Taste of the Town: Fishing expedition finds Vita herring

When someone asks me for a recommendation for a traditional holiday meal, I customarily point out that traditions can vary widely from one family to the next; on Christmas Eve, one person's Feast of the Seven Fishes is the next person's tamales.

So while I'm not sure if Taste of the Town reader Pia Kilm had the holidays in mind when she reached out recently for a source for Vita herring in sour cream and onions, I do know it's a holiday tradition in some parts of the Upper Midwest, whose Northern European immigrants found it much more difficult to come by than it had been at home; hence, it became a special treat. And at any rate, readers have sources for Kilm.

Valerie Weinberg emailed that it's available at Costco and Vons but advised calling ahead, because it's not always in stock. And CeCi Schreiber's advice was to get regular Vita herring at Costco, then add sour cream, white onions and a dash of sugar, adding that the result is "far better than the prepared one."

More on anise cookies: Joann Riordan emailed a recipe for Muscardini, or Devil Bones, which she said was a staple at her family's gatherings for years, and Gisela Toner sent one for a cookie that contains anise extract instead of seeds.

MUSCARDINI

2 1/2 cups flour

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or crushed anise

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients well. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into pencil shapes. Cut into 2-inch pieces and twist or pinch in the center. Dredge in flour. Place on foil-lined cookie sheets and let dry at least 24 hours. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

— Recipe from Joann Riordan

ANISE PLAETZCHEN

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 3/4 cups unsifted flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract

Beat eggs until thick and light. Add sugar and beat 20 minutes more at low speed. Add flour, baking powder, salt and anise extract. Drop by teaspoonfuls 1/2 inch apart on greased and floured baking sheets, swirling the top. Let sit overnight. The next day, bake for 10 minutes in a 325-degree oven. If you want them to be softer, put them in a tin after they cool.

— Recipe from Gisela Toner

More on chocolate-covered cherries: Margie Gasak wrote to say she thinks Cella's are the best — "100 percent-liquid center, peanut-free and gluten-free," and that milk and dark chocolate varieties are available in the seasonal candy areas at Smith's at 6130 W. Tropicana Ave. and the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 3615 S. Rainbow Blvd.