WITH SOUL
This past Saturday, I woke up with a craving for an egg style I hadn't had since I was twelve years old: eggs in a jacket. I went downstairs and started cooking away, and when I brought my dad his eggs in a jacket, which is essentially just a fried egg dropped in an open hole on a slice of bread, his face immediately lightened up.
"Where did you learn to make this?" he asked, puzzled.
"Aunt V used to make it for us when I'd sleep over. I woke up craving it."
He looked up from his dish, smiled and said, "Of course she did. Our grandmother used to make it for us."
In 32 years, that was the first time I heard my father mention his grandmother. When I sat down with my breakfast, I started asking more questions about this mysterious great-grandmother of mine. I learned that her name was Maria, she was off the boat from Italy and refused to learn English. She lived in a rent-controlled apartment her entire life and refused to move when the neighborhood turned. She'd go to my grandparent's house every Friday for the weekend: either being picked up by my oldest Uncle or her son, my great Uncle Tony. She was under 5 ft. tall and never stopped cooking or cleaning. She'd walk around the house observing the chaos that was my dad's childhood: 5 boys, 2 girls, and 2 parents who always left their doors open to their siblings, and more. And, she'd often be heard saying "che" to the kids, which loosely translates to "what".
I was able to learn about someone whom I stem from all because I cracked an egg in a hole of a piece of whole wheat toast. In learning about Maria, her stubbornness, her talent for cooking, and her own language of love, I felt connected to the roots of where I came from. I spent the rest of my weekend creating new memories and traditions: we baked cookies with my cousins of the same Aunt who used to make me those eggs. We laughed and sang "Dominick the Donkey" in unison- leaving the day with a tin full of homemade cookies and hearts filled with a new beginning. On Sunday, we were able to treat Dan's sister, mom, and army of boys to a brunch with Santa. Later, meeting at the 70-foot tree in the heart of Huntington to capture some photos of the three boys in all their glory: singing "Let it Go", playing in a snow globe, and running wild.
There's something that changes in the six weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas. (or, whatever Holiday you celebrate.) Maybe it's the promise of a new year on the horizon, or the anticipation of bringing someone holiday cheer- all of us just sort of become different. And, maybe it's because we feel connected to, and experience so many variations of love. You see, our daily lives are often isolated journeys that are hard to transcribe even to the person closest to you. You can't explain to your best friends in a group chat what your office is like, and regardless of how often someone asks, no one "really" understands our jobs. No one knows your inner thoughts as you get ready for work or what songs you blast as you sing along on your commute. We spend so much time in our daily lives that we forget to prioritize what matters most.
The holidays, though- they're the promise of time and connection.
For six weeks of the year, we all prioritize our traditions of Christmas past, while creating new memories and moments we can help live on. All of this reminds me of why I started Salt, with Soul to begin with. My childhood memories are rooted in moments in the kitchen. From learning to make zeppole’s at the age of 7, to visiting my grandfather and watching him whip up a whole meal from an empty fridge. To shoveling with my dad at my great aunt and uncle's home, only to be welcomed in by homemade cookies to warm up. If I close my eyes and think of Christmas day, I can still see my mom and her sisters dancing around each other as they prepared a meal for the entire family, 30 of us all together. So much of all our stories are rooted in food because food requires time and presence.
Food reminds us of the moments in our lives we’ve felt at home.
Food reminds us to slow down and savor the moment,
It can fill us with the memory of laughter.
Food allows an individual's legacy to live.
I don't have many, if any, of the same traditions from my childhood. And, that's okay. Our traditions will change as our seasons do, it's only natural. Food though, food will always remind us of the memories that got us there. I hope that you are honoring your traditions while making new memories this season.
WITH SALT
In honor of tradition, this week we're making Rainbow cookies. The first time I made these cookies was with my Aunt Susan and mom at my old house- a day I wish I could live over and over again. This year, I did holiday baking with my two cousins on my dad's side, a promise of new traditions that will only grow and expand. What makes our Rainbow cookies special is the fact that I grabbed the wrong cake when I went to add the second layer. Our Lithuania flag rainbow cookies are not only unique but delicious.
A few pro tips:
This is a stacked cookie, so make sure your layers are even and spread to about 2 inches thick
Don't try and take the cake off the parchment paper when stacking. Instead, flip the cake onto one another.
Remember when melting the chocolate to have patience and once melted, keep stirring until you're finished with it. Our chocolate topping was more of a ganache but it worked perfectly.
INGREDIENTS:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) can almond paste
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened and divided
4 eggs, separated
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon red food coloring
¼ teaspoon green food coloring
½ cup raspberry jam, divided
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Preheat the oven to 325 F, and grease (3) 9-by-13-inch quarter sheet pans with cooking spray, then line each with parchment paper
In a mixer, combine the sugar, almond paste, and 1 stick of butter. Mix until smooth and no lady lumps are showing. Add the remaining 2 sticks of butter and continue to mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Gradually add the egg yolks, followed by the milk and almond extract. Mix until combined. Add the flour and keep your speed low until combined. Then, set aside
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they form stiff, fluffy peaks.
Fold the whipped egg whites into the flour mixture to form a smooth batter, then divide equally between 3 bowls.
Stir the red food coloring into the first bowl of batter until evenly pink-colored, then stir the green color into the second bowl of batter until evenly green-colored, leaving the third bowl untouched.
Keeping the batters separate, evenly spread them into the greased and parchment-lined quarter sheet pans, and bake
Once cooled, spread half of the jam to cover the surface of the green cake and place the undyed layer, making sure the parchment is discarded, directly on top, sandwiching the jam. Repeat this step by spreading the remaining jam on top of the undyed layer and placing the pink layer directly on top of it, discarding the parchment.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap and top with another sheet pan. Weigh down the layers with heavy plates or cans, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Remove the weights and plastic wrap. Spread half of the melted chocolate over the top of the cake and refrigerate until set, 30 minutes.
Once solid, flip the cake onto a cutting board, discarding the bottom layer of parchment, and spread the remaining melted chocolate in a even layer over the surface.
Return to the refrigerator and chill until set, 30 minutes.
Our cookies will now and forever be in the wrong order, taking a traditional cookie and making our own tradition…. (it was v stressful being the one responsible for stacking, okay!) but they were delicious and I can’t wait to see what you create.