The Musical Innertube - Volume 2, Number 168 - Joy Stocke's Christmas Cookies
Here's a great holiday idea: invite friends over for a cookie baking party! John and Don went to just such a party at chef Joy Stocke's house and recorded this special podcast during the festivities!
Some leftovers from Joy's cookie baking party:
A few piles of Christmas cookies baked at the party....
...and those delicious thumbprint cookies with the homemade jam.
Here are some recipes to follow at your own cookie party:
No-Fail Rolled Sugar Cookies – Courtesy of the Joy of Cooking
Over the years, I’ve tried numerous recipes for this classic: rolled sugar cookies decorated by elves, aka children. The trick in making excellent sugar cookies relies on not overworking the dough whereby you develop gluten and make the cookies tough. However, when children are in charge, isn’t that beside the point? It’s all about the sprinkles. This dough doesn’t stick or tear and can be rerolled a few times, so have it little ones. For the professional cook in the crowd, a gentle roll and a light dusting of a sophisticated topping such as cardamom sugar creates a tender not too sweet treat. Makes twenty to thirty cut-out cookies depending on the size of the cutter.
Ingredients
1cup butter, salted or unsalted, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 teaspoon almond extract
2 ½ cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon salt, or ¼ teaspoon salt if using salted butter
1 egg beaten with ¼ teaspoon water for brushing the cookies before you bake them.
Directions
Cream the butter until light, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and cream the mixture until the sugar is fully incorporated. Add the egg and the vanilla or almond extract, and combine thoroughly.
Combine the flour and the salt. Fold into the butter/sugar mixture. Don’t overmix.
Chill the dough until you are able to handle it easily. You can also make the dough a day in advance and chill it. Form the dough into two pieces and create two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap. Bring the dough to a cool room temperature before rolling.
Depending on the surface you use, lightly dust the rolling surface with flower before rolling.
To bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough with cookie cutters. Brush the cookies with the egg wash. With a spatula, place the cookies on either a greased cookie sheet, or a sheet lined with a Silpat liner or parchment paper. My favorite is parchment paper.
Bake for 8-10 minutes and continue checking if they aren’t quite set. The thickness of the cookies will determine the total baking time. When the cookies are very lightly browned, they are ready.
Cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Cool completely if you are frosting the cookies.
Thumbprint Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed, light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios)
3/4 cup jam; any kind
Beat the butter and the sugar on high speed with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes.
Separate the egg. Set aside the egg white in a separate shallow bowl.
Add the yolk and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
Add the flour and salt to the butter-sugar-egg mixture, and combine.
Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Line two baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper.
Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place the balls on the parchment-lined cookie sheets spaced a few inches apart.
Whisk the reserved egg white until frothy. Dip the dough balls into the egg whites and roll them into the nuts until completely covered. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets a few inches apart.
Press your thumb into the dough to make a well for the jam.
When you’ve completed that task, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of jam to each cookie. Don’t over fill. You can also drop 3-5 chocolate chips in the center, a dab of crème fraiche, whatever you wish. But, a red-hued jam makes the prettiest cookies, in my opinion.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
John's leek and potato soup simmering on the stove. Here's how to make it:
LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
A great winter soup.
OK, there’s a lot of brouhaha, ha ha ha, about this dish. Some people claim you make it with a roux, and others say you don’t have to use a roux, it’s great just as a thick, creamy soup. I don’t usually go the roux route, but when I have gone the roux route, the roux route is to be rooted for. This recipe is for the non-roux route, but I really realize the roux route has rizz. Some folks make this soup with pieces of cooked potato and leek floating around, and others make a thick, creamy, saucelike soup. This recipe is for the latter, but the former is also yummy. You can make it ahead of time, stick it in the fridge, and warm it up. Delicious. If warm, it is leek and potato soup. If cold, it is called Vichyssoise.
Ingredients
3 yellow or Yukon Gold potatoes
2 large leeks
3 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup half-and-half or cream
Salt and pepper
Parlsey or chives (if a garnish is desired)
Recipe
Wash, peel, and clean the potatoes. Slice into quarters or dice. Fill a large pot with a mixture of 1 cup of the chicken stock and 1-2 cups of water. Put in the potatoes. Do not boil first and then stick in the potatoes. Shock the potatoes: put them in, then turn up the heat so the pot boils. My rule of thumb is that the potatoes are done when a fork goes through them fairly easily, about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are on:
Wash and clean the leeks. Even in the best of stores, fresh leeks may retain a little bit of dirt. So this is how you clean them:
Slice off the top and bottom of each leek. Cut the tops off just at the point where they start turning green.
Slice the leeks lengthwise.
Now slice them crosswise, fairly thin.
Then plunge the chopped leeks into a large bowl filled with cold water. Swish them around with your hands, agitating them. Have as much fun as you wish.
Any sand or soil should fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Carefully lift out the leeks (avoiding the dirty bottom of the bowl) and put them in a drainer. You may wish to give them a final rinse at this time.
Heat up a pan at low-to-middle heat, melting the butter.
Stick them leeks in there and sauté them until soft. The leeks, not you. The aroma is heavenly.
When the potatoes are done, spoon them into a drainer.
Set up your food processor.
Zam them leaks and potatoes in the processor. Fun fun fun! As you process, dribble in some chicken stock (half a cup) and cream/half and half (same), just enough to make a thick, creamy base. Add salt and pepper at this stage.
When you like the looks of things, pour the leek and potato mixture into the pan. Heat the soup through, stirring frequently. You should be using medium-low heat. Avoid burning. At this point, you can test for seasoning, add a little more stock and/or white stuff, again aiming for a creamy, thick-but-not-unpourable soup.
When it’s done, you can either serve it immediately to your starving mignons or stick the soup in the fridge and run like roaring blazes in all directions. The soup heats up very nicely, and, as mentioned, it can be served cold. If you wish to garnish it with, say, parsley or chives, neither I nor anyone else will report you.
Here are three of the brownies Don baked. Here's how to make them:
BROWNIE BONANZA
IN A SAUCEPAN ON LOW HEAT PUT
4 STICKS BUTTER
1 BAKING BAR
3 TABLESPOONS COCOA POWDER
1 TABLESPOON VEGETABLE OIL
16 OUNCES OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS
ALLOW EVERYTHING TO MELT BUT DO NOT BOIL OR COOK THE CHOCOLATE. STIR UNTIL THERE ARE NO LUMPS.
IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL PUT
6 EGGS
2 1/4 CUPS SUGAR (18oz)
2 TABLESPOONS VANILLA
1 TEASPOON SALT
WHISK THIS MIXTURE TOGETHER. WHEN BLENDED AND FROTHY, ADD A LITTLE OF THE CHOCOLATE MIXTURE AT A TIME, SO YOU DON’T COOK THE EGGS. WHEN YOU’VE ADDED ALL THE CHOCOLATE, WHISK UNTIL IT’S SHINY AND STARTING TO PULL AWAY FROM THE SIDE OF THE BOWL. LET IT COOL UNTIL THE BOWL IS COOL TO THE TOUCH.
AFTER THE MIXTURE COOLS
SIFT 1 & 1/4 CUPS (7oz) FLOUR WITH ONE TABLESPOON OF BAKING POWDER
THEN ADD 6 OUNCES OF WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS (THESE WILL MELT IF MIXTURE IS TOO WARM)
6 OUNCES OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS
8 OUNCES OF CHOPPED WALNUTS
PREPARE THE BAKING PAN
USE A HALF BAKING SHEET
PUT BUTTER ON THE CORNERS AND A SMALL AMOUNT ALONG THE SIDE
CUT PARCHMENT PAPER TO FIT THE PAN AND LEAVE ABOUT 1/4 INCH STICKING UP ALL THE WAY AROUND
POUR THE BATTER INTO THE PAN AND, USING A BAKING SPATULA, PRESS AND PUSH THE BATTER MAKING SURE TO BUILD UP THE CORNERS. DON’T SPREAD LIKE YOU ARE BUTTERING A PIECE OF BREAD. BY PRESSING AND PUSHING THE BATTER THE BROWNIES GET A NICE, SHINY FINISH. RUN A BUTTER KNIFE AROUND THE EDGE OF THE BROWNIES BETWEEN THE BATTER AND SIDE OF THE PAN, THIS GIVES THEM A NICE “EDGE.”
BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 20 MINUTES.
TO TEST DONENESS WITH A TOOTHPICK - SHOULD COME OUT CLEAN. COOL ON COOLING RACKS BEFORE REFRIGERATING. IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY TO CUT THE BROWNIES.
Here are the kids' cookies. Look for the upside-down "Js."
JOHN
Happy holidays. Musical inner tubers.
JOHN
This is John Timpane
DON
And Don Rooney
JOHN
And we are here at the House of.
JOY
Cookies.
JOHN
We are here at Joy Stocke's house in New Jersey someplace and we are here at Joy Stocke's annual Christmas Cookie Baking Party. Have the fire going. We have the boy, the the, the kitchen is humming joy. Talk about your party, how long you've had it and all that stuff.
JOY
Well, this is the 30 year. And it started with a. I'm gonna. I'm gonna give her a shout out. Aaron Riley and I started it all these years ago and. It took off on its own. Came friends came. Sarah was a little two year. My daughter's 38 now and has a 5 year old, so I have a granddaughter here. And oh, and what year did you join? Chef Owen Lee is with us. Owen come on over here.
JOY
Come on over. Oh.
JOHN
Come on down. On, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Owen Lee Owen, you are a restaurateur. Are a musician, and you're also. Gosh. Good cook of a cook of cookies. It's hard to say. How long have you been coming to this party?
OWEN
At least 15 years. Yeah, but I was not part of the early experience.
JOY
I would say 15th. Minimum 15 years.
OWEN
I I sort of gradually came into the fold.
DON
Yeah, yeah, much like. I just kind of wandered in the back door here.
JOHN
That's. We, you know, I've been coming to this party for maybe 10. You know, I mean, I I wheedled my way in a long time ago. Joy, you are such a great party thrower. One of the best we've ever. I'm just wondering for you what are the? Are the elements that make this. Especially, you know, a cookie baking party with the fire going. What's what? Some of the things that you wanna have. To have a really good party.
JOY
Well, when I think about it, I I do think about everybody coming and it being warm, I think of I want people to go home and feel ready for the holiday season and warm. There's a lot of prep that goes in. Have to clean. I'm a clutter hound so but. You have to prepare the dough ahead. Have to brand the fire.
JOHN
Which they never do.
JOY
Which we try to and we try to get some bacon. But I did make 3 doughs before anybody. I suck.
JOHN
I notice that yeah.
JOY
I set up for the little. There's a table covered in tin foil, so they can roll cookies and not get sugar sprinkles. You bring in the firewood, you clean the fireplace. Please you go shopping for the salad. Make sure there's. You make sure there's sparkling water, you make sure there's coffee and tea, and then it takes on a life of its own. Some years we make bake a lot of cookies. At other years we burn. And don't.
DON
That's the way it goes.
OWEN
I think maybe we're burning cookie.
JOHN
Gonna sit down at some point and play Beatles songs and Grateful Dead and Joni Mitchell.
OWEN
And become our ritual.
JOHN
It really has a ritual within a ritual. I mean, last year was especially. That way, I think we were at it for almost 2 hours straight playing music. Think we were trapped?
OWEN
Yeah, but we were interrupted. There was other things going on that night.
JOY
Yeah. So one of the things about the music that's that's a huge piece of this. I didn't say that earlier, but. Owen and John are incredible musicians on top of every. And they can play any song you request and we we go down whatever Rd. we want you guys to. Taylor Swift last year in honor of her eras tour. James Taylor, The Beatles, you name it, though, really.
JOHN
We did a fleet with Mack Jag when who was the one who died?
JOHN
Other pianist who we all agreed.
DON
Was our Christine McPhee.
JOY
We did also there was the year. Did the ABBA. The ABBA I think you were there for the.
OWEN
There's.
JOHN
I think that Owen has erased that from his memory. Blocking that out.
JOY
So we don't have to do that this year. So when you're asking what's what is the? The recipe is all these pieces and we talk about food and that's a couple people. That's our expertise or an area of expertise, but food is important, but it's not what makes a great party. It's all these elements and I believe it's serendipity. You set up the structure and then you let it take on a. Of its own.
OWEN
I know. I like that.
JOHN
This is this is this is great. I wanna move. Move in this segment to talk about the cookies that are on the rack right now. 'cause. I see chocolate chip cookies and and those are chocolate chip cookies. There's not. Have you. Have you put in? Oh, in what sense?
OWEN
Dried fruit. Get out. And I also found some chocolate covered almonds that I chopped up and put in. In there. So double chocolate.
JOY
Yeah.
JOHN
Double chocolate and then and then we have those, those cookies that you like, press with your thumb, joy. Are those?
JOY
So those are so old school. And what makes them? You can do it with chopic cards. Can do chopped almonds. I like chopped walnuts, I think because you used brown sugar in it and an egg yolk. It's richer, and so I like the flavor. And then I put in it. Homemade plum, cherry jam and just a little dab of jam. Don't like too much. Did you made it to?
OWEN
The.
JOY
Gym. I did. But a friend did and brought me a. And I say, did she brought it in July and I saved it for cookies this year.
JOHN
I have to say I noticed that the way you were spooning the jam in was considered that you were just not just slobbing the jam. You just put a. Bit in.
JOY
Probably a quarter to half teaspoon. Because what happens? You cook jam, it can get. You know, 'cause there's sugar in it and I. To just. Do you guys remember your kid there with the little shortbreads with breads, with the tiny little jam in the middle? And they were little?
JOY
That's the consistency I like, but I want to taste the cookie and not the jam.
DON
Guys do do you have?
DON
There's a baby coming in the. Oh my God. Coming into the house now.
JOHN
That we. We have a three generation party going.
DON
No, there we are, gentlemen.
JOHN
That's probably one of the other elements we want to mention is that we. Little tiny. Baby coming in the door. This is. I mean, we just, you know, we have a million year old guys like me and Don, right and.
DON
Half a million John or only half a million.
DON
Well, yeah, between the two of us, maybe we're a million. But, well, let me ask Owen then. How many different does do you have to put together to get your cookies? Or is it all kind of one dough and you make different cookies out of it?
OWEN
They're all John, all different, all. Cookies are different, although this year we're not doing as many. In past years, we've done maybe six different types and all those are different. They have to all be made separately. OK. But we we kind of slacked off this year. So it's it looks like we're doing maybe two, maybe 3. Types now.
JOHN
- And John, I think you should toot your own horn a little bit. I don't mean you've brought a cornet. You're. To hit a high C on but. You you have contributed.
DON
Anyway, I would in a high seas if I sat on the cornet.
JOHN
Well, I thought you could talk about your contribution to this party, which is brownies and you, and you go back a.
DON
Long way with her. The brownies are the ones that we talked about at Halloween.
DON
When we put our Halloween show together and joy came up with the video and you came up with pumpkin. Yes, we needed a dessert and my wife had made brownies for a commercial outlet for a number of years, and we turned out something like 300 brownies. Week from her recipes and I basically helped, but I never really actually made a brownie from scratch for myself, so I decided that I would do that. So I contributed. Her recipe to that show, but I haven't made the brownies, so I sat down overnight a couple nights ago.
JOHN
Did a little.
DON
Math at. Yeah, and I because the brownies that we were churning out were the the half cookie sheets. We would take the whole half cookie.
OWEN
Division.
DON
Cover it with Brownie batter and then. Bake them and cut them up because we needed a lot of brownies. Well, I didn't want to make that many brownies, so I quartered it. Instead of cutting it in half, I. It. Quarters and I think I did the math. But I made a batch of that and I bought two or three of those from that batch here today. So I don't know where they wound up, John, but.
JOHN
I think we should EM down that either the Hatch or the sink.
JOHN
Know they're they're over there. You're over in the kitchen and we will have some very shortly. I want to say that.
DON
What I think would be would would be nice if maybe if Owen could go over and get one and taste it and tell me if I if I. Mark, OK.
JOHN
So we'll wait for Owen to come and tell us about the brownies in the meal time.
DON
Can you get the brownies that I brought and just bring them over?
JOHN
I want to give my spouse, Maria Christina Keller. So much credit because she has made her artichoke dip.
OWEN
With the addition of tarragon this year.
JOHN
Don't you think that really made a nice little difference? Yes, and this is this is with canned drained artichokes that she's chopped up, and then it's really all in the the recipe from there because she's she's. Used different things in the past, and the tarragon was an innovation. My goodness, there are the Don rules. Brownies. OK, dry, please.
DON
Please take a brownie. Joy and and Owen. And you.
OWEN
Could be on.
DON
You could take one. And Chris, I'm gonna take take Elle Brown.
JOHN
Yeah, take a bite.
DON
And tell me what you think. Are they good or they rappy?
JOHN
Owen. And now Joy is taking a a bite. Erwin's taking a bite. Oh.
JOY
They're perfect.
JOHN
Perfection has been invoked.
DON
What do you think?
JOHN
What's your feeling as far as brandiness?
OWEN
Gets my approval.
DON
Oh, OK.
JOY
You know it. It's a texture. It's it's creamy. And it's a little cakey, but cream is got chunks of nuts. I just tasted a beautiful one. Not not.
DON
Yeah, there's walnuts in it. There, there are white chocolate bits and there are some more chocolate chips in there.
JOY
Melts in your mouth.
I could eat this whole tray highly rated.
JOY
I know highly rake them. They hold together really well 'cause in your recipe. It said you should chill them 24 hours before cutting them. The secret to so perfect like. They are excellent.
DON
All right, so I scored.
JOY
Not only that, I'm holding Don's recipe because I thought we chaos always ensues here. If I don't make them today, I have all the ingredients I'm going to make them.
DON
Oh, OK alright, 'cause.
JOHN
I wanna add my have it oil and pleasure. Are. I mean, brownies are not my favorite thing. These are fantastic.
JOY
No, but these are really freak.
J.C.
Chinese.
JOHN
And so I I mean, there's so many interesting recipes here. Had an aperol spritz go down my. Just. And there'll be more and I have absolutely no idea what I will do after the 2nd. So stay tuned to the music. Oh yes, that's true that I brought a. Which, if served cold, is Vichy SOAS and if if warmed up, is leaking potato.
JOY
Are we heating? 'Cause.
JOHN
I think we should take. Couple of dollops and put it in a bowl for those who would. To have it as. Suz. OK. And then heat the rest.
JOY
I've got an idea. We're gonna do some cold frobisher sweats, and we're gonna heat it and. Gonna taste each. To see what happens when we warm it. What happens to the flavor?
DON
That's a great idea, K. We could do that. We could take a pause here and I'll go out and get and get our food together and then after we've eaten, come back and do a little raiding water on how things work out. If that sounds OK.
JOY
Gentlemen, this is perfect. 'cause, we have a 5 year old and six year old that are insisting we do the cutouts now, grandma.
DON
Alright, so why don't you go do the cutouts and John, you and I will take a pause here and. Go eat and drink and be merry and will be back in just a little bit.
JOHN
Well, we're back here at Joy Stocke’s holiday party, and we're just talking about what makes a really good party. And over here is something that makes a very good party, which I think it'll let Freda explain what is happening here. How old are you?
FREIDA
5 1/2.
JOHN
Oh, my goodness. You're too old for. I should go away. No, but it's nice to talk to you. And solely how old are you?
FREIDA
JOHN
Seven years. Oh boy, you guys are growing up fast. What is happening at this table? What are you doing?
FREIDA
Make me Christmas cookies.
JOHN
And and and and so you're you're cutting, you've rolled out some dough, correct? And let's see what are the shapes. Do I see here? Have you done?
FREIDA
I did candy canes in a Christmas tree.
JOHN
Very. And what have you done?
FREIDA
I did an elephant too, gingerbread man.
JOHN
And what is your name? Sarah. Sarah, now Sarah. It is my understanding that you're related to several of the people in this House. I think you're related to Frida here. That correct, yes. And who is Sarah? What is her relationship to you, Freda?
FREIDA
My mom.
JOHN
She's your mother. Oh my goodness. And and so Leia I hear a rumor that your mom is in the house. That correct? Is she standing where she standing?
FREIDA
Over there.
JOHN
And and so I see a man, right? Who cut out the man. Oh, Soleil. Well done. And I see a bell. Is that also so lays look at you and a Christmas tree. What's your favorite shape?
FREIDA
My favorite shape is the baby candy kit.
JOHN
I think it's. You know what I like about that is when you flip the candy came over. It makes AJ, which is the best. Letter in the whole alphabet, and do you know? 'Cause, my name is John and it starts with AJ so.
JOY
This us my name is joy.
JOHN
Oh, that's right, Joy Stocke. You are right. As you always are. Joy has a handle on everything. Really stands for Joy and. Stocke. So Sarah is now rolling out some of the the dough. You know, you take all the scraps and you get them all together, and then you roll them back out. So we can do some decent cutting and. What is the? You have in your hands, Soleil.
FREIDA
JOHN
Very nice. Is that your favorite shape?
FREIDA
Now the elephant is.
JOHN
Where's the elephant? I don't see an elephant. There it. Oh man, I did not see that. So is this a fun party? What's making it fun?
Speaker
The.
FREIDA
Teenagers game.
JOHN
The cookie making is fun, isn't it? You like that? Yeah. Is it OK that adults are? I mean, you sort of smell funny and talk about stuff that nobody cares about, but do you still like? Is it OK for the adults to be at the party?
FREIDA
Yeah.
JOHN
Yeah. You think it's OK?
FREIDA
Yeah.
JOHN
'Cause, I think adults can be fun sometimes. Silence from the two little girls. Happening with that, OK. This is what a. Is all about, don't you? Joy, where you have different it it really you really should have different generations.
JOY
I think so. This. Why we do it right? I was saying earlier this when did this? I say 36 years ago it actually started 65 years ago in my grandma's kitchen. No, because I sat next to I stood on a stool next to her, and we did the same thing. And I really believe in traditions and cookies are. Everybody. It's non denominational, it's a political. Michael, so this is the joy of cooking recipe and there are many. Are many. A little more flour, a little less flour, a little this little that this rolls well with children.
JOHN
So this we're talking about a real legacy cookie dough, aren't. That this is this is the kind of cookie dough you would find in. Well, you know, literally millions of households through the years.
JOY
That's one of the great things about that very old cookbook is my grandma used it and my mom used it and the recipes foolproof 'cause you're doing it with little ones.
JOHN
So I want to talk to Soleil's mom. Just a moment. Hi, give us your name. Sasha. Sasha. When you see your kids together and how long have they known each other?
SASHA
Since they were born so. 5 or so years, yeah.
DON
So when you.
JOHN
See your kids cutting out stuff together at a holiday party at Joy's house? What? How you feeling? Feeling good?
SASHA
Yeah, 'cause, I feel like I'm watching myself. Like 'cause, we used to do it.
JOHN
So yeah. You used to do it in this House, yeah. Oh my God. Yes, it's it's it's tradition.
Speaker
It.
JOHN
Once again see. This connects with something that Joy was saying is that tradition is really important. That sense that we're doing things. That were passed to us.
JOY
Absolutely, I absolutely agree.
JOHN
Yeah, but they don't know that.
Speaker
No they don't.
JOHN
They. All they know is that they're having fun.
Speaker
Yeah, I have a comment.
JOY
Have we talked about the rolling pin yet?
JOHN
No, we sure we need to talk about the rolling. Let me interview the man from whom the rolling pin was donated. Can you give us your full name please? William Shoaf this rolly pin is something. What? What is it in your family? And and it's part of? Party tonight so.
BILL
Well, it's the late 1800s came from Morrison's Cove, which? Only was one of the first families in Morrison's Cove in Central PA in the 1600s. So this this rolling pin came. Of that tradition.
JOHN
- I'm completely like blown away by this. I've tried wow. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have a rolling pin right off of the Nina Pitten. Maria, you know, nobody ever says. This rolling pin that we're looking at is I see like the handles look like it might be newer than the pin, yeah.
BILL
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because the handles wear out and the pin is very solid.
JOHN
So. I wear out. Really. When I'm we all wear out.
BILL
Then that that has worn a lot of people out.
JOHN
And I wanna tell everybody that this came to the party with little sort of little ribbons or or or pieces of string around it. And so we're and very festive. I mean very fast.
BILL
Yeah, we it's been used in our family for a long time, so it's made a lot of cookies.
JOHN
Janet, you like you look it like you want. Say something I do.
J.C.
I want because it was wrapped with ribbons because this rolling pin is now passing from bills family to Joyce family so she can. Roll. You know, whatever with.
JOHN
So this is. So you're actually this is a. This is not just loaning it for the party.
BILL
Correct. This is a gift to joy.
JOHN
And so if Joy wanted to hit Howard with it because Howard is Joy’s partner, that's what we could use it.
J.C.
For.
BILL
Yes, and it would hurt.
JOHN
No, it's a substantial. Even let me tell you, this is it's very heavy.
J.C.
It's not clear whether they really used it to roll dough for pies, or whether they used it because they lived in the country and it was a weapon for anyone who might want to. Into the house.
JOHN
Trespass on my part. My. Oh, I'm going to bring you with this thing. It. Ladies and gentlemen, it really looks. The way you'd want a rolling pin to look like, you know you just flour that thing, you know it does a great thing and I'm just enjoying seeing this whole scene because Sarah is doing the sparkles. You know, it looks like she knows what she's. There. Wouldn't know I'd be completely lost here and then. And oh, we're we're we're doing the butter. We're brushing butter. Egg.
JOY
Whatever is.
JOHN
Sorry, I'm completely wrong as usual. And so, once the egg yolk is on there, we're going to put the sparkles on, correct? Very nice. Well, thank you everybody. Is. Terrific. And we are having more fun than you ladies and. So I hope you're enjoying our our show and we're going to go to a different part of the house in a minute and talk about more activities that make a great holiday party.
Speaker
Replay.
JOHN
One of the things you could do at a holiday party is have people from different walks of life and one of the things that joy has done is invite people who have all sorts of talents they've invited Don and and me and course we are geniuses in all. But. There are also many other artists. There's musicians and there's poet among us. And and this poet is just just wonderful. Been reading her stuff for years. She's a real. Just a. Person in our region's poetry scene. JC Todd. And she has a new book. And since she was. The party. I wanted to ask her to read just a few lines just to, you know, just out of the holiday cheer of it and. They might not be about the holiday, but poetry really is something that happens to it's an event. And so I'm just so happy to welcome JC. Talk about the. A little bit before you do the reading.
J.C.
The book is a real surprise to me. It's a collection of my poems, but it was published in Lithuania, in Vilnius, the capital city. And it was translated into Lithuanian. It's bilingual and. Marias brokers who's translated me many times before was the primary. Translator. But Cornelius bloodless translated a sonnet sequence that was very complicated to rhyme. He rhymed it in Lithuania so.
JOHN
Oh my goodness.
J.C.
I can't. It, but I can hear the rhyth.
JOHN
Ms. rhymed poetry. It's almost impossible to write. Applicate rhyme schemes in the new language. It's a real challenge, so hats off.
J.C.
Yeah. But I'm not going to read from that. I'm going to read a poem that really is not about Christmas but is about family. A poem. A memory I have of my little brother. Then, little brother Peter. And the poem is called the only evening. I'll just read the end of it and I hope you can kind of see it like a movie as I read it. The concrete walk was his copy book. Fist clamped around the chalk. My brother drew yellow letters, wiggly and nursery, taught his face raised toward night, as if the night before had never been as if. The sudden moon had opened him.
JOHN
JC Todd, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much. Was lovely, lovely, lovely. I'm telling you this party has everything done.
DON
Yeah. And in just a minute, JC will do the ultimate. Test John's Vichy Swah as opposed to his hot. Soup and will see what wins. Now for this party, John has made a potato leek soup which is either a potato leek soup or. Or Vichy schwa. And it it depends on whether you serve it. Or cold. So John has prepared it both ways and he is here with the ultimate taste test. John, who is a taste test with.
JOHN
Our taste tester is JC Todd, a person whom we know has wonderful taste and we have total trust in her. So JC what I would like you to do is try the this in the small cup is the cold soup. So this is called leek and potato soup.
J.C.
All right.
JOHN
Give it a taste.
J.C.
I'm gonna first have to give it a sniff.
JOHN
Yeah, give it a sniff. Get the full thing.
J.C.
You love me.
Speaker
Hmm.
J.C.
Oh, the leak makes it so sweet. Oh, it's delicious.
JOHN
Thank you. It's rather luxurious, isn't. I mean, it's got a nice, you know, nice thickness. Know it.
J.C.
It's very thick and it it has little flakes of something in it that are very attractive. But what I really like about it is when you take it in your mouth. It sticks on the. It does not want to be. And then the taste fills your mouth. So that's pretty good.
JOHN
Thank you so much, because we we experience taste in time and space, don't we you? And there's all sorts of tastes that begin and have a, you know, they have a distal and a far sort of experience. That's wonderful. OK. Now try the same soup. So that was Vichy suz. Now you are going to try some warmed up. It's probably Luke warm by now, but so warmed up leaf and potato soup properly and tell you what, and if I'd like you to talk about the difference in experience and which you prefer.
J.C.
Well, first, stirring it a little before I take a spoonful, I can see it's a little more liquid and. Let me smell. Oh, that's essentially the heat, right? The heat brings up the leak with potatoes. Sweet. So that's a little different. Now. I come from a potato eating heritage. So this is a test.
JOHN
That's nice.
Speaker
Oh.
J.C.
Oh my. So did you hear that silence? That was because I couldn't speak. It's really good.
JOHN
I'm really digging this size.
J.C.
But because. Warm and more liquidy, it doesn't feel thinner but more liquidy. This one I also feel going down my throat. So it's a whole other experience eating. A little more luxurious. Can I finish please?
JOHN
You should know why you're eating. I'll just say that you know, the act of of warming it up. Just it's so fun to think of something in. Ways, right? You know that something could be. Cold. And you'd give it a different name, right? And it's all French and all this stuff. But then if you heat it up, it becomes this. Sort of. Homely in a nice way, wintry. Soup right of you know of, of root vegetables, you know.
J.C.
But from it's interesting though for me, and this is probably because I was born with my feet in the ground. It it this is more luxurious than the Vichy Swas. France, but.
JOHN
Sorry, France.
J.C.
Is.
JOHN
Well, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That was JC Todd doing the heavy lifting on a Vichy Suarez versus Lee Kan potato soup comparison. You so. This was so much fun.
JOY
Don, your presence is just like your spirit that I have heard in our interviews. Thank you for. To our house. Well, thank you.
DON
Thank you for for having me. It was. It's been a terrific party and I got to eat cookies. That's the best part.
JOY
Here there's a tray right in front of you.
DON
I know you brought the tray over just for me and. Have a spatula ready to hand some over.
JOY
It's not a flying saucer, it's a drone.
Speaker
It's a drone.
DON
We're in New Jersey. It's a drone. I I want to thank you seriously for helping us out the whole holiday season for helping us and and other people who have followed your recipes put together. Really, really nice food for the holidays, starting with Halloween and working all the way through. And these Christmas cookies are really delicious, but they're also very simple. Yes, and that's the key I think to the whole thing, right.
FREIDA
Yes.
JOY
So the key is basically flour, butter, sugar, and flavorings. But some recipes just have flour, butter, sugar, so yes. Keep it simple folks. You can go complicated for other holidays. The Christmas cookie party. Simple.
DON
Very simple, and yet they're. And everybody loves them. And you can turn out well. People can't see it right now, but you got at least what a dozen cookies there on a sheet.
JOY
One thing I would add chef Owen Lee, this is how you can have fun. He wanted to do something different with the. Chip cookies so. Said to me, what do you have? You have any dried? I had a gift, you know, like a gift basket of dried apricots and chocolate covered almonds. And he said, OK, I'll put both of those in. So do what you can at your own house. Something fun and different. Add Pickles. Chop Pickles. Yeah, really good.
DON
Yeah, Pickles and chocolate chips. That works for me.
JOY
Does it work for you, Johnny?
JOHN
I'm trying to get my head around that.
DON
My bad I.
JOHN
I just want to say to everybody. We really loved being invited into his home. We want to wish all of our listeners a wonderful holiday season and a great 2025.
DON
Definitely and joy again thank. I'd like to thank you for inviting me into your home, allowing me to sit here on this wonderful couch and not throwing me out like a lot of other people at and feeding me cookies. It was just it was a wonderful experience and I hope everybody. Has this kind of experience for their.
JOY
Holidays. Happy holidays and create the tradition and those. You. Hosted. It'll take you a week to clean up, but it will be worth it.
DON
Yes. Merry Christmas everyone.
JOY
Happy holidays.
Joy Stocke
Joy Stocke received a Bachelor of Scince in Agriculture Journalism and studied food science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where she learned how to professionally test recipes. For more than thirty years Stocke has devoted her life to telling stories through the lens of family, culture and food. For more than a decade she was founding partner and Senior Editor of the online magazine, Wild River Review.
Stocke has written about and lectured widely on her travels in Greece and Turkey and the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. She continues to study techniques of cooking and recipes with home cooks from around the world and pracitces her craft in Central New Jersey and New York City where she leads cooking classes. Her essay, Turkish American Food, the first about Turkish cooking in America, was published in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America.
In addition to Tree of Life: Turkish Home Cooking and Anatolian Days and Nights: A Love Affair with Turkey, Land of Dervishes, Goddesses and Saints, both co-written with Angie Brenner, she is author of a collection of poems set on the island of Crete, Cave of the Bear and a novel, Ugly Cookies. She is currently writing a memoir about her time in a fishing village on the Sea of Cortez.
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