Olie Bollen and the Red & Yellow Skivvies - My New Year's Eve Baking Adventure, Part II

After reading my previous post, I'm sure you are all dying to know one thing in particular...how on Earth did red and yellow skivvies play into my New Year's Eve baking adventure?   Excellent question, if I do say so myself.   Actually, you're probably wondering what took me so long to get this out - truth be told, I couldn't figure out how to get the picture out of my cell phone and onto my laptop.  So that's obviously something I need to work on in the New Year.  But enough about my shortcomings.  Let's talk about the baked goods, shall we?

As you may recall, I was going to try my hand at making Vasilopita (Greek cake) and Olie Bollen (Dutch donuts) to ring in the New Year.  Both the recipes were pretty simple, so I wasn't worried so much about the execution of them as I was about the taste.  Baking something you've never made before is kind of like flying blind.  Sure, other people might think it tastes great, but these could be the same people that think the Pillsbury Dough Boy invented homemade chocolate chip cookies.  What if the Vasilopita was dry?  What if the Olie Bollen ended up tasting like the true meaning of their name, oil balls?  Good grief!  How awful would that be?  Really awful.  Any SNAFUs or mix ups or malfunctions could potentially jeopardize my luck in 2010, and after the way my 2009 panned out, I couldn't risk that!  So what's a girl to do?  Supplement said cake and donuts with another lucky New Year's tradition, just in case.

Hence the red and yellow skivvies.  In Latin cultures, they say the wearing of yellow underwear while ringing in the New Year will bring luck and good fortune (even more if you wear them inside out); if you are looking for love, you should wear red.  I am not ashamed to admit that I could use a healthy dose of both.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  I donned the inside-out skivvies.  I ate pork.  I ate the Olie Bollen.  I ate the Vasilopita.  I didn't eat chicken or lobster (bad luck because they both move backwards).  I didn't walk under a ladder.  No black cats crossed my path.  And I was lucky enough to ring in 2010 surrounded by dear friends that I love.  We'll see how it goes.  But I'm thinking 2010 just might be my luckiest year yet!

p.s.  For those of you who were wondering about the actual taste of the recipes I made, the Olie Bollen (in texture and flavor) was similar to a fritter, like a ball of fried dough with apples mixed in, then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  The Vasilopita was very similar to a pound cake - dense, moist, and subtle in flavor.  If I make it again, I think I might add cinnamon to the sugar that is sprinkled on top.  But both, in my book, were way better than the 'kraut!

Olie Bollen - Dutch Donuts
Makes 4-5 dozen
www.fabulousfoods.com

Ingredients:

1 envelope dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water, divided
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all purpose flour
3 cups fruit (diced fresh apples, raisins or dried currants)
oil for frying
confectioners sugar for dusting

Pour 1/2 cup warm water, about 85 to 115 degrees Farenheit, into the bowl of a large food processor.  Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the water and mix at low speed.  Let stand for five minutes.  Slowly mix in remaining water, eggs, vanilla and salt.  Slowly add flour, a cup at a time.  Mix on high for about a minute or two.  The dough should turn into a ball and roll around the processor.  If the dough does not ball up because it's too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it does.  If your mixture is more like batter, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.  Mix in fruit.  Remove from food processor.  Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large skillet.  Punch down dough.  Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter.  Drop dough balls into hot oil, frying until golden brown, turning as needed.  Drain on paper towels and dust with confectioners sugar.  Serve hot.

Vasilopita - Greek Saint Basil's New Year's Cake
Serves 10
www.recipezaar.com

Ingredients
1 cup butter, plus 1 tablespoon butter for greasing cake pan
2 cups white sugar plus 2 tablespoons white sugar for sprinkling
3 cups flour
6 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1.  Wrap a (clean!) silver or gold coin in aluminum foil - a quarter works well.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10-inch round cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter.
3.  In a medium bowl, cream the cup of butter and 2 cups of sugar together until light in color.  Stir in the flour and mix until the batter resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the eggs one at a time, blending each one in well.
4.  In a small bowl combine the baking powder and milk, add to the cake batter and mix well.  Finally, combine the lemon juice and baking soda in a small bowl, add to the cake batter and mix well.  Pour the cake batter into the greased cake pan, insert the foil wrapped coin, and bake for 20 minutes.
5.  Remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle the nuts and 2 tablespoons sugar over the cake, then return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 20-30 minutes until the cake springs back to the touch.  Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the pan onto a cake plate.
6.  Ideally the cake should be served warm; each person gets a slice of the cake starting with the most senior member.  Members of the Greek Orthodox Church believe that whoever gets the coin is blessed.