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The Holiday Downtime Guide
This week, we've rounded up various fun and interesting ways to enrich and otherwise fill your holiday downtime. Enjoy!
Love,
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If you're lucky enough to be getting an iPhone or iPad for Christmas: |
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And for art lovers
When your kids are bored after all the time off, some tried and tested activities for them: |
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Chocolate Fridge Cake Bars |
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Makes 12 portions
- 200 ml golden syrup
- 100 g cocoa powder
- 200 g raisins
- 800 g digestive biscuits, broken into small chunks
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1.A 33 x 23 x 5 cm baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper.
2.Put the butter, golden syrup and cocoa powder in a large saucepan over medium heat and heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.
3.Put the biscuit chunks and raisins in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well mixed and the biscuits and raisins are evenly dispersed.
4.Press the mixture into the prepared baking tray, using a tablespoon to flatten and compress it. Cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper, then a tray covered in jam jars or tins to apply pressure on the cake and compress it even more. Leave to cool completely, then refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight if possible.
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When you have a moment to yourself (on a plane, on a walk, while cleaning up), listen to: |
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My very successful girlfriend swears by this audiobook. It's a good read to get ready and make some changes for the New Year.
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And when your mother-in-law has finally succeeded in driving you up the wall, here are two humorous favorites to take the edge off: |
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When you're ready for a drink:
Brandy Alexander |
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And, if you're planning on spending some serious time in the kitchen: |
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More than a cookbook, this is a scrapbook of Allegra McEvedy's culinary travels through no less than 20 countries. Divided geographically, with several highlight recipes from each place, the recipes are all easy to make and still very distinctive to the place where they are from. Beyond the recipes, and Allegra's very personal accounts on each place, the layout is simply fantastic and that makes for a very special book.
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This is a tome of almost biblical proportions on the subject of entertaining for any time of year and on any occasion. In the book we're invited into the places where Martha entertains most, at home in Bedford and in Maine, and at friends' houses. As usual, Martha Stewart reaches that singular combination of personal and practical for her trademark pitch perfect entertaining.
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Because of his lifelong struggle with diabetes, Sam Talbot - who we know and love from Top Chef and from the wonderful Surf Lodge in Montauk - is a pioneer in cooking healthy meals that rank low on the glycemic index. This is a handbook on how to make fun, easy and extremely healthy food for the entire family - and enjoy it while you're at it. This is a great one for parents looking for simple and healthy recipes for their kids.
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by Jim Meehan
Our friend Jim Meehan, of one of our favorite bars in NYC - PDT(featured in our app) - has come out with his guide to cocktails. They are guaranteed to be delicious. Also, check out our festive cocktails newsletter from a few years ago to see the recipes he came up with for us then.
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Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC is the place to get the most inventive, original and yet familiar desserts. Head chef Christina Tosi is a major sugar addict who creates nostalgic recipes that are simultaneously modern. Cereal milk is one of her ice-cream flavors. She uses cornflakes in her cookies. In short, Tosi taps into our most familiar childhood cravings and makes something new with them. Warning: you're going to need some serious time to achieve her results, but it's worth it.
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The cookbook for one of New York's most elegant venues is correspondingly chic. More than a cookbook, and a great one at that, it's a coffee table book with Francesco Tonelli's very sleek and modern photography that matches the caliber of the food. Quite simply a beautiful book.
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Traditionally, "The Family Meal" is the meal that the staff at a restaurant takes a break to make and enjoy to fuel a night of more cooking. It's an honor to be invited behind the scenes of the legendary El Bulli where 75 staff members ate a family meal every day until the restaurant closed its doors this past summer. A completely visual book, with few instructions and a lot of very illuminating photos for each step of the way. One of the coolest and most innovative cookbooks in a long time.
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by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxine Billet
This six volume collection is not exactly a cookbook, it's more like a science textbook/encyclopedia of cooking terms/cookbook/definitive guide to the techniques and ingredients that define Molecular Gastronomy. It's not exactly for home chefs (unless you have a centrifuge and an evaporator lying around) but it is a fascinating read with beautiful photography.
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