Kitchen Shrink: Crooning your way through December’s holiday food fest

Only the grumpiest Grinch would object to a festive caroling party. December’s a celebratory month showcasing our melodious melting pot of traditions, cultures, and creativity. So, crawl out of your caves, kick up your heels, clink those crystal Champagne flutes together, and share some “fa-la-la-la-la” holiday mirth.

“I’m coming up so you better get this party started” with some sassy seasonal sips whether trendy garden-to-glass thirst quenchers like cilantro gin slushes, vodka thyme lemonades, blackberry mint juleps, and matcha margaritas, or classics from the cool cocktail culture of the Rat Pack and Mad Men era with a fun holiday twist.

Shake things up with a winter rosemary martini, a blood orange and cranberry negroni, or a smoked maple old fashioned concocted in advance by an organized and gracious host who can now be mixing with their guests rather than mixing their drinks. Have plenty of ice on hand and some mocktail options for those teetotaling partygoers.

Whether you’re “dancing in the moonlight” or “grabbing some afternoon delight” serve simple yet substantial hors d’oeuvres, such as, goat cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto, mushroom caps filled with braised short-ribs, turkey sliders, mini crab cakes, smoky salmon crostini, and elegant dips like baked brie tricked out with dried fruits and nuts enveloped in puff pastry.

“Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli, lolli, lolli. . .” construct some savory lollipops on handheld bamboo sticks (mini lamb chops with mint chutney, or shrimp and andouille sausage lollis with a zippy ancho chile aioli). For some other “easy like Sunday morning” bites try grape truffles coating the green or red berries (yes, grapes are true berries) in a blue cheese mixture then rolling them in toasted walnuts (recipe below). “Since the weather outside is frightful” warm the cockles of your heart with some soul soothing caramelized butternut squash shooters or ramekins of seafood chowder.

“Grease is the word. . .it’s got a groove, it’s got a meaning” when it comes to Hanukkah —the festival of lights and fats. This celebration offers symbolic and scrumptious sufganiyot or jelly doughnuts and potato latkes (pancakes) traditionally fried in oil and topped with chunky applesauce or sour cream. As nearly 2,200 years have passed since the Maccabee miracle, it’s time to dial up the latkes’ repertoire with a pop of color and dose of healthful luxury, even a dollop of caviar for an extravagant holiday vibe.

For the cholesterol-conscious, latkes can be prepared with the French technique en papillote–sealed in a parchment pouch to maintain the fresh flavors. To round out the Hanukkah meal add roast chicken sliders and mini bagels with smoked salmon, capers, and horseradish cream cheese. “Sugar pie, honey bunch,” an old-world apple strudel would just hit the sweet spot.

Now blend the spirit of Christmas into the mix “to bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.” Keep up the tempo with a gangbuster of bold holiday herbs and spices to ramp up both sweets and savories. Simon and Garfunkel’s “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” enliven celebratory centerpieces of festive fowls, including goose, duckling, capon, Cornish hen, and quail, stuffed with oysters and wild rice, or an herb-crusted rack of lamb that’ll make jaws drop. Of course, “everyone knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright.”

Now the intoxicating Christmas spices like cloves, nutmeg, allspice, peppermint, and ginger march out of the pantry in full force. Decadent desserts come but once a year so don’t pass on the obscene “naughty and nice, sugar and spice” line-up starting with tipsy fruitcakes, which date back to the Middle Ages, plum puddings, mincemeat pies, gingerbread cookies, and rum balls, along with some indulgent imports like panettones, marzipans, stollen logs, pavlova wreaths, and Buche de Noel aka the Yule log cake.

Up to the lips, over the gums with cocktails and other sips from the traditional eggnog and hot apple cider to creative mixologist’s holiday concoctions, including a Gingerbread Man with butterscotch schnapps and Bailey’s Irish Cream, and a Mistletoe Martini blending melon liquor, coconut rum, and pineapple juice. Finally, home baked chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of milk are symbolic offerings “cause Santa Claus is coming to town” to make his chimney deliveries.

The day after Christmas marks a seven-day secular celebration of African American heritage. “Kwanza” translates from Swahili to “first fruits” in honor of the treasure trove of harvest from the African soils. So, for the Kwanza feast, “set the table mat of straw, thankful for the first fruits of the year,” lighting ritual candles (reminiscent of Hanukkah) and offering traditional dishes like Koki, a black-eyed pea appetizer, peanut soup, okra and greens, yams of all manners since the root is considered “the king of crops,” and for just desserts, a creamy coconut pie.

Here’s to the magical and harmonic chaos of gathering together—“whether latkes frying, candles burning,” or “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”—unless you’re a sourpuss Scrooge, you’ll have to admit, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

See recipe below

Bleu D’Auvergne Grape TrufflesRolled in Toasted Walnuts

Serves 12

36 large red or green seedless grapes2/3-cup cream cheese½-cup bleu d’Auvergne cheese or your favorite blue cheese1-cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

Wash grapes well. Pat dry. Using wooden spoon, beat cream cheese and bleu d’Auvergne in mixing bowl until smooth. Spread walnuts in shallow dish. Generously coat each grape with cheese mixture. Roll in walnuts. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

Courtesy of Chef Bernard Guillas

Cranberry Cosmopolitan

1/2-ounce Cointreau1/2-ounce white cranberry juice1-teaspoon fresh lime juice1-ounce vodkaFrozen cranberriesIce cubes

Half fill a shaker with ice then add the other ingredients. Shake vigorously until well blended. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and toss in some frozen cranberries. Cheers!

For additional holiday recipes, email kitchenshrink@san.rr.com.