Success formula for Wisconsin holiday cooking

On the global stage, Americans are not generally thought of as patient, traditional people. More likely, we're labeled as brash, charge-ahead mavericks. But when it comes to holidays, we're downright sentimental, especially about our foods.

When a group of friends gets together to talk about the season, chances are the conversation rapidly heads to memories, food memories to be exact. Yes, some of us recall when we got our first Barbie or Tonka truck, but more likely we remember—because we're still enjoying them every Christmas day—foods that speak of affection.

While we may have been food adventurers in our dining, cooking and traveling all year, we don't want "experiments" at holiday time. We want what we know, and these foods tend to be straight-forward and for the most part, unfussy. We don't yen for a five-layer mocha chile chocolate cake—we more likely crave a tray-full of crispy sugar cookies, buttery shortbread, crumbly thumb-prints and fudge. We are not tempted by a Kobe steak with shitake and chanterelle mushrooms; we cheer for an unadorned, perfectly carved rib roast or a golden brown, succulent turkey leg.

In Wisconsin especially, so many of our holiday favorites rest their reputations on the state's dairy bounty, so much so that the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has used a theme specific to Wisconsin recipes and traditions for its holiday promotion this year.

Let's talk kringle, for example. Did you know that Racine was once known as "Kringleville"? It's still reputed to be the only place in the country to make the layered flaky treat. The delicacy traces its inception to a wave of Danish immigration, beginning in the 1800s. The first kringles were pretzel shaped with thin layers of dough and butter filled most likely with almond paste and glazed with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Nowadays, the fillings vary widely—apple, apricot, cheese, cherry, chocolate, nuts and dates, to name a few. But the melt-in-your mouth texture still owes its tenderness to butter. O & H Danish Bakery in Racine, famous for its traditional kringles, reportedly fills 15,000 mail orders for the pastry each week during December, compared to 2,000 each week during the other 11 months of the year.

Wisconsin cheese plays a major role in holiday entertaining and family feasts. Fondue, a favorite cheese dish this time of year, also traces its popularity with an immigrant group to Wisconsin—the Swiss. According to legend, Swiss shepherds were the first gourmands to dip a piece of stale bread into a mixture of melted cheese and wine. This origin is disputed by some who claim the French-speaking people of the Swiss Alps made the discovery.

No matter. Today's version is based on premium Wisconsin Gruyere and Swiss cheeses, and the results are not only delicious, but festive because they promote gemütlichkeit, the way the Swiss describe a friendly congeniality.

Another route to "friendly congeniality" is to serve eggnog. Unlike kringle and fondue, eggnog did not descend from an immigrant population synonymous with Wisconsin. Eggnog traces its ancestry to England and gained popularity in the American South, where the English settled. But the abundance of dairy fresh, premium milk has made eggnog a Wisconsin favorite, too. Dairies in the state make it widely available during the holiday season, and the dairy case version is a safe and delicious alternative to homemade eggnog, which relies on raw eggs as an ingredient.

Dairy eggnog lends itself to creativity, and holiday hosts often "spike"it with whipped cream, crushed peppermint, ground nutmeg or chocolate sprinkles.

These and many more traditional foods will find their ways to countless festive tables this holiday season. For more Wisconsin favorites, pick up the holiday brochure Wisconsin Holiday Recipes & Traditions at participating grocery stores free with a dairy product purchase.

Also see: specialty steaks online

About The Author:

Taylor Kent is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-steaks.com. Great tips on buying top quality meats, steaks and seafood from the finest ranchers and butchers.