Give your holiday pies some panache with these snowflake pie crust cutters from Williams-Sonoma.

For a special holiday-themed pie, try this one from the Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen. Prep time is 60 minutes, cook time is 60 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY SNOWFLAKE PIE

This recipe makes a deep-dish pie. If you don’t have a deep-dish pie pan, bake the remaining filling in a separate dish, rolling out any dough scraps to make a top crust or decorative cutouts for the second pie. Or, turn the filling into a cranberry crumble or cobbler.

Ingredients For a 9-Inch Pie

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cranberries, brown sugar, cornstarch, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook until the cranberries soften and release their juice, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temperature.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F (190°C).

[1] A snowflake-crust pie, ready to adorn your table (both photos Williams-Sonoma).

[2] Pie crust cutters add instant panache to holiday pies.

4. CUT out the top crust, using a snowflake pie crust cutter according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the crust on top of the pie, and trim the edges flush with the rim. Crimp the edges to seal. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.

5. PLACE the pie dish on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden and the filling has begun to bubble, about 1 hour. Check the pie after 30 minutes and cover the top and edges with foil if they become too dark.

6. TRANSFER the baked pie to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 2 hours before serving. A 9-inch pie should provide 10 slices.
  

In a cup of hot coffee, he’s not so frosty (photo courtesy Illy).

There may not be enough snow on the ground to build a snowman, but you can build one atop a cappuccino or latte, with this recipe from Illy.

This easy-to-make snowman is fun for adults, and can be adapted to hot chocolate for kids.

Depending on the age of the kids and your disposition to allow them coffee (the kids in our neighborhood seem to live on mocha lattes), a latte is only 1/6 coffee; a cappuccino, 1/3. See details below.
 
 
RECIPE: SNOWMAN LATTE OR CAPPUCCINO

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Equipment

Both drinks originated in Italian cafés, but are slightly different, based on the amount of milk.

 
 
THE HISTORY OF LATTE ART

Latte art was enabled by the development of microfoam, a very velvety foam enabled by the steam wand of a cappuccino machine. The wand foams the milk in a stainless-steel pitcher; the pitcher pours the foam onto the top of the coffee.

The combination of the natural crema atop the cup of espresso and velvety microfoam allows patterns to be made. (Note that other types of milk steamers/foamers do not create microfoam.)

Latte art in the United States developed in the Seattle coffee culture of the 1980s and 1990s. By 1989 the heart pattern was a signature at David Schomer’s Espresso Vivace and the rosette pattern followed, based on a photograph Schomer saw of latte art in an Italian café.

Here’s the history of espresso, which originated at the end of the 19th century.
 
 

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You can create special holiday cocktails with seasonal ingredients—cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint.

But you can add a touch of red and green to Martinis and Margaritas as well.

Here, some suggestions to get you thinking about holiday cocktail garnishes.
 
 
OPENING THOUGHTS

If you want a red and green motif, cruise the aisles of the produce section, or start with these lists.

We don’t like to use raw cranberries. They just become detritus in the glass: No one eats them. (Some people enjoy chewing on citrus peel and mint leaves and other herbs, so we give them a pass.)

It’s the same with cinnamon sticks: They make a great impression, but they’re expensive and just end up in the trash.

Instead, use the lists below to create pleasing combinations (see photo #5 for an easy favorite).
 
 
FRUIT GARNISHES:

RED FRUIT GARNISHES

Our favorites:

 
Starfruit, which is yellow and provides perfect star slices, is a natural holiday garnish (photo #4).

Other options, like red apples and pears, are more white than red; blood orange, unless you segment it, contributes its orange peel.

Watermelon, although it can be cut into stars, simply isn’t seasonal.

You can add dried cranberries to a clear drink.
Pick bite (a snack bite on a cocktail pick): alternating red and green grapes.
 
 
GREEN FRUIT GARNISHES

 
Not great: green apples (too much white), honeydew (too light, not seasonal).

 
 
VEGETABLE GARNISHES:

RED VEGETABLE GARNISHES

 
Now, on to the veggies.
 
 
GREEN VEGETABLE GARNISHES

Sure, you can use green olives; but how about a sugar snap pea in your Martini instead?

Savory cocktails can be dressed up with:

 
Too pale green: celery, cucumber, endive, zucchini.
 
Pick snack: For a fancy bite, make a pick of cherry tomatoes, ciliegine (bite-size mozzarella balls) and a bit of basil.
 
 
BEYOND FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Glass Rimmers

Check out, from yesterday’s tip: colored sugar and salt glass rimmers (photo #3).

Mini Candy Canes

If they work with the drink, mini candy canes are a fun touch.

Drinking Straws

Instead of a garnish, or in addition to it, consider red-and-white striped straws. They add a “candy cane” touch. You can alternate with green and white versions.
 
 
MORE IDEAS

Also see these articles on cocktail garnishes:

[2] Elegant garnishing for a Martini or other light-colored drink (photo courtesy Style Me Pretty).

[3] Another option for pomegranate arils: on the bottom of the glass (photo courtesy Trendhunter).

[4] The perfect holiday cocktail garnish: a slice of starfruit (carambola,
photo courtesy STKLA).

[5] Another elegant cocktail garnish: spear a raspberry with a sprig of rosemary or thyme (photo courtesy ).

[6] With the right flavor of cocktail, a mini candy cane is fun (here’s the recipe from Mantitlement).