Tastemakers: Christstollen/Hot Suttered Rum

Dec. 7, 2008

Christstollen

In The United States the “fruitcake” that makes its appearance this time of the year has become somewhat of a joke. During his heyday Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show often made fun of it, even Jay Leno has the occasional appearance from the “Fruitcake Lady.” Now the fruitcake really has no one to blame but itself for its lack of respect among holiday desserts. Most mass-produced Americanized fruitcakes are a far cry in taste and quality of their ancestors.
During Thanksgiving I found myself traveling through Grayling and noticed a sign for Goodale’s Bakery. I have a passion for neighborhood bakeries so I stopped in. They had just finished making loafs of “stollen,” the German style confection of fruit and nuts. Bakery-made fruitcakes are steeped in European tradition and are no way close to the “hockey-puck” loaf found in chain stores. Known as Christstollen or “Christmas Loaf,” this fruitcake originated in the early 1300s as a tribute to Bishop Henry of Naumberg. Legend has it that the hump shape in the bread is a tribute to the camels that brought the wise men to Bethlehem and the multi-colored candied fruits give the “stained glass” window appearance of churches.
So do not put your nose up at fruitcakes this holiday season. Just go out and find the right one. The stollen from Goodale’s in Grayling was delightful and paired nicely with my morning coffee from Higher Grounds. If you should receive one of those mass-produced fruitcakes, here is a tip: Soak the bread in rum, then glaze the top with homemade frosting and it will be at least edible. Otherwise, I usually give them to my son and he uses them as hockey pucks.



Hot Buttered Rum

Now that the snow is piling up, those winter activities that have attracted so many of us to the region are in full swing. When I moved here 22 years ago, I spent most winter weekends cross country skiing, tubing and snowshoeing. Years ago after a day on my favorite trails (Pyramid Point and Alligator Hill) I stopped into the U&I in downtown Traverse City and the bartender told me I needed a hot buttered rum. This was my first experience with a “hot toddy.”
I still enjoy the occasional hot buttered rum during these cold months. There are several wonderful recipes including store-bought batter (that is the mix used). I prefer to make mine from scratch using simple ingredients. Take a couple teaspoons of brown sugar, dissolve in 6 ounces of hot water, then add 2 oz of dark rum and float a tablespoon of butter on the top. As the butter melts down grate some fresh nutmeg over the top. Use a glass (Irish, Spanish) coffee mug for the full visual effect. Other recipes call for using all the traditional holiday baking spices and even vanilla ice cream and apple cider.
Legend has it that hot buttered rum was developed during the Revolutionary War and was a popular drink among the founding fathers. It is believed that politicians including George Washington would serve hot buttered rum to constituents to influence their votes (maybe McCain should have tried that).
While hot buttered rum has fallen off the radar over the years to other “hot toddy” cocktails, it is worth a taste and is a fun cocktail to make over the holidays for guests. Make up a big batch using Moomer’s vanilla ice cream and local apple cider and your favorite dark rum and baking spices. Regardless of how you make it, there is no substitute to using real butter.