Those of you who have read page 228 know what I'm talking about.
Assuming that the baked goods that blew our little scout's mind were classic, sweet cookies (or biscuits) -- not fish-based kitty treats, because I doubt Lalli's feline nature was mentioned in his dossier -- what was in them???
Assuming that something so delicious as to transport you into a world of violet blooms and tinkling kanteles could be made from worldly ingredients, let's try to reverse-engineer a recipe.
Ground rules:
They can only include ingredients available in the Known World. So no chocolate or vanilla (and probably no citrus), although let's assume flour, eggs, butter, leavening of some kind (e.g. baking soda), and sugar (beet) are available.
Cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, saffron, and cardamom -- probably not (though it's possible someone post-Rash could have tried to grow cardamom from seedpods in a greenhouse). Ginger, quite possibly (since it's grown as an ornamental and might have survived in greenhouses or especially warm nooks of Bornholm).
If citrus exists, it's probably prohibitively expensive. But I am willing to allow the existence of raisins, sultanas, etc.; even if they're expensive, Mikkel is probably shrewd enough to use his precious stash for morale purposes. And the Known World very likely has cool-weather dried fruits (cranberries, blueberries, currants, plums, etc.), as well as nuts.
If you want to assume dried lavender or some other floral ingredient is in there (hence the purple flowers), go ahead. Alcohol-based extracts and flavorings (such as rum or amaretto) are probably available but very expensive.
That said, here's my first approximation (with unobtainable ingredients crossed out). Also, where the recipe says "food processor," substitute "kitchen-minions working their arms off." For "refrigerate," substitute "put out on the windowsill in a meat safe."
Spiced Cranberry-Orange Zingers
MAKE AHEAD: The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 1/2 months. Makes about 60 cookies.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup picked-over fresh (or defrosted) cranberries, washed and patted dry
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (colored part of the skin only)
Scant 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (may substitute 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened yet still cool, cut into chunks
2 1/3 cups flour, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons defrosted orange juice concentrate
Coarse crystal sugar, turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, or about 1/4 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts or almonds for garnish (optional)
Combine the cranberries and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse until the cranberries are chopped fairly fine. Turn out the berry-sugar mixture into a large bowl. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the orange zest, cardamom, baking powder and salt in the processor. Process for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the zest is very fine.
Add the confectioners' sugar, butter pieces and 1 1/3 cups of the flour. Pulse until the butter is cut in and reduced to fine bits; the mixture should not yet be coming together in a mass. Drizzle the orange juice concentrate over the mixture. Pulse just until the juice concentrate is incorporated and the mixture starts to come together.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the sugared, chopped cranberries; stir until well blended. Sprinkle over the remaining 1 cup of flour. Stir lightly, lifting the mixture from the bottom. Then use your hands to gradually knead in the remaining flour until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated and the berries are evenly distributed. If the dough seems too wet to shape, work in up to 4 more tablespoons of flour.
Divide the dough in half. Working on sheets of wax paper, shape each dough portion into a 10 1/2-inch log. Smooth and stretch out the middle of the logs so they are evenly thick and about 11 inches long. Roll up each log in the paper, twisting the paper ends to keep it closed. (For logs that hold their round shape during chilling, slide each log into a discarded paper towel tube that has been slit lengthwise. Close the tubes with rubber bands or tape; date and label them. Place in resealable plastic food storage bags.) Refrigerate the logs for at least 2 hours, or until very firm but not so hard that they are difficult to cut. Alternately, refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Let refrigerated dough warm up until just barely soft enough to slice before baking (about 10 minutes); thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line several large baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking oil spray. Use a sharp knife to cut one of the logs crosswise into 30 slices of equal size; for evenly shaped slices, rotate the log a quarter-turn after each cut. Space them about 2 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle the cookie tops with a little sugar or with pistachio nuts, gently patting them into surface.
Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 12 to 16 minutes or until almost firm when pressed in the center top and slightly browned at the edges. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack; let stand until cooled to warm, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat to bake all of the dough (the second log).
SOURCE: Cookbook author Nancy Baggett, via the Washington Post.
