Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
October 16
Saint of the day:
Saint Hedwig
Saint Hedwig’s Story
Rarely do humans realize the possibilities of the wise use of earthly power and worldly wealth. Saint Hedwig was one of the few.
Born to nobility toward the close of the 12th century, she was married at an early age to Henry, duke of Silesia (now Poland). Through her persuasion and personal efforts, several monastic institutions of both men and women were established in Silesia. Several hospitals, one for lepers, were likewise founded. She was personally a great force in establishing peace in the surrounding areas during power struggles. To her great sorrow, she was unable to prevent a pitched battle between the forces of two of her sons, one of whom was dissatisfied over the partition of estates that Henry had made between them.
After she and her husband had made mutual vows of celibacy, she lived mostly at the monastery at Trebnitz where, although not a formal member of the religious institute, she nevertheless participated in the religious exercises of the community. She died in 1243 and was buried at Trebnitz.
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-hedwig/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_of_Silesia
Prayer:
Visit:
St. Hedwig's Cathedral
Hinter der Katholischen Kirche 3, 10117 Berlin, Germany
https://www.hedwigs-kathedrale.de/
Recipe:
Hedwigsohlen
For dough
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1/2 cup lukewarm milk
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4 tablespoons sugar
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1 teaspoon dry yeast
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1 lemon
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2 cups flour
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4 tablespoons butter
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 egg
For topping
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2 tablespoons sour cream
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1 egg yolk
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sugar
Directions:
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Mix half of the milk with a teaspoon of sugar and the yeast. Let stand until frothy. Grate the peel of half of the lemon. Mix this and all the other dough ingredients with the yeast mixture to make a smooth dough. It may be necessary to add extra flour or liquid so the dough is pliable.
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Let dough rest for 45 minutes. Cut the dough into 10 small balls and pieces and form each into the shape of the sole of a shoe. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Put the "soles" onto a greased baking sheet, let rise and rest for about 20 minutes.
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Bake the bread in preheated oven at 400 ° F (200 ° C) for 20 minutes until golden brown. Five minutes before the end of baking time, brush the top of each "sole" with the mixture of sour cream and egg yolk. Sprinkle with sugar and return to oven for last 5 minutes.
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This recipe is from Cooking with the Saints by Ernest Schuegraf. Any bread dough recipe could be used and shaped into the sole shape. In fact, you could use pre-prepared dough or even biscuit or cookie dough as those can easily be cut in the desired shape - and retain the shape well. Lots of possibilities for "sole" food in memory of St. Hedwig.
Saint Hidwig's Polish Angel Wings
(aka Chrusciki)
Makes about 5-6 dozen cookies for a whole batch
Ingredients:
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
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2 large eggs
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5 large egg yolks
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1/2 cup granulated sugar
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3 tablespoons sour cream
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2 teaspoons salt
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1 teaspoon orange extract
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1 teaspoon lemon extract
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon white distilled
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1 teaspoon vinegar
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1 tablespoon rum
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1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
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1 tablespoon grated orange zest
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2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
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7 cups (3 pounds) vegetable shortening, for deep-frying
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Sifted confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling
Directions:
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Put melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, sour cream, salt, extracts, vinegar, and rum in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture is pale,
about 3 minutes. With mixer running, add zests. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add up to 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a fairly stiff dough forms. -
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, dusting with flour
if it seems sticky, until dough becomes smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Halve dough, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap.
Let dough rest at room temperature, 30 minutes. -
Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface
until very thin (about 1/16 inch thick). Using a straightedge as a guide,
cut the dough into 5-by-1 1/4-inch strips. Trim ends on the diagonal. -
Lay dough strips vertically in front of you, and cut a 1 1/4-inch-long opening through the middle of each strip. Working with one strip at a time, push one end through the cut, then pull through to make a bow-tie shape. Transfer formed chrusciki to a large parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining dough.
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Heat shortening in a large (6-quart) pot over medium-high heat until it registers 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
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Working in small batches of about 7, fry chrusciki, turning once with a
slotted spoon, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer fried chrusciki with slotted spoon to two paper-towel-lined baking sheets to drain. (Adjust heat between batches as necessary to keep oil at a steady temperature.) -
Just before serving, dust chrusciki with confectioners' sugar.
Note: Chrusciki are best served right away
You can store chrusciki (khroost-CHEE-kee) in waxed-paper-lined airtight containers at room temperature for up to one week. Wait until just before serving to dust them with confectioners' sugar. This recipe makes an enormous quantity. It can be halved, but don't divide the orange, lemon, and vanilla extracts.
*I think this recipe taste a lot like a cannoli shell so I can see this being served with a dipping sauce like chocolate, raspberries or even ricotta!
