"Kiffle" Recipe: A Christmas Pastry

Kiffles seem to be a Pennsylvanian take on a traditional Hungarian pastry called "kiflis." A kiffle is a triangle shaped piece of dough rolled will a fruit filling, baked, then topped with powdered sugar. Typical fillings include apricot, poppy seed, lekvar (prune,) nut, and raspberry. This pastry is virtually unknown in my section of Pennsylvania but is widely known in the Lehigh Valley. It seems as though, these popped up some time in the 1980s and have traveled the area by word-of-mouth and recipe swaps until they became a ubiquitous Christmas pastry in the area.

I got these recipes from Andy's Aunt Linda, who is known as the best kiffle maker in his family. She graciously taught us how to make them on Saturday and they really are delicious.   

The Recipes 

Apricot Kiffles

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb Butter
- 1/2 lb Margarine
- 16 ounces Cream Cheese
- 4 cups Flour 
- 4 cups Apricot Filling 

Mix all ingredients together, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, cut the dough into 8 equal parts. Remove one piece and place the others back into the refrigerator. Roll 1 piece into a ball, then roll out thin on a floured surface. Spread 1/2 cup of filling onto the dough, leaving a half of an inch gap at the edges. Cut into 12 pieces as if you are slicing a pie. Roll up each piece and bake on parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes on the bottom rack and 7 minutes on the top rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar directly before serving (optional.)

Combine all ingredients.

Mix with hands.

Spread with filling and cut like a pie.

Roll each piece up

Bake, sprinkle with powdered sugar, enjoy!

For the Nut Version:

Ingredients:

-1/2 Lb Butter

-1/2 Lb Margarine

-4 cups Flour

- 2 Egg Yolks (save whites)

-1 ½ cups Sour Cream

Filling:

-4 cups Ground Walnuts

-3 cups Sugar

-2 tablespoons Cinnamon 

These are made the same as the apricot ones except that the egg whites are spread on the dough and the nut mixture is sprinkled on top. 

They are surprisingly easy to make, and the nut ones look really pretty. I hope everyone is having a good holiday season so far! I can't believe the month is almost over.

Colonial Christmas Cookie Recipe

This is technically a Federal Era Christmas cookie recipe but as with most recipes, it was most likely baked prior to when Amelia Simmons wrote her book American Cookery in 1796.

At this time baking cookies was not associated with Christmas. Cookies were just a part of traditional celebration fare and there are few denoted recipes for Christmas Cookies until the 1830s. Christmas was the beginning of the holiday season that lasted until "twelfth night" or January 6th. Many of the traditions now associated with Christmas were originally a part of New Year's celebrations of people in the 1800s such as cookie baking and gift giving. New Year's cookie recipes from the 1800s are far more prevalent than Christmas ones. The recipe before this one in the book was just titled "Cookies." This recipe is generally accepted as the first American Christmas cookie recipe ever printed. 

 

This recipe will make a truly hard cookie. But, as the recipe says, they soften up after 6 months! :D

Amelia Simmons' Christmas Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

-3 cups Flour

-1/2 cup Sugar

-1 1/2 sticks Butter

-1/3 cup ground Coriander Seed, powdered
-1 teaspoon Pearl Ash (use modern Baking Soda)
-1 Cup Milk (you may need more to make the dough pliable)

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream butter into sugar and coriander seed in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients until it forms a pliable dough. Roll out dough to 3/4 of an inch and use a knife or cookie cutters to make shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes.

I am thinking this is probably a good batch of cookies to make Christmas tree ornaments out of. They would probably smell delicious hanging with some gingerbread cookies.  This cookies pictured at the right were made by Miss Elisabeth at Reflections & Adventures of a Muser for their Christmas festival at the beginning of the month. It was a lot of fun and we made lots of yummy Christmas treats. 

The End is Almost Near!

Really! Finals are almost over and I can't wait to post about all of these things I've wanted to post about! This semester has been the worst and I really can't wait until it is over!

I have included an image of what college students look like at 1 am studying for finals. :(

I am so excited to finally be able to clean the house, read books that aren't for classes, research, and write again!



 The good news is that the torture ends December 16th! I look forward to hearing what everyone has been up to!

Colonial Rules for Children

A Pretty Little Pocket-book was one of the first books published that was specifically for children. It was published by John Newbery, who pioneered children's literature in the 1700s.The book teaches the alphabet using rhymes and includes a lot of images. 

The book includes a curious "letter" from "Jack the Giant-Killer" (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame) to instruct children to behave well. Even then, "favorite characters" were used to teach children valuable lessons.






 

The book came with a red and black, stuffed ball or "pin cushion" that was used as a behavior tool. If a little girl was good, her nanny or mother was supposed to put a pin on the red side of  her pincushion if she was bad, on the black side. When the girl got all 10 pins on the red side, it was recommended that the parents gave the girl a penny. The "ball" was the same as the pincushion but was called a ball due to gender norms of the time.

Lessons found in A Pretty Little Pocket-Book:

Rise Early in the Morning. Pg. 16

Keep themselves clean. Pg. 16

Study and learn their lessons. Pg. 16

Apologize for wrongs. Pg. 16

Not to swear or tell lies. Pg. 16

Say their Prayers. Pg. 19.

Rules for Behavior

• “Make a Bow always when you come Home, and become instantly uncovered.”  Pg. 98
• “Never set in the Presence of thy Parents without bidding, though no stranger be present.”  Pg. 98
• “If thou art going to speak to thy parents, and see them engaged in Discourse with Company, draw back and leave thy Business until afterwards ; but if thou must speak, be sure to whisper.” Pg. 99
• “Never speak to thy Parents without some Title of Respect, viz. Sir, Madam, &c. according to their quality.” Pg 99
• “Approach near thy Parents at no Time without a Bow.” Pg. 99
• “Dispute not, nor delay to obey the Commands of thy Parents.” Pg. 99
• “Come not into the Room where thy Parents are with Strangers, unless thou art called, and then decently ; and at bidding go out ; or if Strangers come in while thou art with them, it is Manners with a Bow to withdraw.” Pg. 99
• “Quarrel not nor contend with thy Brethren or Sisters, but live in Love, Peace and Unity.” Pg. 100
• “Grumble not, nor be discontented at any Thing thy Parents appoint, speak or do.” Pg. 100
• “Come not to the Table without having your Hands and Face washed, and your Head combed.” Pg. 101
• “Sit not down until thou art bidden by thy Parents or other Superiors.” Pg. 101
• “Be sure thou never sittest down until a Blessing be desired, and then in thy due Place.” Pg. 101
• “Ask not for any Thing, but tarry until it be offered thee.” Pg. 102
• “Find no fault with any Thing that is given you.” Pg. 102
• “Speak not at the Table ; if thy Superiors be discoursing, meddle not with the Matter ; but be silent, except thou are spoken unto.” Pg. 102
• “Eat not too fast or with greedy behavior.” Pg. 102
• “Eat not too much, but moderately.” Pg. 102
• “Eat not so slow as to make others wait for thee.” Pg. 102
• “Make not a Noise with thy Tongue, Mouth, Lips or Breath, in eating or drinking.” Pg. 103
• “Lean not thy Elbow on the Table, or on the Back of the Chair.” Pg. 103
• “Blow not thy Meat, but with Patience wait until it be cool.” Pg. 103
• “Throw not any Thing under the Table.” Pg. 103
• “Frown not nor murmur if there be any Thing at the Table which thy Parents, or Strangers with them, eat of, while thou thyself hast none given to thee.” Pg. 10

A Pretty Little Pocket-Book Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy, and Pretty Miss Polly. With Two Letters from Jack the Giant-Killer as also A Ball and Pin Cushion; The use of which will infallibly make Tommy a good Boy, and Polly a good Girl (1787.)

Thanksgiving Letter from an African American Civil War Soldier

Francisco Goya, 1787

 Civil War soldiers often wrote home about how much they missed the holidays that they used to have at home. Thanksgiving, while not an official national holiday, was still celebrated by many Americans. On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation, at the urging of Godey's Lady's Book editor Sarah Josepha Hale, making a national holiday of Thanks. After the proclamation, it was widely celebrated by the troops.    

David A. Demus of Franklin County, VA to his wife Mary Jane Demus on November 25th, 1863:

"mi Dear Wife

I take this optuity to in form you that I am Well at presn and I hope Whean thes fu lines reach you tha ma find you i the best state of healte I receve yor letter on the 25th of november i Was hapey to hear frum you and I did not Car how smole the letter Was Jest sow I got Wone but you Cant tell how sweat it Was to me to get it fer I Wod like to hear frum you ever day If i Cod get it but i must tell you of the grate time that We had on theank giving it Was the best day that We ever had sinc i lefte home..."

Read the full transcription at The Valley of the Shadow: Valley Personal Papers

In this letter, Demus describes the festivities of the day: a greasy pole competition, a blindfolded sack race and men playing ball. Sack races and ball playing are still common festivities today, but greasy pole competitions seem to have lost favor.

Climbing a greasy pole was a very basic form of entertainment. Typically a pole would be erected with a prize at the top and then greased to make it difficult to get the prize. These poles would be erected by the wealthy, although the wealthy typically did not take part in trying to climb them. Climbing the pole was for the poorer classes and the wealthy enjoyed watching the climbers. Legs of mutton, slabs of bacon, jewelery and clothing were common prizes.  Climbers were typically young boys, servants, freed or enslaved African Americans, street urchins, and the poor. They were very popular in the 1860s, Edward VII of Wales even had a greasy pole at his wedding in 1863.   

The competition may seem barbaric, but for a young servant girl, it could be her chance to own a dress as pretty as her mistress' so many people attempted the climb as the draw of the prize was typically very tempting. In Demus' case, the prize was a pair of trousers with $13.00 in the pocket, a good sum as it was as much as a white soldier made in a month.   

 Harper's Magazine gives a good description of the technique of greased pole climbing "The first who attempt the ascent look for no honor; their office is to prepare the way, and put things in train for their successors: they rub off the grease from the bottom, the least practicable part of the pole. In every thing the first steps are the most difficult, although seldom the most glorious; and scarcely ever does the same person commence an enterprise, and reap the fruit of its accomplishment. They ascend higher by degrees, and the expert climbers now come forth, the heroes of the list: they who have been accustomed to gain prizes, whose prowess is known, and whose fame is established since many seasons. They do not expend their strength in the beginning; they climb up gently, and patiently, and modestly, and repose from time to time; and they carry, as is permitted, a little sack at their girdle, filled with ashes to neutralize the grease and render it less slippery."

I hope everyone has a very good Thanksgiving!