NEW YEARS EVE: Chocolate Caviar Tart Or Tartlet

Dominique Ansel, the acclaimed pastry chef who invented the Cronut, has an entire store full of delicious things to eat. For New Year’s Eve, anniversaries and other special occasions, we like his chocolate caviar tartlet*. He fills a chocolate tart crust with caramel coffee cream and tops it with chocolate caviar pearls and gold leaf.…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Easy Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread cupcakes with “gingerbread cookie” frosting and a gingersnap cookie garnish. Photo courtesy Pillsbury.   If you want gingerbread for Christmas Eve but don’t want the chore of rolling out gingerbread men, these easy gingerbread cupcakes from Pillsbury will also delight. The frosting is made from Biscoff Spread,* ground spice (spéculoos) cookies in a creamy…
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FOOD FUN: Penguin Oreos

The perfect Oreo for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and black tie occasions. Photo courtesy Mackenzie Limited.   How do you make Oreo cookie even better? Turn them into penguins! These adorable Oreo penguins aren’t inexpensive: 12 cookies are $42.95 at MackenzieLtd.com. But if you’re game to make your own, head to the store for the…
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TIP OF THE DAY: An Edible Centerpiece For Christmas

Flowers are lovely, of course. And arrangements of seasonal fruits and pine—lady apples, clove-studded oranges, pomegranates, pine cones and branches—have been our centerpiece of choice. But how about an edible centerpiece that becomes part of dessert? There’s nothing more charming than an old-fashioned gingerbread house as a holiday centerpiece. And if the gingerbread is top…
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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Macarons From Dana’s Bakery & Great Gifts

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark, a seasonal macaron flavor. Photo courtesy Dana’s Bakery.   Dana Loia, we want you to be our new BFF. Dana is the creative force behind Dana’s Bakery, specializing in macarons. Her macarons rock—even more than other good macarons, because she’s quite the flavor artist as well as a designer, creating beautiful…
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