any gingerbread cookie cutters, neither in Bombay nor in Delhi. Luckily, a darling sister-in-law carted these all the way from Down Under. I got the whole family, gingerbread man and woman and the kiddies, a boy and girl.

 

One you have the requisite cookie cutters, its all pretty straight forward. The dough is made in a food processor, then rolled out, cut up and baked. Once cooled, that's when the fun begins.

 

 

My advice to you, enlist the help of all those around you.. kids and adults alike. I did it all by myself and let's just say, I have new found respect for all the professional cookie decorators out there and their craft.

 

The photographs speak for themselves.. I am not the most creative nor the most patient. I did try to get creative with red accents on the clothing and red lippy for the girls. I strung all the kids together as a garland. And all my friends out there, do notice the curly hair on the women.. that's my personal touch!

 

 

And for all the observant ones out there, Rudolph the reindeer also makes an appearance, complete with his red nose. If you can't find him, look for the upside-down gingerbread boy in the garland. Go ahead and have your laugh for the day!!

 

Aside from all the decorating, there is also the taste of these cookies. It essentially has the texture of a shortbread with a mild ginger taste that matures with time. These would make an excellent addition to the cookie platter but they will be even better as edible Christmas tree decorations!! Engage the kids and you can imagine the fun with each one unleashing their artistic potential on these cookies.

 

 

Like I said earlier, whether you celebrate Christmas is immaterial. There is a spirit of love and celebration out there, embrace it and spread the joy. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a beautiful festive season!!

Ginger Lime Syrup

As a city dweller heading out to the countryside, the one word that will recur with frequency is, abundance. The countryside is about the abundance of space, the abundance of fresh air, the abundance of nature, the abundance of fresh produce and the abundance of spirit of the people who live there. And invariably, we humour them with our stories of how we, in the cities, pay an exorbitant premium for produce that is available to them freely and in abundance. We talk about how we search our cities, high and low, for organic produce that is, well, growing in their backyards.

 

And invariably, we come back home with our bags crammed with all sorts of fresh farm and garden produce. We profusely thank the host who waves us off with a bemused smile, shaking their head at the ways of the deprived, of us who live in the cities.

 

That's what happened to me recently. On a quick trip to a cousin brother's estate, I stood admiring the lime trees in his backyard. The trees were flush with fruit and the morning air was redolent with a slight, citrusy fragrance as you walked by the trees. The city dweller in me gawked, exclaimed and gulped down mouthfuls of that fresh air. The next morning, while we were leaving, we were promptly handed over a bag stuffed with fresh limes. We protested weakly that this was all too much and they ..well.. rolled their eyes and laughed us off!!

 

 

So, as always, as I pondered on what to with the limes, Ma came to the rescue. Out came a little book and the recipe for a ginger-lime syrup that was given to her by a friend. And in under an hour, we had a bottle of this beautiful, delicately-coloured ginger-lime syrup.

This is a concoction of lime, ginger, sugar and water that is boiled into a syrup. And how does it taste?? It has the kick of ginger, a zesty pickup from the limes and a certain amount of sweetness to stop it from being overpowering. The end result.. it will leave you refreshed and smacking your lips!!

Take a tiny peg of it with water, plain or sparkling. Depending on the weather, you could add ice or if you are down with a sore throat like me, top it off with some warm water as a soothing night-time tot. The ginger and lime are said to be a natural antidote to counter that nasty cough/cold. If the ginger is a wee bit strong for you, you could sweeten it with a dash of honey.

This ginger-lime syrup provides a winter-counterpart to the classic summer lemonade. It is also a throwback to a time when our mothers and grand-mothers made all this seasonal home-made produce that was not only enticing but packed with health benefits. Of course, these days we look for the very same stuff at independent, boutique organic-produce shops. So, on a cold, wintry day, when the Sun comes out and you are in the mood for a dainty drink from the days gone by, may I recommend a bottle of this ginger-lime syrup.