Untainted Honey

MOTHER! whose virgin bosom was uncrost
With the least shade of thought to sin allied;
Woman! above all women glorified,
Our tainted nature's solitary boast;
Purer than foam on central ocean tost;
Brighter than eastern skies at daybreak strewn
With fancied roses, than the unblemished moon
Before her wane begins on heaven's blue coast;
Thy Image falls to earth. Yet some, I ween,
Not unforgiven the suppliant knee might bend,
As to a visible Power, in which did blend
All that was mixed and reconciled in Thee
Of mother's love with maiden purity,
Of high with low, celestial with terrene!
~ William Wordsworth

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Being both the Quote Queen and the Dining Diva, what better way to celebrate this great Feast, than with food? :o)

I did some snooping around for recipes and menus applicable to the varying Feasts on the Gregorian Calendar and so far, I can only come up with one that is appropriate for today on a couple of levels: Ciastka Miodowe, or Honey Cakes. These cakes are traditionally served in Poland on the Feast of St. Nicholas, but given that I could not find a dish specifically for today and since Our Lady is considered as "sweet as honey" and my father is Polish, that is enough of a connection and an excuse for me to bake these. :o)

Let me know if you try them!

Oremus pro invicem,
Mikaela

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This recipe is taken from the Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton & Helmut Ripperger. (David McKay Company, Inc., New York, ©1951 by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger)

Ciastka Miodowe (Honey Cakes)

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Warm the honey slightly and combine with the sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift the flour with the soda and spices and stir into the honey batter thoroughly. Let the dough rest overnight. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; cut out with a cookie cutter. Brush with the slightly beaten white of an egg, press half a blanched almond into each cookie and bake at 375 degrees F. for about fifteen minutes.