Dessert Surveillance

Crosstown Doughnuts’ Jelly Doughnuts with Homemade Raspberry Jam / Photo Courtesy of Crosstown Doughnuts (London)

With Chanukah and Christmas approaching, I can’t help but think of all the holiday-centered sweets—Jelly Doughnuts, Buche de Noel, Stollen, and Panettone.

Buche de Noel from Flour Bakery + Cafe / Photo Courtesy of Flour Bakery + Cafe (Boston)

So, what’s the significance of these desserts? (If the truth be told, I don’t need Chanukah as an excuse to scarf down Jelly Doughnuts, but I digress.) Let’s take them, one by one.

Jelly Doughnuts (otherwise known as Jelly Donuts)

Doughnut Plant’s Jelly Doughnuts (with homemade Jam) and Marzipan / Photo Courtesy of the Doughnut Plant (NYC)

The Chanukah holiday commemorates the miracle of a day’s worth of oil lasting for eight days. One of the symbolic traditions is eating foods fried in oil. Yeasted Doughnuts, and specifically Jelly Doughnuts (known as Sufganiyot)  have become popular as a Chanukah treat. And Jelly Doughnuts have certainly gone upscale. Now you can find Doughnuts with homemade Strawberry, Raspberry, or Blackberry Jam, Doughnuts with a Marzipan and Homemade Jam combination, and Raspberry Doughnuts with Freeze-Dried Raspberries, for textural contrast.

What I find so interesting is the universal appeal of sweetened fried dough. Find Loukouumades (fritters with honey) in Greece, Awwamaat (fried dough with nuts) in Lebanon; Pets de Nonne (fried choux pastry with powdered sugar) in France, and the list goes on.

Buche de Noel

Tropical White Chocolate Buche de Noel from Bien Cuit (with rum syrup, coconut, mango, and guava)/ Photo Courtesy of Bien Cuit (NYC)

A Buche de Noel is a sheet of cake spread with a filling, which is then rolled up. The rolled-up cake is spread with chocolate icing, so it looks like a Yule Log. While the Yule Log might have originated as a Pagan tradition, it is now associated with Christmas, and with the warmth that was needed in the stable for the Christ child. In addition to the beautiful Buche de Noel cakes with meringue mushrooms and other holiday decorations, you can find interesting variations enrobed in White Chocolate, even complete with tropical fillings.

Stollen

Balthazar Bakery’s Stollen/Photo Courtesy of Balthazar Bakery

A  Stollen is a German Christmas Bread and the shape of Stollen symbolizes the infant Jesus in swaddling. Stollen, a yeast bread,  often includes dried or candied fruit, nuts, seeds, Marzipan, and spirits, and is dusted with sugar. Stollen improves with time, unlike most bread.

Panettone

Balthazar Bakery’s Panettone/Photo Courtesy of Balthazar Bakery

Panettone is a rich bread, and its arrival marks the Christmas holiday. According to the Oxford Companion to Italian Food, the top of Panettone is sprinkled with candied sugar, and the inside is replete with dried fruit and candied peels. And the bread is rich with sugar, honey, butter, and eggs, perfumed with vanilla and sometimes liqueurs, and is soft and light.

Breads Bakery’s Strawberry Jelly Doughnuts/Photo Courtesy of Breads Bakery

Here’s to a lovely and joy-filled holiday season (filled with great desserts)!