Here's one of the Grand Duchess of Stollen

OK guys, here's the photo you've been asking for. It's one of Sonja a day or so ago. She was putting the finishing touches on -- you guessed it -- a delicious Stollen!!! Here, she's concentrating on powdering the still-warm stollen with vanilla sugar and powdered sugar.

So what is a "Stollen" anyway? One of the most famous versions of this German Christmas treat is a Dresdener Stollen. The stollen is in the shape of the mine shafts that were in Saxony, Germany very early in the 19th century. In German, "Stollen" can mean cake, tunnel, or as a specific military term, an underground shelter. As far as we here at the Grand Duchy of Stollen are concerned, Stollen is a spiced bread, akin to fruitcake (but better), that's baked and enjoyed at Christmas time. It's especially good with fresh coffee. In fact, I'm enjoying the two together right at this moment!

Comments

Anonymous said…

DRAT! At first I thought she was working on terrain! ;-)

6:05 PM

Bluebear Jeff said…

So . . . (inquiring minds want to know) . . . what's in a "stollen"?

Does Sonja share recipes?

-- Jeff

7:58 PM

Anonymous said…

That's a mighty fine looking Stollen there.

Seasons greetings to the Grand Duchess.

2:52 AM

Bluebear Jeff said…

Am I mistaken? Or did you change the picture with this article?

It seems to me that there was an earlier photo from a bit of a different angle.

-- Jeff

2:16 AM

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said…

Yes, Sonja didn't particularly like the previous photo and "suggested" that I use another. Aren't wives strange creatures?

Best Regards,

Stokes

11:06 AM

Bluebear Jeff said…

Yes, they are strange creatures . . . but they do so much for us that we put up with their "suggestions".

-- Jeff

12:34 PM

A Little More Brushwork. . .

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It's Early Days Yet. . .

M aking some early progress with Batch A of the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment over the last several days/evenings. Nothing terribly exciting just yet, but the basic black, brown, and flesh areas are done as are the green bases, and gray undercoat. The latter two areas needed some careful retouching early in the week. Next up, the neck stocks. I might just do these in red for the enlisted men although some of my source material suggest they were black, but I always look for an excuse to shake things up a bit. Any errant splotches of red (or black) can be covered with another application of light gray before I move onto the next step. "Giddy up!" as one Cosmo Kramer might have said. -- Stokes

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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