Gingerbread cookies from Poland

Ingredients:
1 kg flour
600g butter
2 egg yolks
1 cup icing sugar
1 packet vanila sugar (15g) - if you can’t buy it in your country you can add a little more sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
1/2 gingerbread spice (ground ginger, clove and cinnamon- altogether about 1-2 tablespoons)
Method:
Cream the butter with icing sugar, vanila sugar, egg yolks and the gingerbread seasoning. Slowly add flour and knead the dough until it becomes smooth. Refrigerate the dough for an hour and then roll out it and cut the shapes with the cake forms (or just by hand).
Bake the gingerbread cookies for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees.
After baking you can decorate them with coloured icing or melted chocolate.
SMACZNEGO!!! ENJOY YOUR GINGERBREADS!!!
Krystian, SP 9 Dzierżoniów, Poland

Cakes from Italy

In Italy we buy and eat two National Christmas cakes : Panettone and Pandoro. They are difficult to prepare ,so we can't write that recipe but we suggest another national treat eaten at Christmas :The nougat with almonds and sugar/honey.In our town is a true and tasty product.
IC Radice-Alighieri Catona ,Italy

Panettone and Pandoro

Mousse au chocolat (French dessert)

Ingredients

6 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs divided, at room temp*
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Instructions

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave on low heat.
Set it aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
Lightly beat the room temperature egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla, and salt to mix.
Slowly add the egg yolk mixture to the melted chocolate.*
Gently stir the chocolate mixture into the stiff egg whites, using 1/3 of the chocolate at a time.
Pour or spoon the mixture into serving bowls.
Refrigerate for 4 hours before servings.
(Finished mousse au chocolate will keep nicely in the refrigerator for 4 days.)

Mousse au Chocolat ( from France)

Kutia from Ukraine

Kutia is a traditional dish on Christmas Eve. The main components of kutia are wheat berries, more rarely barley is used. Ukrainians also began to make kutia of rice. All products which are the ingredients of kutia have symbolic meanings.

Ingredients:

150 g wheat berries
100 g poppy seeds
100 g walnuts
100 g golden raisins
3 tbsp honey
a pinch of salt
Cooking

Boil wheat berries until ready (it will take approximately one and a half hours). Pour poppy seeds with 1 glass of boiling water. Steam them for 30 minutes. Chop walnuts and fry them on a dry frying pan for 4-5 minutes until pleasant walnut smell appears. Pour raisins with boiling water. Wait 10 minutes. The dry raisins on a paper towel.

Pour off water from a pan with poppy seeds and mince them three times. You can also use blender or mortar poppy seeds.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Enjoy your meal!

Turrón from Spain

Turrón from Spain
Ingredients:
200 g honey
200 g sugar
1 egg white
300 g whole blanched almonds

Instructions
1. Prepare the tray

2. Combine sugar, honey, and water in a large saucepan. Stir with wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar dissolves completely. Increase heat and boil syrup 2 to 3 minutes minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whip egg white and salt about 2 minutes.

4. Add hot syrup to egg white in a slow, steady stream. Beat until mixture is thick and glossy about 10 minutes. Add lemon zest and beat.

5. Coat rubber spatula with cooking spray. Stir in almonds.

6. Place a sheet of rice paper or parchment paper in the pan. Top with second sheet of rice paper or parchment paper, and press down lightly with a flat-bottomed 1/2-cup measure to compress and flatten.

7. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours. Serve.

Portuguese Rice pudding

Sweet milky rice pudding we can have for dessert at Christmas or at any other occasion

Portuguese rice pudding