Comments on: My Fruitcake Brings All the Boys to the Yard

By: zora

zora — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:49:27 +0000

No, you’re right, it _is_ bad, definitively. No cultural relativism allowed on this subject!

By: megc

megc — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:30:15 +0000

Well, I think it’s bad. I hate the dayglo fruit and the cake is just too sweet and too dense and just gross. But she likes it. Go figure.

By: Zora

Zora — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:18:45 +0000

Well, you really do get the shopping opportunities of a lifetime in the Middle East! Who am I to say no? Thanks for the Thanksgiving wishes.

(It was a _clean_ trashcan.)

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:03:55 +0000

Reasons why this post made me laugh:
1) The obvious–the lyrics.
2) The fact that your family kept the fruitcake in a trashcan.
3) The shroud of Turin. I’m glad you’ve been picking up relics on your travels.

I’m looking forward to seeing if your fruitcake lives up to memories of your family’s. Happy Thanksgiving.

By: Zora

Zora — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:24:25 +0000

Wait, I’m only slowly processing this: your mom _makes_ the bad fruitcake? I honestly thought all that stuff came from various industrial bakeries. I had no idea people actually made it in their homes.

By: Zora

Zora — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:06:02 +0000

I meant mega-expEnsive. Hee.

Also, I’m talking about the Key Food at 30th Ave–but I think I used to get em at the Ditmars KF also.

By: Zora

Zora — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:05:17 +0000

Not sure whether I got org or regular oranges for that, but I do regularly buy organic oranges at Key Food. Occasionally seen at Trade Fair, but they’re mega-expansive, and not in good shape, because no one buys organic there. Also got some at Bravo a little while ago.

And the candying is totally easy–I just peeled off the rind with a veg peeler, and sliced up the strips fine, and simmered for a bit in 1:1 (er, or was it 2:1?) water:sugar.

There are a couple of fruitcake recipes in Joy of Cooking that are pretty close to what I use–watch out for the yields, though. They’re massive.

By: megc

megc — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:33:13 +0000

Looks delicious! I love how you’ve candied your own orange peels. Do you use organic oranges or conventional, and if so, where do you get your organic oranges? I’ve been thinking about doing some citrus rind candying for a while.

I would love to learn how to make good fruitcake. My mom still loves the old recipe with the dayglo candied fruit. Yuck.