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The aroma wafting through our house today is not the smell of stale ashes and wood smoke but the tempting, delicious scent of rosewater, cinnamon, oranges and cloves.
The traditonal greek Christmas sweets around here are kourabiethes and melomakarona.
Kourabiethes -
light and crumbly almond biscuits, sprayed with rosewater and covered in powdered sugar (icing sugar)
Melomakarona -
made with oil, brandy, (koniak), orange juice, cinnamon and cloves. These are dipped in a honey syrup and covered in crushed walnuts
Many little hands make light work
The two younger grandaughters came to help mix and shape the biscuits/cookies
The boys are no longer interested in domestic stuff
Oranges from our trees in the garden
The first batch of almond biscuits are rolled in icing sugar
And sampled
These exotika are popping up everywhere. This one is a tealight holder. Scandanavian culture is popular this year. First we had hygge and now we have their exotika
Melomakarona before and after
The ones on the tray at the bottom have just come out of the oven. The first batch was a slight disaster. They were left in the honey syrup too long and fell too pieces. Can't give those away. We'll have to eat them ourselves! Only a 'few thousand' calories and a 'kilo' of sugar in each one
And a pile of kourabiethes
There is no sneak-eating of these little delights. The icing sugar gets everywhere and if it doesn't just linger on the lips and chin, you'll find fine white dust sticking to your clothes. Not easy to say 'no Mum, I didn't eat one, wasn't me'.
Small boys find great delight in holding them up and blowing powdered sugar all over your face. Avoid 'boys' of all ages when in the firing line of fine-sugar coated sweets
If we could smell the photos ... everything looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYou would love that sweet smell. Oh boy, it's hard to resist
DeleteOoh my goodness, they look scrumptiously delicious.
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet your kitchen smells like Christmas :)
Hugs,
~Jo
Yes, that's the smell of Xmas here. Now I'm going to make some mince pies, for me
DeleteThey look and sound wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThey smell wonderful. Now I have to give them away as soon as possible so they don't sit there calling to me
DeleteThis is why my wife regrets not having any granddaughters, grandsons are not interested in such things; at least ours aren't.
ReplyDeleteGranddaughters are very useful at the age ours are, pre teen. The boys could be persuaded to take part in these traditions when they were younger. No longer though. They'd rather be outside doing wheelies on their bikes
DeleteMy favourites. Right there. I don’t make them anymore because well I eat them
ReplyDeleteAnd now days everyone is on a diet so if I do get a craving I buy just one at a cafe and have it with coffee.
Much less damage done that way but home made ones are the best
So much safer to buy only one! I'm giving them away as fast I can but I
DeleteHubby wants a big plate of them on the table.
My daughter made some with half the sugar and honey and made them half the size. They're great. I'll do that next time
Those look so good! Powdered sugar definitely tells the tale!! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteAnd you quickly brush it off but it still leaves a tell tale shadow .
Delete