Monthly Flavors for December – Merry and Bright!
The end of the year already?! This year has really flown past. I am so excited to share a whole new year of wonderful flavors
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Welcome to the end of the year! December is upon us with all festiveness and holiday cheer. Of course, the best way to celebrate winter holidays is with delightful goodies! These are all flavors that are very holiday-esque to me – seasonal, warming, and of course very delicious.
This month has Hannukah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve as the main holidays. Can you guess which flavors are for which?
Orange and Olive Oil White Chocolate Ganache
“Shemen” means oil in Hebrew. Hannukah is the festival of lights in Judaism. We celebrate the miracle of the few days of oil lasting eight days and keeping the fire lit in the menorah of the Great Temple until more oil was ready. Historically, Hannukah was not a particularly important holiday to most Jews and so there aren’t many foods associated with the holiday. They most important aspect is oil – we fry latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). Here I used olive oil to bring a lovely vegetal grassiness to the ganache, and the orange sweetens and brightens the overall flavor.
Exotic Pâte de Fruits with Earl Grey Tea Caramel
French chefs often turn to exotic fruit flavors this time of the year as a way to brighten otherwise heavy options. The pâte de fruit is full of mango and coconut sweetness with passion fruit acidity. The caramel is luscious and decadent, with the bergamot coming through stronger with the backing of passion fruit.
Fig Rapé with Chestnut White Chocolate Ganache
The fig layer is a recipe from the 14th century cookbook The Forme of Cury. It is similar to a fig jam, but instead of being only fruit, sugar, and water like most jam this has dried figs and raisins, red wine, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. The thickener is rice flour! Fig and chestnut are so warming and decadent together. The creamy nuttiness of chestnut pairs so well with the slightly crunchy sweetness of fig. The red wine and spices just make it feel all the more festive!
Mincemeat Caramel
Mincemeat was traditionally made with pork or beef, vinegar, prunes, dates, raisins, and suet or marrow! Today, there are few recipes that call for any meat products. This is based on the version we know today – candied orange and lemon, raisins and other dried fruit, brandy, and butter. The caramel is bright and citrusy with both the juice and zest of lemon and orange, topped with raisins and dried cherries. Like Christmas in your mouth!
Cherry and Brandy White Chocolate Ganache
Brandied cherries are an old-fashioned but well loved holiday treat. Generally, these are simply cherries soaked in brandy with sugar and spices. You can leave them to macerate in the liquor for as short as 1 day, but the longer the better! Here the cherry is the backbone, adding a little tartness and juiciness while the brandy punches the ganache up!
Coffee Milk Chocolate Ganache with Toasted Hazelnuts
Coffee and hazelnut are an absolute delight together. I added Amaretto to the ganache to help boost the hazelnut flavor throughout, and it makes for an amazing mouthfeel. The hazelnuts are deeply toasted to bring out the maximum flavor, and the milk chocolate is this wonderful sweetness tying it all together. This is the perfect end to a sweet year!
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Let’s spice up these cold wintery days! These cookies have a salted caramel richness from soy sauce, bay leaves, and vinegar – key ingredients in Filipino adobo. You get sweet, salty, sour, and umami in each bite! And topped with pink peppercorn these even look festive, ready for any holiday party table.
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Chocolate oranges are a holiday treat I just love. So here I turned that treat into a cookie! These madeleines are wonderfully rich and bright, the dark chocolate and orange pairing beautifully with the brown butter. Enjoy with a glass of champagne or tea!
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The end of the year already?! This year has really flown past. I am so excited to share a whole new year of wonderful flavors