December 19, 2014

Stollen: A German Christmas Delicacy Meticulously Crafted in Lebanon

I've had ther chance to be the very forst to try those mouthwatering delicacies... Now is your turn.

Stollen is a fruit cake containing dried fruit and marzipan and is typically covered with powdered sugar or icing sugar. The cake is normally fully of candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices. In Germany, Stollen is traditionally eaten over the Christmas period.

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  • Almond Stollen: Sugar touches your lips as you put a chunk onto your tongue... A crunch follows, while the sugary envelope disintegrates under your teeth, accompanied by a sweet taste, which lingers for a while. Wait until you've reached the heart: A condensed, full-bodied dough with a buttery taste and full of dried fruits. A pure German product filled with German sugar, German dried fruits and butter from their cousins in Switzerland. 

The first bite, the second, the third followed and I wished I could stop. Take a minute and focus on its texture and yellow color... That's a piece of art, where 60% of its heart is covered with dried crunchy almonds and chewy marzipan.

Wheat flour, almond, butter, sugar and marzipan, the ingredients mean that this cake can be preserved for over six months.

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  • The Traditional Stollen: Dried raisin, orange and candied lemon peel, almonds, hazelnuts, butter, sugar, eggs and spices.

So different... That's even better: The sweetness, the crisp feel, the richness of the ingredients... Impressive! As you finish, an alcoholic touch comes in to add a unique finesse and the taste of rum.

Traditional or almond, they’re both something you have to taste while stocks last. You’ll have till New Year to try them.

Stollen is a bread-like fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, and usually has citrus zest added to the mix. Candied citrus peel, raisins, almonds and different spices such as cardamom and cinnamon round out the flavors. The other ingredients typically include milk, sugar, butter, salt, rum, eggs, vanilla, other dried fruits and nuts, finally, often marzipan completes the feeling.  If you ignore the fruit, the dough is quite low in sugar, unless the cake is sprinkled with icing sugar! Stollen is similar to regular sweetened fruit bread, but it is often slathered with melted, unsalted butter and rolled in sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven, which results in a much moister product, that will keep for longer. The dried fruits are often soaked in rum or brandy for a superior tasting bread.

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A single Stollen will only cost you LBP30,000 and it's surely worth it. 

 

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