On Thursday, October 3, 1991 at 1:31:14 PM UTC-4, wrote:
> cultures (was Joy of Cooking)
>
> For all who have have asked that I post the recipe for Ostia here it is. I
> really hope you can find all the ingredients.
>
> 2-4 boxes of hosts
>
> 3-4 lbs walnuts --you may need more depending on the honey and the size of the
> walnut chunks
> 3 lbs honey
> 1/2 lb Hershey's chocolate (either plain or almond) can also use 1 lb of
> chocolate if you are a real chocoholic--I am
> cinnamon to taste
>
> Note: I find the hosts at a local Italian specialty store. They come from
> Germany and look just like a large communion host--about 3 inches across.
> They are made from flour and water and pressed in special iron form. I
> really don't know if you can substitute anything else. I am here at work
> and if anybody tries this recipe and can't find the hos We used to make our
> I will send the German address so they can be ordered.
> own hosts from an iron that was specially made and purchased in Italy by
> some very close friends. But, this is a real miserable chore and gets your
> stove top very messy.
>
> By the way, the word Ostia means host in Italian
> --at least in our southern Italian.
>
> Hand chop the walnuts to a medium-small chunk--should look about this big
> _
> [_] maybe a little smaller
> If you can buy them already chopped that is okay also.
>
> In a large and heavy pot pour the honey. (I usually use a non-stick or
> stainless steel pot--not aluminum or cast iron finishes.) Gently bring the
> honey to a boil until it foams decrease the heat a little and then skim off
> the sticky foam that forms around the edges until you have all of it or at
> least the majority of it.
>
> Break the hershey bar into pieces and add to the hot honey. Stir until the
> majority of the cholocate is melted--it will never really stir into the honey.
>
> Add the chopped walnuts and cinnamon. Use as much as you want. I usually use
> about 1/4 cup cinnamon because we like the taste. You may need to use more
> walnuts if
> the mixture is runny. It should be very thick with very little hot honey
> running off the spoon. Stir well until everything is mixed. Turn the heat
> down to the lowest setting that will keep the mixture warm and be careful
> to not let the mixture scorch--which it will readily do if the heat is too
> high. You need to keep the mixture warm while you are working and making the
> cookies.
>
> On one side of a host gently spread approximately 1 tbs of the mixture covering
> the majority of the host. Place another host on top, then invert the cookie
> and place on a flat pan such as a cookie sheet. (The ostia lookes like a white
> host sandwich.)
> Continue in this manner,lining up the cookies on the pan until one layer is
> made.
> Cover with wax paper. Then continue making the cookies and the layers until you
> have about 4 or 5 layers. Cover the last layer with wax paper. Place a
> heavy something on top of everything--I use two thick encyclopedia books. This
> is to keep the ostias from curling. The hot honey mixture makes the hosts curl
> up.
>
> Now, if you can stand it at this point, let the cookies "cure" for about
> 1 week. I am really being optimistic about this. We love them so much
> they hardly get to cure for 2 days. They do not need to be covered and do
> not put them in a cookie jar or any other covered container as the hosts
> become very soft and the honey begins to run. They will keep for a few months
> so you can make them quite a bit in advance of when they are needed. We cut
> the finished cookie--either with a very sharp knife or a pair of scissors--
> into fourths as the it is rich
>
> This recipes makes a bunch of cookies--about 150 or so. So for just starters
> I would cut it down to 1 lb of honey, 2 lbs of walnuts, cinnamon and just one
> regular Hershey bar. I hope you all have good luck and enjoy!
>
> Diane M. Ferrell
> Pueblo, CO

You can order the hosts from Amazon. They are called Oblaten and are made in Germany