Where's Marty? Learning all about Atwater's fruitcake making process

Hi Everyone!

Today we begin the month, November, that to many signals the beginning of the holiday season. Get those ugly holiday sweaters out of the clothes' storage bins, and get ready for the foods that give the taste to this special time of the year. And yes, that includes the much maligned Fruitcake. 

(Cue Marty's brain working hard in a planning meeting!)

So I am thinking one day that those who make the Fruitcake best be getting, and getting going, on production, so let's find a place locally that does. And after an Internet search, the name "Atwaters" came jumping off of the page. 

A quick history of Atwaters is simply this. Started in 1999 by Ned Atwater, and by making EXCELLENT traditional food, Atwaters is to many a gold standard of the housemade products business which would include cheese, jams, breads, soups, and more. (And let me be transparent, I am a big fan and have been a customer since the beginning when it was one type of bread and some soups at Belvedere Square.)  So I am like, "they really make these overly heavy deserts that usually end up as door stops, and might outlast civilization itself. They really make possibly the most regifted "thing" in Christmas history?" I mean, the jokes alone could take an hour. Like, what the heck are those green things in a fruitcake? Well, we learned a few things this morning about the Fruitcake. 

Our hosts at the Atwater "big Kitchen" in Morrell Park told us that all joking aside, Fruitcakes are in such demand that production on about 700 of them began a month ago. And that job goes to baker Jasmine Artis. (Seen in the shot with K2, myself, and head baker Mike Hynes.)

Jasmine said the ingredients need to be fresh.

They need to be well mixed. The "cakes"need to bake slowly, over 5 hours. And then the finished Fruitcakes sit for 2 weeks in a "walk in"  refrigerator and get, taste wise, beautiful. Kind of like a meat loaf is better the next day, same with the Fruitcake. The flavors spared and settle. Then are wrapped, and gone to waiting customers. 

She points out that when baking, the colors of natural ingredients tend to take on a muted almost browish color. The red cherry is more of a candy and does not change color as it is not baked. As for anything green, she and Mike said that is show biz and nothing natural would fit that bill. (The ingredients by the way include eggs, pecans, almonds, three types of raisins, currants, flour and the cherries. When serviing you cand brush on some apricot butter as a finisher. Oh and Myers Rum!) Mike mentioned that it pairs well with mild chedder cheese. "A fruitcake pairs well" are words I never expected when I dreamed up this "WM?"

We thank Atwaters for hosting us this A.M., and will leave you with a picture of a tee shirt  displayed on an Atwaters hallway tee shirt wall of fame that sums up their attitude to the butt of all baking jokes, the Fruitcake. (They issue a lot of cool merch, and display the legendary ones.)

Marty B!