This recipe, from Driscoll’s Berries, adds rum and brandy, ingredients of eggnog; and creates individual portions in ramekins. The puddings get a festive finish with a topping of colorful, sweet-tart balsamic raspberries.

Prep time is 1 hour, chill time is 2 hours. Find more delicious recipes at Driscolls.com.
RECIPE: EGGNOG PANNA COTTA WITH
BALSAMIC RASPBERRY TOPPING

Ingredients For 8 to 10 Servings

For The Balsamic Raspberries

1. LIGHTLY OIL six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups.

2. SPRINKLE gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

3. PLACE a fine mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl near the stove. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a second heatproof bowl until combined. Heat the cream and the remaining 3/4 cup milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until simmering.

4. GRADUALLY WHISK the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the spoon (a finger run through the custard on the spoon will cut a swath) and an instant-read thermometer reads 185°F, about 3 minutes.

5. POUR through the sieve into bowl. Discard any bits of cooked egg white in the sieve. Add the gelatin-milk mixture and rum extract to the cream mixture and whisk until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Let stand 5 minutes to cool slightly.

7. MAKE the balsamic raspberries: Whisk the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar together in a medium bowl to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the raspberries. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

8. ASSEMBLE: To unmold each panna cotta, run a dinner knife around the inside of the ramekin to release the panna cotta. Hold a dessert plate firmly over the ramekin and invert the plate and ramekin together. Shake firmly to unmold the panna cotta onto the plate.

9. TOP each panna cotta with an equal amount of raspberries and their juices. Serve immediately.

You’ve just spent a pile of money on Christmas. Do you have to spend a mini-pile on Champagne for a crowd on New Year’s Eve?

Nope. For starters you can head to Costco and pick up Kirkland Signature Brut Champagne for $19.99 a bottle, compared to a minimum of $27.99 or more for our favorite nonvintage Champagnes, Pol Roger and $32.99 (prices from Wine.com).

Made in Champagne for Costco, Kirkland Champagne lacks the toasty complexity of a big-name Champagne, but unless they travel in connoisseur circles, most guests won’t notice the difference.

There are other more affordable sparklers that also deserve attention—if not a place in a lineup for a New Year’s Eve bubbling tasting. Head to your wine store and check out the options in:

Cava, Spain’s alternative to Champagne. Photo courtesy WS Wine Club.

One of our favorite sparklers, Yellow Tail Sparkling Bubbles Rosé from Australia, can often be found for $10.

You can also serve red bubblies such as Italian Brachetto and Lambrusco or sparkling Shiraz. For us, a fun New Year’s Eve involves tasting the different options.

 
THE LARGEST CHAMPAGNE BRANDS

According to a ranking compiled by industry publication The Drinks Business, the world’s largest Champagne brands in 2013 were:

1. Moet & Chandon
2. Veuve Clicquot
3. Nicolas Feuillatte
4. G.H. Mumm
5. Laurent-Perrier
6. Taittinger
7. Piper-Heidsieck
8. Pommery
9. Lanson
10.Canard-Duchene

There are many smaller vintners who make beautiful Champagnes; you just don’t hear of them in the media. Instead, rely on recommendations from store personnel and friends.

Head there now. The closer you get to New Year’s Eve, the longer the lines!

 
 
 
 
ALL OF US AT THE NIBBLE

WISH YOU A JOYOUS DAY

Here’s the scoop, from Dictionary.com.

Language is not a linear: Words come into every language from a variety of sources, over many centuries. And their meanings change nor expand over time. Think of “decadent,” now used for “self-indulgent,” instead of its traditional meaning of being in a state of decline or decay.

GIFT

The word “gift” had multiple meanings before arriving at its current common meaning: something given voluntarily without being earned, to show favor, honor an occasion, or provide assistance.

PRESENT

The noun “present” as a synonym for gift came onto the English language from Old Norman (Old French). Like the adjective “present,” it originally meant “being present” and was used in the phrase mettre en present, “to offer in the presence of.”

By the early 1300s, the word became synonymous with the thing being offered. Another meaning of “present,” in sense of “the present time,” did not enter common use until the 1500s.
  

[2] If you don’t have light brown sugar (in photo) and need to substitute dark brown sugar, the final product will have a more robust taste and a darker color. It might slightly affect the texture (photo © Webstaurant Store).

[3] If you don’t have the three spices listed, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice. In addition to cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, it has allspice, nutmeg, and mace. The latter three will add a bit more spiciness (photo © Silk Road Spices).

Here’s a nice surprise for the long Christmas weekend: gingerbread waffles. Prep time is just 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes to cook.

Imported fresh blueberries are pricey in the winter, so feel free to use frozen berries or other, more affordable berries.

To make pancakes instead of waffles, follow the recipe below and reduce the milk to 1/4 cup.
 
 
RECIPE: GINGERBREAD WAFFLES WITH
BLUEBERRY-ORANGE SAUCE

Ingredients For 8 Servings

For The Waffles

 
For The Blueberry-Orange Sauce

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the sauce: Combine the blueberries, juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.

2. REMOVE from the heat or keep warm until ready to serve. If you use a small (1-quart size) saucepan, the sauce will thicken without overcooking.

3. STIR together the flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in the eggs, milk, and butter until smooth. Stir in the blueberries.

4. POUR one cup batter onto the center of a greased, heated waffle maker. Bake for about 5 minutes or until the steaming stops. Remove carefully.

You can serve the waffles hot from the iron, or keep them warm by placing them on a rack over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while preparing the remaining waffles.

5. SERVE with warm blueberry-orange sauce.