New Lebanon— It’s almost Christmas Eve and many families with celebrate with a reading of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem:
“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.”
Ever since I was a small child, I was tickled by the idea of dancing sugar plums. The Sugar Plum Fairy from “The Nutcracker” added to the fascination. I found myself often wondering about these magical delights. This year, I decided to ask the internet, and it did not disappoint. It turns out that sugar plums they are not plums at all, but rather dried fruit mixed with roasted nuts, and then rolled in sugar. I’m here to tell you that these special little treats are absolutely delicious, and I call for a return of sugar plums to all of our holiday tables. And, as the poem says “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Sugar Plums
1/2 cup prunes
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsalted pecans, toasted
1/2 cup unsalted almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons raspberry or cherry preserves
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
Coarse purple sugar for coating
Fresh rosemary for decorating
Put all ingredients except sugar and rosemary into the food processor and pulse until it turns into a malleable and can be rolled into a ball.
Using two tablespoons of the mixture each, roll into balls. Gently press down a toothpick into the top of the middle of each ball to make an indent. Top each ball with a spring of rosemary, and like magic, the sugar plums are ready to dance (on your tastebuds!)
Note: The internet recipes call for a coarse purple sugar. You can find this online. I found it locally at Michael’s in the form of margarita rimming sugar.
