Soul Cakes Are the Perfect Halloween Treat for the Black Hat Society

Come October 31^st 150 million children (!!!) will venture into the streets, knock expectantly on doors and yell “TRICK OR TREAT!” Yet few people know the dark and winding road this nighttime festival has trod in order to become the second largest American holiday. 

The first celebrations of Halloween began in ancient pre-Christian Celtic Ireland, Scotland and northern France. During that era October 31th celebrated Samhain, a high holy day marked by the nighttime burning of massive bonfires, the wearing of animal skin costumes to frighten away hostile spirits and the offering of food and prayers to the protective spirits of deceased family members. 

These customs continued into the Middle Ages with the previous activities then becoming known as “Mumming”.  Bizarre cloth and straw costumes now replaced the prior animal skin costumes.  Under the growing influence of Christianity, the food, once offered to supportive ancestral spirits, was replaced by soul cakes. 

The poor of each village would visit the estates of the landed gentry and ask for soul cakes. It was expected that, for each small cake they received, they would say a prayer for the soul of a deceased lord of lady. The following song hauntingly captures the feel of that ancient day:

This humbling practice was known as “Souling”. Over the centuries the poor were replaced by the children of the village who by then accepted money and ale in addition to food. In Scotland the tradition shifted somewhat. There the costumed children offered to exchange a song, joke or dance, instead of a prayer, for their treats. They called this custom "guising, hence the modern word "dis-guising". 

In 1605 Guy Fawkes and his fellow Catholic terrorists were caught and executed for attempting to blow up both the Protestant King James I and the entire British Parliament.  His death (or courage, depending on one’s political point of view) is celebrated each November 5^th with raging bonfires, bonfire-themed cupcakes and the request by English children of “a penny for the Guy”, who had to pay for his own execution under 17^th century law. 

All of these traditions came to the United States thanks to immigration which is a constant stream of diversity that has greatly crafted the shape of American history.  Beginning with the Great Potato Famine in 1845, waves of both Irish and Scottish immigrants came to America and brought their October holiday customs with them. 

By the 1920s and into the 1930s, the popular of tricking and treating reached alarming and destructive proportions in America. Vandalism exploded in major urban areas, often prompted by poverty and anger over the inequality of the American dream. 

The sudden involvement of America in World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor halted this trend as hundreds of thousands of unemployed young men entered the military and food stuffs, including sugar, were greatly rationed. After the War ended in 1945, many returning GIs had seen enough of conflict and battle to last a life time and were now no longer interested in chaos and destruction. 

Available government housing loans, thanks to the GI bill, enabled the explosion of suburban neighborhoods, populated by happy newlyweds and soon thereafter their two ‘perfect’ children. As candy makers evaluated this new social trend, they quickly understood they were looking a vast and untapped market.

Women had endured the severe shortage of sugar during war years.  Their husbands had ‘dined’ for four years on simplistic K rations. And now there were all those children. In short, it was time to relax, settle into the 1950’s life style promoted by the “Mad Men” of Madison Avenue Ad Agencies and enjoy a ‘new’ holiday based on revamped traditions that were over 2,000 years old. 

Trick or Treating is still part of Halloween in America though more modern (and health-conscious) parents moderate their children’s consumption of sugar. Costumes, both commercially themed and homemade, are still worn and not just by children. On an ever increasing basis, adults are joining in the fun and enjoying fright-themed treats and scary cocktails. 

If you wish, however, to return to the simpler roots of Halloween, consider making your very own soul cakes. Eat them before November 2^nd and you're sure to have good luck all year. Then you'll  know why for over 2,000 years mankind has celebrate the darkening days of Fall each year with fire, fun and friendship. Enjoy and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

SOUL CAKES

Makes 12 to 15 2-inch soul cakes (Eat within 2 days of Baking to Insure Good Luck!)

INGREDIENTS

For the Cakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground fresh if possible
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground fresh if possible
1/2 teaspoon salt
Generous pinch of saffron
1/2 cup milk
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup currants

For the Glaze:
1 egg yolk, beaten

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Combine the flour, the nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
• Mix well with a fork.
• Crumble the saffron threads into a small saucepan and heat over low heat just until they become aromatic, taking care not to burn them.
• Add the milk and heat just until hot to the touch. The milk will have turned a bright yellow. Remove from heat.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon (or use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment).
• Add the egg yolks and blend in thoroughly with the back of the spoon.
• Add the spiced flour and combine as thoroughly as possible; the mixture will be dry and crumbly.
• One tablespoon at a time, begin adding in the warm saffron milk, blending vigorously with the spoon. When you have a soft dough, stop adding milk; you probably won't need the entire half-cup.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead gently, with floured hands, until the dough is uniform.
• Roll out gently to a thickness of 1/2 inch.
• Using a floured 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can and set on an ungreased baking sheet. You can gather and re-roll the scraps, gently.
• Decorate the soul cakes with currants.
• Brush cakes  liberally with the beaten egg yolk.
• Bake for 15 minutes, until just golden and shiny.
• Serve warm.

Don't forget to donate to UNICEF this Halloween.

Their great work saves the lives of countless children around the world!

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

How to Feed 100,000 People a Day

In a world that seems unable to work together even to solve the simplest of problems, Valerie Berteau and Philippr Witjes have produced a stunning documentary film, entitled Himself Who Cooks, that follows the efforts of hundreds of volunteers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India as they feed up to 100,000 people every day. 

Yes, that’s correct -100,000 meals in a day from the Temple's Langar Kitchen.  Bertau and Witjes capture in beautiful imagery, frame by frame, the spontaneous choreography of hundreds of hands moving in unison to the pulse of a spiritual expression found through the creation and sharing of food for all. 

The Golden Temple is itself as unique as the film, because it is not only a central religious center for Sikhism but also serves as a shining symbol of brotherhood and equality for all people. As a result, everyone, regardless of creed, race, sex, nationality or social status, is welcome without hindrance or restriction to dine respectfully together in peace and fellowship.

What makes this documentary even more unique is that Philippe Witjes, who worked with Berteau as co-author and film maker, is himself a professional chef.  As a result, many images of everyday beauty, that others might have overlooked, are captured and presented as moments of meaning within food service.

Many thanks to this creative team for reminding us all, that between the plates and pans, food, when all is said and done, is about fellowship with others and so, hopefully, with the world around us.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Cordon Bleu London Releases YouTube Tour

Many members of the Hospitality Industry are familiar with the Cordon Bleu in Paris but have not had time to tour the school's newly refurbished London center.

Happily you can now visually walk through the renovated British center thanks to a new YouTube video just released that not only highlights the center's outstanding new features but also reviews the history of the famed culinary school itself.  

But be warned in advanced, after viewing this informative clip, you'll want to visit in person - and why not: London is one of the world's great culinary cities. 

You will enjoy your trip and be inspirited by your visit.

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Gender Cupcakes Grow in Popularity as Kate and William Await Baby’s Birth

Currently all of England is involved in waiting for the birth of Britain’s newest prince or princess. 

And while Kate and William may be occupied with getting the nursery ready, England’s bookmakers are taking bets on everything from the baby’s sex to the baby name chosen by the royal couple.

In olden days, to borrow a phrase from Cole Porter, everyone would be wishing for a boy as only a male could ascend the throne to become the future royal ruler.

Thankfully that male-only tradition has faded away and now the first child born, regardless of its sex, can step into the line of royal succession.

But it’s still fun to guess: Will it be a prince or princess? And that has resurrected a charming English culinary tradition not seen since the birth of Diana’s own beloved sons, Princes William and Harry – Gender Cupcakes.

Hidden by frosting inside each cupcake is a sweet insert of pink (it's a girl!) or blue(it's a boy!) frosting.

When mixed and served at afternoon teas and birth wait parties, each guest declares their internal cupcake color and a tally is made. According to tradition, the winning color number will predict the child’s sex.

Truly a charming and very sweet custom – as enduring as Kate and William’s baby is sure to be.. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Easy as Sliced Bread!

This week, 85 years ago, in 1928 O.F. Rohwedder delivered his newly invented slicing machine to the Missouri’s Chillicothe Baking Company and bread has never been the same since.

The uniform slices not only delighted many a weary housewives and legions of fatigued chefs, it also brought cheers from the companies that produced toasters. The standardized slices produced by Rohwedder’s marvelous new machine insured that irregular slices would never get stuck again (and horror-of-horrors never burn) in the toaster.  

As a result, toaster sales soared, resulting in a nearly endless variety of designs. Today collectors rejoice when they can locate these unique units. But the impact of sliced bread didn’t stop there.

The production of lunch boxes, especially those designed to catch the eye of school children, equally exploded and standardized to match the size of the newly standardized commercially produced sliced loafs of white bread.

Soon breads such as Wonder Bread constituted the key component of the “wonderful” sandwich Jack and Jane ate in their school lunch room – with few noticing at the time the vitamins missing from the bread.

Today school lunch programs are far more aware of nutrition – or at least should be.  From Michele Obama’s White House Garden to chef led programs such as those proposed by Jamie Oliver and Charlie Trotter, insightful school cooks are shifting from a commercially baked bread centered diet to one of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

Yet old habits (good or bad) die hard and America STILL has an ongoing love affair with sliced bread, even including such phrases as “the easiest thing since sliced bread “ and  “as easy as sliced bread” in everyday speech.

So what’s the latest expression of affection for the grand ol’ loaf? It’s a birthday cake shaped like a beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

A special novelty baking pan, entitled the "Cakewich Pan", shapes the cake into sliced bread shapes and fruit frosting mimics the traditional sandwich jelly.

Only in America!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013