California Bay Nut Brittle
This fall, I’ve been gathering, storing, and roasting our native bay laurel nuts. For Christmas, I decided to invent a recipe for bay nut brittle.
-
-
Lingonberry (Lowbush Cranberry) Mandarin Marmalade
Making marmalade is not quite like riding a bicycle. By that I mean that if you don’t do it for a few years, you’re probably going to have to refresh your skills, and you’ll wobble as you get started. At least that’s how it was for me. A few weeks ago, in the midst of a household cleaning…
-
A Family Tradition: Blanched, Butter-Roasted Almonds With Salt
Yesterday, I made three pounds of buttery, salty roasted almonds. It’s a family thing — if a slightly complicated one. My biological dad’s mom taught my mom how to make them. My mom and dad split up when I was small, but my mom carried on the holiday tradition of making the almonds because, in…
-
December Birds
For many years when I lived alone, I didn’t have a Christmas tree. I would get some boughs and hang some bells, but saw no reason to untangle the lights and grapple with a Christmas tree stand. (I still don’t get how something with so few parts can be so specially designed to test one’s…
-
The Best Christmas Cookies
The best Christmas cookies are the ones you’ve been making with family and friends for as many years as you can remember. Here’s a photo tour of one longstanding cookie-baking tradition, with a recipe for my favorite Christmas gingersnaps. Fifteen years ago, a coworker and I were talking about how we loved to make…
-
Holiday Cookies Using Jam
Aim high: Pomegranate Jam Hearts from Food Republik The holiday season is one of the only times I bake — and I have been known to get ambitious. I know I won’t make all ten of these jam-cookie recipes this year, but I’d sure like to. I’m determined to make at least a few of…
-
Champagne Fig Jam with Candied Ginger and Lemon
This feels like a true holiday jam to me — a celebration in a jar. It’s true that there are a lot of ingredients at this party, but thankfully they all really like each other. Maybe it’s because of the champagne.
