Shape may have changed, but Krakus ham still available

Krakus hams are among the sought-after items that have appeared regularly in Taste of the Town over the years, with supply varying somewhat from time to time. But readers have current sources for Fran and Art Koenig.

Dan Conner and Marie McGhee both reported that the hams are available in the deli department at Albertsons. "It no longer comes in a square loaf," Conner said. "Now it is football-shaped, but still tastes great." And McGhee said she remembers buying it in a can (as the Koenigs requested) in Indiana, but not here, and added, "best Polish ham by far. In fact, I have some in the fridge right now. And it freezes well, too."

In response to a pre-holiday query from Gloria Shapiro, for a local source for soft gingerbread men she remembers from neighborhood German bakeries in Chicago when she was a child, which had paper pictures on the front, Joyce Hambacher emailed that they probably were lebkuchen (which are similar to gingerbread) and sent the following recipe, which she made for a friend who wanted to adhere antique scenes to cookies.

LEBKUCHEN

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 ounces candied orange peel

1 cup chopped almonds

Heat honey to boiling. Pour into a large bowl; cool 30 minutes.

Stir brown sugar, egg, rind and juice into cooled honey. Sift flour, spices and baking soda together. Stir into honey one-third at a time, then stir in peel and almonds. Cover and chill overnight.

Roll out one-quarter of the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 9-by-7-inch rectangle. Cut into sizes to fit pictures. Place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Adhere pictures on cookies with a pastelike glue consisting of confectioners' sugar and water.

— Recipe from Joyce Hambacher

More on chow chow: Betty Dakdduk said the Kerr and Ball cookbooks are great sources of recipes for all sorts of relishes.

More on chow chow and coconut custard pie: Kara Hierro of Glazier's Food Marketplace said the store carries the pies and chow chow piccalilli.

Correction regarding last week's recipe for Amazing Coconut Pie: Contributor Cathy Bourne emailed to say she'd overlooked that the recipe also requires four eggs, which are mixed in with the rest of the ingredients.