Martha - December 2018 by Lawrence Ambrocio

MARTHA STEWART

MAKE IT

MAGICAL AMAZING HOLIDAY GIFTS (TO BUY OR DIY)

How to Party Like a Martha TASTEMAKERS AND THEIR TREES

DECEMBER 2018 $4.99 USA (CAN $5.99) MARTHASTEWART.COM

WEARING YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE

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Martha’s December GENTLE REMINDERS, HELPFUL TIPS, AND IMPORTANT DATES

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1 Appear at USA Today Wine & Food Experience, in Los Angeles

HANUKKAH BEGINS AT SUNDOWN

Mail holiday cards

Place stakes along driveway to guide snowplows

Fertilize orchids in the greenhouse

Sister-in-law Rita’s birthday

String evergreens with outdoor lights

Decorate house for the holidays with Jude and Truman

Pressure Cooker book signing at Terrain, in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Weight training

Yoga

Continue shopping for holiday presents

HANUKKAH ENDS AT SUNDOWN

Prepare spare bedrooms for guests

Friend Susan Magrino’s birthday

Begin wrapping presents

Friend Susan Warburg’s and nephew Chris Herbert’s birthdays

Attend nephew Chris’s New York Polyphony concert at Caramoor, in Katonah, New York

Cardio and core

Weight training

Pressure Cooker book signing at Macy’s in NYC

Weight training

Yoga

Friend Jane Heller’s birthday

Friend Darcy Miller’s birthday

Friend Kevin Sharkey’s birthday

Begin winter pruning

Plan holiday table setting

WINTER SOLSTICE

Make juniperand-gin gravlax (see page 112)

Hang stockings

Yoga

Bake and decorate sugar cookies with Jude and Truman

CHRISTMAS EVE

CHRISTMAS DAY

Make pierogi

Celebrate with family and friends

Friend Frédéric Fekkai’s birthday

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Weight training

DECEMBER 2018

Cardio and core

Weight training

KWANZAA BEGINS

Wash table linens

Mail thank-you notes

Take the dogs for a long hike

Cardio and core

Weight training

25 DAYS OF DELICIOUS Martha’s made hundreds of different cookies over the years. Her favorites for the holidays are these classic sugar ones. (The secret ingredient: a splash of brandy.) For this recipe and more, go to marthastewart.com/25cookies.

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DECEMBER 2018

Contents 100 TRUNK SHOW Four of the most creative people we know showed us how they decorate their Christmas trees.

108 FÊTE ACCOMPLI Small soirèe or big bash, here’s our blueprint for entertaining with elegance and ease.

114 THE GREATEST GIFTS

Thoughtful, stylish, and high-quality presents to thrill everyone on your list.

124

THE WILD BUNCH

At a lively gathering on Long Island, friends bring their own evergreens, and leave with gorgeous handmade wreaths.

RYAN LIEBE

| ON THE COVER |

Wreaths all around! These shortbread cookies are adorned with sugar-glazed rosemary and thyme. For more treats, see page 129. Photograph by Ryan Liebe.

130

Divine Desserts Wintry confections that will send holiday spirits soaring.

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

DECEMBER 2018

Contents

83 A Year at the Farm 17 Our founder’s drone pictures capture the changing seasons at her Bedford home.

GOOD THINGS 23 A hit parade of make-and-give gift ideas, from sweets to cozy customized items for loved ones big and small.

GOOD LIVING

Star Material 50 For easy giftwrapping that pops under your tree, roll out the crepe paper. Change Maker: Spread the Love 58 Ten charities that are deeply committed to helping children. Tastemaker: The Oenophile 64 A star sommelier’s gotta-have-its. Beauty: Singular Sensations 66 Fragrances that bottle the magic of individual flowers and fruits.

66 EVERYDAY FOOD

The Well-Kept Home: All Is Calm and Bright 37 Deck your halls in striking winter whites.

Counter Intelligence: Glow With It 72 To get a luminous look, tap into warm metallic makeup.

Easy Entertaining: Simply Festive 83 A vibrant holiday meal that can be prepped in advance.

American Made: Forging Ahead 46 A Virginia sculptor’s kitchenwares are both exquisite and hardworking.

Health & Wellness: The Pursuit of Happiness 74 Science-backed secrets to feeling truly content.

Traditions: A Better Brisket 88 This updated favorite attains fall-apart tenderness every time.

Ask Martha 78 All your pressing questions answered.

Kitchen Wisdom: Vanilla Vitals 90 How to make the most of pods, paste, and pure extract.

DECEMBER 2018

What’s for Dinner? Get Cracking 92 Expand your egg repertoire in four satisfying suppers. Perfecting: Dream Rolls 94 Our pillowy cinnamon buns will turn anyone into a morning person.

Departments

Martha’s Month 2 Editor’s Letter 10 Out & About 12 The Workbook 137

Brought to you by

Recipe Index 137

Oscar Mayer Bacon

Collecting 152

79 Great Eats Toast the season with crowd-pleasing hors d’oeuvres.

GATHER ROUND Throw the perfect cookie swap. Turn to page 24

ADDIE JUELL (ADVENT CALENDAR); YASU + JUNKO (FR AGR ANCES); LENNART WEIBULL (MEAL)

FROM MARTHA

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EDITOR’S LETTER

| THE GIVING CREED |

Five ways to know a gift is unique and useful, and will be wonderfully received.

The Filling Station 2

Elizabeth Graves, Editor in Chief @ebgraves

elizabeth@marthastewart.com

DECEMBER 2018

It elevates the everyday. Turn something routine (like shaving) into a glorious ritual. Santa Maria Novella shaving foam, $28; and brass razor, $137, buy.smnovella.com.

You encourage her dreams. Maybe it’s to pen a novel—or just to stay organized past Sunday night. A beautiful notebook brims with potential. Martha Stewart notebooks, from $6 each, staples.com. It keeps them warm. Never underestimate the power of cashmere or Champagne. (File this one also under No. 6: It feels luxurious.) Garnet Hill socks, $34, garnethill.com.

Martha Stewart Living and our parent company, Meredith Corporation, are proud to be part of #SeeHer, an initiative to help counter gender bias by portraying all women accurately, respectfully, and appropriately in our pages and in the media.

Spice up their life. (Or as we joke here, “Give them more cowbell!”) Maybe that’s Fortnite for a 14-yearold, but for adults, literally enhancing the flavor of every dinner is an instant upgrade. Daphnis and Chloe Mediterranean Essentials herb set, $63, daphnisandchloe.com.

PERRY HAGOPIAN (PORTR AIT), COURTESY OF QVC (TOTE), PETER ARDITO (OTHERS)

a lot of truth to the credo All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (by Robert Fulghum). Its basic tenets to share, play fair, clean up after yourself, and avoid taking things that aren’t yours are vital at any age—and fortunately easy to abide by in adult life (except, apparently, for those who teal parking p ots during holiday shopping season). I find myself thinking about these principles often as my preschool-age son is exposed to them for the firt time. It gives me great hope for the future to see him learning the importance of kindness at home, but also at his amazing public school in the heart of New York City. He recently told me about reading Fill a Bucket, by Carol McCloud and Katherine Martin, in class. The premise of the book is simple: We all have an invisible “bucket” we carry, which holds all of our good thoughts and feelings about ourselves. When you show someone love—whether you say or do something kind, or jut smile—you fill not only his or her bucket, but your own too, and full buckets equal happy people. (Our health tory on page 74, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” has the science to back that up.) I think that’s why giving in general—and creating this holiday issue for you—feels so fantat ic. At Living, we believe in sharing the good things year-round; this month that includes thoughtful gifts, worthy charities, and myriad ways to make life merry for you and everyone you love all month long. Consider our ideas a newfangled “bucket lit”—I hope they fill your holidays with happiness and joy! THERE IS UNDOUBTEDLY

You want it for yourself. If it’s tricky to part with, the recipient will be psyched. I covet this bag in green; my mom will love it in black. Martha Stewart canvas tote, from $129, qvc.com.

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Out & About WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO SEE, AND HOW TO SPREAD CHEER FAR AND WIDE

| WHY NOT? |

Wrap for a Cause Donate your bow-tying skills—or have your presents prettified— at one of these fundraisers.

TOYLAND EXPRESS Attention, holiday shoppers! The iconic New York City toy tore FAO Schwarz— home to toddler-size teddy bears and piano keyboards—is back in a new Rockefeller Plaza flagship. Can’t get there? Fill tockings at these online shops. MAISONETTE

JUNIPER BOOKS

LITTLE MISS WORKBENCH

Discover Banwood bikes, plush Blabla Kids mermaids, Cabbages & Kings beanies, and more at this site, which is curated by Vogue alums. maisonette.com

Custom-designed jackets— Harry Potter in Gryffindor red, Nancy Drew in apt lilac—make these classics even more collectible. juniperbooks.com

Find hand-carved wooden toy cameras, binoculars, and a smartphone with a chalkboard for scribbling— now that’s “screen time” we support. littlemissworkbench.com

| SECRET SOURCE |

Frog Hollow Farm

St. Cloud, Minnesota Gift-wrapping ninjas break out the Scotch tape from December 8 to 24 to benefit TriCounty Humane Society animals. In 2017, they raised $7,000. tricountyhumane society.org

Camp Hill, Pennsylvania Deck out gifts for busy mall shoppers with the cheerful crew from the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, December 3 to 24. ucpcentralpa.org

Kaukauna, Wisconsin Let Kaukauna Public Library volunteers gussy up your purchases on December 15, and give the gift of enrichment, too: The proceeds support kids’ programming.

“We love their organic Warren pears, which are incredibly juicy and sweet, with an unusually silky texture.” —Living deputy food editor Greg Lofts From $31 for 3 lb., froghollow.com.

kaukaunalibrary.org | ON OUR BOOKSHELF |

When you’re in a gifting pickle, go for nonfiction. Yotam Ottolenghi’s Simple (Ten Speed Press), full of pared-down takes on his flavorful Israeliby-way-of-London food, will be an instant classic in your aunt’s/sisterin-law’s/piano teacher’s kitchen. Lucky in Love (Clarkson Potter), by Living contributor Eleni N. Gage, is a colorful collection of weddingplanning folklore (to chase away day-of rain, southerners bury a bottle of bourbon on site ahead of time)—and a heartfelt way to wish a newly engaged friend the very best. And Tiny Stitches (Roost Books) is a crafty gem for tweens, who’ll be psyched to sport its totes-cool mini designs.

DECEMBER 2018

Nationwide Barnes & Noble supports gift-wrapping events to benefit local charities in its stores. See a manager for details, or to organize one of your own. stores.barnesand noble.com

PETER ARDITO (TR AIN); COURTESY OF FROG HOLLOW FARM (PEAR); COURTESY OF PUBLISHERS (BOOKS)

| ON THE ROAD |

A little bread. A little cheese. A lot of Wow.

MARTHA STEWART FOUNDER AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER MARTHA STEWART

EDITOR IN CHIEF ELIZABETH GRAVES

SVP, PUBLISHER CHRISTINE GUILFOYLE

Editorial General Manager Meesha Diaz Haddad Creative Director Abbey Kuster-Prokell Executive Editor Jennifer Tung EDITORIAL Copy Chief/Articles Editor Myles McDonnell Features & Garden Editor Melissa Ozawa Home Editor Lorna Aragon Beauty Director Melissa Milrad Goldstein Senior Editor Elyse Moody Research Director Ann Sackrider Associate Editor Claire Sullivan Editorial Assistant Erica Sloan DIGITAL Executive Editor Deanne Kaczerski Senior Food Editor Victoria Spencer Senior Home & Style Editor Tina Chadha Editor Alexandra Churchill Associate Food Editor Frances Kim

ART Art Director James Maikowski Senior Associate Art Director Laura Lutz Art Assistant Ellen MacDermott ST YLE Director Tanya Graff Editor at Large Naomi deMañana Editorial Assistant Jaclyn DeNardi PHOTO Director Dawn Sinkowski

ADVERTISING SALES NEW YORK Sales Director Susan Schwartzman Integrated Sales Directors Taryn Guillermo, Deborah Maresca, Taylor Theiss Sales Assistant Healther Molzon MIDWEST Integrated Sales Directors Brad Moore, Meaka Werner Sales Assistant Marlo Marion

Editor Joanna T. Garcia

WEST COAST

Photo Rights & Archive Director Alison Vanek Devine

Sales Director Bianca Haley Sales Assistant Blair Shales

PRODUCTION

DETROIT Director, Strategic Solutions Karen Barnhart

Director Denise Clappi Design Production Manager Judy Glasser

DIRECT MEDIA

PRODUCTION, CIRCULATION & FINANCE Senior Production Manager Julie Strehlow Production Manager Julee Evans Production Traffic Supervisor Mariah McCall Director of Quality Joseph Kohler Color Quality Analyst Heidi Parcel Prepress Desktop Specialist Don Atkinson Associate Consumer Marketing Director Leslie Klemme Business Director Robyn Dean Business Manager Kimberly Cordray Advertising Business Manager Zena Norbont General Manager, Digital Angelique Jurgill MEREDITH NATIONAL MEDIA GROUP PRESIDENT Jon Werther

Business Development Manager Carolyn Gorajek Executive Assistant Jill O’Toole

Meredith Magazines President Doug Olson

INTEGRATED MARKETING Executive Director, Marketing Vanessa Goldberg-Drossman

Chief Revenue Officer Michael Brownstein Chief Marketing & Data Officer Alysia Borsa

Editor at Large Shira Bocar Senior Editor Lauryn Tyrell

Creative Director Lisa Kim Brand Director Emily Payton

Marketing & Integrated Communications Nancy Weber

Assistant Editor Lindsay Strand Recipe Tester Riley Wofford

Associate Director, Marketing Olivia Spadafore Senior Marketing Manager Mara van Geldern Ad Sales and Marketing Coordinator Kelcy Carlson

Social Media Manager Christina Park FOOD & ENTERTAINING Editorial Director Sarah Carey Deputy Editor Greg Lofts

CONTRIBUTORS Eleni N. Gage, Thomas Joseph, Fritz Karch, Ryan McCallister, Hannah Milman, Michelle Shih, Alexis Stewart, Silke Stoddard

MARTHA STEWART BRAND MANAGEMENT SEQUENTIAL BRANDS GROUP Chairman William Sweedler Chief Executive Officer Karen Murray President Andrew Cooper Chief Financial Officer Peter Lops President, Home Division Carolyn D’Angelo General Counsel Eric Gul EVP, Strategic Development & Operations Chad Wagenheim EVP, Executive Director of Design Kevin Sharkey VP, Marketing Stella Cicarone

President, Meredith Digital Stan Pavlovsky President, Consumer Products Tom Witschi

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS Consumer Revenue Andy Wilson Digital Sales Marla Newman Research Solutions Britta Cleveland Product & Technology Justin Law Chief Digital Officer Matt Minoff Corporate Sales Brian Kightlinger

VP, GROUP PUBLISHER Daren Mazzucca

VICE PRESIDENTS Finance Chris Susil Business Planning and Analysis Rob Silverstone Content Licensing Larry Sommers Direct Media Patti Follo Strategic Sourcing, Newsstand, Production Chuck Howell Consumer Marketing Steve Crowe Vice President, Group Editorial Director Liz Vaccariello Director, Editorial Operations & Finance Alexandra Brez

MEREDITH CORPORATION President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Harty Chief Financial Officer Joseph Ceryanec Chief Development Officer John Zieser President, Meredith Local Media Group Patrick McCreery Senior Vice President, Human Resources Dina Nathanson Executive Chairman Stephen M. Lacy Vice Chairman Mell Meredith Frazier

PRINTED IN THE USA

SUBSCRIPTION HELP: Visit marthastewart.com/myaccount; email us at mlvcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com; or call 800-999-6518. For editorial queries: Please write to Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 225 Liberty Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10281; or email: ms.living@meredith.com. Visit our website for more information: www.marthastewart.com. © 2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All projects described in this publication are for private, noncommercial use only. No rights for commercial use or exploitation are given or implied. Martha Stewart Living is a trademark registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Ofice.

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From MARTHA TEACH AND INSPIRE

COURTESY OF MARTHA STEWART

In winter, boxwoods wrapped in burlap flank the stables and paddocks at Martha’s Bedford home.

A YEAR AT THE FARM An early and enthusiastic adopter of drone photography, Martha loves to head out and capture sweeping aerial shots of her property. From season to season, she documents the evolution of life and takes in the natural beauty of the changing landscape. MARTHA STEWART LIVING

FRO MAR

THE AERIAL ARTIST My current drone is a DJI multirotor Mavic Pro (dji.com). It maneuvers well and has a high-performance camera that takes excellent photos.

SPRING Here, the farm is waking up, marked by the vibrant light-green grass and foliage, and the new orchard I planted near the pool is budding into a grid of tiny dots.

DECEMBER 2018

JOHN DOL AN (PORTR AIT); COURTESY OF DJI (DRONE); COURTESY OF MARTHA STEWART (SPRING)

in landscape architect ure and design, and when traveling I love to visit p ect acular places, like the great châteaux in France and the stately homes of England. I’m endlessly fascinated by the vat ness of these materpieces, and how the designers could comprehend their visions when they had no aerial photographs of the land they were asked to transform into the parks and gardens we enjoy today. This is the beauty of drones. They make capturing a bird’s-eye view simple—there’s no need for hot-air balloons, helicopters, or planes. I received my firt one about five years ago, as a birthday present from a friend who knows how much I adore trying out new technology. It was a single-rotor model (meaning it had only one set of blades). While cutting-edge at the time, it was challenging to navigate, easy to lose while flying, and even easier to crash, because it had none of the bells and whitles that today’s models offer. Now drones are more accessible and affordable, and they come equipped with multirotors for smoother flying, GPS sytems, sophiticated cameras, and features like “return to home” and “hover.” Plus, they hook up to a phone app for quick and seamless teering. There are rules to keep in mind, though: Check with the Federal Aviation Adminit ration and your local officials before taking flight. In my neighborhood, the maximum altitude is 400 feet, and it is required that you keep your drone in sight at all times. I’ve gotten comfortable flying mine over my property, and I find the results both breathtaking and useful when I’m planning new features, such as fencing, gardens, and tructures. I also like to think about great landscape designers and architects throughout hitory, like Louis Le Vau, André le Nôtre, Capability Brown, and Humphry Repton, and what they would have been able to achieve with this technology. This coming year, I look forward to seeing how the orchard by my pool will look as it grows, how the trees will color up next fall, and how peaceful everything will be covered in a blanket of snow. HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED

NEW! VELLUM OVERLAYS

BEAUTIFUL DESIGN

Florals, Hooray Creative, Philadelphia, PA. This Is Merry by Carrie ONeal, Cincinnati, OH. ©Minted LLC, 2018

Plaid Framed by Lea Delaveris, Columbus, OH. Hand-Written Holiday by Lindsay Stetson Thompson, San Rafael, CA. Festive Watercolor

ALWAYS

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SUMMER Far left: In late July, the pergola border bursts into vivid oranges when the tiger lilies open. Left: I love how this shot shows the geometry of the terrace parterre outside my house. It even captured a group enjoying lunch. Smile for the camera!

FALL

WINTER A nor’easter storm brought about a foot of heavy, wet snow last year. But once it was over, the farm was wonderfully quiet. Three of my Friesian horses were enjoying the fresh covering.

DECEMBER 2018

COURTESY OF MARTHA STEWART

Sometimes I hover low to capture details; other times I go high to see the lay of the land, like in this picture. It shows a kaleidoscope of autumn trees at the farm and beyond, and a glimpse of the nearby reservoir.

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Good THINGS

CIA L

FRESH IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

MAKE + GIVE GIFT GUIDE

2018

| FOR NEWBIES & NEWLYWEDS |

LENNART WEIBULL

SWEET SURPRISES We’ve got just the thing for a starter tree: a box of handmade ornaments so delectable, they’ll conjure visions of sugarplums. And because they’re crated from shatterproof spun cotton— coated in crat paint, then glitter—you can git a full set knowing they’ll stand the test of time (and pets, and toddlers). For the how-to, go to marthastwart.com/holidayhandbook. TEXT BY ELENI N. GAGE

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

1. Extend a Warm Welcome It’s always nice to send invitations, but it’s particularly important for a successful cookie swap, says Melissa. “Include all the details your guests need— from how many cookies they should bring to the date they’ll need to tell you what they’re making to ensure that there’s an assortment,” she says. Nordic Ware 12-pc. Cookie Cutter Set (3 Shown)

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Pine Red Berry Glass Bottle

Contributor Melissa Johnson, aka @bestfriendsforfrosting, shares her tips for throwing a festive holiday get-together. Your guests will bond over favorite recipes, and leave the party full of cheer.

3. Set up a Sweet Scene A well-organized table leads to maximum mingling, says Melissa:

2. Bake up Memories Threshold Red Cake Stand

Try it yourself with the convenient table tents to the right, compliments of Target.

To make the day even more special, make something with personal meaning. “We have a sugar cookie recipe that’s been passed down for years, and it always reminds me of being a kid on Christmas,” says Melissa.

D I S CO V E R H O W H A P P Y H O L I DAYS S TA R T AT TA R G E T.

Find a gift for everyone on your list at Target.com/GiftIdeas

| SECRET SANTAS |

Heavenly Scent Spark joy in a coworker with this custom, coolerthan-a-candle homefragrance kit. Cover a box of long kitchen matches in pretty paper (securing with a glue stick for a reined efect), and set it on a tray with a bundle of palosanto incense sticks. They smell like lemons and pine, and may even have spiritual superpowers: The wood is said to promote creativity, clear negative energy, and invite good luck. THE DETAILS: World Seed Supply Bursera graveolens (palo santo) wood pieces, $25 for 1 lb. (about 65), world seedsupply.com. UCO long-burn matches, $3 for 50, rei.com. CB2 Cuatro small platter, $2.50, cb2.com.

| FOR WEE ONES |

Youngters can hardly contain their excitement this time of year. But you can, with a fun-filled Advent calendar. We tenciled numbers onto a 24-pair canvas hanging shoe bag, t uffed some compartments with wrapped gifts, and filled the ret with supplies for holiday merriment. (The ninth, for int ance, holds kid-size utensils for a cookie-baking pree they’ll love looking forward to.) Cutomize the countdown to your family’s celebration: Do all 24 pre-Chrit mas days of December, or trim off a few rows to encompass Hanukkah’s eight nights. For sources, see page 150.

DECEMBER 2018

ADDIE JUELL

Happy Days

For the recipes on this page, go to marthastewart .com/holiday handbook.

Smash Hits Good old starlight mints top these decadent chocolate-chunk cookies off with a celebratory crunch. Melt the candies in the oven, press them flat by covering with parchment paper and a baking sheet, then take your cookies for a swirl.

La Dolce Vita Sweet. Rich. Italian. If this Neapolitan-t yle slab fudge doesn’t make your friends, neighbors, and kids’ teachers swoon, we don’t know what will. Our decadent chocolate-hazelnut and piced orange-cranberry varieties were inpired by the traditional Italian treats torrone dei morti and panettone, rep ect ively. They also require minimal work and yield eight subtantial slices each. Jut mix the ingredients, pour into a loaf pan, and let set in the refrigerator. Then slice and box them the old-fashioned candyshop way, with a knife to encourage int ant gratification. THE DETAILS: Restaurantware Taipei Collection rectangular poplar containers, 6.3", $58 for 100; and FittSmile handmade juniper-wood condiment knife, $12, amazon.com.

DECEMBER 2018

Cut Loose Drop the candy thermometer! Making melt-in-your-mouth butter mints is as simple as sculpting Play-Doh (which means your mini chefs can help). Whip up the fouringredient dough, chop it into gnocchi-like pieces, and let them dry. Then package handfuls in parchment-lined tins to give. THE DETAILS: Cornucopia Brands square metal hinged tin, 3.5”, $13 for 12, amazon.com.

ADDIE JUELL (L A DOLCE VITA); PETER ARDITO (OTHERS)

| FOR THE WHOLE GANG |

GOOD THINGS

| FOR COOL KIDS |

Merit Badges

BERET

SLIPPERS

A lively, petite design has ample joie de vivre to embellish a classic French cap. Use multiples of a small patch, like this flower or a butterfly, to create a charming allover pattern.

Kung-fu footwear is just what the kiddies need to mount a sneak attack on the cookie plate. It’s made of cotton, soles and all, so it’s quiet, comfortable, and washable—not to mention primed for patches. Make a pair, or fill a basketful and place it near your door for company to slide into.

THE DETAILS: Bonaweite French wool beret, in Skin, $10, amazon .com. Lauren Trimming Inc. small string flower patches, $2 each, 646-964-5734.

THE DETAILS: Karatemart cotton-sole kung-fu slippers (top) and shoes, from $9 per pair, karatemart.com. Patch Collection coralsnake combo sneaker iron-on appliqué patches, $14 for 2, amazon.com. M&J Trimming iron-on metallic bee patches, $4 each, www.mjtrim.com.

DECEMBER 2018

ADDIE JUELL

The explosion of cute patches you’ve spotted in the craft aisle and on pint-size backpacks everywhere make these accessories as colorful and original as the kids you know. No needle or thread is required for our sweet beret or stylish slippers, since you only iron on the designs. Choose a motif that really captures your recipient—we’ve got roses for a little blossom, buzzing insects for the queen bee, and a candystriped snake for Harry Potter die-hards.

WE MAKE MORE HOLIDAY DELIVERIES TO MORE HOMES THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY, WITH ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION. Santa and the United States Postal Service® both know holiday deliveries need to show up on time – for everyone. That’s why we deliver to every single address in America. Ship now at usps.com/merry

GOOD THINGS

| FOR FOODIES |

Make a Splash If you could bottle a winter evening by the fire, it would look and tate like our anisette liqueur. Coriander and fennel seeds and tar anise turn into a picy digetif that you can enjoy on its own or mixed with water for a lighter drink. Our recipe yields eight 8-ounce bottles (about six servings each). Seal them with our label (go to marthatewart.com/holiday handbook for the recipe and template), and revelers will salute you when they pop them open. THE DETAILS: Restaurantware Grolschstyle swing-top glass bottles, 8.5 oz., $42 for 10, amazon.com.

Compliments to the Chef

DECEMBER 2018

For the friend whose dinner parties you never miss, give a plain linen journal (for jotting down memorable menus and recipes) and a couple of tea towels an artistic upgrade. We used craft paint and painters’ tape to add stripes, and freehanded dashes and X’s. The clever conclusion: Bundle them up shibori-style.

THE DETAILS: ACS Home & Work Natural Flour Sack Kitchen Towel Seconds, $15 for 12, amazon.com. Travel Series Watercolor journal, 8 ¼" by 5", $14, schoolspecialty.com.

TIE

WRAP

2 Flip bundle over, pull ends snug, and knot.

ADDIE JUELL

Place folded towels atop the notebook in the middle of an open towel. Fold top and bottom edges of towel over items.

SWEET RAISINS

CRUNCHY BRAN FLAKES

PLOT TWIST WE ADDED BANANA SLICES

GOOD THINGS

| FOR POOCHES |

Bow Wows Spoil your four-legged fur babies with homemade treats made of oats, peanuts, and pumpkin purée whirled together in the food processor. (For the recipe, go to marthastewart.com/ holidayhandbook.) Just press the mix into a treat pan, bake, let cool, and pop out to give a dog a bone.

| FOR BESTIES |

Check Mates This snuggly no-sew scarf has your fingerprints all over it. Buy two yards of cotton flannel, cut it in half lengthwise (our material is 44 inches wide; plaids and stripes make it a cinch to snip a straight line), and fray the edges by pulling out a string until you have an inch of fringe on the short sides and about a quarter-inch on the long sides. You’ll end up with two scarves, so you can outfit a cozy couple or wear the matching one yourself. THE DETAILS: B&J Fabrics plaid cotton flannel, in assorted colors, from $15 per yd., bandjfabrics.com.

DECEMBER 2018

ADDIE JUELL (MAN WEARING SCARF); PETER ARDITO (FL ANNEL OPTIONS, DOG TREATS)

THE DETAILS: Nordic Ware Puppy Love treat pan, $22.50, nordicware.com.

Special occasions deserve something made special.

A whole hazelnut dipped in smooth chocolate cream, wrapped in a crispy wafer, coated in milk chocolate and hazelnut pieces, then wrapped in glittery gold foil.

Simple craft and garden supplies, and a coat or two of matte-finish white chalk paint, turn a stoop into a stunner. For details, see Project No. 2 on the following page.

Good LIVING HOME, STYLE, BEAUTY, HEALTH

/ THE WELL-KEPT HOME /

All Is Calm and Bright Welcome the season with our chic (and easy) snowy-white dècor ideas. They’ll get you—and every corner of your home—into the holiday spirit. TEXT BY ELYSE MOODY

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NGOC MINH NGO

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

GOOD LIVING HOME

PROJ ECT NO.

1 A MAGIC MENORAH The matte white base of this display lets its gold accents shine. We covered a manzanita branch and faux ferns with chalk paint to give them a plaster-like finish, then secured the ferns onto the branch, along with brass flower-shaped taper holders and accent leaves. We positioned the candles organically: The shammash has its place of prominence atop a bend, and a few are nestled closely together in a hollow. (For the detailed how-to, go to marthastewart.com/ holidayhandbook.) THE DETAILS: Manzanita branch, available at floral-supply stores. Ashland faux Boston fern bush, $13; Krylon Chalky Finish spray paint (used throughout), in Classic White, $11; and Aleene’s jewelry and metal glue, $4.50 for 0.7 oz., michaels .com. Annie Sloan chalk paint (used throughout), in Pure White, $35 for 1 qt., shop.thepurplepainted lady.com. Toho Shoji N.Y. large brass flowers #2137, $2 each, tohoshoji-ny.com. Beach Castle Beads small raw flowers STA-105, $5 for 2, beachcastle beads.etsy.com. ArtBeads.com Satin Hamilton gold-plated cord end caps, $1.25 each, artbeads .com. Metalliferous brass stamping leaves BR2030, 2¼" by 3", $2 each, metalliferous.com. Majestic Giftware Premium Collection Chanukah candles, 5", in White, $17 for 45, amazon.com.

PROJ ECT NO.

A SIGNATURE GREETING Woodworking details like this laurel often appear on furniture, but it’s ultraelegant on our stylish wreath alternative, which can stay up until well after the new year without shedding a single needle or berry. We brushed a wooden round from a crafts store with white chalk paint and let it dry, then glued on the leafy accent and covered the whole thing with another coat. For the finishing touch, we stenciled on a family monogram in gold paint. To give a pair of lightweight composite planters (shown on previous page) a stately makeover, we sprayed them with chalk paint as well. THE DETAILS: Art Boards maple round art panel, 20" diameter, ¾" thick, $49, dickblick .com. Decorators Supply Colonial Wreath relief, 18¾" by 19" by 5⁄16", $116, decorators supply.com. ArtMinds DIY Home Elegance alphabet stencils, $20 for 26 sheets; and Martha Stewart Crafts liquid gilding, in Gold, $8 for 0.75 oz., michaels.com. Ballard Designs Grecian urns, in Medium, $119 each, ballarddesigns.com. The Sewing Place Petersham ribbon, 1½", in Gold, $3.50 per yd., thesewingplace.com.

DECEMBER 2018

Model treated with JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC in the cheeks, JUVÉDERM® XC in the lines around the nose and mouth, and JUVÉDERM® Ultra XC in the lips. Results may vary.

LIFT IT SMOOTH IT PLUMP IT CHEEKS • JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC

LINES • JUVÉDERM ® XC

LIPS • JUVÉDERM ® Ultra XC

JUVÉDERM IT ®

Let JUVÉDERM® injectable gel fillers help you get the results you want.* FIND YOUR AESTHETIC SPECIALIST AT JUVEDERM.COM

APPROVED USES JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC injectable gel is for deep injection in the cheek area to correct age-related volume loss in adults over 21. JUVÉDERM® XC injectable gel is for injection into the facial tissue for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. JUVÉDERM® Ultra XC is for injection into the lips and perioral area for lip augmentation in adults over 21.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Do not use if you have a history of severe allergies/allergic reactions, or are allergic to lidocaine or gram-positive bacterial proteins used to make these products. The safety of use while pregnant or breastfeeding has not been studied. The safety for use in patients with excessive scarring or pigmentation disorders has not been studied and may result in additional scars or pigmentation changes. Unintentional injection into a blood vessel can occur and, while rare, could result in serious complications which may be permanent. These include vision abnormalities, blindness, stroke, temporary scabs, or permanent scarring. Tell your doctor if you are on

medications to decrease the body’s immune response or prolong bleeding, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or blood thinners. There is a risk of infection from skin injection procedures. The most common side effects include tenderness, swelling, firmness, lumps/bumps, bruising, pain, redness, discoloration, and itching. Most JUVÉDERM® XC side effects were mild or moderate, and lasted 7 days or less. Most JUVÉDERM® Ultra XC side effects were mild or moderate, and lasted 14 days or less. Most JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC side effects were moderate and lasted 2 to 4 weeks. To report a side effect, please call Allergan Product Surveillance at 1-800-624-4261. For more information, please see Juvederm.com or call Allergan Medical Information at 1-800-433-8871. Available by prescription only. *With optimal treatment. ©2018 Allergan. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. JUV117321 09/18

HOME

PROJ ECT NO.

3 A GRACEFUL GARLAND Delicate plaster magnolia leaves are the showstoppers in this display. We made them by dipping silk ones in plaster of Paris, then twisted them into clusters with floral wire and secured them to a premade bay garland dotted with ivory velvet bows. After the holidays, remove and store the leaves carefully in tissue paper, and you can use them year after year to elevate your fresh greenery. (For the how-to, see marthastewart.com/ holidayhandbook.)

THE DETAILS: Ashland Floral Essentials faux magnolialeaf spray, $5, michaels.com. DAP plaster of Paris dry mix, in White, $8 for 4 lb.; and HDX mixing bucket, 10 qt., $4.50, homedepot.com. M&J Trimming velvet ribbon, ⅝", in Off White, $1.75 per yd., www.mjtrim.com.

DECEMBER 2018

TAKE YOUR SINK FROM

day to night

ELKAY ® CROSSTOWN ® STAINLESS STEEL FARMHOUSE SINK WITH INTERCHANGEABLE APRON Now there’s a sink that lets you instantly change the look and feel of your kitchen, whenever the mood strikes you. Our new Crosstown stainless steel farmhouse sink features an interchangeable apron* that you can easily switch out in minutes, even if it’s just to dress up the space for a dinner party. See all 7 aprons to easily switch your look at elkay.com/crosstown *Interchangeable apron sold separately

IN MINUTES

GOOD LIVING HOME

PROJ ECT NO.

4 A FRUITFUL FLOURISH At first glance, you might think the elements in this striking centerpiece were carved from stone a couple of millennia ago. But we got the museum-worthy effect by giving faux fruit a quick dip in plaster. Follow our step-by-step at marthastewart.com/holiday handbook, then arrange them on an equally pretty vessel. We used a gold tray, but the brilliant thing about this tableau is that it looks good with any palette or décor. Another idea: Set individual pears or apples at each place setting on your holiday table. THE DETAILS: Ashland Garden Fresh mixed faux fruit, $13 for 5 pieces; Garden Fresh faux small purple grape cluster, $4; large foam lemon, $2; and faux red apple, $3.50, michaels .com. KPM Arcadia soup cup and saucer, $275, tableartonline.com.

WIN $25K

To help celebrate the holiday season, visit marthastewart.com/ holiday25k and enter to win $25,000. For details, see page 150.

PROJ ECT NO.

A SWEET RELIEF The tools you need to craft these cameo-like cards come from the kitchen: They’re traditional European springerle-cookie molds. We filled them with pulp made from cotton-linter paper instead of dough, then glued the textured medallions onto cards. (For the how-to, see marthastewart.com/ holidayhandbook.) The finished pieces make graceful ornaments, as well: Trim the paper, leaving a border just wide enough to punch a hole in, and thread ribbon or wire through for hanging. THE DETAILS: The Springerle Baker Bitburg fruits mold, in Small, $36, thespringerle baker.etsy.com. Springerle Joy Lilies of the Valley mold, in Oval, $46, springerlejoy.com. Arnold Grummer’s preshredded cotton linter, $16 for 8 oz., arnoldgrummer.com. Recollections A7 cards and envelopes, in Gold, $5.50 for 10 sets; and A2 card and envelope sets, in Gold Shimmer, $4 for 10, michaelsweddings.com.

DECEMBER 2018

Dazzling décor pops with showstopping wood ﬂoors, courtesy of Swiffer® WetJet™ Wood.

Holiday Hacks Create your own magic this season with these DIY tricks.

ALL THAT GLITTERS The holidays are meant to sparkle, so add plenty of glitter, tinsel, and glistening faux snow. Another sweet idea: Use sparkling sugar and edible pearls to lend festive ﬂair to your baking.

PERFECT YOUR “PRESENT-ATION” Tuck sprigs of evergreen and holly into ribbons, tie on sparkling gift tags, and afﬁx freshly-found pinecones dipped in metallic paint. Bonus: Beautiful gifts also double as décor.

Holiday-Ready Home ‘Tis the season for joyful dinners, festive parties, and cozy nights spent in the warmth of your home. We’re getting prepped with DIY décor and around-the-house hints that make it easy to get in the spirit. Here are a few ways to make your home shine this season.

The new Swifer® WetJet™ Wood is a one-step cleaning system with a wood-safe, Quick Dry solution that cleans your ﬂoors in half the time. Learn more at Swifer.com

SHINE ON Clean up after crafting and give wood floors a superior shine with the new Swiffer ® WetJet™ Wood. This problem-solver features a soft microfiber-like pad that absorbs and locks dirt, dust—and glitter! Plus, it’s safe on all finished hardwood.

Now there’s a WetJet specially designed to care for hardwood floors. Ultra-fine mist spray provides even coverage Soft, microfiber-like pad absorbs & locks dirt & grime Quickdry solution dries in half the time*

Safe on all finished hardwood

NEW! New Swiffer WetJet Wood provides a fast and convenient clean on wood ﬂoors that leaves them looking their best. © Procter & Gamble, 2018

MARTHA S T E WA R T

American Made

From left: A pie server, a grain scoop, a serving spoon, spice spoons, a ladle, and a coffee scoop. Each metal utensil is coated with a vegan mix of candelilla wax and coconut oil to preserve its polished surface. From $22 each, black swanhandmade.com.

Forging Ahead BLACK SWAN HANDMADE, VIENNA, VIRGINIA

Stirring soup, serving pie, even scooping spices becomes an infinitely more elegant task when you have one of Park Swan’s creations in hand. The trained sculptor uses traditional metal- and woodworking techniques to forge, sand, and polish every piece that comes out of his studio. (In addition to the beauties shown here, Swan makes wooden cheese boards, rolling pins, and other tools.) He’s committed to sourcing all his materials from the United States, but what truly sets his pieces apart is his passionate attention to detail: the subtle curves, textured finishes, and signature rivets. “When you hold one, I love that you can see and feel exactly how it was made,” he says. And like the brand’s namesake bird, each is strikingly beautiful and unique. —Erica Sloan

DECEMBER 2018

PHOTOGRAPH BY LENNART WEIBULL

This holiday, keep it real. Serve Farmland. Made the right way, right here in the USA. For recipes and more, visit FarmlandFoods.com.

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Stay rue

/ ON THE WEB /

The fear of speaking keeps many people from being heard.

Martha Stewart.com DAILY INSPIRATION FOR YOU AND YOUR HOME

A SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU! Have all the recipes and project how-tos from this issue at your fingertips. Download our Holiday Handbooks at marthastwart.com/ holidayhandbook.

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800-992-9392 www.StutteringHelp.org 48

DECEMBER 2018

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Behind every

simple pleasure is an amazing story Your mother’s cookies. The recipes she’ll pass down to her grandchildren. At Aetna® Medicare, we understand the need to take care of the whole you — body, mind and spirit. That’s why we take a total approach to health and wellness. And we simplify Medicare by connecting you to the right coverage, resources and care. So you can keep pursuing the life you love — and build the rest of your story. Call one of our Medicare representatives today

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NR_4002_12980 08/2018

GOOD L 1. STRIPE IT RICH

1 2

Fold back the edge of two-tone crepe paper and affix it with double-sided tape to create a band—and accentuate the seam you usually hide. To make the bow, see the how-to in Bottled Joy, following page. 2. TIE A BONBON

Position a wide band of solid crepe paper over patterned and cinch the ends to dress up a cylinder. 3. WEAVE IT

Tape three streamers in place around the width of a box, then thread two pieces over and under them lengthwise. 4. POINT IT OUT

Rather than tamping down the ends, crimp the excess into peaks.

Star Material Flexible, forgiving, and just a few dollars per extra-long roll, crepe paper is the versatile and enthusiastic wunderkind of git wrapping. Pick up some eye-catching colors like tomato, fuchsia, and emerald; throw in a fun metallic; then use our ideas to creatively package any shape to your heart’s delight. TEXT BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN

DECEMBER 2018

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADDIE JUELL

SIP A CUP of magic H O L I DAY B E V E R AG E S A R E H E R E

C A R A M E L B R U L É E L AT T E · P E P P E R M I N T M O C H A · T OA S T E D W H I T E C H O C O L AT E M O C H A

GOOD LIVING

Jumbo Gifts

Odd Jobs

Make quick work of XL-size objects with two strategically placed sheets in a pair of vivid colors. Cut them as wide as the box, and long enough to cover its top and bottom. Lay them out in a plus-sign shape, and place the box where they overlap. Pull each strip up and over, align the edges at the corners, seal with tape, and accent with strips in varying widths. For the ribbon on top, make a loop from a matching swatch, cinch the center, and tuck tails into the knot.

Instead of just sticking a bow on top of a present that’s unwieldy or awkwardly shaped, embrace its silhouette by winding streamers around it from head to toe. We used thick gold crepe paper to mummify this you-know-what, tuning pegs included. While the contents underneath aren’t exactly a mystery, the endlessly entertaining act of unspooling the paper only amps up the suspense.

THE MERRY MISFITS Show us a gift-wrapping conundrum—a present that’s too big, quirky, floppy, or fragile—and we’ll give you a crepe-paper solution. Here’s how we tackle the trickier tasks and fashion cheerful accents.

Soft Goods To neatly package loose items like socks and tees, think like a sushi chef and start rolling. Tuck the item inside a guessproof cardboard tube, clean coffee canister, or cylinder you’ve made from card stock by taping the edges together. Cover it with crepe paper, and twist and tie the ends. Add mini bows, ribbons, or a wide stripe in a contrasting color to finish the fake-out.

DECEMBER 2018

Bottled Joy Give quaffables the couture treatment with metallic crepe paper. Roll a vessel up in a piece that’s six inches longer than it is tall, fold and secure the bottom, and gather the top into a pouf (left and center), or fold it down into a flap (right). To add a pinwheel (left), pleat a streamer accordionstyle, tape the ends together, and affix with an adhesive dot. For the bow tie (center), form a loop with one piece of paper, nip it with another, attach it to a ribbon, and secure it around the neck.

Be your own Secret Santa.

GOOD LIVING

HANDLE WITH FLAIR Think way outside of the box—and bow—with these clever ideas.

Fa-la-la Finds Little hands will love unfurling this mini-evergreen party favor. Stick slender surprises (like temporary tattoos) on a cardboard cone, and cover them with an emerald streamer. Keep wrapping and tucking in other thin presents, such as barrettes or fortune fish. Finally, stuff the cone with candy, tape a card-stock circle on the base, and decorate your giving tree with tinsel-and-pipe-cleaner ornaments.

Our crepepaper string lights also make a sweet mini garland or tree decoration.

Top Prizes 1. POWER POINSETTIA Cut petal shapes out of a scarlet sheet and attach them to a “stamen” (floral wire wrapped in crepe paper). To emulate this rare speckled cultivar, use white craft paint to Pollock the paper first. For a detailed howto on this technique, go to martha stewart.com/crepepaperflowers. 2. TWIN TASSELS Use scissors to fringe one side of a seven-inch-long streamer. Roll it up, tape the end, and secure the top with a thin strip

in a contrasting color. Repeat, then fasten the pair to a shoestring by dipping each end in glue and pushing them into the tops of the tassels. 3. LIGHT SHOW Glue half of a packing peanut onto a miniature egg form to create a bulb shape, then wrap the base in emerald and the top in a bright color. Attach them to a green string with craft glue.

THE DETAILS: For gifts throughout: Dennecrepe crepe-paper streamers, in Metallic Gold, $8.50 for four 70-ft. rolls, amazon.com. Castle in the Air crepe paper, in assorted colors, from $2 for 8 ft., castleintheair.biz. Oriental Trading paper streamers, from $1.50 for 81 ft., orientaltrading.com. For tree favor: Darice DIY Crafts papier-mâché open-bottom cone, 7" by 3", $9 for 3; and JijAcraft glitter pipe cleaners, 6mm by 12", $10 for 240, amazon.com. Smile Mercantile Craft Company tinsel garland, in Silvery Pink, $9.50 for 12 ft., smilemercantile.com. For string lights: Darice Craft Designer papier-mâché eggs, 2 ½", $3 for 6, unitednow.com.

DECEMBER 2018

After comparing ingredients,

9 out of 10 people who feed Fancy Feast prefer the ingredients in BLUE.

Top 5 Ingredients 1. Beef 2. Meat Broth 3. Liver 4. Fish 5. Meat By-products

1. Beef 2. Beef Broth 3. Chicken Liver 4. Chicken 5. Turkey

BLUE Healthy Gourmet® and Purina® Fancy Feast® both provide complete and balanced nutrition. But when Fancy Feast feeders were asked to compare the top 5 ingredients of Fancy Feast and BLUE, 9 out of 10 preferred the ingredients in BLUE. So compare for yourself and we think you’ll prefer BLUE too. Open your heart & home this holiday Adopt a pet near you at home4theholidays.org

Love them like family. Feed them like family.®

3rd of Three-Part Series

Artisanally Designed with Paper and Packaging:

Handcrafted Treats

Lucy Schaeffer (BON BON BON); Rachel Lyn Photography (Alexandra Clark)

Meet the artisan chocolate shop that believes what’s on the outside should be as inventive and high quality as the chocolate on the inside. Bon Bon Bon’s chocolates come in protective, 100% curbside recyclable packaging made from corrugated cardboard that’s easily cut to size, allowing customers to purchase any number of Bons.

The Chocolatier Behind the Chocolate: Alexandra Clark

“

Bon Bon Bons are “good goodies” that don’t need all the ribbons and lace. Just good chocolate wrapped in honest, corrugated packaging. Good chocolate made from good things for the good people of the Motor City and the world ‘round. —Alexandra Clark, Founder

To learn more about paper and its innovative packaging uses, visit www.howlifeunfolds.com/protect.

”

Sponsored by

You can’t put an eCard on your mantel. Holiday wishes are meant to be proudly displayed for all to see throughout the season, but it’s hard to show them off when all of your cards are sitting in your email. With paper’s help, filling your home with warm words and wishes couldn’t be easier. Don’t forget to recycle your envelopes. When loved ones matter, use greeting cards.

Learn more at howlifeunfolds.com

MARTHA ST E WA RT

CHANGE MAKER Helping Kids

If you want to make a real diference this season, give a child the git of good health, warmth and comfort, or a wish come true. These 10 charities are striving to improve life for the youngest among us. TEXT BY SARAH ENGLER

DECEMBER 2018

planning and gift shopping, it’s natural to feel guilty about your own good fortune when others have much less, ep ecially kids. Sadly, one in five children in the United States lives in poverty, and 41 percent are in low-income families, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty. To turn your concern into tangible change for the better, consider the work of these 10 smaller, lesserknown charities that are devoted to helping kids. (For more ideas, go to the nonprofit watchdog websites charitywatch .org and charitynavigator.org, which lit hundreds and rank them by financials and how rep onsibly their donations are p ent.) Pick a cause close to your heart, and make someone’s season brighter.

WHERE TO DONATE GOODS Project Linus Whether knitted, crocheted, or quilted, more than 7 million security blankets—all made by volunteer crafters—have been gifted by this Missouri-based group to children who are seriously ill or have faced trauma. The website features patterns if you need a little inpiration, and lit s chapters in all 50 t ates that accept drop-offs of new handmade blankets and crafting supplies. Contact them direct ly to see what’s needed, from fabric to batting to thread. projectlinus.org.

Reader to Reader In 2000, David Mazor learned that the librarian at his daughter’s Massachusetts college hadn’t been able to buy a new book for the school in two years. That compelled him to call the librarian at Durant High School, in Mississippi—which he chose because it’s in one of the pooret towns in the country. When she told him they hadn’t

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Spread the Love

WHEN YOU’RE CAUGHT IN the swirl of holiday

1 in 8 Americans struggles with hunger.

THIS SEASON YOU CAN HELP For every O, That’s Good! pizza, soup or side purchased we’ll donate a meal* to someone in need. November 4th - December 29th

+ *From 11/4/2018 through 12/29/2018, the monetary equivalent of a meal will be donated. $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local food banks. Mealtime Stories guarantees a minimum donation of 500,000 meals. Feeding America: the nation’s largest organization dedicated to ighting domestic hunger through a network of member food banks.

GOOD LIVING

been able to purchase any in 40 years, Mazor “Kids are so filled with joy and grati- Shoes That Fit tarted collecting and shipping volumes from tude, knowing that a person they In 1992, Elodie McGuirk, then a college his neighbors to the Durant library and oth- will probably never meet thought financial-aid coordinator in Claremont, ers like it. Today, his project is a national enough of them to liten to their California, heard from an elementary-school nonprofit reaching 45 tates. “Teachers often wish and make it come true.” secretary about a boy who was crying bepend their own money to keep their libraries onesimplewish.org. cause his parents had turned his toes under, tocked, because they are so keenly aware to cram his growing feet into too-small shoes. of the difference a classroom full of books WHERE TO DONATE The secretary added that she’d seen hundreds can make,” says Mazor, a former film dis- MONEY of kids like him. Unable to top thinking tributor. “We are fortunate to see that difabout them, McGuirk poted a flyer at work Children Incorporated ference firt hand.” readertoreader.org. asking for new shoes. “So much of children’s This Virginia-based organization lives involves running, jumping, and playhas been helping kids in need of life Newborns in Need ing,” she says. “When your shoes hurt or The North Carolina-based charity accepts essentials in 23 countries, including obviously belong to someone else, it’s hard infant supplies—including gently used hats, inner-city, rural Appalachian, and to feel good about yourself.” Lat year, Shoes booties, clothing, and toys—for premature, Native American populations in the That Fit gave more than 120,000 new sneaksick, or impoverished babies, and donates U.S., since 1964. For $30 a month, ers in 45 tates (a donation of $25 typically them to about two thousand hopitals, shelters, you can ponsor a child, and the buys a name-brand pair). “Shoes and personal and families across the U.S. Get your com- money will help fund her food, cloth- appearance are often tied to a child’s sense munity involved by holding a holiday diaper ing, health care, and education. Or of self-eteem,” McGuirk says. “For some childdrive or “baby shower” event to collect tore- you can make a one-time donation ren we serve, these are the firt new shoes bought items to send. newbornsinneed.org. to support various programs, which they have ever owned.” shoethatfit.org. cover everything from mosquito PowerMyLearning nets to warm clothing to skills train- Blessings in a Backpack Partnering with individual schools, ditricts, ing. childrenincorporated.org. One in six American schoolkids thinks of the and after-school centers across the country, weekend not as a time to have fun, but as this New York City–based group aims to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer two days of hunger. For some food-insecure transform teaching and family engagement Cancer is the number-one cause of children, school meals are the only access with technology through its programs. You death by disease of U.S. children, but to affordable nutrition. This Kentucky-based can donate wiped laptops, desktops, tablets, pediatric cancers receive jut a quar- group has helped feed t udents in more than printers, and other hardware (like USB flash ter of the funding that breat cancer a thousand schools across 45 tates and Washdrives and surge protectors) to help increase does, and less than half of what’s ington, D.C. A $100 donation can send a child access to some technology in the homes of earmarked for protate cancer. “No home each Friday for the entire 38-week low-income t udents. Jut fill out the form one wants to think about cancer, or school year with enough sutenance to lat on the website and follow the int ruct ions consider the idea that kids can get her until Monday. blessingsinabackpack.org. to ship your gear to (or drop it off at) the it—but that fear of talking about it organization’s Atlanta or NYC warehouses. is part of the reason more money Pajama Program powermylearning.org. isn’t directed toward research,” says While volunteering at a New York City shelcofounder Gretchen Witt. She and ter in 2001, Genevieve Piturro realized the One Simple Wish her husband, Larry, tarted this New children she was reading to didn’t have a Working with partner agencies in jut about Jersey–based nonprofit in 2008 after loved one to tuck them in each night, and every tate, this nonprofit, founded by New their 2-year-old son, Liam, was often slept in the same clothes they’d worn Jersey foter parent Danielle Gletow, delivers diagnosed with tage-four neuro- all day. That inspired her to start the Pajama act ual wishes—guitar lessons for a music- blatoma. When they learned of the Program, which has delivered millions of loving 9-year-old, tickets to a basketball lack of research funding, Gretchen pj’s, as well as books, to kids in all 50 states, game for a girl with WNBA dreams—to donors enlited 250 volunteers to bake plus Puerto Rico. Though the initiative acwho want to grant them. Scroll through the enough cookies to raise $420,000. cepts goods, Piturro says monetary gifts website to learn about the child behind each Liam lot his battle in 2011, but the go further: The organization can often buy wish, and check back year-round. (You can money they’ve raised—through five new pairs of pajamas for the same cost also give a gift on a kid’s birthday, for in- donations, cookie purchases on the of one at retail. “We believe that all children tance.) “Each month, we get between five website, and people organizing their have the right to a good night,” she says. hundred and a thousand wishes, ranging in own bake sales—has funded 100 “A comforting bedtime routine helps them cot from ten to five hundred dollars,” Gletow research grants and 41 new treat- wake up ready to learn and have a great says. In the pat 10 years, One Simple Wish ments. cookiesforkidscancer.org. day, and can carry them into adulthood.” has impacted more than 55,000 children. pajamaprogram.org.

DECEMBER 2018

GOOD LIVING TASTEMAKER

1 3

The Oenophile Jordan Salcito Director of wine special projects at Momofuku, and founder of Ramona, New York City

She got her firt tate of wine, so to peak, at a young age— litening to family tales of her grandfather’s basement blends. But it wasn’t until Salcito graduated from culinary school and landed in the kitchen at NYC’s famed Daniel retaurant that she developed “an electric interet” in it. She worked harvet on vineyards in France, Patagonia, and Italy; became sommelier at Eleven Madison Park; passed the famously difficult Court of Mater Sommeliers blind-tate exam in one try; and ran the wine program for David Chang’s Momofuku group. He gave her a mandate: “Undertand the rules, and break them,” and in 2016 she did, launching Ramona, a line of organic canned pritzers that are light-years away from candy-flavored wine coolers. Like Ramona, Salcito’s t yle is “high-low”: The mom of a toddler typically throws on jeans, a blouse, and a beloved rose-gold cuff, since everything’s better with a little parkle.

DECEMBER 2018

7 8

WIN THIS For a chance to win these sneakers, go to win.marthastewart .com on December 6. For details, see page 150.

Her Essentials

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“Fashion is a joyful tool for self-expression.” 1 | Richard Ginori Granduca Coreana china “This pattern is easy to fall in love with.” Dinner plate, $150, thepolishedplate.com.

2 | Aurelie Bidermann vintage rose-gold cuff “It’s delicate yet powerful.” From $680, aurelie bidermann.com. 3 | R+Co Dallas Thickening Spray “My hair secret—I use it with a curling wand to add waves.” $30 for 8.5 fl. oz., randco.com.

DANIEL KRIEGER (PORTR AIT); HESTI LESTARI/SHUT TERSTOCK (PROTEA); CHRISTIAN SCHCOLNIK /GET T Y IMAGES (AMALFI COAST); COURTESY OF MANUFACTURERS (CHINA, CUFF, BAG); PETER ARDITO (OTHERS)

4 | Zara ruffled pleated top “This blouse spruces up jeans and makes me feel instantly dressier and more elegant.” $46, zara.com.

10 12

“The more I trusted my palette and drank wines that I genuinely enjoyed, the more my world opened.”

5 | Koeze Cream-Nut Natural peanut butter “It’s always in my fridge; I’m not above eating a spoonful straight out of the jar.” $6.50 for 17 oz., koeze.com. 6 | Saint Laurent Large Sac de Jour Souple bag “I carry this every day. It holds everything, including small fire engines for our toddler.” $3,350, ysl.com. 7 | Kosås Weightless Lipcolor, in Stardust “The color is very natural, and I love that the brand is, too.” $28, kosas.com.

9 | Madewell Highrise Skinny jeans, in Hayes Wash “They’re incredibly flattering—I bought two pairs in five minutes after trying them on.” $128, madewell.com. 10 | Glossier Lash Slick “It’s genius, really. It elongates lashes without making them thick and clumpy.” $16, glossier.com. 11 | Junior Mints “My go-to movietheater snack.” 12 | Pierre Péters Blanc de Blancs “One of my favorite Champagnes. It’s so clean and delicious.” $60, astorwines.com. 13 | Pink ice protea “I like to pair these stems with citrus fruits in an arrangement.” 14 | Momofuku, by David Chang and Peter Meehan “This cookbook just gets better with age.” Clarkson Potter, 2009; $40, indie bound.com. 15 | The Amalfi Coast “I have yet to find anywhere as magical as here.” 16 | Ramona wine spritz “When entertaining, I set out cans for guests to spike with Avión silver tequila if they like.” $20 for four 8.4-oz. cans, drinkramona.com.

8 | Allbirds Tree Runners “With a little one, I’m on my feet a lot, and these are really comfortable.” $95, allbirds.com.

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

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DECEMBER 2018

PHOTOGRAPHS BY YASU + JUNKO

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Citrus Scents

If you love . . .

HIBISCUS The bloom is synonymous with the tropics— just imagine tucking one behind your ear as you wade into turquoise waters. In reality, it doesn’t have a very strong scent, says Stephen Nilsen. To amplify its qualities, Aerin Hibiscus Palm Eau de Parfum has heady notes of frangipani, ylang-ylang, and coconut milk. $120, aerin.com. ROSE There are hundreds of varieties of this popular beauty, and each smells distinct,

Martha’s Pick

DECEMBER 2018

“depending on its age and the time of day you come across it,” says Calice Becker. Louis Vuitton Rose Des Vents Parfum pays homage to the flower, placing you in a field of May roses in Grasse, France. $240, louisvuitton.com. GARDENIA The intoxicating white blossom yields very little juice when extracted, says Rodrigo Flores-Roux. So in 1925, when Coco Chanel and her “nose,” Ernest Beaux, set out to replicate it and create Chanel Gardenia Parfum, they added

orange blossom, jasmine, and tuberose. $200, chanel.com. MAGNOLIA Louisiana’s state flower is known for its spicy, lemony aroma. Commodity Magnolia Eau de Parfum conjures the tree in full bloom— petals, glossy leaves, bark, and all—with added layers of citrus, rose, and jasmine. $105, sephora.com.

Our founder’s go-to fragrance is Fracas de Robert Piguet, a scent that features tuberose. She got her firt bottle when she was 18, and never topped wearing it. $165, nordtrom.com.

BERGAMOT Bursting from trees all over Calabria, Italy, this sunny fruit’s trademark is its tart, bright peel, which also distinguishes Earl Grey tea. Essential Parfums Nice Bergamot softens its stronger qualities with cedar and tonka bean. $75, essential parfums.com. LIME To make Ralph Lauren Collection’s Lime Eau de Parfum as zingy as the real thing, Becker froze limes to extract their sparkling nature as they warmed. “I wanted a refreshing, invigorating scent reminiscent of a citrus fizz,” she says. $190, ralphlauren.com. MANDARIN ORANGE Orange blossom, mandarin leaf, and orange peel give

Wild Card Prada Infusion Mandarine Eau de Parfum its sweet, delectable quality. Opoponax (a cousin of myrrh) delivers a warm, sultry finish. $160, saks.com. BITTER ORANGE The taste and scent we associate with marmalade comes from the flowers of this tree, says FloresRoux. Jo Malone Orange Bitters Cologne rounds out its holiday favorite (back for a third year) with mellow amber and sandalwood. $88, jomalone.com. GRAPEFRUIT A medley of tangerine, bergamot, and lemon, plus splashes of rhubarb and peach, gives Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Eau de Parfum brightness and longevity. $50, fresh.com.

Though its seeds have a dit inct tate, the poppy is act ually odorless. The creators behind Net Fragrances’ Wild Poppy Eau de Parfum reimagined it as a fruit-inflected, floral blend of Himalayan jasmine, rose de Grasse, pear, and rapberry. $74, sephora.com.

OUR EXPERTS Calice Becker, perfumer for the Ralph Lauren Collection; Ilias Ermenidis, a perfumer at Firmenich; Rodrigo Flores-Roux, a perfumer at Givaudan; and Stephen Nilsen, senior perfumer at Commodity Fragrances.

PROP ST YLING BY ELIZABETH PRESS

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GOOD LIVING BEAUTY / COUNTER INTELLIGENCE /

Glow With It Holiday makeup doesn’t have to shout. Beautifully uncomplicated, these incandescent gold- and copper-hued cosmetics cast a luminous, dewy sheen onto any skin tone—and with nary a leck of glitter or frost. Tap one across cheekbones, or layer it over eyelids or lips. It’s your time to shine. TEXT BY MELISSA MILRAD GOLDSTEIN

8 1 2

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this season’s fet ivities with an ethereal look that can be created with jut one shimmery addition to your makeup bag, says New York City makeup artit Matin Maulawizada. The key: Pick a super-sheer metallic powder, liquid highlighter, or gloss; then apply it to eyes, cheeks, or lips. Soft golds and rose golds flatter fair skin tones, while richer shades and deeper bronzes enhance darker ones. Wear these cosmetics alone or over your favorite colors. Here, our top picks.

4 5 Fair to Medium Skin

Medium to Dark Skin

ON EYES: Brush (1) Maybelline New York Expert Wear Eye Shadow, in The Glo Down. $4, maybelline.com.

ON EYES: Sweep (3) Bobbi Brown

ON LIPS: Apply (4) Tatcha Camellia Gold Spun Lip Balm on top of lipstick, or wear it solo: “It gives a playful glint,” says Maulawizada. $30, tatcha.com. ANYWHERE: Try (5) Stila Heaven’s

Hue Highlighter, in Magnificence; or (2) Rodin Luxury Illuminating Liquid on cheekbones and collarbones. $32, stilacosmetics .com; $50, rodinoliolusso.com.

Luxe Eye Shadow, in Heat Ray; or (6) MAC Pigment, in Gold. Crush the loose pigments between your fingers, and smooth over lids. $38, bobbibrowncosmetics.com; $22, maccosmetics.com. ON LIPS: Dab (7) Pat McGrath

Labs Lust: Gloss, in Blitz Gold. $28, patmcgrath.com. ANYWHERE: Use a fluffy brush

to apply (8) Laura Mercier Face Illuminator, in Addiction. $44, lauramercier.com.

The true test of a good moisturizer? See how well it works on dehydrated elbows, knees, and heels in the middle of December. One new discovery that’s up to the task: L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect HydraNutrition All-Over Honey Balm. Just dispense a dot on each elbow, and feel chapped patches turn immediately silky. Follow on your hands and feet, and you’ll be looking forward to sandal season. The rich salve contains New Zealand mānuka honey, a wound-healing ingredient heralded for its antibacterial properties and ability to attract and hold onto moisture. Believe the buzz. $25, lorealparisusa.com.

DECEMBER 2018

PHOTOGRAPH BY YASU + JUNKO

ST YLING BY ELIZABETH PRESS; PHOTOGR APH BY PETER ARDITO (L’ORÉAL)

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and our measure of a life well lived— not to mention the topic of countless books, TED Talks, and apps. But what exactly are we searching for? Scientits devoted to answering that quet ion define happy people as those who have a positive temperament, social confidants, and the resources to make progress toward the goals they value. Put plainly, “it’s the joy we feel as we move toward our potential,” says Michelle Gielan, the author of Broadcat ing Happiness (BenBella Books, 2015) and founder of the Intitute for Applied Positive Research, in Dallas. The good news is we’re generally content as a country, but there’s room to grow. In the 2018 United Nations World Happiness Report, which asked people in more than 150 countries to assess their life on a scale of 1 to 10 (based on markers like life expectancy, GDP, and social support), Americans rated their lives at a nottoo-shabby 6.8. But that’s nearly a point behind the top three— Finland, Norway, and Denmark— which rated theirs over 7.5. (PSA: No one, not even Norwegians, can maintain a 10; that would be exhausting!) According to experts, there are clear obtacles in our way of feeling deeper fulfillment every day. Learn how to surmount them.

The Pursuit of Happiness It’s a universal, fundamental truth: We all just want to be happy. And scientists say we’re much closer to it than we may think. Overcome these six common barriers to lighten up your heart and mind. TEXT BY KELLY DINARDO

DECEMBER 2018

PETE THOMPSON PHOTOGR APHY

HAPPINESS IS OUR HOLY GRAIL

Happiness Hurdle:

Our primal brain

Living in 2021

There’s a little thing called the negativity bias. Thousands of years ago, it gave humans an advantage: We were everready to dodge life-and-death danger. Now it means we’re hardwired to notice and tore negative experiences more than positive ones. A single critical comment can knock the wind out of an otherwise great day. How to Clear It:

Look for bright spots Pausing for a minute to appreciate something sweet or beautiful helps us override the negativity bias. To get in the habit, Gielan suggets taking a photo each day of something that makes you smile and laugh, or feel lucky and loving: your sleeping child, an incredible meal, a pink sunset, your funniet old friend. Then, at the end of the week, look at them again all together. Doing so “trains your brain to watch for moments to capture,” Gielan writes in Broadcating Happiness. “It refocuses your attention on the positive, meaningful parts of the day, and shifts it away from tress and negativity.” Soon you won’t even need to snap pictures to feel that pleasant sensation.

2 Happiness Hurdle:

Going it alone Isolating yourself is a surefire way to feel down. The happiet people have rich and satisfying relationships, according to 2002 and 2018 tudies by Martin Seligman, Ph.D., a professor and director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania; and Ed Diener, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and the University of Utah. While it’s a bit of a chickenand-egg conundrum (do joyful people naturally invite more meaningful bonds, or vice versa?), a trong social network is a win-win. How to Clear It:

Reach out That doesn’t mean you have to cram your calendar full. An easy tarting point is to try opening conversations with an optimitic comment, a tactic Gielan calls a “power lead.” Greet a coworker with “I jut litened to a great podcat” intead of “I’m so tired,” or ask your kids, “What was the bet part of your day?” rather than the rote “How was your day?” The shift is subtle but can foter an immediate positive connection.

The ring. The raise. The lat seven pounds. We can all fall into the trap of thinking we’ll be happy the minute X, Y, or Z happens. “The problem is that this pushes happiness into the future,” Gielan says. “When you focus in the present intead, you get your brain to concentrate on what is working in your life.” How to Clear It:

Stay in the moment The idea of centering yourself is at the core of mindfulness meditation, which has been shown to increase activity in the left part of the frontal region of the brain, the area reponsible for positive emotions like optimism. Ralph De La Rosa, a therapit and mediation teacher, and author of The Monkey Is the Messenger (Shambhala, 2018), suggets waking up with a “5-3-1-1” practice. While till in bed, take five big, deep breaths. Think of three things you’re grateful for. Smile one real smile, and set one intention for your day. Habits like this pay big dividends. Not only can being more present give you a sunnier outlook, Gielan says, it also may help improve your energy level and your performance at work; it’s even been shown to up tudents’ tet scores. The other bonus might be the world’s betkept career secret: When you zero in on the good happening now, Gielan notes, you’re more likely to excel.

4 Happiness Hurdle:

The social-media vortex “Compare and depair” is no joke. It’s easy to look up from a long scroll thinking that everyone’s life is a party but yours. We don’t need experts to tell us this habit is eroding our self-esteem, though a 2014 tudy published in Psychology of Popular Media Culture proved jut that. Newer research has pinpointed jut how detructive it can be. A 2017 tudy published in Journal of Affective Disorders found that the more time 18-to-22-year-olds pent on social media, the more likely they were to have symptoms of anxiety. How to Clear It:

Power down, already Set aside time daily to disconnect. Start with small increments; even 10 minutes counts. Then work up to being phone-free for the firt half-hour of the morning, at meals, and during the lat hour before bed, since both your phone’s lighting and its irresistible pull detract from quality sleep—a mut-have for combating anxiety and tress.

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

Make Sargento Italian mac and cheese GOOD LIVING HEALTH & WELLNESS

HERE’S A

FRESH

THOUGHT:

Happiness Hurdle:

GIVE YOUR

Incoming worries

MAC & CHEESE

Speaking of t ress, Americans report feeling more fried than ever. In January 2017, the American Psychological Association found a tatitically significant increase in t ress levels for the firt time in its annual survey’s 10-year hitory. A 2018 follow-up found that we’re as anxious about the future of our country (63 percent) as we are about evergreens like money (62 percent) and work (61 percent).

AN ITALIAN TWIST.

How to Clear It:

Back up and breathe Still haven’t put down your phone? Step away: It’s one big reason we’re all hopped up on headlines. Then think of tangible ways to diffuse what’s vexing you, whether it’s having a heart-to-heart with your mom or using an app to monitor your p ending. If you’re t ill reeling, take a deep breath. Research shows that when our exhale is even a few counts longer than our inhale, the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain down through the neck to the diaphragm and abdomen, tells our nervous sytem to chill out. Our heart rate drops, our blood pressure lowers, the blood vessels relax, and the whole body physically calms down. Inhale slowly through your nose, then exhale with a soft haaaaaaa sound, until your lungs feel completely empty. (Repeat this 10 times, with a three-second pause between breaths, for an even more satisfying release.)

DECEMBER 2018

6 Happiness Hurdle:

Spinning our wheels We all feel t uck sometimes—in an unfulfilling job, a draining relationship, or jut a “meh” tate of mind. It turns out that means we might be t riving for the wrong things. People who shoot for personal pleasures (aka extrinsic goals), such as fame and wealth, are demontrably less happy than those who seek personal growth, relationships, and community (intrinsic goals), per a 2009 University of Rocheter tudy. Researchers asked graduating college t udents about their apirations, and followed up two years later. Those who pursued extrinsic goals reported greater anxiety and poorer physical health depite their accomplishments, while the group with intrinsic ones cited greater well-being and self-eteem as well as fewer physical signs of tress. How to Clear It:

Find a purpose Make that plural: purposes. Think of what drives you in various areas of your life—your personal, family, work, and community roles. “We have complex lives,” says Victor J. Strecher, Ph.D., a health-behavior and health-education professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and the author of Life on Purpose (HarperOne, 2016). “We don’t care about jut one thing.” A multipurpose mind-set helps us prioritize and find balance, he says. When we catch ourselves glued to our email and ignoring our family, we can think, Is this really serving my purpose here? Then we can turn back to things that do—the t uff that truly makes us feel happy. Kelly DiNardo is the coauthor of Living the Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom Beyond the Mat (Shambhala, 2018).

Make Sargento jalapeno mac and cheese

REAL CHEESE PEOPLE

BELIEVE A SHRED OF FRESHNESS LEADS TO

A BITE OF DELIGHT.

Is there a way to save overwhipped cream?

If you’ve gone too far and your glorious pie topping tarts to look grainy or curdled, don’t panic. Jut slowly fold in more unwhipped heavy cream, a tablepoon at a time, until you regain a silky consitency. Below, a few more secrets for success from our tet kitchen.

START COLD

FIRM IT UP

BOOST ITS FLAVOR

A chilled bowl helps heavy cream whip up quickly, so refrigerate a metal one—which gets cool fast and stays that way longest— for 20 minutes before pouring in your cream and beating.

To sweeten whipped cream for topping tarts and such, beat in a tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar for every cup of heavy cream to help it hold its shape better. This type of sugar contains added starch, which delivers extra stability.

If you are serving it with fruit or chocolate desserts, add a dollop of vanilla paste to the heavy cream before whipping.

DECEMBER 2018

LISA COHEN (CREAM); GET T Y IMAGES (FLOORING)

Ask Martha

—Valerie Harrison, Spokane, Wash.

Great Eats

GOOD LIVING

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Wood You Rather? Redoing your floors can be a daunting proposition when options like mahogany and maple are beyond your budget. But high-quality engineered wood is a smart alternative. Manufactured from multiple layers of wood, it stands up well to heavy traffic, as well as fluctuations in temperature and humidity. It can also be glued to or in some cases just placed over concrete, or nailed to a wood subfloor, so it’s ideal for basements. However, some varieties— particularly those with thin top layers—can’t be repeatedly sanded, restained, and refinished like their hardwood counterparts can, so regular maintenance is a must. According to the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), all wood floors should be vacuumed (using the hard-surface setting) once a week; cleaned with a neutral-pH product once a month, using a damp but not soaking-wet mop; and spot-cleaned as needed. For a list of engineered woods sorted by price, appearance, and durability, see the guide at the NWFA’s website (woodfloors.org).

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

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GOOD LIVING

My brother is coming over for the holidays with his dog. How can I help our two dogs get along? —Sarah Kessler, St. Louis

Firt, facilitate an on-leash introduct ion (so you can safely inter vene, if need be) in a neutral pace like a park or driveway, says Liv Hagen, behavior modification and rehabilitation manager at the Animal Humane Society: “Look for a half-circle greeting, in which the dogs curve their bodies to sniff each other’s rear ends. It’s how they politely say hello.” If you see this behavior, give them a few minutes together, then separate them for walks or other act ivities before initiating a second greeting. But if one dog’s hackles go up, or her tail flies into a high wag, guide her out of the other’s sight, offer treats and calming pats to de-escalate, and try again later if it seems feasible. Tell your brother to bring his dog’s crate, too: “It can serve as a private sanct uary in an unfamiliar pace,” Hagen says. To avoid scuffles over food and water, keep two sets of bowls in separate rooms, and provide a surplus of toys in the shared pace.

ANNA WILLIAMS

LET US HELP YOU! E-mail your questions to Ask.Martha@meredith.com, or send them to Ask Martha, c/o Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 225 Liberty Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10281. Please include your full name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters and messages become the property of Meredith Corp. and may be published, broadcast, edited, or otherwise used in any of its media. By submitting your questions to Ask Martha, you are agreeing to let us use your name and hometown in connection with our publication of your questions.

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Truffle

Extra-Virgin IT'S NOT JUST CHEESE, IT'S Parmigiano-Reggiano IT'S NOT JUST OLIVE OIL, IT'S

IT'S NOT JUST A MEAL, IT'S

Collezione

M AST E R S O F PASTA Elevate every meal with Collezione. Bronze cut for a texture and taste that perfectly holds sauces every time.

Everyday FOOD

FOOD ST YLING BY GREG LOF TS; PROP ST YLING BY SUZIE MYERS

COOK, NOURISH, ENJOY

| EASY ENTERTAINING |

SIMPLY FESTIVE If you spend twice as much time making your holiday meal as you do enjoying it, let’s upend that tradition. Our menu features a toil-free pork Wellington, quick and vibrant sides, and a chocolate dessert that doesn’t set foot in the oven. With this strategy, you’ll be done before the doorbell rings. TEXT BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN RECIPES BY GREG LOFTS

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LENNART WEIBULL

THE MENU Pork Wellington With Prosciutto and Spinach-Mushroom Stuffing Peppery Greens With Meyer-Lemon Dressing

Rutabaga–Sweet Potato Mash With Garlic and Sage No-Bake Chocolate-Eggnog Crème Brûlée

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

| A G O O D L I B AT I O N |

Dijon mustard multitasks, lending a spicy kick to the pork Wellington sauce and the salad dressing.

reshape tenderloins into logs with your hands, enclosing filling as much as possible. 3. Unfold pat ry on a lightly

Pork Wellington With Prosciutto and SpinachMushroom Stuffing This entrée can be prepared through step 3 and refrigerated for up to one day, or frozen until firm, transferred to a freezer bag, and stored for up to a month. (If cooking from frozen, brush with more egg wash and add 15 to 20 minutes to the bake time.)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, chopped (1 cup) 12 ounces mixed mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake, and cremini, chopped (5 cups) 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry 2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar

DECEMBER 2018

⅔ cup heavy cream 2 pork tenderloins (each about 1 pound) 1 sheet frozen all-butter puf pastry, such as Dufour, thawed Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto 1 large egg 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over

medium-high. Add onion, mushrooms, and thyme; season with salt. Cook, t irring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add spinach; cook 2 minutes more. Add vinegar and ⅓ cup cream. Cook, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet, 1 minute. Let cool completely. 2. Preheat oven to 425˚. Cut a slit down length of each tenderloin, deep enough to reach center, and season with salt. Pack mushroom mixture evenly into slits, then

4. Bake until patry is puffed and

golden brown and a thermometer inserted into centers of pork regiters 140˚, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer Wellingtons to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, t ir together mut ard, remaining ⅓ cup cream, and 2 tablepoons water; season with salt and pepper. Slice Wellingtons into 2-inch rounds and serve with mut ard sauce. ACTIVE TIME: 55 MIN. | TOTAL TIME : 3 HR. 10 MIN. | SERVES: 8 TO 10

Sparkling cider is a delicious counterpoint to pork. This dry one tastes like apples without being sweet and has a refreshing effervescence. Isastegi Sagardo Basque Cider 2015, $9, astorwines.com.

| QUICK & BRIGHT SIDES |

Peppery Greens With Meyer-Lemon Dressing You can prep this salad up to eight hours ahead. Place clean, dry greens in a bowl on top of the dressing, cover, and refrigerate. Remove 20 minutes before serving and toss. 2 tablespoons fresh Meyerlemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Pinch of sugar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 12 cups mixed peppery greens, such as watercress, arugula, and frisée, torn into bite-size pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mut ard, and sugar. Slowly add oil in a thin t ream, whisking contantly; generously season with salt and pepper. Add greens; toss until leaves are evenly coated in dressing. Serve. ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: SERVES:

8 TO 10

10 MIN. |

PETER ARDITO (CIDER)

| THE MAIN COURSE |

floured work surface. Roll out to an approximately 13-inch square; cut in half. Starting at one short end of each piece, score diagonal lines, 1 inch apart, with a sharp knife or pizza wheel (do not cut all the way through). Score in other direct ion, creating a crosshatch pattern. Transfer both doughs to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, scoredsides down (if they become too soft, chill briefly). Divide prosciutto evenly between doughs, overlapping to fit and leaving 1-inch borders of dough. Center a tenderloin on top of each dough, stuffed-sides down. Whisk egg with 1 teap oon water; brush borders with egg wash. Lift long sides of each dough up and over pork, t retching slightly as necessary until edges meet; pinch edges to seal. Fold short sides up over pork and flip so seams face down. Brush all over with egg wash; cut a few 1-inch vents in tops. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Make hide and seek delicious.

For more holiday inspiration with Rice Krispies, visit pinterest.com/ricekrispies

EVERYDAY FOOD

Rutabaga–Sweet Potato Mash With Garlic and Sage Make this up to two days ahead and keep refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat it in the microwave, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until hot. 2 pounds rutabaga, peeled and cut into ½ -inch pieces 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons minced garlic (from 5 to 6 cloves) 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves

½ cup heavy cream 1. In a pot, combine rutabaga and

sweet potatoes; cover with water by a few inches and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain. 2. Return pot to medium heat;

add butter. When it melts, add garlic and sage; cook 1 minute. Add cream; bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Return rutabaga and sweet potatoes to pot; mash to desired consistency and season with salt and pepper. Serve. ACTIVE TIME: SERVES:

30 MIN. | TOTAL TIME : 1 HR.

8 TO 10

| FA B U LO U S F I N I S H |

To get a perfectly crackly, caramelized top, we sprinkle on sugar and use the Iwatani Chef torch ($33, amazon.com), which has a wide flame for quick, even toasting.

No-Bake ChocolateEggnog Crème Brûlée Get a head start by completing step 1 and refrigerating the ramekins for up to two days. 1⅓ cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling

⅓ cup cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon kosher salt 2⅔ cups whole milk 2⅔ cups heavy cream 8 large egg yolks 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (¾ cup) 2 ounces brandy, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste

1. In a saucepan, whisk together

sugar, corntarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk in milk, cream, and egg yolks. Cook over

DECEMBER 2018

medium heat, tirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil, then cook 1 minute more. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Add chocolate and brandy, t irring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Divide among 8 to 10 small ramekins or heatproof bowls. Refrigerate until chilled, at leat 2 hours or, covered with plat ic wrap, up to 2 days. (If making ahead, do not cover until cold, to prevent condensation.) 2. Sprinkle tops generously with

sugar, tilting ramekins to evenly dit ribute. Slowly wave a kitchen torch approximately 2 inches above surface of each cut ard until sugar bubbles, turns amber, and forms a hard crut; serve. ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN. | TOTAL TIME : 2 HR. 50 MIN. | SERVES: 8 TO 10

1 16-oz. pkg. Jimmy Dean® Regular Premium Pork Sausage, cooked, crumbled, drained 4 green onions, sliced 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 4 eggs 2 cups half-and-half or milk 1 cup all-purpose baking mix Suggested toppings: sour cream, chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sausage in lightly greased 2-quart round casserole dish. Top with onions and cheese. 2. Beat eggs, half-and-half and baking mix with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over cheese. 3. Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Add toppings. Variation: Substitute a 13x9-inch baking pan for 2-quart round casserole dish. Bake 20–25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

EVERYDAY FOOD

| TRADITIONS |

A Better Brisket

Sweet-and-Sour Brisket

When Sarah Carey, our editorial director of food and entertaining, was a kid, holiday visits to her grandparents’ house oten included hard candies from her great-grandfather and her grandma’s sweetand-sour version of this classic. She and her brother re-created it from memory, one bite at a time.

3½ to 4 pounds beef brisket, fat cap trimmed to ¼ inch thick Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon safflower oil 2 onions, thinly sliced (4 cups) 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup chili sauce (such as Heinz) or ketchup

½ cup packed dark-brown sugar ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar 4 large carrots (about 1½ pounds total), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces 1¾ pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½ -inch pieces Flat-leaf parsley leaves, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place

brisket in a large, heavy-bottomed roat ing pan; season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large t raight-sided skillet over medium-high; add onions, 2 teap oons salt, and ½ teap oon pepper and cook, t irring, until onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, chili sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to a boil.

NEXT-DAY IDEA For an easy, satisfying meal, shred leftover meat, then reheat it in its braising liquid, toss it with penne or rigatoni pasta, and top with Parmesan and basil. Brought to you by Barilla® Collezione

DECEMBER 2018

burners; pour in broth mixture and return to a boil. Cover pan with parchment-lined foil and roat in oven 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°; roat 1 hour, 15 minutes more. Add carrots and potatoes and continue roating, uncovered, tossing vegetables occasionally, 1 hour. Bate meat with pan juices and continue to roat, bat ing and tossing vegetables occasionally, until meat is tender but not falling apart, and potatoes and carrots are cooked, about 1 hour more. 3. Transfer brisket to a cutting

board. Let t and 10 minutes, then slice and serve with sauce, vegetables, and parsley. ACTIVE TIME:

35 MIN. | TOTAL TIME : 4 HR.

20 MIN. | SERVES: 8

FOOD ST YLING BY GREG LOF TS; PROP ST YLING BY SUZIE MYERS

2. Place roat ing pan over two

EVERYDAY FOO | KITCHEN WISDOM |

BEANS They’re the mother of all vanilla. Pods can be pricey, so reserve them for when their deep flavor will really shine (think homemade ice cream or baked custards). Keep them in the freezer in a plastic bag, and when ready to use, slice them lengthwise with the tip of a knife, then scrape out the seeds. We like Marx Foods Madagascar vanilla beans ($121 for ¼ lb., about $5 per bean; marxfoods.com).

That bottle kicking around your spice cabinet is bursting with potential. Embrace this dynamic staple in all its forms, and you’ll have aromatic lavor on demand. TEXT BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN

EXTRACT This familiar dark liquid is created by soaking whole pods in a solution of grain alcohol and water, and it’s the least expensive option by volume. Stow it in a cool, dark cupboard, and use it in everyday baking to enhance cookies, cakes, and brownies. We like Simply Organic pure vanilla extract ($22 for 4 oz., simply organic.com).

QUICK CONVERTER 1 bean = 1 tablespoon paste = 1 tablespoon extract

Explore Its Origins

Savor Every Bit

Nearly all vanilla grows in one of four main regions around the globe, and each kind has a dit inct tate. Mot comes from Madagascar and has a balanced, mild flavor. Mexican beans skew sweeter. Tahitian pods are floral and fruity, and Indonesian have a smoky quality.

For a gentle infusion of vanilla, bury a scraped pod in a jar of sugar for up to two weeks, or submerge it in simple syrup to sweeten iced coffee or rum-based cocktails. (It’ll keep in the fridge for six months.) You can also simmer half of a scraped bean in marinara to add an earthy note.

DECEMBER 2018

PROP ST YLING BY SUZIE MYERS

PASTE Usually a blend of sugar, water, and seeds, vanilla paste is syrupy and slightly sweet. It lacks the sharpness of extract (as well as the alcohol), making it ideal in uncooked applications, such as folded into frosting or whipped cream. Store it in a cool, dark place. We like Nielsen Massey pure vanillabean paste ($25 for 4 oz., amazon.com).

Vanilla Vitals

©Mondelēz International group

Life’s rich when you’re all together. Find more festive recipe ideas for your holiday get-togethers at ritzcrackers.com/recipes

| WHAT’S FOR DINNER? |

Get Cracking Eggs really come out of their shells when you enjoy them ater breakfast. Swirl them into kale soup, sliver them into stir-fry “noodles,” or let their sunny personalities shine on a croque-madame casserole. TEXT BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN RECIPES BY GREG LOFTS

DECEMBER 2018

FOOD ST YLING BY GREG LOF TS; PROP ST YLING BY SUZIE MYERS

EVERYDAY FOO

Turkey-Pastrami Croque-Madame Casserole

Egg “Noodle,” Broccolini, and Mushroom Stir-Fry

Stracciatella Soup With Kale and Lemon

Bacon, Potato, and Swiss Chard Scramble

Egg “Noodle,” Broccolini, and Mushroom Stir-Fry

1 loaf ciabatta (1 pound), split horizontally

3 tablespoons safflower oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large eggs, room temperature, beaten

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons minced ginger (from a 1½-inch piece)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 to 3 cloves)

6 ounces Gruyère, shredded (1¾ cups)

8 ounces Broccolini, cut into 2-inch pieces (3 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

8 ounces sliced turkey pastrami

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the bias (1 cup)

4 large eggs

1 red-finger chile pepper, thinly sliced ( ¼ cup)

Chopped fresh chives, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450˚. Trim ends of bread so it fits in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then toast directly on oven rack until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, until golden, 2 minutes. Whisk in milk. Boil, still whisking, until thickened, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in Dijon, 1 cup cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread ¾ cup cheese sauce evenly in bottom of dish. Nestle bread into sauce, cut-side up. Top with pastrami and remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup cheese. 2. Bake until bubbly and browned in places, 15 to 18 minutes. Fry eggs in remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Top toasts with eggs; sprinkle with chives and serve. ACTIVE TIME:

30 MIN. | TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN. | SERVES: 4

Stracciatella Soup With Kale and Lemon Stirring the egg yolks into the soup after removing it from heat lends the broth a rich texture. Other hearty leafy greens, like Swiss chard or collards, can be swapped in for kale. 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 6 ounces kale, stems and center ribs discarded, thinly sliced (4 packed cups) 4 large eggs, separated 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, or Grana Padano, grated ( ⅓ cup), plus more for serving

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Crusty bread and butter, for serving

In a pot, bring broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in kale; reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Reduce heat to low; slowly pour egg whites into center of pot and cook, undisturbed, until just set, about 45 seconds. Gently stir until whites are evenly distributed throughout soup. Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks; stir into soup with cheese, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper; serve with bread and butter. ACTIVE TIME:

15 MIN. | TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN. | SERVES: 4

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add eggs and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 30 seconds. Lift edges with a spatula; tilt pan so runny parts slide to bottom. Cook until golden in places on bottom but still wet on top, about 1 minute. Slide onto a cutting board; let cool slightly, then roll up like a cigar and slice into ½-inch-thick “noodles.” 2. Wipe skillet clean; add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place over high heat. When oil shimmers, add ginger, garlic, Broccolini, mushrooms, and half of scallions. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are golden in places, about 5 minutes. Stir in chile and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cook 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, lime juice, egg “noodles,” and remaining scallions; toss to combine. Serve. ACTIVE TIME:

30 MIN. | TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN. | SERVES: 4

Bacon, Potato, and Swiss Chard Scramble 3 ounces bacon (3 strips), chopped

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds 1 small onion, halved and sliced (1½ cups) 1 bunch Swiss chard (8 ounces), stems chopped, leaves thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 to 3 cloves) 8 large eggs, beaten Salsa or hot sauce, for serving

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons oil, potatoes, onion, chard stems, and rosemary; season with salt. Cook until potatoes are tender and browned in places, 13 to 15 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and garlic, season with pepper, and cook, stirring a few times, until leaves are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish; loosely cover to keep warm. 2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and place over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add eggs, season with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until just set, about 1 minute. Serve with potato mixture and salsa. ACTIVE TIME:

35 MIN. | TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN. | SERVES: 4

Turkey-Pastrami Croque-Madame Casserole

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Better eggs.®

Grocery List Unsalted butter • 1 russet potato • Whole milk • Active dry yeast • Granulated sugar • Eggs • Unbleached bread flour • Light-brown sugar • Ground cinnamon • Cream cheese • Confectioners’ sugar • Pure vanilla extract •

For the fluffiest buns imaginable, let them rest for at least 20 minutes before diving in.

| PERFECTING |

DREAM ROLLS Here’s a glorious reason to get up in the morning: our superlative cinnamon buns, made with bread lour for satisfying chewiness and potatoes for pufed-up sotness. Just spread on the tangy cream-cheese glaze, and pinch yourself—they’re the real deal. TEXT BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN RECIPES BY LAURYN TYRELL

DECEMBER 2018

Brush a large bowl with softened butter; set aside. Peel potato and cut into 1-inch pieces; place in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes; drain. Pass through a ricer or mash with a fork until smooth; let cool slightly. Heat 1 cup milk until warm to the touch (110° on a thermometer). Transfer to the bowl of a t and mixer; add a ¼-ounce envelope of yeat (2¼ teapoons). Let tand until foamy, 5 minutes. Stir in 6 tablepoons melted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ⅔ cup mashed potato, 1 egg, 3½ cups bread ﬂour, and 1½ teap oons kosher salt until a ragged dough forms. Place bowl on mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment; mix on medium-low peed, scraping sides and removing dough from hook a few times, until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface; knead into a ball. Transfer to buttered bowl (dough will be very soft) and cover with platic wrap. (Dough can be covered and refrigerated at this point up to 2 days.) Let rise in a warm place until almot doubled, 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1½ hours.

FOOD ST YLING BY GREG LOF TS; PROP ST YLING BY SUZIE MYERS

Make the Dough

PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES AND CREAM CHEESECAKE Prep Time: 30 min. | Total Time: 6 hours 35 min. | Makes: 16 servings (incl. refrigerating)

WH AT YO U N EED 30 OREO Cookies, divided 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted 35 starlight mints, divided 4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate 2 oz. BAKER'S White Chocolate

M A K E IT HEAT oven to 325°F. USE pulsing action of food processor to process 18 cookies until ﬁnely ground. Add butter; mix well. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 min. CRUSH 30 mints, then chop 10 of remaining cookies. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Stir in crushed mints and chopped cookies. Pour over crust. BAKE 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours. MEANWHILE, crush remaining mints, then chop remaining cookies. Cover baking sheet with parchment. Melt chocolates separately as directed on packages. Spread semi-sweet chocolate into thin layer on prepared baking sheet; top with tablespoonfuls of the white chocolate. Swirl gently with spoon. Top with crushed mints and chopped cookies. Refrigerate until ﬁrm. BREAK chocolate bark into small pieces; sprinkle over cheesecake before serving. Variation: Substitute 3/4 cup crushed candy canes for the starlight mints. Reserve 1 Tbsp. crushed candy for sprinkling over the swirled chocolate bark; stir remaining crushed candy into the cheesecake batter before baking as directed.

EVERYDAY FOOD

Sprinkle On Spices

Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with butter. In a bowl, t ir together ⅔ cup packed lightbrown sugar, 2 teapoons cinnamon, and a large pinch of salt. Punch down dough; transfer to lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a 14-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with 6 tablepoons room-temperature butter, leaving a ½-inch border on far long edge; top with brown-sugar mixture. Starting at long edge closet to you, roll dough away from you into a tight jelly-roll shape. Transfer, seam-side down, to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Slice and Let Set

Trim ends, then cut roll crosswise into twelve 1½-inch-thick rounds with a serrated knife. Arrange, cut-sides up, in prepared dish; cover with platic wrap. Refrigerate at leat 8 hours, or overnight.

Bake and Glaze

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove buns from refrigerator and place in a warm p ot until almot doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Remove plat ic and bake until browned on top and a thermometer inserted regiters about 210°, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in dish on a wire rack, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together 4 ounces room-temperature cream cheese, ½ cup confect ioners’ sugar, 2 to 3 tablepoons milk, ½ teapoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Spread buns with glaze; let cool 15 to 20 minutes more before serving.

1. Apple-Pecan Rolls

Bonus Breakfast Ideas For more uncontested crowd-pleasers, give these fillings and toppings a whirl.

DECEMBER 2018

For filling in step 2: Stir together 3 tablespoons each room-temperature unsalted butter and apple butter. In another bowl, combine ⅔ cup packed light-brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Spread butter mixture, then sugar mixture evenly over dough; top with 1 cup chopped toasted pecans and ½ cup dried currants or chopped raisins. Follow rest of instructions through baking in step 4, using 2 buttered 8-inch cake pans instead of baking dish. For glaze in step 4: While buns bake, heat ¾ cup light-brown sugar, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons apple butter, and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan over medium, stirring, until simmering; cook 1 minute. Drizzle over baked buns; let cool at least 20 minutes. Serve.

READY TO ROLL Our buns can be made, sliced, and frozen up to 3 months ahead. Freeze them in their baking dish, tightly wrapped in plastic, at the end of step 3. When ready to proceed, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight before continuing with step 4.

2. Orange-Cardamom Morning Buns For filling in step 2: In a bowl, combine 6 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, and a pinch of salt. Mix until light and fluffy. Spread over dough; follow remaining baking instructions through step 4, using 2 buttered 6-cup jumbo muffin tins in place of baking dish. For glaze in step 4: While buns bake, melt 3 tablespoons each unsalted butter and honey. Brush baked buns generously with mixture; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Remove from tins (if buns stick, run a knife around edges), and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

make your holiday

BRIGHT

The Home Depot has Martha’s trees and greenery to spruce up your home for the season.

SHOP THE FULL ASSORTMENT IN-STORE AND AT HOMDEPOT.COM

December “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred and we are better thruout the year for having in spirit become a child again at Christmas-time.” —Laura Ingalls Wilder

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIN KUNKEL

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

Fine and Scandi Silke Stoddard Crafter and longtime Living contributor

“When I was growing up in Düsseldorf, Germany, our tree was always decorated with straw and wood ornaments,” says Stoddard. “I love that they’re natural and organic materials.” This year, she embraced that aesthetic with a wooden-dowel tree. She hung her favorite Scandinavian and German ornaments along with baubles she created herself, including bone-bead snowflakes and a selection of temari balls, made by wrapping yarn and colored thread in geometric patterns around papier-mâché spheres. “The effect is clean and minimal, but not cold,” she says. On the contrary, it will warm any modernit design lover’s heart.

Handmade in Pennsylvania, this tree lets each ornament be appreciated from all angles. “It’s a wonderful way to display a collection, as there are no needles or leaves in the way,” says Stoddard. THE DETAILS: Aaron McKay Beaded Minimal Christmas tree, $150, welcometothewoodshop .com. Nordstjerne paper ornaments, $11 each, nordstjerne.eu. Sibast Furniture Fair Design No. 7 Lounge chair, in Soaped Oak with Honey Leather seat, $2,049, fair-design.com. IKEA Rens sheepskin rug (on chair), $30, ikea.com. Studio Carta ribbons, from $9 for 3 yd., angela liguori.com.

Trunk Show

One part family tradition, another part fantasy with a dash of childlike whim—here’s how four very talented friends of Living went out on a creative limb to decorate their Christmas trees. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROLAND BELLO | TEXT BY CATHERINE HONG

101

The Living Landscape Emily Thompson Florist, Emily Thompson Flowers

You don’t have to believe in fairies to flutter over Thompson’s tree, which conjures a foret populated by elfin creatures. “It’s a version of one my mother used to decorate for us,” she says. Intead of a tree skirt, the Douglas fir sits on a mossy bed. To create it, Thompson protected the floor with platic sheeting, then put clump moss around the base and tucked rocks, tree tumps, and potted plants around it for a fantatical look. The tree itself is draped with velvet ribbon and wild smilax vines wired with real and faux leaves, piky chetnuts, and pinecones, along with magnolia, piny datura, and okra pods, some gilded in gold or silver paint. The pièce de résistance is a teensy ladder fashioned out of birch and twine, and a bunny poised to join a winter-soltice party within the branches.

“Where I grew up, in northern Vermont, everything was covered in six feet of snow by Christmas. It was amazing for us to see a lush, green wonderland right in our living room.”

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For an easy but similar effect at home, simply clump moss around the base of your tree, and mist it with water every few days so it stays vivid through the holidays. You can order moss at shopterrain.com. THE DETAILS: Farrow & Ball paint, in Hague Blue, us.farrow-ball.com. Vintage iron chair, paularubenstein.com.

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Three different sizes of glass globes were clustered and hung in irregular groups to keep Sharkey’s creation from looking too uniform or polka-dotted. Then he doubled down on the palette, wrapping presents in coordinating hues. THE DETAILS: White Iced fir tree, 7 ½', $429, grandinroad.com. Handblown glass ornaments, from $30 for a set of 3, winwardsilks.com.

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“I approach decorating trees the same way I do flower arrangements. I like to use color to create focal points.”

Artifice Maximus Kevin Sharkey Executive director of design, Martha Stewart

“I call it Dunkin’ Donuts meets Hermès!” says Sharkey of his exuberant faux tree bedecked in fuchsia, orange, and coral handblown glass balls. While it has a retro vibe (white flocked trees were all the rage in the ’50s and ’60s), Sharkey’s inpiration came from a ditinctly contemporary point of view: that of Martha’s 6-year-old grandson. “We let Truman pick the palette—his favorite colors are pink and orange,” Sharkey says. For extra shimmer, he added elongated silver drops and clear glass orbs. It’s far from traditional, which is exactly the point. “Use whatever colors give you joy,” he says.

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A Fine Vintage John Derian Designer and owner, John Derian Company

“I’ve always loved Christmas. As a child, I looked forward to the moment our family would pull out the boxes of ornaments and start decorating.”

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ART DIRECTION BY ABBEY KUSTER-PROKELL; ST YLING BY TANYA GR AFF

“I like old things and things that look old,” says Derian, the designer and shopkeeper known for his chic découpage pieces and eclectic homegoods tores in New York City. This diminutive tabletop tree is modeled on a faux one he bought at a flea market more than a decade ago. “It was a wonky little feather tree with about eight ornaments on it that I jut fell for,” he says. To re-create it, he placed a real tree in an antique pice caniter. Then he added a mix of old ornaments and quirky handmade reproductions from the German company Notalgie-Chritbaumschmuck (literal translation: “nostalgic Christmas-tree decoration”), made from molds. “Small trees can have a lot of charm,” he says. “And they go beautifully with the muted jewel tones and subtle parkle of vintage ornaments.”

Derian’s sweet yet soigné tree looks right at home among his antique furniture and accessories, including an American table and a French wooden chair from the 19th century, an 18th-century Italian lantern, and an early20th-century French metal chair. THE DETAILS: Nostalgie-Christbaumschmuck ornaments, from $16 each; and wrapping paper, $10 for five 18"-by-27" sheets, johnderian.com.

FÊTE ACCOMPLI There’s an art to throwing a holiday soirèe that really sparkles, and it’s easier than you think to master. Whether you want to gather friends for spirited drinks and good bites or host a big open house, here’s our blueprint to partying like a Martha.

GLAM GARNISH Accent drinks with Luxardo cherries, the deeply flavored doyennes of the maraschino family.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN WALKER TEXT BY JENNY COMITA RECIPES BY LAURYN TYRELL

Kick It Off With Chic Cocktails Pour an intimate round or mix a whole pitcher of these modern variations on classic sours. Just follow our foolproof formula: 2 parts spirit, ¾ part sour, ¾ part sweet. Our infused simple syrups are just that—a cinch to make—and lend sips a sophisticated, je-ne-sais-quoi quality. ROSEMARY GIMLET A fresh herbal syrup gives gin and lemon juice a floral finish.

BITTER BEE Add dimension to tequila on the rocks with honey and grapefruit.

CINNAMON SOUR This sweet-and-spicy bourbon drink can be topped with red wine.

BESPOKE BITES Pop a handful of premade apps in the oven when the neighbors drop by, or heat up multiple batches when you expect a larger turnout.

IN A CRUNCH Our test kitchen is hooked on Torres Selecta 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil premium potato chips.

Bake In Some Bliss Hot hors d’oeuvres send the warmest message: Leave your cares at the door; we’re here to spoil you. Assemble feta-stuffed shishitos in phyllo, tomato-jam pinwheels, and pimiento-cornmeal croquettes in advance and freeze them. Then slide them in the oven while you fancy up a few crowd favorites from the market (think spicing up olives and toasting corn nuts). SAY SALUTE SIMPLY This Italian icebreaker is red vermouth on the rocks plus a splash of soda and a twist of orange peel.

For recipes, see page 137.

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FRUITFUL ADVICE For a tart that’s both sweet and, well, tart, use Granny Smith apples.

Complement a Big Cheese A gorgeous hunk of blue deserves a better sidekick than a basic cracker. Here, creamy, mildly sharp Bayley Hazen finds a fruity counterpart in our apple-membrillo tart, which layers jammy Spanish quince paste (membrillo) atop a savory, rosemary-flecked crust. Marcona almonds— another Iberian specialty—add salty crunch, and juicy green grapes keep things fresh.

Make a Grand Gesture There are crudités, and then there is le grand aioli, the Provençal feast of raw and steamed vegetables, hardcooked eggs, and chilled seafood served with a side of garlicky, homemade mayonnaise. Our version takes some liberties with Grand-mère’s egg, oil, lemon juice, and garlic recipe; we doctored jarred mayonnaise with anchovies and oil-packed tuna. We also supplied a vegan avocadobased green-goddess dip. But the end result sparks that same convivial feeling of clustering around an overflowing platter. THE DETAILS: Block marble tray, $128, jaysonhome.com.

DO A DOUBLE This clever system, using two metal bowls (with a smaller vessel of ice centered inside a larger one), prevents soggy shellfish and makes replenishing a snap.

POLAR EXPRESS A quick bath in icy water crisps sliced raw vegetables and gives leaves an alluring curl.

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SUPREME CITRUS With their thin, fragrant skins and low acidity, Meyer lemons are worth the splurge. This relish uses the whole fruit, which gets mellowed out by sautéed sweet fennel and onion.

Head North Snowbound Scandinavians know their way around a winter feast. To wit: this Swedishinspired juniper-and-gin gravlax. Curing a side of salmon isn’t complicated: Just buy high-quality fish (and have the pin bones removed), slather it with a salty-sweet spice mix, and let it hang out in the fridge. For a mini mixer, pick up a smaller, premade version. Just don’t skimp on the accompaniments: crème fraîche, hearty crackers, capers and onions, and our new go-to flavor bomb: fenneltinged Meyer-lemon relish.

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THE DETAILS: Onyx serving board, from $198, jaysonhome.com.

Roast, Then Play Host

ART DIRECTION BY JAMES MAIKOWSKI; FOOD ST YLING BY L AURYN T YRELL; PROP ST YLING BY TANYA GR AFF

This pomegranate-glazed ham with jammy cipollinis needs little more than a mouthwatering glaze and an hour and a half in the oven to achieve caramelized nirvana. While the meat heats and develops its stunning sheen, the tiny onions around it soak up all its smoky drippings, melting into a sticky-sweet condiment for ham and mini-pickle-biscuit sandwiches.

ZING FLING Tangy with a pleasant pop, whole-grain Dijon cuts the mustard—and the meat’s richness. Our pick: Trois Petits Cochons Moutarde a l’Ancienne.

DRY IDEA Pair this spread with a crisp white that has just a hint of sweetness. We like Hofgut Falkenstein Riesling, from Mosel.

THE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY

K AT E M AT H I S

TEXT BY

E L E N I N . G AG E

GIF TS

PETER ARDITO (MIFF Y, SEEDLIP, CAR AMELS, DOG TOYS, PECANS, SEEDS)

Opposite: 1. Ensure a kiddo’s sweet dreams with this bedside lamp, shaped like author Dick Bruna’s iconic “Miffy” character. $99, store.moma.org. 2. Shake or stir your way into a teetotaling friend’s heart with Seedlip’s spicy, herbal, or citrusy nonalcoholic “spirits.” $36 each, seedlipdrinks-us.com. 3. Made from local butter and cream, organic cider from heirloom apples, rose petals, and cocoa nibs, Little Apple Treats caramels are downright delicious. $20 for 5 oz., littleapple treats.com. 4. (Wo)man’s best friend deserves something stylish to chew on: Martha Stewart rope dog toys. $6 each, amazon.com. 5. Help the hostess with the mostest nosh into the new year with Schermer’s Large Pecan Cocktail Collection. $81 for three 10-oz. bags of roasted and salted and three 10-oz. bags of cinnamon-glazed, schermerpecans.com. 6. This handmade leather jump rope by Kalon will make fitness lovers’ hearts race. From $95, kalonstudios.com. 7. Stuff stockings with a gift that keeps on growing: Row 7 seeds produce vegetable varieties developed with chef Dan Barber. From $3.50 each, row7seeds.com. This page: The most irresistible holiday decoration we never knew existed: Inspired by traditional German incense burners, these jolly wood fellows by Farmhouse Pottery charm anyone who opens them. $145 each, farmhousepottery.com.

ONCE YOU’VE MADE YOUR LIST AND CHECKED IT TWICE, LEAVE THE REST TO US. OUR BUSY ELVES HAVE SEARCHED HIGH AND LOW FOR ENCHANTING, ORIGINAL, GIANT-HUG-INDUCING PRESENTS. PICK FROM OUR SLEIGHFUL OF GOODIES, AND GET SET FOR YOUR HAPPIEST HOLIDAY EVER. 115

1. Rachel Comey’s Italianmade acrylic Splitleap drop earrings will give even jeans and a tee a shot of glamour. $115, rachelcomey.com.

FOR HER 6

She takes care of everyone and makes it look efortless. Pamper her with these thoughtful luxuries.

2. Proof that pretty is as pretty does: Eileen Fisher‘s ultra-cozy hats are hand-knit in Peru through a program that brings fair-trade wages and a safe workplace to local artisans. $98, eileenfisher.com. 3. You can’t go wrong with lip gloss for grownups. Darphin’s Petal Infusions contain nourishing grapeseed, apricot, and vitamin E oils. $20 each, darphin.com.

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4. Good things come in small packages, and then stay elegantly organized in Ann Taylor’s jewelry box. In Lime Gold, $40, anntaylor.com. 5. It’s a glass! No, it’s a vase! Artêl’s mushroomengraved crystal tumbler, handmade by Czech artisans, is so lovely to look at, she’ll find any reason to display it. $210, artelglass.com. 6. Show her she’ll always be your flame with Anulo’s brass candleholder. $45, jungleeny.com.

7. Some bags are workhorses that hold it all; others are show ponies that simply look fetching. Cuyana’s wide-strap tote is both. $195, cuyana.com. 8. When you can’t embrace her in person, wrap her up in this warm Martha Stewart Collection blanket. $80, macys.com.

PETER ARDITO (EARRINGS, LIP GLOSS, JEWELRY BOX, GL ASS, CANDLEHOLDER, BAG, BL ANKET)

GIFTS

“

I know my mom will love these trays. heir beautiful ﬂoral motifs look like chic, modern updates of William Morris prints. And I love the colors so much that I plan to pick up one (or two) for myself, too!” Features and Garden Editor

As eye-catching as they are functional, Utopia Goods limited-edition pressed-plywood trays come in a veritable garden of botanical prints that make a grilled cheese on the coffee table feel like a picnic en plein air. From $63 each, utopiagoods.com.

“

h is is such a good gift idea. I recently gave one to my husband. I knew he would love it, but I didn’t expect it to be such a hit with the entire family. We’ve had so much fun building a new vinyl collection— and diving into old, forgotten favorites. It’s fueled our son’s curiosity in music, and we all love to come home and put a record on.” E L I Z A B E T H G R AV E S Editor in Chief

Rock his world with a turntable that converts vinyl to digital files and plays both fabulously. The AudioTechnica LP120 will be music to his ears. $299, bestbuy.com.

PHOTOGR APHS BY PETER ARDITO (BANDANNAS, BOOK, GLOVES, AMARO), COURTESY OF MANUFACTURER (LEGO); SOF T ST YLING BY CL AIRE TEDALDI

1. Jenni Earle designs her understated, made-in-theUSA bandannas in honor of her grandpa, who always carries one in his pocket. Now your hometown hero can too. $28 each, jenni earle.com. 2. If you can’t fly him to Copenhagen for dinner, nab The Noma Guide to Fermentation, which shares the world-famous Danish restaurant’s recipes for kombucha, kimchi, and more. $40, workman.com. 3. His inner child (and architect, and contractor) will geek out over nextlevel Lego Architecture kits like the Statue of Liberty, which he can proudly display on his desk after it occupies his time. $120, shop.lego.com. 4. Fire up your top chef with Entube’s collection of flavor-jolters; the tubes and tin they come in look as robust as the pastes taste. $13 for 3, amazon.com. 5. Protect the hands you love holding with J.Crew’s buttery-soft leather gloves. $98, jcrew.com. 6. Help him keep essentials organized (and earbuds untangled) with Mark & Graham’s sleek leather tech envelope. PS: It’s monogrammable, if he’s swanky like that. From $129 each, markandgraham.com. 7. Forthave Spirits Marseille amaro is a smooth blend of cinnamon, eucalyptus, and honey that your honey can sip neat or mix into Manhattans, Negronis, and more. $28, astorwines.com.

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7 GIFTS

FOR GUYS These presents reflect what he loves to do—and help him look and feel sharp while doing it.

1. Stick a big bow on the Lil Roadster (or crepepaper it!—see page 52). It easily sheds its training wheels (as will your budding cyclist), and is just the right size for a 4-to6-year-old with places to go. $289, linusbike.com. 2. Soothe a little angel into slumber with Mia + Finn‘s block-printed, super-soft cotton Luna nightgown. $52, miaandfinn.com.

GIFTS

FOR THEM 6

Spring these fantastic surprises on toddlers, teens, and every cutie in between.

3. Crafters who have aced friendship bracelets can upgrade to Purl Soho’s Flying Geese beaded cuff. $48 (makes one cuff); and bead loom, $12.50, purlsoho.com. 4. Outfit IKEA’s Flisat shelf (cum dollhouse) with a family of Danishdesigned Maileg critters and their furniture. Shelf, $35, ikea.com. Critters, from $16 each, maileg usa.com. 5. Once they link Lexon’s Mino Bluetooth speaker to their phone, your in-house influencers can DJ away. $34 each, modernmojoshop.com. 6. Spark a mind with Dave Eggers’s heartening and galvanizing storybook. (The answer to the title? A whole lot, in fact.) Chronicle Books, $18, amazon.com. 7. Everybody wins with these classic but colorful pick-up sticks by Printworks. $18, westelm.com.

“

My kids will love taking a break from piano lessons to teach themselves the ukulele. his is the one time I’ll welcome screen time!” TA N YA G R A F F

PETER ARDITO (NIGHTGOWN, CUFFS, SPEAKERS, BOOK, STICKS); COURTESY OF MANUFACTURER (BIKE)

Style Director

Popuband’s Populele smart ukelele isn’t just an instrument; it’s a music class with a built-in app that can teach your strummer how to play a song in one jam session. $189, popuband.com.

“

Jacobsen’s salts are my favorite for their pure, delicate ﬂ avors and graphic packaging. They enhance everything from salad to ﬁsh to chocolate-chip cookies. I’m going to give them to my team.” Food and Entertaining Director

Send them on an around-the-world tasting tour with Jacobsen’s eight-vial salt set, sourced from far-flung regions like Bali and the Himalayas. $30, jacobsensalt.com.

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GIFTS

FOR ALL

ART DIRECTION BY L AUR A LUTZ; ST YLING BY TANYA GR AFF; PHOTOGR APHS BY PETER ARDITO (TOWEL, MUG AND CUP, TOTE, JUG, KEY RING, SOAP, KNIVES, COOKER)

Uplift someone special’s everyday with our swell-egant finds for home and hearth.

1. Thanks to this Birds in the Dunes linen tea towel by Nathalie Lété for Avenida Home, Cinderella’s not the only one who’ll have little helpers when tidying up. $24, johnderian.com. 2. What’s gorgeous, strong, and unflappable when things heat up? Hay’s mug and cup, made of durable borosilicate glass. From $17 each, store.moma.org.

3. Gathering garden clippings, corralling mail, or transporting napkins and cutlery is utterly civilized with Peterboro’s handcrafted tote. $47, peterborobasket.com. 4. Sips stay piping hot (or icy cold) in this genius Emma vacuum jug by Stelton. $97, finnishdesignshop.com. 5. Think of Georg Jensen’s Shades key ring as fine jewelry for the front door. $30, georgjensen.com. 6. Fill their senses with Frama Studio’s luxe hand soap. Its sandalwood and cedar notes are masculine, the ylangylang is floral, and together they’re unisex perfection. From $33 for 375 ml, qlty-life.com. 7. Slice in style with Nontron’s stainless steel and wood-burned boxwood knives, made by France’s oldest cutlery forge. From $40 each, marchsf.com. 8. Thrill multitaskers with Martha Stewart’s The Everything pressure cooker—this kitchen genie gets dinner done in a fraction of the usual time. $120, amazon.com.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKKEL VANG TEXT BY SARAH COLLINS

On a brilliant afternoon in early December, friends arrive at Camilla Gallacher’s home with armfuls of evergreens. By the time they leave, a few hours (and aperitifs) later, they’ve feasted, fêted their close-knit group, and fit in a lesson on creating stunning wreaths—bravo!—with their own two hands.

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TH E WI LD

BUNCH

a holiday wreathmaking party, back in 2016, her guets had so much fun that they didn’t even get around to the wreath part. “I wanted to give everyone an early Chritmas present, so I bought the supplies and asked them to come over with some greenery. But the truth is, we all drank too much Champagne,” she says with a laugh. Gallacher and her cohorts live in the neighboring communities of Brookhaven and Bellport, New York, two relatively sleepy spots on Long Island’s Great South Bay; they all migrated there from Manhattan. The women formed fast friendships after chance meetings in coffee shops or on the ferry to Fire Island. “It’s a really lovely group. We’re originally from different places, but we’re all writers or artists, and mothers,” says Gallacher, who moved to the U.S. from London with her husband in 2006. “But there’s not much going on, so we have to make our own fun.” (Judging from that early attempt, they do a good job of it.) This year, Gallacher has invited a guet tar—her friend Ether Flury, an art hitorian and freelance floral designer—and asked the group to bring cuttings from their yards, which Flury puts in galvanized buckets around the kitchen. The made-ahead lunch is similarly arranged for them to pluck from: A hearty antipato platter features a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano Vacche Rosse, the holy grail of Parmigiano. There’s also a big pot of silky squash-and-parsnip soup with fried sage leaves and pepitas for prinkling, a crunchy-cool fenneland-endive salad drizzled with crème-fraîche dressing, and a cookie plate piled with riffs on classics, even good old fruitcake. After a few glasses of Campari punch, Flury offers everyone some “loose intructions” (see page 128). And charmingly, as the wreaths take shape, each woman’s begins to match her personality: some minimalit, others unruly, with shooting greens and gold balls. “With the same materials, they’ve made very different things,” Flury says. “They’re like little self-portraits.” They’re souvenirs, too—of a newly rooted holiday tradition. HE FIRST TIME CAMILLA GALLACHER THREW

FRESHLY FORAGED “You can really use whatever greenery is in your backyard for these wreaths. There are no strict rules,” says ringmaster Esther Flury, who laid out all the elements—from cedar, pine, fir, spruce, and juniper branches to sprigs of red winterberries, wax flowers, and small ornaments—on the host’s kitchen table. (Flower shops and grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are also good sources.) PREVIOUS PAGE (from left): Michele Chiaramonte, Jana Guja, Beverly Allan, Maya Schindler, Andrea Codrington Lippke, and Donna Clarke make up the merry crew.

Sparkling Campari Punch

RoastedSquash-and-Parsnip Soup For recipes, see page 142.

AN OPEN INVITATION

Winter White Salad With CrèmeFraîche Vinaigrette

Gallacher, left, is a jewelry designer and interiors stylist who recently relaunched her accessories company, Camilla James—so low-key Brookhaven is a serene home base. “What I appreciate most about being here,” she says, “is having more time to get together with people.” She’s also a mom to 6-year-old twins, so the gatherings in her 1850s farmhouse tend to be casual and self-serve. RIGHT, CENTER: Allan starts on the salad. THE DETAILS: Staub cast-iron round cocotte, 5.5 qt., in Graphite Grey, $464, zwillingonline.com. Couleur Nature two-tone gingham tea towels, in Grey/Dijon, $65 for 2, couleur nature.com. Britta Optic 3-gallon glass punch bowl, 3 gal., $40, and glass punch ladle, $13 (both similar to shown), crateandbarrel.com. Vintage blue-and-white platter.

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Wreath How-to Flury’s technique allows for plenty of creative expression. Here are the basic steps, but for a full tutorial, go to martha stewart.com/holidayhandbook.

GATHER. If you’re hosting, pro-

vide (or have guests bring) six to eight large branches of greens for each wreath, as well as decorative elements such as berries and pinecones, in a mix of textures, scents, and colors. ASSEMBLE. Cluster the foliage

into small, bouquet-like bundles, with denser greens in back and berries and flowers in front. Bind them with thin (20- to 26-gauge) paddle wire. Plan on making 16 to 20 per wreath. ATTACH. Place the first bundle on a frame at a 45-degree angle, and secure it tightly with a few wraps of paddle wire. Tuck in a second bundle beside the first, overlapping slightly, and secure again with wire. Repeat until the frame is evenly covered, inserting greens to fill holes. If desired, use floral wire to add balls, bows, or bells.

WINNING CIRCLES Flury (far left, in glasses), who is originally from Switzerland, began hosting “flowers with friends” events in Bellport a few years ago. “I like my arrangements local and a little unruly,” she says. ABOVE: Guest Chiaramonte arranges greenery on a frame. LEFT: Miniature bulb ornaments from Terrain ($38 for 100, shop terrain.com).

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SWEET SUCCESS

FOOD ST YLING BY GREG LOF TS; PROP ST YLING BY TANYA GR AFF

The wreaths own the spotlight at this party, but the dessert spread nearly steals it. Fruitcake goes from heavy to heavenly in meringue snowballs, light as air on the outside and chewy inside. Gingerbread-espresso crinkle cookies combine holiday spices with a frosty coating. (The secret to a great crinkle: Roll the dough in granulated sugar first, then dredge—generously— with confectioners’.) And the almost-toopretty-to-eat shortbread wreaths are infused with Meyer lemon and decorated with sugared rosemary and thyme. TOP AND BELOW: Three finished works.

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A SNOWY DRIFT When you want a refreshing coda to a special dinner, this swirl of sunshine in the winter hits the perfect notes, combining a crisp meringue shell with a plush, marshmallowy center; a tart curd that balances the meringue’s sweetness; and whipped cream infused with a few drops of orangeblossom water to bring out the juicy citrus toppings. THE DETAILS: Abcdna Simile juice glasses, in Pink, $30 each, abchome.com. For recipes, see page 146.

CRANBERRYCURD-AND-CITRUS PAVLOVA

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divine

These ethereal holiday confections take a cue from winter’s loveliest moments—waking up to a shimmery dusting of new snow, decking the halls for izzy festivities, sitting by a crackling fire. They’re also grounded in simple, straightforward techniques, so you can wow your crowd without leaving wonderland. PHOTOGRAPHS BY RYAN LIEBE TEXT BY MICHELLE SHIH RECIPES BY GREG LOFTS

RASPBERRY AND CHOCOLATEHAZELNUT CRÊPE CAKE

HIGH HEAVEN A cake that doesn’t require an oven—that’s just one brilliant aspect of this architectural feat. Another plus: With some planning and patience, even non-engineers can construct it. The raspberry and chocolate-hazelnut fillings require just a few ingredients each, and the crêpes can be made ahead (and even frozen, well wrapped, for up to a month). Just build in enough time to refrigerate the assembled dessert. That way, the layers set and won’t go slip-sliding off one another when you pile on berries and serve it.

desserts

STRING-LIGHTS CHRISTMAS-TREE COOKIES

A FLICKERING FOREST Decorating these crunchy conifers is like winding lights around a real tree without a single tangle, darkening the room, and plugging them in. Ta-da! We squiggled on strands of melted white chocolate and illuminated them with sugar-pearl bulbs. For an old-school look, you can swap in multicolored candycoated sunflower seeds.

FIT FOR THREE KINGS Or queens. This striking, nostalgic-yet-new dessert will bring a smile to everyone’s lips. The bottom layer is pomegranate gelatin, the next one a silky coconut custard, and the third a delicate coconut-water gelatin studded with pomegranate seeds. (We used Harmless Harvest coconut water, which has a pale-pink tint.) Each layer is separated by ladyfingers, and the whole thing is topped with whipped cream. When serving it, dig deep, so everyone gets a bit of everything.

POMEGRANATECOCONUT TRIFLE

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A YULETIDE LOG If the thought of making a bûche de Noël has you quaking in your snow boots, breathe easy. This cake is lighter than the traditional genoise—it’s a modified spongecake recipe, airy with beaten egg whites, that is much less likely to crack when you roll it. (Word to the wise: Do this while it’s still warm.) The whole thing is covered in a seven-minute frosting that you finish with a kitchen torch for a faux-bois effect; better still, the caramelization adds a campfiremarshmallow flavor.

COFFEE-CARAMEL SWISS ROLL

ART DIRECTION BY ABBEY KUSTER-PROKELL; FOOD ST YLING BY GREG LOF TS; PROP ST YLING BY TANYA GR AFF

THE DETAILS: Astier de Villatte Daisy oval platter, 16.9" by 1.6", $174, johnderian.com.

CHAI SNOWBALLS

LIGHT FLURRIES You can’t always judge a cookie by its coating. These powdery pom-poms look like nutty Mexican wedding or Russian tea cookies, but a mix of warming spices and Darjeeling tea makes them taste like a steaming mug of hot chai. Using almond flour (aka almond meal) instead of grinding nuts in the food processor provides a finer texture, and the snowy exterior comes from double-coating the balls in confectioners’ sugar: once while still warm, to absorb loose crumbs, then again when they’re completely cool. THE DETAILS: Astier de Villatte Riviere side plates, 7.4", $92 each, johnderian.com.

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THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO MAKING EXCEPTIONAL ICED TEA. As a Tea Master, I insist that our tea leaves are gently rolled and brewed in smaller batches for smooth, delicious iced tea.

Alex White,

Pure Leaf Tea Master

Pure Leaf.

Our Thing is Tea.

The Workbook | RECIPES AND SOURCES FROM THIS ISSUE |

FÊTE ACCOMPLI PAGE 108

In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water, sugar, and rosemary to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Let stand 30 minutes, then strain; discard solids. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

water and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Strain; discard solids. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

until dissolved. Let cool completely, then refrigerate (with cinnamon) in an airtight container up to 1 week.

ACTIVE TIME: 5 MIN.

MAKES: ½ CUP

ACTIVE TIME: 5 MIN.

MAKES: ½ CUP

| TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN.

Cinnamon Sour

Rosemary Gimlet This and the following cocktails are scalable for a crowd: Place the ingredients in a large pitcher. Fill halfway with ice; stir with a long spoon until outside of pitcher is frosty. Strain into glasses; serve with garnishes.

Tart grapefruit is called for here; if using a sweeter variety, swap half the grapefruit juice for lime juice. 2 ounces tequila blanco, such as Espolòn

¾ ounce fresh grapefruit juice, plus a wedge for serving

3 to 4 dashes Angostura bitters

Syrup (recipe follows) Small rosemary sprig, for serving

Combine gin, lemon juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill halfway with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain and serve, garnished with rosemary. ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN.

Combine tequila, grapefruit juice, syrup, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill halfway with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain and serve on ice, garnished with grapefruit wedge. ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN.

| SERVES: 1

Honey-Cardamom Syrup 8 cardamom pods, crushed

½ cup sugar 4 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

In a small saucepan, toast cardamom over medium-high heat until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup

8 ounces shishito peppers (16 to 20)

1 tablespoon dry red wine, such as Merlot (optional)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Candied ginger and a bestquality maraschino cherry, such as Luxardo, for serving

Combine bourbon, lime juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill halfway with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain over a large ice cube. Hold a spoon upside-down over cocktail and pour wine over top. Serve, garnished with ginger and cherry. | SERVES: 1

Cinnamon Simple Syrup 2 cinnamon sticks

¼ cup honey

To heat these from frozen, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375° until golden brown and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes.

Syrup (recipe follows)

ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN.

| SERVES: 1

Rosemary Simple Syrup

¾ ounce fresh lime juice ¾ ounce Cinnamon Simple

Syrup (recipe follows)

2 ounces gin, such as Hendrick’s

¾ ounce fresh lemon juice ¾ ounce Rosemary Simple

2 ounces bourbon, such as Bulleit

¾ ounce Honey-Cardamom

| TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN.

Feta-Stuffed Shishitos in Phyllo

MAKES: ½ CUP

Bitter Bee

ACTIVE TIME: 5 MIN.

½ cup sugar In a small saucepan, bring ⅔ cup water and cinnamon to a simmer; cook 10 minutes. Add sugar; stir

Kosher salt 2 ounces feta, crumbled, room temperature 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 6 to 7 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1. Toss peppers with oil; season

with salt. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high; add peppers and cook, stirring, until blistered, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely. 2. Stir together feta and cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Make a small slit along long side of each pepper; stuff peppers with cheese mixture.

Recipe Index BREAKFAST

Roasted-Squash-andParsnip Soup 142

Pomegranate-Glazed Ham With Jammy Cipollinis 142

Apple-Pecan Rolls 96

Rutabaga–Sweet Potato Mash With Garlic and Sage 86

Pork Wellington With Prosciutto and SpinachMushroom Stuffing 84

Chewy Fruitcake Meringues 144

OTHER

Tomato-Jam Pinwheels 139

Straciatella Soup With Kale and Lemon recipe card

Coffee-Caramel Swiss Roll 149

Cinnamon Simple Syrup 137

Sweet-and-Sour Brisket 88

Cranberry-Curd-and-Citrus Pavlova 146

Classic Cinnamon Buns 94 Orange-Cardamom Morning Buns 96

Warm Olives With Cracked Coriander 140

STARTERS, SALADS, SOUPS & SIDES

Winter Grand Aioli 140

Apple-Membrillo Tart 140

Winter White Salad With Crème-Fraîche Vinaigrette 144

Feta-Stuffed Shishitos in Phyllo 137 Juniper-and-Gin Gravlax 140 Mini Pickle Biscuits 142 Peppery Greens With MeyerLemon Dressing 84 Pimiento-Cornmeal Croquettes 139

MAINS

DESSERTS

String-Lights ChristmasTree Cookies 148

Chai Snowballs 150

Honey-Cardamom Syrup 137

Turkey-Pastrami CroqueMadame Casserole recipe card

Gingerbread-Espresso Crinkle Cookies 144

Rosemary Simple Syrup 137

BEVERAGES

Meyer-Lemon Shortbread Wreath Cookies 144

Tonnato Mayonnaise 140

Bitter Bee 137

No-Bake Chocolate-Eggnog Crème Brûlée 86

Bacon, Potato, and Swiss Chard Scramble recipe card

Cinnamon Sour 137 Rosemary Gimlet 137

Pomegranate-Coconut Trifle 148

Egg “Noodle,” Broccolini, and Mushroom Stir-Fry recipe card

Sparkling Campari Punch 144

Raspberry and ChocolateHazelnut Crêpe Cake 146

Meyer-Lemon Relish 140 Scallion Mayonnaise 139 Vegan Green-Goddess Dip 140

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

137

READY. SET. HOLIDAYS.

3. Preheat oven to 375°. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface; brush with oil. (Keep rest of phyllo covered with a damp towel as you work.) Cut lengthwise into 3-to-4-inch-wide strips (slightly smaller than peppers). Place a pepper at bottom of each strip; tightly roll. Transfer, seam-side down, to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush top with oil; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat with remaining peppers and phyllo. (Rolled peppers can be frozen, covered tightly, up to 2 weeks.) Bake until phyllo is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 1 HR. 25 MIN.

MAKES: 16 TO 20

Tomato-Jam Pinwheels If you want to bake smaller batches, start checking for doneness a few minutes earlier than called for below. 1½ pounds cherry tomatoes, halved (4 cups)

¼ cup packed light-brown sugar 3 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt

½ cup finely grated ParmigianoReggiano 10 ounces frozen all-butter puff pastry, such as Dufour, thawed 1. Combine tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, garlic, thyme, and 1½ teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened and little moisture remains, 45 to 50 minutes. Season with salt; let cool completely. (Filling can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 week.) 2. Sprinkle cheese over a work surface

in a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Roll out pastry dough directly over cheese to same dimensions, pressing to adhere. Spread 1 cup filling over dough. Starting with a long side, roll into a tight log. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month. 3. Preheat oven to 375°. Let dough stand at room temperature until sliceable, 20 minutes. Slice into ¼-inch-thick rounds and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake, rotating pan once, until golden, 28 to 30 minutes. Flip pinwheels and bake 5 to 7 minutes more. Loosen with a metal spatula while still warm. Serve warm or room temperature. ACTIVE TIME: 30 MIN. MAKES: 2 DOZEN

| TOTAL TIME: 6 HR. 10 MIN.

Pimiento-Cornmeal Croquettes To reheat from frozen, arrange croquettes on a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake at 400° until heated through, about 15 minutes. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup medium- or coarse-ground cornmeal (not instant polenta) 8 ounces store-bought pimiento cheese spread (1 cup)

½ cup chopped cilantro 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 4 large eggs, whisked 2 cups panko breadcrumbs Safflower oil, for frying Scallion Mayonnaise (recipe follows) and radish microgreens or small cilantro leaves, for serving 1. In a heavy pot, bring 4 cups water to a boil; add 1 teaspoon salt. Slowly stir in cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until cornmeal is tender and has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese spread and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into an 8-by-8-inch straightsided baking dish. Let cool completely, then refrigerate, covered, until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

JOIN FOR ALL THE

GOOD TIDINGS

2. Turn cornmeal mixture out onto a

cutting board. Slice into thirty-six 1¼inch squares. Place flour, eggs, and panko in separate shallow dishes. A few at a time, coat squares in flour, shaking off excess; then dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Dredge all sides in breadcrumbs, patting to adhere. 3. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat

½ inch of oil over medium-high until a few panko crumbs dropped in sizzle immediately. Working in batches, add squares to skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. (If browning too quickly, reduce heat.) Transfer squares to paper towels; season with salt. Serve with a dollop of scallion mayonnaise and garnished with greens; or let cool completely and freeze in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 2 weeks. ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

GET PERKS WITHOUT THE POINTS FOR EXCLUSIVE COUPONS, SWEEPSTAKES & TIPS. SO YOU CAN SAVE MORE, GET INSPIRED & WIN PRIZES.

| TOTAL TIME: 4 HR. 10 MIN.

MAKES: 36

Scallion Mayonnaise ½ cup mayonnaise 4 scallions, minced ( ⅓ cup)

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

The Workbook Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Stir together mayonnaise and scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN.

| MAKES: ½ CUP

Warm Olives With Cracked Coriander 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, lightly cracked 2 cups Castelvetrano olives, drained 2 small bay leaves

Heat oil in a skillet over medium. Add coriander; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 3 minutes. Add olives, bay leaves, and ¼ cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve warm. ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 15 MIN. MAKES: ABOUT 2 CUPS

Apple-Membrillo Tart For a savory spin on the pâte brisée used here, pulse ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary into the flour mixture before adding the butter.

½ recipe Test Kitchen’s Favorite Pate Brisée (for recipe, go to marthastewart .com/patebrisee) 4 ounces membrillo (quince paste), such as Mitica (available at Whole Foods Market), room temperature 2 small Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and cut into ⅛-inch slices 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3. Remove tart from oven; brush

apples with glaze. Return to oven; bake until apples just darken in spots and caramelize, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely before slicing. (Tart can be stored, loosely covered, at room temperature up to 1 day.) Serve with almonds, grapes, and cheese. ACTIVE TIME: 30 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 2 HR.

22 minutes. Drain, let cool slightly, and cut into wedges. Store in an airtight container up to 1 day. 3. Meanwhile, bring potatoes to a boil in another pot of water; season generously with salt. Cook until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain; let cool completely. 4. Season eggs and cooked

vegetables with salt and pepper; drizzle with oil. Serve with crudités, shrimp, tonnato mayonnaise, dip, and lemon wedges. ACTIVE TIME: 35 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 1 HR.

SERVES: 8 TO 10

Winter Grand Aioli 3 pounds crudités, such as carrots, celery, radishes, endives, and Little Gem lettuces Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 small head cauliflower or 1 bunch Broccolini, or a combination, cut into florets 2 bunches assorted baby beets, preferably gold and Chioggia, trimmed and peeled 8 ounces small new potatoes, scrubbed 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 2 pounds cooked large shrimp (for recipe, go to martha stewart.com/poachedshrimp) Tonnato Mayonnaise, Vegan Green-Goddess Dip (recipes follow), and lemon wedges, for serving

Tonnato Mayonnaise 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed 2 small anchovies, rinsed and mashed (1½ teaspoons) 1 jar (7 ounces) oil-cured tuna, drained 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil Purée first five ingredients with 1 teaspoon water in a blender until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a steady stream. Refrigerate in an airtight container at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. ACTIVE TIME: 10 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 2 HR.

10 MIN. | MAKES: 2 CUPS

Vegan Green-Goddess Dip 1 avocado, chopped (1 cup) 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

1. Prepare an ice-water bath.

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

dough into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle; fit into a tart pan. Trim edges flush with pan. Prick dough lightly with a fork and freeze until firm, 15 minutes.

Peel carrots and trim tops; slice in half lengthwise. Clean celery and slice into sticks. Trim radishes. Slice endives and Little Gems into wedges. Place crudités in ice-water bath until crisp and beginning to curl, 10 minutes. Drain well; wrap in paper towels. Refrigerate in resealable plastic bags up to 1 day.

2. Reserve 1 tablespoon membrillo;

2. Bring a large pot of water to a

mash remainder with 1 teaspoon water until spreadable. Using an offset spatula, spread evenly over dough in pan. Shingle apples over top. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until pastry is golden and apples

boil; season generously with salt. Add cauliflower and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to ice-water bath. Return pot of water to a boil, add beets, and cook until fork-tender, about

2 tablespoons sugar Marcona almonds, grapes, and blue cheese, such as Bayley Hazen, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out

140

are browned and tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, heat reserved membrillo with 1 tablespoon water and remaining 1 tablespoon butter, stirring often, until smooth.

DECEMBER 2018

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 cup packed cilantro or parsley leaves, or a combination

Purée avocado, lime zest and juice, vinegar, mustard, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons water in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pulse in herbs just to combine. Transfer to an airtight container; press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. ACTIVE TIME: 15 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 2 HR. 15 MIN. | MAKES: 1½ CUPS

Juniper-and-Gin Gravlax ¾ cup kosher salt ½ cup sugar 3 tablespoons packed grated zest from 2 lemons, 2 limes, and 1 orange 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper 2 tablespoons coarsely ground juniper berries 1 cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup gin, such as Hendrick’s 1½ to 2 pounds sushi-grade salmon, skin on, pin bones removed Meyer-Lemon Relish (recipe follows), for serving Salmon roe, crackers or crostini, capers, crème fraîche, shaved fennel, and sliced red onion, for serving 1. Combine salt, sugar, zest,

pepper, juniper, and dill in a bowl. Add gin; stir until mixture resembles wet sand. 2. Rinse salmon and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with plastic; scatter one-third of sugar mixture on it. Lay salmon, skin-side down, on sugar mixture; spread remain ing mixture evenly over top. Wrap tightly in the plastic; place a second baking sheet on top and weigh down with canned goods. Refrigerate, flipping fish and pouring off excess liquid every 24 hours, for 3 days. Rinse excess sugar mixture off salmon; pat dry. 3. Place fish flesh-side down,

and slide the tip of a long, sharp knife between flesh and skin at a short end. Using a paper towel to grip, gently pull skin off. Flip fish; thinly slice at a 45-degree angle. Serve with relish, roe, crackers, capers, crème fraîche, fennel, and onion. ACTIVE TIME: 45 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN.,

PLUS 3 DAYS | SERVES: 8 TO 10

Meyer-Lemon Relish 2 Meyer lemons, rinsed and patted dry 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small head fennel, finely chopped (1 cup) 1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup) 2 teaspoons fennel seeds

Roasted Vegetab l e wi classic s Mascarpone

es i r r e b n a r C d e r a g u S i e w n s o t p r r a a T c s i Min Crema di Ma and ™

Tiramisù Mascarpone Dip

rBST Free* | Gluten Free | Vegetarian Kosher | Award Winning *No significant difference has been found in milk from cows treated with artificial hormones.

hese tasty and easy entertaining ideas will add a touch of elegance to your holiday menu. Top roasted vegetables with Mascarpone to create a creamy sauce, create mini tarts illed with Crema di Mascarpone™, or try a simple Tiramisù Mascarpone dip with cookies. Find these recipes and more at belgioioso.com/recipes

Happy Holidays from

The Workbook Kosher salt

¼ cup honey 1. Cut lemons lengthwise into

eighths; remove seeds. Thinly slice crosswise into pieces (you should have about 1½ cups). 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over

medium-high until shimmering. Add fennel, onion, fennel seeds, and a large pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is softened and just beginning to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add lemons, honey, and ⅓ cup water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; cook until reduced to a jammy consistency and liquid is almost completely evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl; let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days. ACTIVE TIME: 25 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 1 HR. 35 MIN. | MAKES: 1½ CUPS

Scatter onions around ham and pour in ½ cup water. 3. Cover ham with parchment-

lined foil; roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part (not touching bone) reads 125°, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. Uncover, baste with more glaze, and return to oven. Increase heat to 400° and roast, basting and rotating pan once, until outside is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter; tent with foil. 4. Return roasting pan with

onions to oven; roast until sauce has thickened slightly and onions are caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer onions and pan drippings to a serving vessel; skim fat from top. Serve ham with biscuits, mustard, onions, apples, and parsley.

along a short end of dough and fold in half, forming a 6-by-5-inch rectangle. Turn dough 90 degrees; gently reflatten to 6 by 10 inches. Fold in half again and flatten slightly into an 8-inch square. 3. Cut dough into fourths in both

directions with a large, sharp knife to form 16 square biscuits. Brush tops with buttermilk. Bake until puffed, golden brown on top, and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottoms, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a kitchen towel–lined basket; cover to keep warm. ACTIVE TIME: 20 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN.

2. Roast 30 minutes. Add apples to

MAKES: 16

THE WILD BUNCH PAGE 124

ACTIVE TIME: 30 MIN. | TOTAL TIME: 2 HR. 30 MIN. | SERVES: 8 TO 10

Mini Pickle Biscuits Pomegranate-Glazed Ham With Jammy Cipollinis 1½ pounds cipollini onions

⅓ cup pomegranate molasses, such as Al Wadi (available at Whole Foods Market) 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 spiral-cut ham (6 to 8 pounds) Mini Pickle Biscuits (recipe follows) Grainy or Dijon mustard, lady apples, and parsley sprigs, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 325°, with a rack

in lower third. Prepare an icewater bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Trim ¼ inch off root end of each onion, then cook onions in pot until just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to icewater bath, slip off skins, and cut into quarters. (Quartered onions can be refrigerated up to 2 days.) 2. Stir together molasses, brown sugar, honey, mustard, allspice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Place ham in a large roasting pan, cut-side down; baste generously with glaze.

142

DECEMBER 2018

To rewarm, place the biscuits in a 450° oven for three to five minutes, then transfer them to a kitchen towel–lined basket. 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2¼ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ -inch cubes

¾ cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing

¼ cup dill relish, undrained 1. Preheat oven to 450°. In a large

bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, pepper, baking powder, and baking soda, 30 seconds. Toss butter into mixture to evenly coat, then press between your fingers to create flower-petal shapes. 2. Stir together buttermilk and relish; slowly pour over flourbutter mixture, stirring with a fork, until a crumbly dough forms. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather dough with your hands, pressing firmly to bind, and flatten into a 6-by10-inch rectangle. Lift parchment

Scoop seeds and pulp from squash; discard. (Or lightly coat seeds in oil, season with salt, and roast on a rimmed baking sheet until crisp and darkened slightly, about 20 minutes; let cool and reserve for garnish.) On a rimmed baking sheet, rub squash halves with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt; turn cut-sides down. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss parsnips and leeks with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt, and sprinkle evenly with thyme and chopped sage; spread in a single layer.

Roasted-Squash-andParsnip Soup 4 pounds honeynut or butternut squash, halved lengthwise (from 2 to 3 honeynuts or 1 large butternut) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying and drizzling Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 pound parsnips (4 to 5 medium), peeled and halved lengthwise 2 pounds leeks (3 medium), white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise and thoroughly washed and drained

sheet with squash, cut-sides up. Continue roasting until vegetables turn golden brown in places and are easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15 to 20 minutes more. When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh from squash; transfer half to a blender with half of other vegetables and apples, 2 cups broth, and 1 cup water. Purée until smooth, adding more water as needed if too thick to self-level. Pour through a sieve into a pot. Repeat process with remaining vegetables, apples, broth, and 1 more cup water. 3. Melt butter in a small saucepan

over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until fragrant and golden brown and dark-brown sediment particles form in bottom of pan, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir brown butter into soup; season with salt and pepper. Rewarm soup over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary until it reaches desired consistency. 4. Wipe pan clean. Heat ¼ inch

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

of oil over medium-high. When it shimmers, add a handful of sage leaves; cook, stirring a few times, until darkened slightly, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to paper towels, season with salt, and let stand until cool and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Fry more sage as desired. Serve soup topped with crisped sage, pepitas, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and a drizzle of oil.

1 stick unsalted butter

ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves, plus whole leaves for frying 2 Granny Smith apples (1 pound), halved and cored

Toasted pepitas, toasted sesame seeds, and poppy seeds, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 400˚, with racks in upper and lower thirds.

50 MIN. | SERVES: 12

| TOTAL TIME: 1 HR.

Something worth sharing. The way you capture memories may be diferent now. ® But creating them has always been easy with Reynolds Wrap . Traditions change. Our quality hasn’t.

Recipes at ReynoldsKitchens.com/holidays

The Workbook Sparkling Campari Punch Cocchi Americano is an Italian fortified wine; Lillet Blanc is a fine substitute. 16 ounces fresh pinkgrapefruit juice, chilled 16 ounces Cocchi Americano, chilled 8 ounces Campari, chilled 1 bottle (750 ml) prosecco brut or other dry sparkling white wine, chilled Thinly sliced citrus wheels, such as grapefruit, orange, and Meyer lemon, for serving Seltzer, chilled, for serving (optional)

In a punch bowl, stir together grapefruit juice, Cocchi Americano, and Campari. Add prosecco, then citrus wheels and ice. Serve, topped with seltzer. ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 10 MIN.

| SERVES: 12

Winter White Salad With Crème-Fraîche Vinaigrette This dressing can be made up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The vegetables can be sliced up to eight hours ahead and stored in a bowl in the refrigerator, covered with damp paper towels. The apples should be sliced just before serving.

½ cup crème fraîche 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Pinch of sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 4 to 5 endives (1 pound), trimmed and very thinly sliced lengthwise (3 cups) 1 head fennel, bulb cored and very thinly sliced, fronds separated 1 small celery root (1 pound), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and very thinly sliced crosswise (2½ cups) 2 Granny Smith apples (1 pound), cored, halved, and very thinly sliced lengthwise (2 cups)

½ cup pomegranate arils (optional)

Whisk together crème fraiche, vinegar, mustard, and sugar; generously season with salt and

144

DECEMBER 2018

pepper. In a large bowl, combine endives, sliced fennel, ¼ cup fennel fronds, celery root, and apples; add half of dressing and toss. Arrange on a serving platter; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining fennel fronds and pomegranate arils. Serve with remaining dressing.

10 minutes. Turn oven off (do not open door); let cool in oven until dry and crisp on outsides, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 5 days. Lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

ACTIVE/TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN.

ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

| SERVES: 12

| TOTAL TIME: 3 HR.

50 MIN. | MAKES: ABOUT 30

Chewy Fruitcake Meringues ½ cup blanched hazelnuts 3 large egg whites, room temperature 1 cup sugar Pinch of cream of tartar

½ cup best-quality maraschino cherries, such as Luxardo, chopped, plus 3 tablespoons syrup

½ cup chopped dried pineapple ¼ cup chopped candied citron ¼ cup chopped candied citrus peel, such as orange or clementine Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional) 1. Preheat oven to 350˚, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool slightly; chop. 2. Reduce oven temperature to

250˚. Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a mixer set over a pot of simmering water (do not let bottom touch water). Whisk until eggs are foamy and sugar dissolves (mixture should feel smooth and warm to the touch when rubbed between your fingers). Transfer to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add cream of tartar, and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 7 to 9 minutes. 3. Combine hazelnuts, fruits, and

candied citron and peel in a bowl. Fold maraschino syrup and all but ¼ cup of fruit-nut mixture into meringue. Drop heaping tablespoons of meringue mixture onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Top with remaining fruit-nut mixture. 4. Bake, rotating sheets and rack

positions halfway through, until meringues have darkened slightly and are tacky on surfaces but no longer sticky, 1 hour to 1 hour,

Gingerbread-Espresso Crinkle Cookies Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar before heavily coating them with confectioners’ ensures maximum “crinkle effect” on the surfaces. 1¾ cups unbleached allpurpose flour 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder 1¼ teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch piece)

⅔ cup packed dark-brown sugar ¼ cup unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap) 1 large egg Granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar, for rolling 1. Line 2 baking sheets with parch-

ment. In a bowl, whisk together flour, espresso powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. 2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with grated ginger and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses; beat until combined. Add egg; beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined and no dry flour remains. Transfer to plastic wrap, pat into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least

4 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using). 3. Preheat oven to 350˚, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Place granulated sugar in a shallow bowl, and confectioners’ sugar in another. Using a 1-ounce scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop rounded spoons of dough, roll into balls, and transfer directly to bowl with granulated sugar. (If dough becomes sticky as it warms, dust your palms with confectioners’ sugar.) Turn dough balls to fully coat in granulated sugar. Transfer to bowl with confectioners’ sugar; turn to fully coat. (Balls should be heavily coated; do not shake off excess.) Transfer to prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. 4. Bake, rotating sheets and rack

positions once halfway through, until cookies spread and surfaces appear cracked, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 5 days. ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 5 HR.,

PLUS COOLING | MAKES: ABOUT 30

Meyer-Lemon Shortbread Wreath Cookies COOKIES

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon packed finely grated Meyer-lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice (from 2 lemons)

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting GLAZE AND DECORATIONS

60 sprigs (each about 1 inch long) fresh thyme or rosemary, or a combination 1 large egg white, beaten Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 3 tablespoons fresh Meyerlemon juice Small red, white, and green candies, such as nonpareils and pearls

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The Workbook 1. Cookies: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with zest on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Reduce speed to low. Beat in lemon juice and salt, then flour, until combined. Divide dough in half, transfer each to plastic wrap, pat into disks, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using). 2. Preheat oven to 325˚. Working

with one disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant ¼ inch thick. Stamp out rounds with a 3-inch cutter, preferably fluted. Transfer to prepared sheets, 1 inch apart. Use a 1- to 1¼-inch plain round cutter to stamp out centers of 3-inch rounds. Gather scraps; roll out again, stamping out more wreaths. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. 3. Bake, rotating sheets and rack

positions halfway through, until set and pale golden on bottoms, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week before decorating. 4. Glaze and decorations: Brush

herbs with egg white; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Transfer to wire rack; let stand until stiff and dry, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. One at a time, dip cookie tops in glaze; lift and tilt slightly for a few seconds, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer to wire rack; decorate with sugared herbs and candies. Let stand until set, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 2 days. ACTIVE TIME: 1 HR. 25 MIN. TOTAL TIME: 7 HR. 30 MIN., PLUS COOLING MAKES: ABOUT 20

146

DECEMBER 2018

DIVINE DESSERTS PAGE 130

of meringue, then mound rest of meringue in center of circle on parchment. Using a large spoon, spread to edges of circle, leaving a well approximately 5 inches wide and 1 inch deep in center. 3. Bake until crisp and dry on

Cranberry-Curd-andCitrus Pavlova PAVLOVA

1¼ cups sugar 4 teaspoons cornstarch 5 large egg whites, room temperature (2 yolks reserved for curd) 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon kosher salt CURD

12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups)

¾ cup sugar ⅔ cup fresh orange juice (from 2 large oranges)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks SERVING

1¼ cups heavy cream

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla paste or extract

¼ teaspoon orange-blossom water (optional) 2½ cups mixed sweet-citrus supremes, such as clementine; mandarin; navel, Cara Cara, and blood orange; and small ruby-red grapefruit (from 5 to 8 total)

½ cup husked cape gooseberries (optional) 1. Preheat oven to 250˚. Trace a

9-inch circle on a piece of parchment. Transfer, traced-side down, to a baking sheet.

outside but not developing any color, 1 hour, 10 minutes to 1 hour, 20 minutes. Turn oven off (do not open door); let cool in oven until dry and crisp on outside, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. 4. Curd: Combine cranberries,

sugar, orange juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries burst and collapse, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted. Strain mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible; discard solids. In another bowl, whisk together egg and yolks. Slowly whisk 1 cup of cranberry mixture into egg mixture; return to pot with remaining cranberry mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and beginning to sputter, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely, then press plastic wrap directly on surface and refrigerate in an airtight container until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 5 days. 5. Serving: Whisk cream, vanilla,

and orange-blossom water to soft peaks. Fill well of meringue with curd. Dollop cream over curd; top with citrus supremes and gooseberries. Serve immediately. ACTIVE TIME: 1 HR.

| TOTAL TIME: 6 HR.

30 MIN. | SERVES: 8 TO 10

Raspberry and ChocolateHazelnut Crêpe Cake CRÊPES

2 cups unbleached allpurpose flour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2. Pavlova: Stir together sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

and cornstarch. In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites with lemon juice and salt on low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar mixture, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 10 to 12 minutes. Adhere corners of parchment to sheet with tiny dollops

3 cups whole milk 8 large eggs 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet FILLINGS

2¼ teaspoons unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)

⅓ cup cold water

1 cup seedless raspberry jam (12 ounces) 3 ounces white chocolate, melted 1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted 3 cups heavy cream

⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for serving Fresh raspberries, for serving 1. Crêpes: In a blender, purée flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter until smooth, 30 seconds. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day; stir for a few seconds before using. 2. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet

over medium; lightly brush with butter. Add a scant ¼ cup batter, tilting and swirling skillet until it evenly coats bottom. Cook until crêpe is golden in places on bottom and edges lift from pan, 1 to 1½ minutes. Flip and cook on other side until just set, about 45 seconds. Slide crêpe onto a paper towel–lined plate. Repeat with remaining batter, coating pan with more butter as needed, and stacking crêpes directly on top of one another (you should finish with about 30). Let cool completely before using, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. 3. Fillings: In a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved (mixture should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers). Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in white chocolate until smooth. In another bowl, stir together hazelnut spread and bittersweet chocolate until smooth. In a third bowl, whisk cream and confectioners’ sugar to stiff peaks. Divide whipped cream evenly (about 3 cups each) between raspberry and hazelnut mixtures and stir until smooth. Refrigerate cream mixtures until thickened slightly but still spreadable, at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. 4. To make cake, place 1 crêpe

on a cake plate. Spread ⅓ cup raspberry-cream mixture evenly

Cut the sugar calories in half and keep the whole cake.

NO CONVERSION

= 1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Stevia In The Raw®

Reduce sugar, calories and confusion from your recipes by swapping out half the sugar for Stevia In The Raw.® Why only half? Keeping half the sugar is important for moisture, browning and rising. One cup of Stevia In The Raw has the same sweetness as one cup of sugar and pairs well with bold flavors like in this Mocha Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. Get this sweet recipe and more at InTheRaw.com

NEW! The Workbook

BIG VANILLA

over crêpe, leaving a ¼-inch border. Top with another crêpe; spread with ⅓ cup hazelnut-cream mixture. Repeat layering, alternating fillings, until all crêpes are used, finishing with a crêpe. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Just before slicing and serving, top cake with raspberries and dust generously with confectioners’ sugar.

LATTE FLAVOR

ACTIVE TIME: 1 HR. 45 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 11 HR.

20 MIN., PLUS COOLING | SERVES: 8 TO 12

corner). Starting at top of each tree, drizzle chocolate in a random back-andforth pattern, then adhere candies intermittently to mimic string lights. Pipe a small dot of chocolate at very top of tree, and adhere a cookie star. Let stand at room temperature until chocolate sets, about 4 hours; or refrigerate just until set, about 15 minutes. (Do not keep cookies in refrigerator.) Store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 1 week. ACTIVE TIME: 45 MIN.

String-Lights ChristmasTree Cookies 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract White chocolate, melted and cooled slightly, for decorating Small red and white candies, such as pearls, for decorating 1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, bak-

ing powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Divide dough in half, transfer each to plastic wrap, form into disks, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 1 month). 2. Preheat oven to 325˚, with racks in

upper and lower thirds. Let 1 disk of dough stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out to a scant ¼ inch thick. Stamp out tree shapes with an approximately 4-inch-tall cookie cutter, transferring cutouts to parchment-lined baking sheets as you work. Use a star-shaped aspic cutter to stamp out tree toppers from dough scraps. Repeat with remaining disk of dough. Freeze cutouts until firm, about 15 minutes.

BIG FOOD FOR

BIG DAYS

3. Bake, rotating rack positions half-

way through, until cookies are set and edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. 4. Transfer melted chocolate to a pastry © 2018 Kellogg NA Co.

bag fitted with a small, plain tip, such as Ateco #2 (or use a small freezer bag, and snip the tiniest possible hole in one

148

DECEMBER 2018

| TOTAL TIME: 3 HR. 40 MIN., PLUS COOLING | MAKES: ABOUT 2 DOZEN

Pomegranate-Coconut Trifle 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (from 4 envelopes) 1 cup cold water 3 cups 100 percent pomegranate juice

⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez (from a 15-ounce can) 2½ cups heavy cream 3 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste 16 ladyfingers, halved crosswise 4 cups coconut water, preferably Harmless Harvest

¾ cup pomegranate arils ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted (optional) 1. In a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat over medium until gelatin dissolves. In a 12- to 14-cup trifle dish or glass bowl, combine pomegranate juice, ⅓ cup sugar, and half of gelatin mixture (reserve remaining gelatin mixture at room temperature), stirring until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. 2. Meanwhile, in another saucepan,

whisk together cornstarch, salt, cream of coconut, ½ cup heavy cream, and egg yolks until smooth. Add butter; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring, until it has the consistency of pudding. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; stir in vanilla. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming; let cool completely. Whip 1 cup heavy cream to stiff peaks; fold into pastry cream until smooth.

BIG DAYS 3. Arrange half of ladyfingers evenly in a single layer over pomegranate gelatin. Spoon pastry cream over top, spreading with an offset spatula until smooth. Top with remaining ladyfingers, in a single layer. Refrigerate; meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. In a bowl, stir together coconut water, ⅓ cup sugar, and reserved gelatin mixture until sugar dissolves. Place bowl over ice-water bath; let stand, stirring a few times, until mixture begins to thicken and mound, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in pomegranate arils. Transfer mixture to trifle dish; smooth top. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or, covered, up to 3 days. 4. Whisk remaining 1 cup heavy cream

and 2 tablespoons sugar to soft peaks. Spoon over trifle; sprinkle with toasted coconut. Spoon into bowls and serve. ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 9 HR. 20 MIN.

SERVES: 8 TO 12

Coffee-Caramel Swiss Roll CAKE

¼ cup safflower oil, plus more for brushing 1¼ cups cake flour (not self-rising)

½ 1¼ ⅓ ¾

teaspoon kosher salt teaspoons baking powder cup hot water cup granulated sugar

5 large eggs, separated, room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Pinch of cream of tartar Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting SYRUP

¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder FILLING

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1½ cups heavy cream FROSTING

2 large egg whites

⅔ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon cream of tartar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

¼ cup cold water 1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Brush a 13-by18-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. Line bottom with parchment; brush parchment with oil. 2. Cake: Whisk together flour, salt, and

WITH POTENTIAL

3. Bake until pale golden and pulling away from edges, and top springs back when lightly touched, 17 to 19 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes. Meanwhile, generously dust a kitchen towel with confectioners’ sugar. Flip cake out onto towel, remove parchment, and generously dust top with more confectioners’ sugar. Starting at one short end, roll up cake in towel. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. 4. Syrup: Meanwhile, in a small sauce-

pan, bring granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat; whisk in espresso powder until dissolved (mixture will foam). Transfer to a heatproof bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. 5. Filling: Meanwhile, prepare an icewater bath. In a saucepan, combine granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and salt. Cover; cook over medium heat, swirling a few times, until boiling and sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue boiling, undisturbed, until mixture turns golden amber, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream in a slow, steady stream (it will bubble up and splatter). Return to medium heat; cook, stirring, until smooth. Transfer to a bowl set in ice-water bath; let stand, stirring a few times, until cold, about 30 minutes. Remove from bath; whisk to stiff peaks.

BIG FOOD FOR

BIG DAYS

6. Unroll cake. Brush any residual

sugar from top, then brush evenly with espresso syrup. Dollop with filling and spread evenly with an offset spatula, leaving a ½-inch border. Starting at one short end, roll up cake (without towel). Wrap cake roll in towel and transfer to a baking sheet, seam-side down, to maintain cylindrical shape. Refrigerate until filling sets, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. 7. Frosting: In a saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a simmer over medium heat.

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

149

baking powder to combine. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk hot water with ½ cup granulated sugar until dissolved.

ARE RIPE

Whisk in oil, then egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Whisk flour mixture into sugar mixture just until combined. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to medium-high, and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar; continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir one-third of egg whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites just until no white streaks remain. Transfer to sheet; spread evenly to edges with an offset spatula.

FILL UP

The Workbook

FOR

In a large heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar, corn syrup, and water. Transfer bowl to pan (do not let bottom touch water). Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; continue beating on high until mixture is no longer warm to the touch, about 5 minutes more.

BIG DAYS

8. Remove cake roll from towel; trans-

fer to a cake plate. Spread frosting evenly over top and sides. (Frosted cake can be refrigerated, uncovered, up to 3 hours before slicing and serving.) Briefly wave a kitchen torch over frosting until golden brown in places. Slice cake into rounds; serve. ACTIVE TIME: 1 HR.

| TOTAL TIME: 10 HR. 25 MIN.,

PLUS COOLING | SERVES: 8 TO 10

Chai Snowballs 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup almond flour 2 tablespoons best-quality black tea leaves, such as Darjeeling, coarsely ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle

¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cardamom Pinch of ground cloves 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste 1. Preheat oven to 325˚, with racks in

upper and lower thirds. In a bowl, whisk together both flours, tea, salt, pepper, and spices. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture, beating just until a dough forms. Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls. Place 1 inch apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.

BIG FOOD FOR

BIG DAYS

2. Bake, rotating rack positions once halfway through, until cookies are set and golden on bottoms, 15 to 18 minutes. 3. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Roll in

confectioners’ sugar; let cool completely on a wire rack. Generously coat in more confectioners’ sugar before serving, or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks. ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN.

| TOTAL TIME: 1 HR., PLUS

COOLING | MAKES: ABOUT 3 DOZEN

150

DECEMBER 2018

GOOD THINGS HAPPY DAYS, PAGE 26 HomeCrate 24-pocket hanging canvas shoe organizer, in Beige, $27; Ann Clark Cookie Cutters Christmas set, $20 for 11; Pick a Toy wooden paddle-ball set, $12; Toysmith pickupsticks game, $10; and Animal Alley stuffed Labrador, $35, amazon.com. ImagiKnit Holiday Fa La La La Llama spatula, $10, imagiknit.com. The Penguin Gift Shop Fun Flapping Penguin pen, $4, thepenguingiftshop.com. Cambridge Chocolates mustache lollipops, $3.25 each, cambridgechocolates.etsy.com. Yulia Kochevykh felted finger puppets, from $14 each, yuliakochevykh.etsy.com. Gotham Chocolates Wild bar, $9, gothambarandgrill.com.

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WIN THIS CONTEST DETAILS MARTHA STEWART DAILY Official Rules NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Subject to Official Rules available at win.martha stewart.com online. There will be one Daily Giveaway Sweepstakes per day. Entries for each daily sweepstakes must be received by 11:59 p.m., E.T. each day. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, 21 years or older. One entry per email address per day. Online entry only. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Meredith Corporation.

MARTHA STEWART LIVING (ISSN 1057-5251) is published monthly except combined in January/February and July/August by Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 503093023. Periodicals postage paid at Des Moines, IA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NONPOSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address changes to Martha Stewart Living, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508. (Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40021219, GST #89311617BRT.) Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Martha Stewart Living is a member of the Alliance for Audited Media. SUBSCRIBERS: If the postal authorities alert us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. Your bank may provide updates to the card information we have on file. You may opt out of this service at any time. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Occasionally, we make a portion of our mailing list available to carefully selected companies that offer products and services we believe you may enjoy. If you would prefer not to receive these offers and/or information, please send a note along with your address label to Martha Stewart Living, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508, or call 800-999-6518 (U.S. and Canada) toll-free. PRINTED IN THE USA.

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Collecting

Champagne coupes pop up so often in classic Hollywood movies, you’d think they had studio contracts. Fred and Ginger sipped from them before floating across the dance floor in Swing Time, and The Thin Man’s crime-solving Nick and Nora Charles were constantly topping theirs off. While Europeans have long favored flutes, which admittedly preserve the bubbles longer, manufacturing companies in the Ohio River Valley, like Cambridge Glass and Duncan & Miller, shifted production in the early 20th century to suit Americans’ taste for the shallower, showier style. Some have colored stems or bases, and many feature intricate wheel-cut engraving (center and right). Their fragility makes a full vintage set a rare find, but singles go for as little as five dollars—and an ensemble of mismatched ones look elegant together. Pass them around at your next soirée, and celebrate in a style worthy of the silver screen. PHOTOGRAPH BY YASU + JUNKO | TEXT BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN | CREATED BY FRITZ KARCH

152

DECEMBER 2018

ST YLING BY ELIZABETH PRESS

TOASTS OF THE TOWN

Apple Walnut Crostata

California Walnuts FOR THE BEST SIMPLE MEALS EVER From starter to dessert, add flavor, texture and heart-healthy* goodness with great tasting California walnuts. For these recipes and more, visit Walnuts.org So Simple. So Good.™

Per one ounce serving.

*Heart-Check food certiﬁcation does not apply to recipes unless expressly stated. See heartcheckmark.org/guidelines. Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. (FDA) One ounce of walnuts provides 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid – the plant-based omega-3.

Walnut Cheese Crostini

Walnut Kale Caesar Salad

Roasted Tomato Walnut Chicken

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Martha - December 2018

Articles inside

To get a luminous

Our founder’s drone pictures capture the chang- ing seasons at her Bedford home.

Expand your egg

This updated favorite attains

A Virginia sculp

A vibrant holiday