Tastes Like Heaven
by Lori Hadacek Chaplin in Food on Monday, November 23, 2009 6:00 AM
It’s not even Christmas, and I am fantasizing about fruitcake—I’m a new connoisseur of this rich sticky cake.
I, too, used to believe all the clichéd jokes that fruitcakes never get eaten—just re-gifted. A monastery gift guide editorial (Handmade by Monks and Nuns: Monastery Gifts for Christmas) I wrote for the National Catholic Register last year changed my mind about fruitcake and introduced me to other superior foods made in monasteries.
Though I’d whole-heartedly recommend any food made in a monastery, I have four favorites that I’d like to share with Faith & Family readers:
Fruitcake With a Kick
Assumption Abbey, located in the wooded Ozarks near Ava, Missouri, made me a believer—regarding the culinary virtues of fruitcake. I like their cake best because it’s moist, chewy, and because it has a boozy kick. The monks use rum in their recipe. I’m abashed to say that I like to eat it straight out the freezer.
I inquired if their recipe was a secret. I received an emphatic, “Yes!” The recipe was given to the monks by St. Louis chef Jean-Pierre Augé a former chef to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The Abbey Bakery did reveal that the monks soak the fruit (pineapple, cherries, raisins, and currants, orange and lemon peel) in wine for one week and then it is mixed with the batter. The cakes bake for two hours and are decorated with fruit and pecans and packaged the next day. Then they’re aged for at least one month before shipping.
Assumption Abbey Bakery recommends ordering before December. $29.50 US; $34.50 Canada for a 2-LB fruitcake from AssumptionAbbey.org or (888)738-0117; MonasteryGreetings.com or (800) 472-0425 also sells Assumption Abbey Fruitcake.
Mouthwatering Mustard
The Benedictine Sisters in Mount Angel, Oregon make the best mustard I’ve ever tasted. I unsuccessfully tried to recreate their recipe. I shouldn’t have been surprised; their secret recipe for the mustard has been passed down through generations. The sisters’ mustard is tangy; it adds zest to any sandwich or meat. My family slathers it on about everything except dessert. We’ve tried the Divinely Original (Horseradish), Glorious Garlic, and Devoutly Dill and thought they were all wonderful. The nuns also make Heavenly Honey, Angelic Honey Garlic, Hallelujah Jalapeno, Orange Cranberry (seasonal) and their newest flavor, Deli Garlic Dill. $5.50 from MonasteryMustard.com
Spicy Hot Sauce
For those who like to feel that hot rush and perspiration on the forehead when they eat, then Subiaco, Arkansas’ Subiaco Abbey’s Monk Sauce will please. This spicy sauce is made with the hottest peppers—habaneros. I like to use Monk Sauce to spice my chili recipe; and I add a few drops to my salad dressing recipe to give it flavor. $8 (5-ounce bottle) from Subi.org or (479) 934-1001
Abbey Candy
For candy-lovers, Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey, in Wrentham, Massachusetts makes chocolate bars, delicious maple fudge, and our favorite—crunchy Butter Nut Munch. This light candy is toffee-coated chocolate (comes in both dark and milk) with filbert pieces. $21 (20 oz box) from Abbey.MSMAbbey.org or (866) 549-8929
By ordering from monasteries you’re not only purchasing foods made from scratch with the best ingredients, you’re ordering from religious orders who truly care about their customers on a deeper level.
—Senior writer Lori Hadacek Chaplin, a mother of three, writes from her home in Idaho.
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