Christmas cruises - how does HAL celebrate?

[SwissMyst]

Thanks for the tip. I love stollen and live a at least a hundred miles from the nearest German bakery. Can you estimate how many days it will still be edible if I sneak some back to my cabin? (I certainly don't want to waste anything so precious.)

 

Ours was on the Oosterdam so don't know if this is fleet wide. I bet it would last 2-3 days. It was very rich and dense so I think it would keep its flavor and texture pretty well. Keep it in the fridge if you cabin has one would work. And maybe they had leftovers out for the next day, not sure.

 

I took my first piece on the Oosterdam for nostalgia sake only since my mother always made this for Christmas but her's was never that good so it was always our enduring family joke. Then when I tasted it I immediately went back for more.

 

Even Mom admitted she baked it every year just for the way the kitchen smelled. But the version on the Oosterdam probably was the way it was always intended to be. Mom would always try to cut corners on expensive ingredients -- part of being "German" and thrifty I suppose.

 

The other Oosterdam treat we had that I fell in love with on this last AUSNZ cruise were ANZAC biscuits which they had out every morning and at the special AUSSIE Tea. Once I can track down some Golden Syrup, they are going to be a new household staple. Yummy and by golly, they just have to be good for you too. :D

[Australian family]

Ours was on the Oosterdam so don't know if this is fleet wide. I bet it would last 2-3 days. It was very rich and dense so I think it would keep its flavor and texture pretty well. Keep it in the fridge if you cabin has one would work. And maybe they had leftovers out for the next day, not sure.

 

I took my first piece on the Oosterdam for nostalgia sake only since my mother always made this for Christmas but her's was never that good so it was always our enduring family joke. Then when I tasted it I immediately went back for more.

 

Even Mom admitted she baked it every year just for the way the kitchen smelled. But the version on the Oosterdam probably was the way it was always intended to be. Mom would always try to cut corners on expensive ingredients -- part of being "German" and thrifty I suppose.

 

The other Oosterdam treat we had that I fell in love with on this last AUSNZ cruise were ANZAC biscuits which they had out every morning and at the special AUSSIE Tea. Once I can track down some Golden Syrup, they are going to be a new household staple. Yummy and by golly, they just have to be good for you too. :D

 

Did they do lamingtons & pavlova as well? Hope you can track Golden Syrup down, it is coloured like honey and very thick.

[SwissMyst]

Did they do lamingtons & pavlova as well? Hope you can track Golden Syrup down, it is coloured like honey and very thick.

 

Yes, lots of Lamington's (little chocolate/vanilla layered cakes with what appeared to be marshmallow cream and coconut dusted covering) and a fair version of Pavlova, but nothing like the superb version of Pavlova we got on the HAL Blue Mountain shore excursion hotel lunch stop.

 

I think the Aussie Tea is worth doing on other trips as well along with the Royal Dutch and the Indonesian Special Teas - ditch the yucky, flavorless neon colored "cupcake tea" and salute the Aussies for their unique down under offering. The Aussie Tea had a lot more very interesting looking choices, but it was before formal night and sadly I had to pass a lot of them up.

 

The Golden Syrup appears to be key because I think the ship ran out before the end of the trip as it was going into dry-dock and there was a subtle but noticable flavor difference between the ANZAC biscuits at the beginning and mid of the trip compared to the final days. That sweet, nutty touch was missing and apparently that alone comes only from the Golden Syrup and nothing else duplicates it.

 

Cook books and online sources claims that honey is a substitute for Golden Syrup, which in fact was created in the first place to replace wartime losses of honey supplies, but now it has a well regarded life of its own and is obviously a cooking staple in many parts of the Commonwealth world .... and I remember it also just being great poured over ice cream on its own.

 

I am sure there are speciality shops here where I can find this, so onwards to a cookie jar full of ANZAC biscuits for me.

[Aqua's Mom]

At a risk of beating a dead horse, our cruise begins on Dec. 21. Which nights will be formal nights, and will one of those two be Christmas Eve??

[vicocala]

Ours was on the Oosterdam so don't know if this is fleet wide. I bet it would last 2-3 days. It was very rich and dense so I think it would keep its flavor and texture pretty well. Keep it in the fridge if you cabin has one would work. And maybe they had leftovers out for the next day, not sure.

 

I took my first piece on the Oosterdam for nostalgia sake only since my mother always made this for Christmas but her's was never that good so it was always our enduring family joke. Then when I tasted it I immediately went back for more.

 

Even Mom admitted she baked it every year just for the way the kitchen smelled. But the version on the Oosterdam probably was the way it was always intended to be. Mom would always try to cut corners on expensive ingredients -- part of being "German" and thrifty I suppose.

 

The other Oosterdam treat we had that I fell in love with on this last AUSNZ cruise were ANZAC biscuits which they had out every morning and at the special AUSSIE Tea. Once I can track down some Golden Syrup, they are going to be a new household staple. Yummy and by golly, they just have to be good for you too. :D

 

http://www.foodireland.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=570402&AFFIL=froggle

 

Is this what you are looking for? Also, if you google golden syrup there are recipes to make it.

[SwissMyst]

http://www.foodireland.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=570402&AFFIL=froggle

 

Is this what you are looking for? Also, if you google golden syrup there are recipes to make it.

 

Thanks for the tip. I was finally able to find some in our specialty local market - half the size for the price if we had picked up a tin in NZ - but luggage weight had become critical at that point. I had an interesting experiment today making the ANZAC biscuits using a recipe just emailed to me from our NZ friend.

 

She sent what was were probably the "official" recipe (there is such a jealously guarded thing) and came out quite hard and dry, but still very tasty. She only used two tablespoons of butter. Most other versions today use a lot more, up to one stick of butter.

 

And only one tablespoon of the Golden Syrup. So I think I will keep working with this recipe -have enough Golden Syrup now to splurge a bit more on thi,s and plenty of dessicated coconut to for several more batches, but will use more butter next time around.

 

The HAL version of ANZAC biscuits were much softer, chewier and spread out and flattened a more. The one's I made I am sure would live up to their promise to arrive unbroken and still edibile, half a world away in WWI era transit times.

 

I also think I will chop up the rolled oats a bit for a finer texture. But that wonderful taste of this ingredient combo is definitely there, just needs a little USA tweaking to be ANZ-US-AC biscuits instead. Blasphamy! :eek: