Christmas Index

St Nicolaas story

SINTERKLAAS RECIPES

Saint Nicholas' helpers announce his arrival on "Sinterklaasavond" by throwing "pepernoten" (and other sweets) around the room for the children to pick up - the idea is that they should pick up as many of these little round ginger nuts as they can. "Pepernoten" should not be eaten straight from the oven. Bake them well before 5 December and store them in a tin. They will stay fresh for several weeks.

"This recipe makes approx. 50 pepernoten" 
100 grammes or 3 1/2 oz soft butter 
125 grammes or 1/2 cup brown sugar 
2 teaspoons speculaas spices 
a pinch of salt 
250 grammes or 8 1/2 oz. self-rising (cake) flour 
a few tablespoons milk 
a tablespoon butter 

Mix the butter, sugar, "speculaas" spices and salt in a bowl, using a mixer if possible, until you have a smooth mixture. Add the flour gradually and enough milk until you have an elastic dough. Knead the dough into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours. Grease a baking tray. Shape the dough into balls the size of a hazelnut and put them on the baking tray, leaving a little space between each. Bake at 150^o-175^oC or 300^o-350^oF for approx. 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. 

back to top

Borstplaat 
(fondant -  something like fudge, but more water-based)

Literally translated," Borstplaat" means "breastplate". It is eaten mainly between "Sinterklaasavond" (5 December) and New Year's Eve, and comes in many shapes and flavours. Although special ring moulds are used for "borstplaat" in Holland, baking trays or flat lids of biscuit (cookie) tins will do fine. 

200 grammes or 1 cup sugar 
2 to 4 spoons water (milk or single cream may be substituted) 
vanilla, lemon, chocolate or raspberry flavouring 
(cocoa and strong coffee can also be used as flavourings) 
a few drops of food colouring 

Heat the sugar and water gently in a pan until the sugar is completely dissolved (if you're using cocoa powder or coffee, add with the sugar). Now bring to the boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes, until it reaches thread stage. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flavouring and appropriate food colouring. Stir vigorously until the mixture stiffens but has not set. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tray and allow to harden. Cut the fondant into small pieces when the mixture is nearly hardened and shake the tray slightly to loosen them from the bottom. 

Coffee borstplaat: for the liquid use 1 1/2 tbsp. cream and 1 1/2 tbsp. strong coffee. No other flavouring is necessary.

Chocolate borstplaat: add 2 tbsp. of cocoa to the sugar, mix with 3 tbsp. cream and stir to eliminate lumps before heating. 

For those who have a Dutch "borstplaatring "(a special mould often in the form of a heart, available in the Netherlands at stores selling kitchen supplies), let it stand in cold water for a few minutes, then dry and grease it and press it onto a piece of waxed paper. Fill the ring with the sugar mixture once this starts to lose its transparency. As soon as white patches start to appear on the "borstplaat", remove the mould from the waxed paper and stand it upright. When the "borstplaat" is completely cooled, remove it carefully from the 
mould. 

back to top

Bisschopswijn 
(mulled wine) 

Mulled wine is the traditional drink on "Sinterklaasavond" 

1 litre (approx. 34 fluid oz.) red wine 
1 lemon 
1 orange 
20 cloves 
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 cinnamon stick (about 5 cm. or 2-3 inches long) 
a pinch of mace and saffron (optional) 

Wash and dry the lemon and orange. Insert 10 cloves into each. Put the wine, sugar, lemon, orange and cinnamon (and the mace and saffron tied in muslin, if you are using them) into a pan. Cover and bring slowy to the boil. Turn down the heat and allow the wine to simmer very gently for approx. 1 hour. Remove the spices and the fruit. Heat the wine again, but do not let it boil. Serve in heat-resistant glasses. 

back to top
 

Recipes adapted from "Dutch Cookery", a publication of the Foreign Information Division of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

lSaint Nicholas' helpers announce his arrival on "Sinterklaasavond" by throwing "pepernoten" (and other sweets) around the room for the children to pick up - the idea is that they should pick up as many of these little round ginger nuts as they can. "Pepernoten" should not be eaten straight from the oven. Bake them well before 5 December and store them in a tin. They will stay fresh for several weeks.

"This recipe makes approx. 50 pepernoten" 
100 grammes or 3 1/2 oz soft butter 
125 grammes or 1/2 cup brown sugar 
2 teaspoons speculaas spices 
a pinch of salt 
250 grammes or 8 1/2 oz. self-rising (cake) flour 
a few tablespoons milk 
a tablespoon butter 

Mix the butter, sugar, "speculaas" spices and salt in a bowl, using a mixer if possible, until you have a smooth mixture. Add the flour gradually and enough milk until you have an elastic dough. Knead the dough into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours. Grease a baking tray. Shape the dough into balls the size of a hazelnut and put them on the baking tray, leaving a little space between each. Bake at 150^o-175^oC or 300^o-350^oF for approx. 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. 

back to top

Borstplaat 
(fondant -  something like fudge, but more water-based)

Literally translated," Borstplaat" means "breastplate". It is eaten mainly between "Sinterklaasavond" (5 December) and New Year's Eve, and comes in many shapes and flavours. Although special ring moulds are used for "borstplaat" in Holland, baking trays or flat lids of biscuit (cookie) tins will do fine. 

200 grammes or 1 cup sugar 
2 to 4 spoons water (milk or single cream may be substituted) 
vanilla, lemon, chocolate or raspberry flavouring 
(cocoa and strong coffee can also be used as flavourings) 
a few drops of food colouring 

Heat the sugar and water gently in a pan until the sugar is completely dissolved (if you're using cocoa powder or coffee, add with the sugar). Now bring to the boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes, until it reaches thread stage. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flavouring and appropriate food colouring. Stir vigorously until the mixture stiffens but has not set. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tray and allow to harden. Cut the fondant into small pieces when the mixture is nearly hardened and shake the tray slightly to loosen them from the bottom. 

Coffee borstplaat: for the liquid use 1 1/2 tbsp. cream and 1 1/2 tbsp. strong coffee. No other flavouring is necessary.

Chocolate borstplaat: add 2 tbsp. of cocoa to the sugar, mix with 3 tbsp. cream and stir to eliminate lumps before heating. 

For those who have a Dutch "borstplaatring "(a special mould often in the form of a heart, available in the Netherlands at stores selling kitchen supplies), let it stand in cold water for a few minutes, then dry and grease it and press it onto a piece of waxed paper. Fill the ring with the sugar mixture once this starts to lose its transparency. As soon as white patches start to appear on the "borstplaat", remove the mould from the waxed paper and stand it upright. When the "borstplaat" is completely cooled, remove it carefully from the 
mould. 

back to top

Bisschopswijn 
(mulled wine) 

Mulled wine is the traditional drink on "Sinterklaasavond" 

1 litre (approx. 34 fluid oz.) red wine 
1 lemon 
1 orange 
20 cloves 
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 cinnamon stick (about 5 cm. or 2-3 inches long) 
a pinch of mace and saffron (optional) 

Wash and dry the lemon and orange. Insert 10 cloves into each. Put the wine, sugar, lemon, orange and cinnamon (and the mace and saffron tied in muslin, if you are using them) into a pan. Cover and bring slowy to the boil. Turn down the heat and allow the wine to simmer very gently for approx. 1 hour. Remove the spices and the fruit. Heat the wine again, but do not let it boil. Serve in heat-resistant glasses. 

back to top
 
 

Recipes adapted from "Dutch Cookery", a publication of the Foreign Information Division of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs