Spiced Kettlecorn

This is totally addictive and couldn’t be easier. Some pieces are cinnamon-y, some are salty, some are sweet... every handful is full of surprises.

Yield: approximately 15 handfuls

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• ½ cup corn kernels
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the oil, corn kernels and sugar stirring to make sure everything is well-combined. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on medium-low heat until kernels stop popping. Be sure to shake the pot once or twice to make sure the kernels are cooking evenly. Remove from heat and immediately add the salt and spices, tossing to coat.

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Arina & Cracked Pepper Crackers with Fennel & Pomegranate Salad

These crackers are packed full of cheesy goodness (and they’re gluten-free to boot). You can make them a day or two in advance, but be forewarned, they are hard to resist. Top crackers with a fresh spoonful of the Fennel & Pomegranate Salad and a drizzle of honey.

Yield: approximately 40 crackers

• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 packed cup shredded goat’s milk gouda cheese (Arina brand recommended)
• ½ cup cream
• water as needed
• Fennel & Pomegranate Salad, for serving
• about ¼ cup honey, for serving

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and cheese and pulse to combine. With machine running, add the milk, processing until dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a piping bag (or you can simply use a plastic sandwich bag with a corner cut off). Chill the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Pipe tablespoonfuls of the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Tap the pointy tops of the crackers down with your fingertip, using a few drops of water so that the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. Bake, rotating the sheet once, for 30 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and flip each cracker over. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Dab tablespoonfuls of the Fennel & Pomegranate Salad on a paper towel to remove excess liquid and then place on top of each cracker, drizzling each one with a bit of honey.

Fennel & Pomegranate Salad

This is a great winter salad on its own. The herbaceous shaved fennel and tart pomegranate seeds offer a refreshing reminder of warmer days and the combination is particularly yummy with scallops.

Yield: enough salad for one batch of crackers

• 1 bulb of fennel
• the seeds from half a pomegranate
• extra virgin olive oil as needed
• the juice of half a meyer lemon (which can be substituted with a regular lemon if necessary)
• kosher salt

Slice the fennel as thinly as possible (a mandolin is the best tool for the job). Toss together with the pomegranate seeds, enough olive oil to coat and the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt.

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Apples with Walnut Pesto &
Mushroom Chips

The Walnut Pesto and Mushroom Chips can be made ahead of time, but the whole package should be done last minute to save the apples from browning. A little lemon rubbed on each slice buys you a bit of time, though.

Yield: about 40 pieces

• 2 crispy apples (we especially like Summer Crisps and Crispins)
• 1 lemon, halved
• Walnut Pesto, for serving
• Mushroom Chips, for serving

Cut each apple into 4 pieces, discarding the cores. Cut each piece into ¼"-thick slices. Rub each slice with lemon to avoid browning. Top each apple with a small scoop of walnut pesto and garnish with a mushroom chip or two.

Walnut Pesto

Use any extra walnut pesto to top mushroom ravioli, to spread on bread, or as an accoutrement for cheese; or put it in a jar and give it as a gift!

Yield: about a cup

• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Pulse walnuts and honey in a food processor, just until the walnuts are roughly chopped. Slowly drizzle in the oil while pulsing making sure you pulse and do not leave the processor on or the nuts will turn into nut butter instead of a pesto. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mushroom Chips

This is a great garnish that is easy to make at home. In addition to the Apple & Walnut Pesto combination, these would also make a delicious topping for your favorite eggs, pan-seared fish, or even a bowl of rice with slowly-fried onions.

Yield: enough for 40 apple slices + a nice snack for the cook

• 2 cups safflower or vegetable oil
• 1 pound crimini mushrooms (baby Portobello mushrooms), sliced as thinly as possible (preferably on a mandolin)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat the oil in a medium, shallow saucepan over medium heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Add mushrooms in batches (don’t overcrowd the pan) and cook for about 4 minutes or until they begin to develop a nice golden brown color. Remove the mushrooms from the oil and put them in a large mixing bowl, toss with a pinch salt and a few grinds of pepper and then immediately place them on the paper-towel lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of your mushrooms until they’re all cooked and seasoned. Let them cool for at least an hour. As they sit, they dry and get increasingly crunchy (in fact these can be done ahead of time to ensure crunch factor).

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Eggnog Popsicles

What better way to enjoy your favorite holiday cocktail than in a frozen, handheld treat? These are wonderfully indulgent, and the best part is that they will keep in your freezer so you can make them way in advance. So rich and velvety, creamy, and yummy!

Yield: a dozen popsicles

• ½ pound cream cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 cups heavy cream whipped until just stiff

Beat the cream cheese in a standing mixer or with a whisk until completely smooth. Thoroughly stir in all of the remaining ingredients except for the whipped cream. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Fill popsicle molds with the mixture and allow to set and freeze for at least two hours (if you don’t have popsicle molds, you can use paper cups and popsicle sticks). The texture will be semifreddo-ish.

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bigLITTLE Hot Toddy

A drinkable pick-me-up with calm-me-down qualities... a.k.a the perfect winter warmer.

PER PERSON:

• two ¼"-thick lemon slices
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup boiling water
• 2 shots of high quality whiskey
• 3 cloves

Place one of the lemon slices in the bottom of a rocks glass or mug along with the honey and cinnamon and muddle them together. Pour in the water and whiskey and stir to combine. Stick the cloves into the remaining lemon slice, drop it into the drink and serve.

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Prosecco With Cherries & Thyme

Every party needs some bubbly. Add depth to your sparkler with sweet cherries and the earthy essence of thyme.

For each drink:

• 1 tablespoon Cherry & Thyme Syrup (recipe below)
• 5 ounces good quality prosecco
• a non-maraschino jarred cherry (leftover from the syrup)
• a sprig of thyme

Pour the syrup into the bottom of your glass, top with prosecco and garnish with the cherry and thyme.

Cherry & Thyme Syrup

• one high-quality (i.e. not maraschino) 8-ounce jar of cherries, strained (liquid reserved)
• sprigs of thyme

Warm one cup of the cherry liquid in a small saucepan with the thyme. When the mixture begins to simmer, turn off the heat and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain, cool and use for the cocktails.

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