Looking for ideas for the Triumph of the Cross?

September 14 marks the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. In order to get you thinking about ideas to share with us for next week’s From Thy Bounty Fair (Monday, Spet. 15), we wanted to offer a few ideas to get you started.

In Cooking for Christ, Florence Berger discusses this feast. And while she indicates it was traditionally a day spent in fasting – as “it seemed like a day set apart from all the gay harvesting, preserving, and brewing” [of late summer and fall], we can also celebrate by incorporating the cross into our cooking.

As a symbol, the cross, is very easy to incorporate into many culinary methods. Any recipe that uses dough that can be shaped (cookies, breads) could easily be made into a cross. Hot Cross Buns are traditionally a food associated with Good Friday, but would be appropriate for this day as well.

There are many forms for making cross shaped or imprinted foods (cake pans, cookie cutters, candy molds, cookie press). And if you don’t have a mold, a cross shaped cake could easily be made from a rectangular one. Cut the cool cake in half, length wise. Then cut one of these sections in half width wise. Lay the long section on a serving plate. Set the two small sections next to the long section forming a cross. Frost and decorate.

Other ideas:

• Crosses can also easily be cut into pie crusts or carved it fruit.
• Pancake or waffle batter can be poured in a cross shape.
• Loose food (like grated cheese, bread crumbs, sprinkles) could be sprinkled on in cross shapes on the desired food.
• Any long, thin foods (carrot/celery sticks, pretzels) can be laid across each other to form a cross (and held together with cream cheese, peanut butter, etc.)
  

Catholic Culture mentions the tradition that sweet basil grew over the hill where St. Helena found the Holy Cross. In Greece the faithful are given sprigs of basil by the priest. A suggestion is to cook a basil pesto, tomato basil or some other type of recipe that includes basil, and explain the meaning to the family.

Remember - submit your fair links to Michele by this Sunday. Looking forward to seeing them as part of the From Thy Bounty Fair here on Monday!