A fun, retro Christmas cocktail. Photo
courtesy SideBAR | NYC.

Deck the halls with this Christmas cocktail from SideBar restaurant in New York City.

For more color, purchase tricolor candy canes: red, white and green.

RECIPE: MINT CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE
COCKTAIL

Ingredients For One Cocktail

Preparation

1. COMBINE vodka and liqueurs and shake with ice until chilled.

2. DIP rim of Martini glass into a dish of whipped cream, then into dish of crushed candy canes.

2. STRAIN drink into glass; serve immediately.

 
Find more of our favorite holiday cocktail recipes.

Peppermint bark is our favorite holiday confection, and our number one favorite bark is the Peppermint Cookie Bark (photo #1) from Enstrom’s, which also makes the best almond toffee we’ve ever had (and it’s also available sugar-free!).

A one-pound box is $22.95 and worth every penny—and the line is certified kosher by Scroll K | Vaad Hakashrus of Denver.

We enjoy a piece with a cup of coffee, and love giving it as gifts. Here’s a recipe if you want the fun of making your own bark. Remember: the better the chocolate, the better the bark.

If you want to make cookie bark like Enstrom’s, you’ll also need a box of Famous Chocolate Wafers, the cookies used to make ice box cake.

> December 1st is National Peppermint Bark Day.

> The history of chocolate bark.

There are more chocolate bark recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: PEPPERMINT BARK

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COVER a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

2. PULSE candy canes in a food processor for 5-10 seconds each, until crushed into small pieces. You can also place them in a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

3. MELT the dark chocolate (here’s how to melt [temper] chocolate). Pour onto the cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or other implement to spread it to about 1/8″ thickness. The chocolate does not have to be spread across the entire width and length of the cookie sheet, since the finished bark will be broken into pieces. Place the tray in the fridge to firm up the dark chocolate layer.

4. MELT the white chocolate. Stir in 3/4 of the candy cane bits, reserving 1/4 for garnish. Spread a white chocolate layer evenly over the dark chocolate and evenly sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the top. Press down very slightly to ensure they stick (you can use a piece of waxed paper to press down).

5. RETURN the tray to the fridge for 30 minutes or longer to firm up the bark. Break apart by hand into small, uneven pieces.
 
 
MORE PEPPERMINT BARK & CHOCOLATE BARK RECIPES

 
Plus:

Holiday orrecchiete with turkey sausage.
Photo courtesy Marriott.

Chef Cat Cora developed this special holiday pasta dish for Residence Inn By Marriott. It incorporates seasonal ingredients—pumpkin sage and cinnamon and turkey sausage.

Why was it developed for Marriott Residence Inn? All rooms feature fully-stocked kitchens, as well as complimentary grocery delivery service so that guests can have any necessary ingredients delivered right to their rooms. Those who are tired of eating restaurant meals on the road can cook their own.

RECIPE: VERY MERRY HOLIDAY PASTA

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

1. BOIL water for pasta in a pasta pot, fitted with a strainer. Add the fresh orecchiette pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. HEAT olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add turkey or chicken sausage and saute for 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. ADD garlic to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add white wine and reduce heat by half. Add in chicken stock, canned pumpkin, heavy cream and cinnamon. Stir until well mixed. Add the turkey or chicken sausage to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. ADD the cooked orecchiette pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm platter or bowls; top with Parmesan cheese and fresh sage and serve.

WHY ORECCHIETTE?

Orecchiette are a short cut of pasta in a cupped shape, good for catching sauce. They work well with chunky meat and vegetable sauces.

Orecchiette (pronounced oh-reh-KYEH-tay) is Italian for “small ears”: orecchio (ear) and etto (small). Orecchiette is plural; the singular is orecchietta.

The cut is one of the three pasta specialties of the Puglia region of southern Italy, along with cavatelli and cavaturi. The traditional orecchiette dish in Puglia is orecchiette alle cime di rapa, with broccoli rabe (rapini).

In some areas, a tomato-based sauce (al sugo) is served, with or without miniature meatballs (al ragù) and/or a sprinkling of ricotta forte, a seasoned sheep’s milk ricotta that’s not easy to find in the U.S. Use ricota salata instead—or default to Asiago, Grana Padano, Parmesan or Pecorino (see the great Italian grating cheeses).

 
Check out the different types of pasta in our tasty Pasta Glossary.

[1] Pumpkin spice cream cheese brownies (photo © Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi).

[2] They even have chocolate chips (photo © King Arthur Flour).

These seasonal brownies combine elements of pumpkin pie and chocolate cream cheese brownies.

The recipe is courtesy of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, where the team enjoys the brownies with a glass of Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spices, cream cheese, cocoa, chocolate chips…how can you resist?
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SPICE BROWNIES

Ingredients

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Butter an 8″x 8″ baking dish.

2. WHISK together in a bowl the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix in eggs one at a time. Gradually add flour mixture; stir to combine evenly. Divide batter into two bowls.

3. BLEND the cocoa powder and chocolate chips into the first bowl. In second bowl, stir in pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, cream cheese, nuts, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

4. SPREAD half of the chocolate batter into the bottom of the baking dish. Follow with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat layers, ending with a pumpkin layer. Gently pull a long kitchen knife or skewer through the layers in a wavy motion to create a marbled pattern.

5. BAKE until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack.

If you typically bake a cake or cookies to bring along as a house gift, how about a better-for-you alternative: chocolate-dipped strawberries?

We were inspired by these festive Holiday Chocolate Dipped Strawberries from Harry and David ($39.95 + shipping) to make our own.

And all you need to do is melt chocolate and dip! Just as you need tasty fruit, quality counts with the chocolate. While strawberries with their leaves are particularly pretty, you can substitute any other fruits, including seedless orange slices and dried apricots.

Note that even if you prefer milk chocolate, dark chocolate provides a better flavor contrast with the berries. Dark chocolate lovers: For similar reasons, no matter how bittersweet you like your chocolate, keep the cacao content in the 50% to 70% cacao range.

It’s best to make these on the same day as they will be consumed. If you don’t feel up to piping red and green decoration, serve them plain: Everyone will love them just as much.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PURCHASE strawberries on the day of preparation, if possible, so leaves will remain perky. Buy the largest berries you can find. If you can’t find berries with fresh leaves, default to orange segments or dried apricot slices.

2. CAREFULLY WASH the strawberries and pat them dry with a paper towel, leaving the stems intact.

3. CHOP the chocolate and melt in a double boiler, or in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Take care that the chocolate does not get too hot. Remove from the heat. You can also microwave the chocolate at 30-second intervals, stirring in-between.

4. DIP the berries into the chocolate, holding the stems very gently. Place onto sheets of baking parchment or waxed paper to cool and set.

5. KEEP the berries in a cool place (but not the fridge, or the chocolate may bloom) until ready to serve.