Aside from all the merriment, I've discovered the makings of some new and easy holiday food.

I woke up early on Dec 23rd….like really early, and couldn't get back to sleep. With my little kitten in my lap I sat on the floor thumbing through my cookbook collection.

My first great discovery of the day was that I found a recipe for creme fraich. Why is creme fraich important ? Well  we have Rebecca staying with us from Sweden. Creme fraich is used in so many Scandinavian and French recipes but not found in the foothills of Appalachia. It is so easy to make. all of this suffering for no reason.

                                                     Creme Fraich

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, preferably not ultra-pasteurized. The ultra-pasteurized does work as well but you will need to add more buttermilk.
• 3 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk. 5 tablespoons if using ultra-pasteurized creme.

1. Whisk the cream and buttermilk together in a medium bowl. Cover with a cotton tea towel and let stand in a warm spot (on top of the refrigerator or furnace) until the cream thickens, 8 to 12 hours, depending on temperature.
2. cover the creme fraich and refrigerate it for several hours to further thicken it.  It will keep in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 1 week.

This was taken from 'Cooking At Home, On Rue Tatin' By Susan Herrmann Loomis. I had the pleasure of taking a cooking course with her while I was home in Portland and couple of Christmas's ago.

In Nigella Lawson's 'Feast, Food to Celebrate Life',I discovered Cranberry Jam.  It is so easy to do. Most jams are a labor intensive affair but not this one.  cranberries contain their own pectin so the jam sets once the cranberries have burst.  Yea!!! who knew ?

                                             Cranberry Jam

• 4 cups of cranberries
• 1 3/4 cups of superfine sugar

1. Put a film 1/4' thick on the bottom of a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil turn heat down to medium.
2. Add cranberries and sugar.
3. Stir patiently over a low heat to dissolve the sugar, this will take a little while.
4. Turn up the heat and boil the pan rapidly until setting point is reach, approximately 7 minutes.
5. Pour the jam into a sterilized 1 1/2 cup jar and seal immediately.

  My third discovery of the day was that I could create my own pickle recipe. My family loves sour pickles instead of sweet. So I took this old Gotland recipe (gotland is an island in Sweden where my family comes from ), and made it sour.

                                   Spiced Pickles

• 4 carrots
• 3 parsnips
• 1/2 a head of cauliflower
• 1 yellow onion

                                  Marinade

• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 1 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons anise seed
• 1 tablespoon mild cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar

1. Peel and slice the carrots and parsnips into 'coins'.
2. Separate the cauliflower into bouquets and cut the onion into wedges.
3. Place the carrots, parsnips, and onion into a saucepan covered with water, and add a generous amount of salt and pepper.
4. boil for 5 minutes and then add the cauliflower.
5. Let it cook until all the vegetables are soft. After vegetables are cooked strain from the cooking water.

Marinade: Mix the ingredients for the marinade and bring them to a boil.  Pour the warm mixture over the vegetables, bring to a simmer and then let it cool. Place into a decorative jar.

Recently I had been to IKEA and bought many glass jars. I found the occasion for them. My new found recipes. ~Enjoy !