If you're anything like me, you flail around the kitchen at the last minute looking for something to use in your rituals for the 'Cake and Ale' rite. Sadly, my last ritual incorporated a left-over Bisquick biscuit and jam. Hardly a meal worthy of a Goddess.
So to rectify this last minute flailing, I have decided to bake up some 'Crescent Cakes' to have on hand. They're easy to make and I can pop them into freezer bags to go into the freezer and grab at a moment's notice.
I found this recipe in Scott Cunningham's book 'Wicca-A Guide for the Solitary Practioner' (an excellent read by the way).
Crescent Cakes
1 cup finely ground almonds
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 drops almond extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
Combine almonds, flour, sugar, and extract until thoroughly mixed. With the hands, work in butter and egg yolk until well blended. Chill dough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts and shape into crescents. Place on greased sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Serve during The Simple Feast, especially at esbats.*
*This is the best recipe I've (Scott) been able to find. Most of the other published ones taste foul. Purists who worry about the inclusion of sugar in this recipe needn't. It's ritually related to Venus and has a long magical history.
Note: After I had chilled the dough, I found that it was too dry to hold together so I added a bit of milk - just enough so that the dough would stick together (about 1-2 tablespoons).
So there you go! No more flailing in the kitchen at the last minute! Enjoy!
