Thursday, December 03, 2009

stollen and chai

Recently for breakfast, we had stollen and chai. (I actually hadn't known about stollen until coming to Japan.)

Now, it is a signal to me that Christmas is coming.

At Epinard, a local sweet shop in Minoo, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were selling stollen....240 yen (about US$2.40) for their mini size.

It was my first time trying their stollen, which had lots of fruit and nuts in it. I bought 2 mini sized pieces and cut each into 3 for our breakfast...delicious!

A little on the sweet side with the powdered sugar on the outside, kind of like a cookie, it was perfect with some unsweetened chai.

Is there something special you eat/drink during this time of year?

Epinard
6-6-8 Minoo
Phone: 072.724.2248
Closed: Wednesdays

Yesterday, a couple of elementary school boys pointed out this huge full moon as I was on my walk (actually they were chatting amongst themselves and I overheard them).

Since I didn't have my camera with me, I took a photo of the moon as soon as I got back, just after sunset.

14 comments:

KirkK said...

Hi Kat - This itme of the year is when the ramen/pho/bun bo hue eating starts for us.

Thistlemoon said...

Sounds like a wonderful holiday treat!

Anonymous said...

My grandmother always made cookies at this time of year. Especially persimmon cookies, there is a recipe similar to hers in the Fanny Farmer Baking Book, she also made cookie press cookies with lots of butter, a type of short bread cookie that always makes me think of Christmas time especially the ones with the candied cherry in the center.chrisq

K and S said...

Looking forward to all your posts on these noodles and soups Kirk :)

Thanks JennDZ :)

Persimmon cookies sounds intriguing Chris, what wonderful memories of your Grandma :)

Take care everyone!
Kat

Su-Lin said...

I love all the German Christmas treats - like stollen and lebkuchen! And I've even started liking fruitcake...

Thanks for the reminder though - have to go get some stollen!

K and S said...

ooh thanks for reminding me Su-Lin, I should make a batch of lebkuchen!

Take care.
Kat

Rowena said...

YOu question kind of stumped me because when it comes to food...I am so fickle like that. I just eat what I my mind happens to be thinking of, for example, lately it's been junk food. Yes! Dunno why...must be the cold!

K and S said...

Rowena,
Yes junk food has been on my mind also, also chili/spicy...

Take care.
Kat

Kelly said...

Heya!

We make lots of soups and chili during this time of year (I just posted a homemade turkey soup recipe on my blog as a matter of fact)!

For sweets, our favorite is fudge with walnuts and a big glass of milk. Very fattening but a sweet indulgence every now and then won't hurt! :)

I don't think I've ever had stollen before but it sounds yummy!

K and S said...

Your soup looked wonderful Biologie! I hope you get a chance to try stollen soon :)

Take care.
Kat

Deb in Hawaii said...

I don't think I have ever had stollen before but it looks delicious. For me it is my Mom's fudge--even if I am trying to be good, I need to have a least a few pieces.

K and S said...

If you like candied fruits, I think you would enjoy this Debinhawaii :)

Take care.
Kat

Jenster said...

I love stollen but am not much of a chai drinker. However, it sounds like a great combination!

This time of the year we end up baking a lot, both for ourselves and neighbors/friends. So we end up making (and eating) a lot of buttery sugar cookies, rolled and cut into holiday shapes and sprinkled with colored sugar. The other night I tried a new easy recipe for crunchy walnut toffee, and it was a hit with the whole family, so I know we'll be eating a lot of this, too.

Because of the cold weather, we have a lot of warm things, such as stews and soups made in the crockpot and hot apple cider.

K and S said...

Toffee, buttery cookies and warm stews sound so cozy and comforting, Jenster :) I've never had hot apple cider before, I should try making some soon!

Take care.
Kat