It’s nice to have a really hearty, hot dip as part of the spread when the ravenous football hordes are hungry. This is a jazzed up version of a classic sausage dip recipe, with warm, winter flavor.  Zesty Italian sausage with the bite of fennel is paired with woodsy sage and creamy, nutty fontina cheese, with a little kick of salty Parmesan to round it out.  Don’t skimp on the sage, as it really sets the tone for this dip.  Serve with hearty crackers, chips or toasted bread rounds, and maybe a knife for spreading should someone prefer to be dainty.

Italian Sausage Dip with Fontina and Sage

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

2 cloves garlic

1 generous handful sage leaves, finely chopped

8 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces fontina cheese. grated

8 ounces sour cream

1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated

Break the sausage into small pieces and cook in large sauté pan over medium heat. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to break the meat up into very small pieces, almost crumbs.  Remember you will be eating this as a dip or spread and big chunks are too hard to eat.  Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.  Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press (or very finely mince them) into the pan, stir and cook for another minute.  Sprinkle half the chopped sage over the sausage and stir until wilted. Drain any excess fat from the pan.  Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and add to the sausage, stirring until it melts.  Add the fontina and stir until the cheese begins to melt and become creamy.  Stir in the sour cream and the remaining sage and cook over medium heat until everything is melted, smooth and bubbly.  Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and stir.

Transfer the dip to an oven safe baker and serve immediately, or the dip can be cooled and refrigerated overnight at this point.  When ready to serve, heat the dip in a 350° oven until hot through and bubbly, stirring a few times. Serve with crackers, bread rounds or corn chips.

Serves 8 -1 0, can be doubled

Making homemade crackers is one of the little culinary secrets I love so much.  It never occurs to most people that making your own is something that can or would be done.  But it is easy to do and pretty impressive when you serve homemade crackers.  It took me awhile to get where I wanted to go with making my own crackers.  I read and sampled a lot of recipes.  Some were too complicated, some just weren’t good, most were fine, but plain.  I fiddled around until I had a base recipe that worked with a lot of different flavor additions – herbs and spices and cheese.  But this version literally hit me like a lightning bolt.  I was serving myself a bowl of soup one night, and doling out some (store-bought) plain crackers and I suddenly thought – bacon crackers.  Could it be possible?  I went to work immediately, and here is where I landed.

These crispy, salty little gems are the perfect sidecar for a bowl of soup, particularly with Pimento Cheese Soup.  That being said, they also take pimento cheese spread to a whole new level.  These are excellent on a cheese platter, with a creamy brie, a salty goat or a tangy blue.  Or smeared with a little butter.  Frankly, they are good all on their own.

If you have a fancy-edged pastry roller this is a great place to use it.  Personally, I like the rough and rustic look.  Not all my crackers are even or perfect, but if I actually make my own crackers, I want them to look homemade!  The crackers do need to be roughly the same size on the same baking sheet for even cooking.

Bacon Crackers

4 strips of bacon, cooked very crispy

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

1 Tablespoon solidified bacon fat

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 to 2/3 cup very cold water

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with a silicone liner or parchment paper.

Pat the cooled bacon with paper towels to remove as much grease as possible.  Break the bacon into pieces into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Pulse several times to chop the bacon very finely.  Scrape the bacon out of the bowl and set aside.  Do not worry of there is some bacon residue left on the sides of the bowl.

Place the flour, baking soda, salt and one Tablespoon of the chopped bacon in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Add the bacon grease and the butter pieces.  Pulse several times until the mixture looks like sand, with a few larger lumps throughout.  Turn on the food processor and drizzle in the ice cold water until the dough starts to come together.  Check the dough by pinching a bit between your fingers.  If it sticks together, you’re done.  You may use slightly less water, but you may need a touch more.  Add another tablespoon of chopped bacon bits and pulse a few times to mix through the dough. You may not use all the bacon.

Lightly flour a work surface.  Divide the cracker dough in half and place one half on the work surface.  Knead a little to bring the dough together and pat it into a nice square.  Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it is as thin as a dime, trying your best to keep it in an even rectangle.  Trim off the rough edges and set aside*.  Cut the dough into crackers, about 1 inch by 1 inch.  I find a pizza wheel a very handy tool for this. You can cut them into smaller crackers if you prefer, but you’ll adjust the cooking time.  Carefully transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets. The crackers puff up rather than out, so you can place them close together.  Prick the top of the crackers with a fork, then very lightly brush the tops with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the second half of the dough.  Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 12 – 15 minutes until lightly puffed, golden brown and firm. Cool on the baking sheets.

The crackers will keep in a completely airtight container for several days.  I find a flat, sturdy container works best as a zippered bag doesn’t protect the crackers from breakage very well.

* I like to gather all the scraps and knead them together, then roll them out as sort of a third batch.  They may be not as pretty as the rest, but taste just as good.

Makes about 3 dozen

Pimento Cheese is often called the paté of the South.  Country classic and city chic. We serve it out of a tub on saltines, or incorporated into elegant hors d’ouevres.   Meat-and-threes and mom-and-pops sell it between slices of white bread, and upmarket restaurants serve it on platters with house made charcuterie.  It is ubiquitous, and useful.  It’s good to have around when guests are visiting, and an excellent dish to take to a new mother or the recently bereaved.  It is immutable (cheese, pimentos, mayonnaise) and yet somehow permutable.  Add spicier peppers, a variety of cheeses, onions or garlic.  Every lover of pimento cheese has their favorite and very particular opinions on what does and does not constitute “real” pimento cheese – spicy, too spicy, not creamy enough, too much mayonnaise, too smooth, too chunky.  I, of course, make the best pimento cheese in the world ever, period.  And for me, the addition of chipotle peppers may be a lovely idea, but it simply is not “real” pimento cheese.

At the heart of this is the fact that the flavor combination of basic pimento cheese is a good one. Tangy sharp cheese, peppers with bite but not heat and creamy mayonnaise just work together.  Wonderfully.  So taking the flavor combination and applying it to other dishes just seems natural. It works in macaroni and cheese, on a burger, in a grilled cheese sandwich.  I treat myself often to some Pimento Cheese Biscuits with Creamy Tomato Soup, or mix it up and make the soup with the flavors of pimento cheese.

Pimento Cheese Soup with Tangy Toast

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 carrot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

¼ cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups milk

1 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Hot sauce (optional)

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat then add the diced carrot, celery and onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are soft, stirring frequently.  Try to prevent browning the vegetables.  When the vegetables are soft, add 1 Tablespoon from the jar of pimentos and stir.  Add the garlic and stir, cooking for one more minute.  Sprinkle over the paprika and cook, stirring, until it is nice and fragrant, about a minute.  Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables, until there is no flour visible.  Pour in the chicken broth and stir well.  Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, or very carefully in a blender in batches, puree the soup until smooth.  If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can blend it just a bit to break down the largest chunks.  Add the milk and stir well.  Raise the heat to medium high and when the soup is just steaming, add the grated cheese in handfuls, stirring after each addition, until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Do not let the soup boil.  Stir in the remaining pimentos and Worcestershire sauce and season well with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  If you like, add a dash or two of hot sauce.

Serve immediately, or leave to cool, refrigerate for up to one day, and reheat slowly over medium heat.  Do not let the soup boil.

Serves 6

Tangy Toasts

Use one or two pieces of firm white sandwich bread for each bowl of soup.  Trim the crusts from the bread, then spread an even layer of mayonnaise on each slice.  You’ll want more than a barely visible skim of mayonnaise, but not a thick pile either.  Sprinkle with paprika and a little salt.  Toast the bread slices in the oven on a rack set over a baking sheet, or in a toaster oven, until crispy and browned.  Cut the slices into neat triangles, or into small crouton cubes.

It has already snowed here in Memphis twice this year, but too early and too inconvenient.  I am hoping for a few more snow days, when I have no need to leave the house and am prepared with a good book, with enough warning for a trip to the grocery.  It doesn’t get cold enough, often enough here to invest in big, heavy wool turtleneck sweaters and thick mittens, but I like to imagine myself in one of those photo spreads, wrapped in a pretty scarf and a sweater, logs burning in the background, laughing over a steaming bowl of warming soup.  This would be the soup in that picture.

Bracing is how I would describe this soup. Perfect after a chilly day outdoors or a warm night by the fire.  Underrated  parsnips have a unique bite and lovely fragrance, the fennel is bright and the leeks add a rich undertone.  The pureed soup is silky and rich. I love the creamy color of this soup, that’s why I gave it a slightly silly name.  It is great on its own, sipped from mugs, but is also a great bowl soup for toppings.  I like some lightly toasted, but not browned, croutons.  Thinly slice some peeled parsnips and fry them until crispy to make chips to float on the top.  Crumbled, crispy smoky bacon is a wonderful addition, and a drizzle of fruity olive oil can add a touch of luxury.  A little shower of chopped fennel fronds add freshness and a spot of green.

Snow White Soup (Parsnip, Fennel and Leek Soup)

Use a light colored chicken broth, one that is too dark will give the soup a muddy color.

1 ¼ pounds parsnips (about 4 medium)

1 pound fennel (about 2 medium bulbs, to yield 12 ounces trimmed)

3 medium leeks

6 cups light-colored chicken broth

1 cup milk

Salt

Preheat the oven to 250°.

Peel the parsnips and trim off the stem end.  Cut into evenly sized chunks.  You should have 1 pound trimmed parsnips. Remove the stalks from the fennel bulbs, quarter them and cut out the tough core.  Rinse the bulbs under cold water, making sure there is no dirt between the layers. Cut into chunks roughly equivalent the parsnips.  Trim the leeks, discarding all but the white and palest green parts.  Slice each leek in half and run under cold water, fanning out the layers to remove any dirt.  Cut into chunks the size of the other vegetables.

Place all the vegetables in a 5-quart oven-safe Dutch oven.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cover the pot and move it to the oven.  Leave the soup in the oven for 3 hours until the vegetables are completely soft.

Remove the pot from the oven, uncover and leave to cool slightly.  Using an immersion blender, or very carefully on batches in a blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Add the milk and blend until completely smooth. Taste and add salt if needed.  Reheat the soup, but do not boil, and serve.

The soup can be made ahead and gently reheated.  Add a bit more milk to thin it out if needed.

Makes 4 bowls

January 8^th is Elvis’s birthday.  If you grew up in Memphis, you know that.  For my 25^th birthday (quite a few years ago, and not in January), I had a big party.  At Graceland.  The party was in the large lobby of the ticket pavilion, decorated (by Graceland) in pink, black and turquoise balloons.  We ate barbecue and danced to an amazing retro band called The Bouffants.  It was one of my favorite birthdays.  But the real bonus of a party at Graceland was a private, nighttime tour of the house.  Back then, they had just introduced the audio headset guide.  That was a real disappointment to me, because the personality of the Graceland guides had always been such a big part of the tour.  But that disappointment was very much balanced, because we toured the kitchen, which was opening to the public the following week.

The kitchen at Graceland, like most rooms at Graceland, is an absolute model of everything new and chic in the 70s.  It’s not a huge room, very much a standard family house kitchen.  It has dark wood cabinets and harvest gold appliances, with burgundy and avocado green accents.  But Elvis was a modern man, and there is on display one of the earliest microwaves.  It is bigger than the wall oven.  Elvis had a cook for many years who prepared him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, as Elvis kept irregular hours.  He was a country boy and liked county food, and a lot of it, biscuits and gravy, greens, and pork chops and mashed potatoes.  He liked each element of his meal on a separate plate.  These are the things you learn at Graceland.

Elvis did enjoy a peanut butter and banana sandwich occasionally, but was a real fan of banana pudding.  I think the peanut butter and banana connection is a sort of urban myth that has grown and grown in the years since his death.  It is held out as an example of his “peculiar” eating habits, which weren’t all that peculiar, just old-fashioned, Southern and copious. The eating habits of man who didn’t have enough to eat when he was a child. People laugh about the PB&B, but actually enjoy the flavor – and choose to eat the sandwiches on their own.  And man, is it a good combo for a cookie! It is not peculiar, it’s just part of the legend of Elvis.

Cookies for the King (Banana Cookies with a Peanut Butter Glaze)

These are a soft, cakey cookie with a light peanut butter glaze.

For the Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

2 – 4 Tablespoons milk

¾ cup powdered sugar

For the Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and mashed banana and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.  Add the vanilla and blend thoroughly.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add to the wet ingredients, scraping the bowl occasionally, until everything is well incorporated.  Refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons (I use a cookie scoop), 2 inches apart onto the lined sheets. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until puffed golden and firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For the Glaze:

Place some waxed paper under the cooling racks to catch drips from the glaze.

In a small bowl, using a sturdy whisk or hand mixer, beat together the peanut butter and one Tablespoon of milk until smooth.  Sift in the powdered sugar and mix well.  Drizzle in more milk, ½ Tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency that will drizzle from a spoon over the cookies.  I consider this medium-thick.

Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and leave to set.

I like a light glaze on these cookies, so the banana flavor shines with just a little hint of peanut butter.  If you prefer a completely frosted cookie, double the glaze recipe and use just enough milk to make it spreadable.

Makes 12 – 16 cookies

Bag omelets, as we call them, are a favorite project for my family.  The family legend behind this is that my Dad was watching some sort of hunting and fishing outdoor program on a Sunday afternoon and they demonstrated these as a campfire cooking idea.  Dad called my Mom into watch, and they were so intrigued, they made them that night.  Well, they couldn’t stop talking about them, and the next weekend had us all over for a bag omelet party.  And so a family tradition was born.

I tell people about these all the time, but when I do, I can see them nod skeptically, and I just know they aren’t going to follow my advice and make them. Recently, I had a dozen gorgeous eggs from the chickens my friend Kristin lovingly raises, so I invited a couple of those skeptical friends for dinner, and they were finally won over.  We all loved our omelets and the chance to get creative.  They immediately started thinking of reasons to make them.

Bag omelets are a great project for any group meal.  Everyone gets their own customized omelet, all ready at the same time.  Interactive food and lots of choice are always popular with the kids in my family.  And bag omelet party is a great way to jazz up a boring weeknight meal with a special breakfast-for-dinner treat.  I can see this as the perfect project if you are stuck in the house on a snow day.  They are a perfect clean-out-the-fridge meal – great during the busy holidays when you have lots of bits and pieces hanging around, or the night after a big party.  Cut up the leftover vegetables from the dip tray, dice the ham or turkey, grate the bits from the cheese platter.

But this is also a great idea for overnight guests, adults or after a kids’ sleepover.  The same goes for an adult dinner party.  Everyone has fun discussing their creations and all the omelets are hot and ready at the same time.  These work equally as well with leftover salami and string cheese as they do with shaved truffles and duck confit. The omelets slide out of the bags as elegant perfectly shaped cylinders. They are perfect on their own, or with some crisp toasted bread or a light salad.

Tips:

Use a big Dutch oven or pot, nonstick if you have it.  Fill the pot about three-quarters full with water.  When you add the bags, the water level will rise, but you want as much water as possible.  It shouldn’t be a problem if a little splashes over the side.

Use freezer safe bags, which are thicker and stand up to the heat.  Don’t use the plastic slider kind, just the press together seals.  You’ll want to squeeze out air so the bags don’t float too much.

Use a permanent marker to write on the bags.  You don’t want the names to wash off – you might get the wrong omelet!

Set the timer and have it ready to start when to omelets hit the water.  Use tongs to lift the bags out of the water onto a plate or platter.

Wear oven mitts or use a towel to protect your hands when opening the bags and sliding out the omelets.

The Ingredients:

You’ll need 2 eggs per person, and I always recommend the best eggs you can find.  If you have a source at the farmers market or a friend for farm fresh eggs, that’s the way to go.  Have a nice selection of protein, vegetables, cheeses, herbs and seasonings.  Cut everything into small pieces, so when they are in the bag, they will mix together well, and be easy to eat.  I could definitely see doing theme nights with bag omelets – all Mexican ingredients or all Italian.  And don’t forget you can add some toppings on the top of the cooked omelet like and extra sprinkle of cheese, a spoonful of salsa or ingredient you may not want cooked in with the eggs, like diced avocado or some crisp diced tomato. Put out some salt and pepper as well, and maybe a few additional seasoning blends.

When I last made these for the photograph above, I created nice little spread of fillings, some grabbed off the salad bar to fill things out, some bits from my fridge.  Here are some ideas from that meal:

diced ham

chopped chicken

chopped shrimp

crumbled bacon

crumbled blue cheese

grated cheddar cheese

finely diced bell peppers

diced red onion

diced mushrooms

salsa

finely chopped sage, parsley and chives

Creole seasoning

Barbecue seasoning

Old Bay

Hot sauce

Salt and pepper

The Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a full boil.  Each omelet-maker should write their name on the outside of a freezer-safe zip top bag.  For each bag omelet, crack two eggs into a bag. Lightly seal the bag and squish the eggs around a bit to break the yolks.

Open the bag and add your choice of ingredients.  Don’t use more filling than egg, you need a good ratio.  Seal the bag three-quarters of the way and press out as much air out as possible, then seal the bag completely.

When everyone has their bags ready, gently lower them into the water, avoiding touching the bags to the side of the pan, and set the timer for 11 minutes.  Use tongs to gently push the bags down into the water if needed.  Do your best to keep the bags from touching the sides of the pot.  I have done as many as 8 bags at a time.

When the timer beeps, remove the bags to a platter.  Let them cool for a minute, then using oven mitts, gently open each bag and slide the omelet out onto a plate.

I am not an overly suspicious person.  Sure, I have my little quirks, but I don’t worry about black cats, walking under ladders, throwing spilled salt over my left shoulder.   But there are a few traditions that I adhere to because, well, it can’t hurt.  Particularly if that tradition involves delicious food.  So on New Year’s Day, I always eat black-eyed peas and greens. For luck and prosperity.  Sometimes I eat them separately, but this gumbo includes all the ingredients for a good year.  The traditional ingredients of good-luck hoppin’ john (rice and black-eyed peas), which is another New Year tradition in the South, plus greens for prosperity.  Here’s a little more information on Southern luck traditions.

This gumbo can be made the day before and reheated, which is a boon if you have been out all night celebrating. Just reheat, cook some rice and add the collards. I highly recommend using smoked ham hock stock.  It really gives the gumbo a smoky, earthy, rich flavor. Making it in the slow cooker is a breeze, and you can do it ahead of time.  If you can’t manage, look for ham stock at some grocery stores, or use the combo of chicken and beef.

Good Luck Gumbo

1 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa

2 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1 onion

1 green pepper

4 stalks celery

1 Tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s)

6 cups ham hock stock*, or 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups beef stock

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 pound black-eyed peas, fresh or frozen and thawed

1 ½ cups long grain white rice

3 ½ cups water

Collard leaves

Cut the smoked sausage into bite-size cubes.  Heat the oil in a 5 quart Dutch oven, add the sausage and cook over medium high heat until the sausage begins to brown. Finely chop the onion, seeded bell pepper and celery.  I do this in a small food processor, one vegetable at a time, pulsing to chop the vegetable finely.  Add the “trinity” vegetables to the pot and stir.  Cover the pot and cook for five minutes to soften the vegetables, then remove the cover, stir well and cook until everything is nice and soft and any liquid has evaporated.   Stir in the flour and cook a further minute, then stir in the creole seasoning.  Pour in the stock and the canned tomatoes with their juice.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes uncovered, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas and continue cooking for another half an hour.  The gumbo should reduce and thicken slightly.  The gumbo can be made up to this point, cooled and refrigerated, covered, overnight.

When ready to serve, cook the rice. Stir the rice into the water in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil and boil until almost all the water is absorbed and little air bubbles form in the rice, about 10 – 12 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and tightly cover the pan.

Cut the collard leaves in half and cut out the stems.  Stack the leaf halves, three at a time, on top of each other and roll up like a cigar.  Cut the leaves into thin ribbons.  You can further chop the collard ribbons if you’d like.

Heat the gumbo to a low boil over medium high heat.  It will thicken as it sits, but loosen up when heated.  But add a little water if you need to get things moving.  Add the collards, stir, and cover the pot.  Cook until the collards are tender and wilted, about 5 minutes.  Serve over cooked rice.  If you have saved some ham hock meat from making the stock, dice that and stir it into the gumbo as well.  And if you’d like, sprinkle some hot sauce over the gumbo.

*Smoked Ham Hock Stock

Hock Stock is an amazing cooking medium for field peas, beans and greens, as well as a great base for soup or gumbo.  I always look for a naturally smoked hock (not one that has no artificial smoke flavoring added).  I get these from farmers market vendors when I can, and make a batch of stock to freeze.  I can then have to the long, slow cooked taste in quick versions of my favorite southern dishes.

1 large smoked ham hock, cut into three pieces

1 onion

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 Tablespoon black pepper corns

3 bay leaves

Place all the ingredients in the crock of a large slow cooker.  Add 10 – 12 cups of water to fill the crock.  Cook on the low setting for 10 – 12 hours.  Strain the solids from the stock and refrigerate for several hours.  When the stock is cold, skim any solidified fat from the top and discard.  Strain the stock through cheesecloth to remove any last bits of debris.

If you’d like, pull the meat from the ham hock pieces and dice. It is a great addition to any soup or beans you are cooking with the stock.

The stock will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or can be frozen for up to a year.  The same goes for the hock meat, in a separate container from the stock.

Makes 6 – 8 cups

Milk Punch has roots in New Orleans, with a history as a hair-of-the-dog remedy.   In fact, my best milk punch memory is enjoying a bit too much at a wonderful wedding brunch in New Orleans.  And now, that bride makes milk punch for a Christmas party every year.  I have to admit though, I make it differently from my friend.  I’ve had milk punch that is just milk and bourbon with a sprinkling of nutmeg and I have seen many recipes that use melted vanilla ice cream as the milky base.  I split the difference, mixing up a sweet, creamy syrup lightly spiced with holiday flavors to stir in cold milk.  Then I dose it with good bourbon, serve it over ice and grate a dash of nutmeg. And to reinforce that Crescent City connection, I like to listen to one of my favorite seasonal songs, Louis Armstrong singing ‘Zat You, Santa Claus while whipping up a batch.

I love the idea of serving fudgy cookies with milk punch.  Sure, you can fill a punch bowl with a big batch of punch and arrange a plate of cookies beside it.  But I think a glass of milk punch and a little stack of cookies would make an amusing dessert for a grown-up dinner party, adding a touch of whimsy to a sophisticated event.  These gently spiced cookies are rich with chocolate, soft and sweet, just perfect for dipping in milk punch.  Plus, they can be made ahead, stored in the fridge or frozen, and baked fresh.

Milk Punch and Cookies

Milk Punch

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

½ vanilla bean

2 sticks cinnamon

4 cardamom pods

1 quart whole milk

Bourbon

Nutmeg

In a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid, stir together the cream and sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.  The mixture may turn buttery yellow.  Just when it hits the boil, remove the pan from the heat.  Split the vanilla been and scrape out the seeds and drop them in the cream.  Add the cinnamon sticks and the lightly crushed cardamom pods.   Cover the pot and leave to cool completely.

When the creamy syrup is cool, strain it into a pitcher, add the milk and stir well to combine.  Fill a punch glass or highball with ice, add 1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons bourbon and fill with milk mixture.  Sprinkle nutmeg over the top of each glass.

Makes about 5 ½ cups punch, can be doubled or more

Chocolate Spice Cookies

2 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons butter

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate, butter and condensed milk in a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave at medium power for 45 seconds, remove the bowl and stir vigorously until the chocolate is melted and everything is combined.  If needed, microwave in 15 second bursts until everything melts.  The mixture will be thick. Alternately, you can carefully melt everything together in a large pan.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices with a fork.  Dump into the chocolate mixture and stir beginning to come together. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until the dough it all combined.  It’s a thick batter and will take a little elbow grease.  Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes, then divide into three equal portions.  Cut three lengths of waxed paper and use each to roll a portion for dough into a log.  Wrap tightly and keep in the fridge until ready to bake, up to three days.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the cookie logs out of the fridge and allow to soften for a few minutes, then use a sturdy serrated knife to slice the logs into ¼ inch slices.  Place on the prepared sheets and bake 8 minutes, until the cookies are puffed in the center.  Remove from the oven and cool on the pans.

Makes about 60 cookies

These nuts are another cocktail party recipe.  Yes, they are perfect for nibbling at a cocktail party, but I really say this because I picked up the idea at a cocktail party.  Some ladies and I were standing around with our drinks, nibbling on a bowl of glazed pecans and chatting about various flavored nut recipes.  One of the ladies remarked that her grandmother always made “these peanuts that she boiled in sugar syrup.” As is my wont, I asked for details.  She didn’t know anything more, just that her grandmother used to fix up a huge kettle of peanuts boiling in sugar and
water.

These ideas stick with me, long after the party is over. I experimented occasionally over the years, overthinking the idea as it turns out, until I got it right.  Raw peanuts simply boiled in sugar syrup.  These little gems are not as sweet as you might think, and the salt adds a nice balance to each bite.  The peanut flavor really shines through.  They will keep in an airtight container for quite a while, so they make a great little gift.  But put a bowl on the bar, and your guests will gobble them up.  I’ll admit, I made a batch on a Thursday to photograph over the weekend, and they were all gone before the camera came out.

Sugared Peanuts

Raw peanuts are the key.  Ready-roasted ones will not soak up the syrup.  Look for them in the bulk section of a health food store or market. 

2 cups water

2 cups granulated sugar

4 cups raw peanuts

Salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets completely with non-stick foil, or foil greased with a light coat of oil.

Stir the water and sugar together is a large, high-sided saucepan.  You want plenty of room for the peanuts, so you can stir them around and avoid the pot boiling over. Bring the syrup to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Stir in the peanuts and cook in the syrup, stirring frequently, until the peanuts absorb the syrup.  This may take 20 – 30 minutes.  As the process comes to the end, and almost all the syrup is absorbed, stir constantly to prevent scorching.  When there is only a little syrup left in the pan, put the prepared baking sheets by the stove and very quickly transfer the peanuts to the pans using a slotted spoon.  Shake the spoon to let any remaining syrup drip off. Keep the pot on the heat, being carefully of the really hot syrup.  If you take it off the heat, and the peanut syrup will immediately seize up and granulate. Spread the peanuts out in one layer on the first pan, trying to prevent many from clumping up. You largely want individual nuts, not peanut brittle.  Sprinkle a little table salt over the peanuts and place in the oven.  Repeat with the remaining baking sheet.  Bake the nuts for 10 – 12 minutes, until they are lightly golden.  Rotate the trays between racks at 5 minutes so the bottom pan doesn’t burn.

Cool the nuts on the baking pans.  You can break up any clumps with your fingers.

Makes 4 cups

Last year, for the big family Christmas Eve celebration, I was tasked with providing a dessert.  It’s a little tough to figure out the right dessert for a great big gathering, one that serves enough and pleases everyone.  In the past I’ve made cakes and pies, but you always need to make two or three, plus someone has to evenly slice and serve them.  And transport can be a tricky thing.  So it occurred to me that cupcakes were the best solution.  Easy to make, easy to transport and appealing to all ages.

During the idea search, I stumbled across a classic black bottom cupcake recipe in my files.  My mom used to make them when we were kids.  We requested them for birthdays and special occasions, though we called them cream cheese cupcakes.  These were a favorite childhood treat for me, and I hadn’t had them in years, so it seemed like the perfect way to incorporate an old family recipe into a new family celebration.  But I wanted to jazz them up a bit, give them some seasonal flavor and a little wow factor.  Add some peppermint flavor, white chocolate chips and a healthy dose of red food coloring and it’s Christmas.  I made two batches, transported them in plastic boxes and placed them on the counter in the host’s kitchen.  A crowd of children gathered around, with a few adults looking on, staring at the pink and brown swirly cupcakes, asking when they could have one.  That’s when I knew I hit the mark.

Peppermint Black Bottom Cupcakes

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar, divided

1 large egg

½ teaspoon peppermint extract (or to taste)

Red food coloring

1 cup white chocolate mini morsels

1 ½ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth.  Gradually beat in 1/3 cup sugar until thoroughly combined.  Add the egg and beat until smooth.  Add the peppermint extract, then the red food coloring bit by bit until you get a nice, bright pink tinge.  Go a little brighter than the final color you want as it will soften during cooking.  Fold in the white chocolate morsels.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup of sugar, the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Stir together the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla in a measuring jug, then pour into the well.  Stir just until the batter is mixed.  Spoon the batter evenly between the 16 muffin cups, filling each half-full.  Spoon a heaping Tablespoon of the cream cheese filling over the batter in the cups.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean.  Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 16 cupcakes