Ever wonder how Santa delivers presents to all the good little boys and girls of the world in just one day? Well, here’s a secret: Santa can do it because he spreads his gift giving duties out over the course of December and early January.
That’s the case with the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. Here, Santa is known as Ai Vasilis- SAINT BASIL, and he visits children every New Year’s Eve, right after the calendar changes to a new number and the kiddies have gone to bed.
From what I can tell, Ai Vasilis looks and acts pretty much like the traditional Santa of the United States. But his diet is a little more sophisticated than cookies and milk. In Cyprus, Santa passes on the carbs and goes straight for some vino.
The children of Cyprus start their Christmas morning with the cutting of the Vasilopitta or ‘Santa’s Cake.’ In the Vasilopitta, a small coin is hidden and the child who finds it is granted good luck for the rest of the year thanks to a blessing granted by Ai Vasilis while he pounds a goblet full of adult grape juice. It’s then that the children of Cyprus head over to their holiday tree to open their presents from mom and dad.
The gift giving continues on January 6, Epiphany Day. The children visit their grandparents with an offering of a small song. In return, the grandparents gift the children with a gratuity of money. Now, in my opinion, this is just a trap to get the kids to visit grandma and grandpa. But I must admit that I love getting cash as a present! It’s the most personable gift a person can give. And it eliminates the fear of getting something you didn’t want for Christmas like underwear or Marvel Comics…
So for my advent gift for you today, here’s a twist on the traditional Koulourakia. But instead of Orange Blossom Water, which can be tricky to locate, this one calls for orange zest. So, from Food52.com, here are Cyprus Almond Macaroons. Enjoy!
Cyprus Almond Macaroons
MAKES25 cookies
Ingredients send grocery list
300g slivered almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar
2 egg whites
zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Measure 1/2 cup of the 300g slivered blanched almonds. Coarsely chop the almonds. Set to the side in a flat pan.
Put the rest of the silvered blanched almonds and the granulated sugar into a food processor. Grind together to a fine powder. Add the icing sugar, zest and almond extract. Pulse 2 seconds. Add the egg whites and pulse until it forms a firm paste.
Take walnut sized teaspoon of the firm paste and shape into a cylinder. Roll the cylinder in the coarsely chopped almonds and shape into a crescent shape. Place on parchment paper on a baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes until very light golden brown.
Ingredients
Ingredients
300g slivered almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar
2 egg whites
zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon almond extract
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