We adapted this recipe from Cooking Channel mixologists Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark.

Why not have a Cranberry Cocktail Challenge at your holiday celebration? Mix up a batch of Cranberry Sauce Cocktails and another of Cranberry Martinis (made with cranberry juice—recipe below) and let the guests choose their favorite.

RECIPE: CRANBERRY SAUCE COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cranberry sauce, vodka, lime juice and bitters in a shaker.

Turn leftover cranberry sauce into a cocktail. Photo courtesy Alie Ward | Georgia Hardstark.

3. GARNISH with a sprig of rosemary.

RECIPE: CRANBERRY MARTINI

At its simplest, the Cranberry Martini, a.k.a. Crantini, is a simple variation of a Cosmopolitan, which combines vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice. The simplest Cranberry Martini recipe leaves out the last two ingredients. Whether you like a gin or vodka Martini, there are several ways to approach this cocktail.

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation

1. POUR the first three ingredients into a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with 2 ice cubes. Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled Martini glass.

2. FLOAT 3 cranberries for garnish.

This citrusy variation showcases the flavor synergies between lime and gin.

Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation

1. STIR the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. STRAIN into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
 
Let us know which recipe wins at your house!

Here’s a way of getting nutrient-packed broccoli rabe into something everyone loves. Make garlic bread using the greens and garlic butter. Nothing could be easier—or harder to resist.

If you keep a supply of broccoli rabe purée on hand, it takes no time at all to assemble. Make it peppery—or not; top the garlic butter with grated cheese—or not; and use a whole wheat loaf instead of white bread for greater nutritional value.

This recipe is by Julia della Croce, Andy Boy’s Chef-in-Residence and one of America’s foremost authorities on Italian cooking. She is a James Beard Award winning author and has written more than 15 cookbooks.

Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 5–10 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: BROCCOLI RABE GARLIC BREAD

Ingredients For 8 Servings

[1] Better than garlic bread: garlic bread with broccoli rabe (photo © Andy Boy).

[3] Broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan, a Chinese chard (photo © Bodecology).

[4] Broccoli has thick stalks and large florets (photo © Burpee).

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

2. WARM the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until the garlic is softened and aromatic, about 4 minutes.

3. BEAT the butter, broccoli rabe purée, garlic oil and salt until well blended.

4. SLICE the loaf in half lengthwise, using a bread knife. Spread the broccoli rabe butter liberally on both sides of the cut surfaces. Reassemble the loaf and wrap it in aluminum foil. Bake until hot and aromatic, 10-15 minutes.

5. CUT into 1-inch slices and serve hot or warm.
 
Find more recipes at AndyBoy.com.
 
 
BROCCOLI RABE VS. BROCCOLINI: THE DIFFERENCE

Some 15 years ago, broccoli rabe began to appear in some restaurants.

Also called broccoli rape, raab (pronounced rob), rapini, Chinese broccoli and Italian broccoli in the U.S., it then became available in produce markets. Now, it can be found at more and more quality supermarkets.

Descended from a wild herb—like many of our greens—versions of broccoli rabe originated in the Mediterranean and in China.

Broccoli rabe is not botanically related to either broccoli or broccolini.

It is sweeter than broccolini; and like broccoli, it can be eaten raw.

Although it bears the name “broccoli,” broccoli rabe tastes like a bitter and pungent form of broccoli (think broccoli crossed with mustard greens with some nuttiness).

In fact, the slender-stalk broccoli rabe is not related to broccoli, but to turnips.

That’s why the leaves look like turnip greens—broad and flat—and why the vegetable is also called Italian turnip and turnip broccoli.

Broccolini is not a young growth of broccoli, although it looks like small broccoli florets atop long, slender stems.

Rather, broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan, a Chinese chard (and also a cruciferous vegetable).

In Italy it is also called broccoli di cicco, an heirloom variety dating back to 1890. Cicco is a diminutive of the given name Francesco (perhaps the man who created the hybrid?).

If we get too much of it to toast for breakfast or top with ice cream for dessert, we make other favorites, such as Panettone French toast, Panettone grilled cheese, and panettone PB&J sandwiches.

And then, there’s Panettone stuffing or dressing*. While stuffing is most commonly prepared with days-old white bread, you can use panettone to give your stuffing a sweet edge.

This recipe is courtesy Bauli Panettone.

Here’s a tip: While Bauli Panettone can be ubiquitous in the weeks leading up to Christmas, it is quickly marked down. Buy some and freeze it to enjoy this and other Panettone recipes during the year (below).

> The history of Panettone.
 
 
RECIPE: PANETTONE STUFFING

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Cut the panettone into 3/4-inch squares and place in a large bowl. Melt half of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and continue to cook until light brown, about 5 minutes.

2. REMOVE from the heat and add half the sage. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sage butter over the bread and toss gently but swiftly. Spread out on 2 cooking sheets and place in the oven until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place back into the bowl. Meanwhile…

3. PLACE the dried fruit in a large bowl; add boiling water to cover and then set aside for at least 10 minutes. This will plump and soften the fruit for cooking. Drain the fruit once it is plumped.

4. RAISE the oven temperature to 375°F. Melt the remaining butter and add the onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté on medium-low heat until soft. Add dried fruit and remaining sage. Toss into cooled croutons. Gently toss and add chicken broth to moisten; add more broth if you like a softer stuffing. Stir in beaten eggs now, if using. Adjust salt and pepper, to your liking. Turn out into an oven-proof casserole.

5. BAKE uncovered until golden brown on top, about 40 minutes.
 
 
MORE PANETTONE RECIPES

[1] Cut a loaf of panettone into cubes to make the stuffing (photo #1 and #4 © Bauli).

[2] Fresh sage adds so much better flavor than the dried version (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Dried apricots deliver bursts of sweetness (photo © Olha Afanasieva | iStock Photo).

[4] Bauli Panettone can be found in most supermarkets during the holiday season.

*The difference: stuffing is cooked inside the bird and dressing is cooked in a separate dish, not in the bird.
 
 
 

For 18 years, the Shmaltz Brewing Company has been handcrafting HE’BREW, classic beers with culturally-relevant names (certified kosher, of course, by KSA).

Chanukah begins tonight, so take a look!

THE CHOSEN BEERS

The brewery currently makes:

There’s a He’Brew Gift pack of eight different styles that includes a custom glass an Chanukah candles to build your own beer menorah, and possibly enter it in the annual contest.

This is non-denominational enjoyment: Feel free to participate no matter what your religious beliefs.
To find a retailer in your area, contact your local distributor.
  

The recipe for Mexican Christmas Pudding is below.
 
 
BRITISH PUDDING VS. AMERICAN PUDDING

Christmas pudding is also known as plum pudding and figgy pudding, popular pudding ingredients along with dates. Irish recipes vary the dried fruits with raisins, currants, sultanas and citrus peel.

These are nothing the creamy milk-and-sugar-based dessert puddings familiar in the U.S. (chocolate, rice and tapioca puddings, for example), but solid puddings with a binding—essentially, steamed cakes.

A Christmas pudding is essentially a very wet, alcohol-soaked, boiled fruit cake. Boiling creates a similar dense texture as baking, but moister (British puddings can also be baked or steamed).

Making the Christmas pudding can be a social occasion. Family and friends get together to create the dessert, each giving the mixture a stir, then making a wish with the hope that good fortune will find them once the pudding is served on Christmas Day. The Christmas pudding is traditionally decorated with a spray of holly (which is not edible). In some homes, it is doused in flaming brandy and brought to the table in a darkened room.

If you want to make a traditional English Christmas pudding that’s soaked in spirits, you need to start at least 30 days in advance so the flavors can meld and the alcohol can blend into the cake. Here’s a Christmas pudding recipe: Mark your calendar.

But if you don’t have 30 days, there are other options to make right before Christmas.

 
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*Traditional British puddings can be baked, steamed, or boiled and can be sweet or savory. They range from Yorkshire pudding (bound with a batter, similar to a popover) to black pudding (also known as blood sausage, bound with blood), to bread pudding, noodle and potato pudding (all bound with eggs, the latter two also called kugels) or plum pudding (a.k.a. Christmas pudding, bound with suet and flour or some other cereal). Savory puddings are served as a side with the main course, sweet puddings as a dessert.

As easy to make as any gelatin mold, budin de rompope, eggnog pudding, is a traditional Mexican Christmas pudding made from eggnog (rompope). It can be made on the day of serving.

The eggnog, and subsequently the pudding, was originally made by nuns in the convents of Puebla, Mexico†. (These sisters were great cooks: They also invented the classic Mexican dish mole poblano, turkey in mole sauce, among other great recipes.)

Like other puddings, rompope can be made in a mold or in individual dessert dishes. This recipe is courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

You can add a bit of liqueur to the fruit sauce: Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur, or a berry liqueur to match the berries used.

Ingredients

For The Pudding

 
Preparation

1. SCALD the eggnog and milk by heating together in small saucepan over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the temperature reaches 180°F. Set aside.

2. BEAT the egg yolks with all but one tablespoon of the sugar, until pale and thick. Add the salt and cinnamon stick. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Pour the yolk mixture into the remaining hot milk mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat, until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon and thickens slightly (about 4 minutes). Do not boil. Set aside.

3. SOFTEN the gelatin in cold water and let it stand 5 minutes. Whisk the gelatin into the milk mixture to dissolve. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Add the rum and vanilla.

4. CHILL in the refrigerator until the mixture begins to set, about 1-1/2 hours. Whip the cream with the remaining one tablespoon of sugar until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the milk mixture and pour into a mold or 8 glass dessert dishes. Chill until set.

5. MAKE the fruit sauce: Process the berries in a blender until smooth, sweetening to taste with sugar. Add optional liqueur. Strain out the seeds if desired. Pour the sauce into a glass pitcher or gravy boat and serve with the rompope.
 
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†Puebla was one of the five most important Spanish colonial cities in Mexico. It is located in Central Mexico southeast of Mexico City and west of Mexico’s main Atlantic port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.