How to make a cornucopia yourself

The cornucopia is a beautiful symbol denoting wealth and fertility. Usually it is filled with various fruits or precious coins. This mythical image is used, as a rule, in architecture, for example, in the cornices or when decorating windows. But you can make a cornucopia with your own hands. Today you will learn how to create this elegant symbol of wealth from dough and fruits yourself. For all the work you will take 1.5-2 hours. However, the time spent for this creative activity, for you flies completely unnoticed.

What does the cornucopia signify?

The idea of this unusual object came to us from ancient Greek mythology. There are several legends associated with this bright and beautiful image. According to legend, the horn belonged to Plutos - the owner of the untold wealth of the underworld. To people this god has given good harvest and fertility. In the Middle Ages, the myth of the horn was associated with the image of the Holy Cup - the Grail. It was believed that he who drank from it, will be endowed with immortality and purification from all sins.

Today, in many countries around the world, the horn is a cult image. For the most part, this applies to eastern countries, such as Turkey, for example. The cornucopia is depicted on the coats of arms of some states and cities: Peru, Colombia, New Jersey, Kharkov, etc. Let's try to bake an original dough product, a symbol of fertility that can be an excellent decoration for a wedding or holiday table.

Ingredients

You can make this dessert very quickly, using the usual dough, which is sold in any store in the confectionery department. You can use the bread base or for baking pies. If you have a bread maker, mix a quick yeast dough. If you prefer to cook only at home and yourself, then you have to work a little.

For a sweet dough, you need 250 grams of flour, 100 ml of low-fat milk, 100 g of butter, a packet of dry yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar and two eggs. To give the product a beautiful yellow shade, add a little turmeric. Leave one more egg to lubricate the finished product. Prepare also vegetable oil to lubricate the mold. Also you will need a foil for baking and various fruits or nuts for decoration. Use grapes, apples, tangerines and walnuts. You can make a horn with sweets and pistachios. It all depends on your ability and creativity. So, let's get to work.

Cooking dough

Prepare a bowl or saucepan in which to mix the dough. To begin with, a little warm up the milk and pour the yeast into it. At this time, beat the eggs, add softened butter and sugar. Mix the mass with the milk. Then in small portions begin to add flour, continuing to stir the dough with a spoon. It should turn out to be soft. Leave it for an hour, not forgetting to cover the dishes with a towel. It is better to put the dough in a warm place, so that it will go faster.

How to make a cornucopia?

While the dough is suitable, do not waste time for nothing. Work out the manufacture of the "form" of the future product. To do this, use plain foil. Try to make a cone. Crumple the foil in such a way that one side of the horn is wide, and the second - narrow, pointed. Use several sheets to work at once, wrapping them around your axis. All sides of the model should be smooth, so that after baking, the product can easily be removed from its shape. Also, the foil must be lubricated with a thin layer of vegetable oil.

Next, when the dough approaches, you can proceed to the next step. Divide the prepared base into 2-3 parts. Depending on what size you want to get the product, you can create more than one "masterpiece" from the resulting mixture. Roll one part of the dough on a cutting board, previously sprinkled with flour. Lubricate the hands with vegetable oil, so that the product does not stick. Roll out a thin layer of dough. The layer should be only 2-3 millimeters. Then cut it along along the thin lines (about 1-1.5 centimeters wide).

Shred "basket"

Now comes the most difficult moment. We begin to design our cornucopia. Take one strip and start wrapping it with the sharpest edge of the foil horn. Next, take another strip, wrap the horn with it, and place the tips on top of each other in the form of the letter "V". Add the next strip. Do the same procedure with her. Only now it is necessary to pass the tips under the previous strips in a staggered order. Carefully lift the dough so as not to spoil the whole product. Continue adding new strips, forming a "basket". Do not worry if the tip breaks somewhere. It can always be covered with a new strip.

Of course, in the end it will be very difficult, because you will need to skip several lanes at once under each other. Therefore here you will have to be patient. Nothing, if there are small gaps between the bands. Keep in mind that the dough will rise and all the "voids" will be filled. Cover the entire side of the foil in this way. At the very end, cut the remaining ends of the strips. Twist the three long bundles of dough and weave the braid. She wraps the wide side of the horn, pressing her fingers a little with the dough. Use a little water to coat the braid to the base of the product.

We bake the mold

Now you can start the most important part of our procedure - baking. To do this, beat the egg in a bowl with a fork. Then brush the surface of the product with a brush so that the cornucopia becomes rosy and shiny. We put it in the oven, heated to 200 degrees. Bake should be about 20 minutes, so that the horn is covered with a beautiful golden-rusty crust. Of course, depending on the capabilities of your oven, the manufacturing time may be more or less, so every five minutes, check your masterpiece so that it does not burn out.

We decorate the work

Then we take the finished dough from the oven and leave it to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then gently pull it out of the mold, gently unrolling the structure. Keep in mind that the dough is still susceptible to breakage. Therefore, it is better to leave it to the full cooling, putting it back in the form. And then comes the most fun part of the procedure.

Wash pre-cooked fruits, nuts or sweets. The cornucopia, the meaning of which is reduced to the idea of fertility and wealth, should be beautifully and originally decorated. Put it on a large plate, pre-decorated with bright autumn leaves. Add inside various fruits: grapes, apples, tangerines. Use to decorate nuts: walnuts, almonds. Create a fun composition by adding beautiful leaves or twigs of greenery. Sprinkle the loose portions of the dish with nuts. Your product should look rich and original. Thus, absolutely all components of the horn will be very tasty.

We are serving domestic

Now that our masterpiece is completely ready, it can be safely put on the most prominent place of the festive table. Such a product will be an excellent decoration for the New Year or wedding. This beautiful, light and delicious dish can also be enjoyed with the family. You can just tear off pieces of sweet dough, dip it into butter and eat with your favorite fruits. If you make a cornucopia of sweets, your culinary masterpiece can be a great gift for a birthday or birthday.

Elegant tasty hand-made article filled with sweets, just like your family or friends. Many will probably be surprised to see such an unusual product, and ask you to arrange a master class for them. The cornucopia in this way will help your family members have a wonderful evening with their friends. Just prepare the dough and buy some fruit. If the basket turns out to be a lot, and you do not have time to eat them, do not worry. Cover them in the evening with a plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. This will help you keep the baking fresh until the next morning.

Conclusion

Only the most courageous and creative people are not afraid to experiment and create unusual and original products. Such a cornucopia of dough can become not only a delicious treat, but also an excellent decoration of the festive table or an original gift. To prepare such a dish, it is not necessary to have special culinary skills. It is more important to have patience and a sense of taste. After all, designing a beautiful fruit composition is an important stage in the process of creating this bizarre culinary masterpiece. Bon Appetit!