Remember when every party had a veggie tray? It was always raw carrots, celery, broccoli, bell pepper slices, and ranch dip.  I feel like charcuterie boards have become the new veggie platter.  I think that's a good thing! A charcuterie board is so much more interesting.  There are so many flavors and textures; there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating one.  No matter what your skill level is in the kitchen, you can make a charcuterie board.  

When I'm making a board, I like to have some familiar things and some that are not.  If a guest is not an adventurous eater, they will find something they recognize and will enjoy.  If it is a "foodie" group, they will experience something new or something presented in a new way.

Meats -  Salami is always a good and familiar choice.  Peppered salami is unexpected.  Ham is safe, but Prosciutto Cotto is more interesting.  Bresaola might be something completely  new.  Hot soppressata is always a favorite.

Cheese - I like to have some hard and some spreadable cheeses.  Fresh mozzarella balls are always recognizable.  Diced cheddar is good but diced smoked cheddar is unexpected.  Spreadable blue cheese is classic but soft goat cheese with a drizzle of balsamic syrup stands out.  Triangles of Manchego make interesting shapes and give mellow creaminess.  

Sweetness - Dried and fresh fruit is the way to go.  Dried dates, apricots, cherries, and figs work great with the cheeses.  Fresh grapes and strawberries provide juiciness. 

Veggies - Here is where those raw carrots and peppers have moved and would rather be.  Pickled veggies and olives give briny flavor and work well on a board.  

Cracker/Bread - Both crackers and sliced baguettes work well.  Pretzel bread would be great on a German-themed board.

I guess what I am saying is, be creative with your charcuterie board.  Think about color, shape, and texture.  It is a blank canvass for your creativity.   

My favorite spirit is gin.  That is one reason I love a French 75.  The other is that it enhances the Champagne without overpowering it.  This is a perfect cocktail for an aperitivo or to toast in the New Year.  Cheers!

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
1-1/2 oz. gin
2 dashes Angostura bitters - optional
2 oz. Champagne

In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, simple syrup, gin, and bitters.  Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.  Pour into a flute glass and top with Champagne. I like to pour equal parts gin mixture and Champagne.

Simple syrup
In a saucepan, combine equal parts sugar and water.  Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and let cool.  Store in refrigerator.

I did a little spin on the traditional snowball cookie by making them with pistachios. I love the flavor of pistachio and the color is perfect for Christmas.  These cookies are super easy to make and delicious to eat any time of the year.  The rolled balls of dough (before baking) can be frozen on a sheet tray, and when frozen, placed in a freezer bag for another day.  Just let them defrost a bit and then bake them in a 350-degree oven until bottoms are lightly brown.  

Instead of using food coloring, which you can certainly do, I used a natural flavoring, by Amoretti, called pistachio butter.  It has great taste and color.  I use it when making my pistachio gelato too.

Cookies
1 cup pistachios 
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of pistachio butter or 1 teaspoon of almond extract
2-1/4 cups of flour
*Optional - green food coloring 

Cookie Glaze
1 cup  confectioners' sugar
2 Tablespoons of milk or heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios into small crumbs.  You will need 3/4 of a cup of the chopped pistachios for the recipe and 1/4 as a garnish on top of the cookie glaze.  

Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, pistachio butter (or almond extract) until well combined.  Next add the flour, 3/4 cup of the chopped pistachios, and food coloring if using.  Beat on medium until well combined.  

Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line your baking sheets with parchment.  After 30 minutes, roll approximately 1 tablespoon of dough, by hand or by scoop, into balls.  Place them on the baking sheets about 3 inches apart.  These cookies will not spread much.  

Bake until the bottom edge begins to brown, 12-14 minutes.  When baked, let the cookies cool.  

Cookie Glaze
In a bowl, mix 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, the milk, and vanilla until smooth.  Dip the tops of the cooled cookies in the glaze, and place on a cooling rack or cooled baking sheet.  Sprinkle the tops with the leftover 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios.

Crepes are thin French pancakes.  They can be savory or sweet depending on your batter and what you fill them with.  This recipe is a sweet crepe batter.  I have found that this recipe works best for me as long as I follow the direction of refrigerating the batter for 1 hour.  It needs that resting time to hydrate the flour.  

Making crepes isn't hard but it isn't easy either.  It's one of those things that you will get the hang of with practice.  The hardest part with making a crepe is swirling the batter in the hot pan quickly before it begins to set.  It may take one or two tries before you figure out the right ratio of batter to pan and quickness, but once you do, you will be knocking them out in minutes.  A crepe pan is always nice to use but if you don't have one, you can use a non-stick sauté pan.  

Crepes are a blank canvas.  They are delicious and can be served plain with sugar sprinkled on them or fancy with Grand Marnier and flamed.  My favorite way is to fill my crepes with Nutella, top with strawberries, and sprinkle with powder sugar.  

Crepes
(12-15, 7-inch crepes)
 
1 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cups of whole milk
1/3 cup of melted butter
2 tablespoons of sugar
Pinch of salt
¾ cup of water
 
2 or more tablespoons of melted butter for brushing the pan
 
In a blender, add the flour, egg and egg yolks, milk, melted butter, sugar and salt. Give it a quick blend to form a paste. Now add the water and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour.
 
Set a non-stick or crepe pan over moderate heat.  When hot, brush with a thin coat of melted butter.  Use a ¼ cup dry measure and scoop up batter and pour into pan. Immediately tilt and rotate the pan to spread the batter over the pan bottom as quickly as possible.  If the batter doesn’t cover the entire bottom, drizzle little drops of batter on the bar spots and spread it in a thin layer.
 
Cook over medium heat for about 45 seconds until the edges are cooked and the bottom is lightly browned.  Flip the crepe and cook on the second side for about 30 seconds.  

I know most people think about making ice cream in the summer but this peppermint ice cream is a winter treat.  It has just the right amount of peppermint flavor and the candies give it a crunch.  It is also great with some hot fudge drizzled on top.  

I love making ice cream year-round.  Several years ago, I bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker that has worked well and was a small investment.  My favorite ice cream cookbooks are Salt & Straw, and Ciao Bella.  Both of these books have unique recipes and easy base recipes that I use to create my own flavors.  

If you don't have an ice cream maker, maybe Santa will bring one for you this year. ;)


​5 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
1-1/2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/2 cup of crushed peppermint candies

Set a large bowl above a pot of simmering water, not letting the bottom of the bowl touch the water line.  Add the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl and stir until the sugar has mostly dissolved and the yellow has paled in color.  

Mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch and set aside to dissolve.  Empty the water from the pot, put the remaining milk and cream in the pot over medium heat and warm until bubbles form on the outer edges.  Slowly add the warm cream to the yolks, stirring as you add.  Stir in the cornstarch mixture and the peppermint extract.

Place pot back on the stove over medium heat and stir until it begins thicken slightly.  Pour mixture into a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.

Once mixture has chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to the instructions.  In the last few minutes of the churning process, add the crushed peppermint candies.  Give it a taste.  If you like it with more peppermint flavor, add another splash of peppermint extract to the churn.