Halloweeners

On Saturday, Halloween, All Saint’s Day Eve, it was a treat not a trick to be invited to Debbie’s daughter’s house to hand out treats to the kiddos while the grand-kids went around the neighborhood to collect their own stash.

In this close knit city community the neighbors gather for pizza before the government designated time of 6PM for pizza, party, wine and conversation before the kids scatter to costume up and collect sweet treats. Later moms echo the admonition to not eat it all at once while trade deals are executed for certain highly regarded candies. Taste testing and personal favorite bias influence the deal making experience. Certain specials are consumed while under the table negotiations go on unnoticed.

Has the original meaning of the day been lost?

All Saints’ Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church (and others) celebrated annually on November 1st. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. – says “Catholic Online”. I am Catholic so this what my church tells me from the time I was a small child. The eve of All Saints Day, also known as All Hallowed Eve or Halloween grew out of the tradition of holding vigil on the eve of Holy Days. Thinking of these things I fell into a rabbit hole in the internet.

Luckily for me – I am unsure of the luck involved – I found a recipe for “Soul Cakes” on CDN.Catholic.com (aka Catholic Answers).

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Bring a taste of history to your Halloween celebration with this soul cake recipe! Rooted in Catholic tradition, soul cakes were made to remember the faithful departed and prepare our hearts for All Saints’ Day:

INGREDIENTS

• 175g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

• 175g (3/4 cup) golden caster sugar (subbed brown sugar)

• 3 large egg yolks

• 420g (3 1/2 cups) plain flour

• 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice (made my own mix)

• 1/4 tsp allspice

• 50g (1/3 cup) raisins

• 2 tbsp milk (more added – ½ to ¾ C.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

3. Beat in egg yolks.

4. Stir in flour, spices, raisins, and milk until a soft dough forms.

5. Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1cm thickness.

6. Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter. (small drink glass)

7. Place on baking sheets and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden.

8. Cool on a wire rack.

Traditionally enjoyed on All Souls’ Eve, these spiced treats honor the departed.

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Sadly, some of the component volumes seem wrong. There is simply not enough liquid components to get this through to “a soft dough” stage. I kept adding buttermilk until that happened. Mixed spice is something I did not have until I found another article that explained that it is something akin to pumpkin pie spice which is another thing I do not have but I do have all the component spices. I made my own version.

A pleasant afternoon of baking and mystery solving.

Carpe Diem