berry bliss

Thanksgiving may have turkey and the Fourth of July, the rainbow of American condiments, but Christmas has desserts. From grandmother’s divinity to eggnog ice cream, the December holiday season revolves around high-calorie intake. My favorite last course to serve at dinner parties can be found in individual, white ramekins with a dollop of whipped cream. Some call it berry streusel, but I like to think of it as a little berry bliss.

Berry Bliss

6 oz. fresh blackberries
6 oz. fresh strawberries, chopped
6 oz. fresh blueberries
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp. butter

1. Preheat oven to 375.Combine berries with sugar, cornstarch and orange juice. Spoon into individual ramekins, leaving room at the top.

2. In separate bowl, combine butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Sprinkle on top of each berry-filled ramekin. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the topping is brown.

bring on the brie

Life without a dishwasher is hard. I prefer my 100 year old apartment, and that comes without a few modern amenities. That’s why I love this easy and elegant party appetizer that will not only jump start your guest’s taste buds for the main course, but give you a few less dishes to wash too.

Baked Brie with Fig

Large sheet of puff pastry
5 in. round Brie wheel
13 oz. jar of fig preserves
1 egg yolk, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut puff pastry sheet in half. Lay and gently press one sheet along the sides and at the bottom of 8 in. baking pan.

2. Place brie wheel on top of press puff pastry sheet. Spread preserves on brie and fold dough over the top. Place remaining half sheet on top to form round shape along the size of the wheel.

3. Brush egg yolk on top to give a deep, glossy finish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Serve with grapes, green apple slices and toasted baguette slices.

mint and merriment

Don’t just deck the halls, deck out the dining room with playful peppermint to enjoy all season long. Save the bordeaux tablecloth and gold-rimmed drinkware for the 25th and opt for red and white swirls to set the tone for the mint and merriment get-togethers leading up to the big day. This peppermint party will look so good, Santa may come early this year.

Peppermint Christmas Trees

What You Will Need:

-Sugar ice cream cones, different shapes
-Peppermint candies, round
-Peppermint candies, crushed
-White royal icing

1. Cover each ice cream cone with royal icing.
2. Pour out crushed peppermint candies onto individual parchment sheets or paper plates. Roll ice cream cone in crushed, peppermint candies. For a different look, use round peppermint candies and individually place to cover entire cone with peppermints. Dry for 24 hours.
3. Place trees from one end of the table to the other, varying the sizes.

Peppermint Vases

What You Will Need:

-Clear vases, different shapes
-Peppermint candies, different shapes

1. Pour peppermint candies into each vase. For a tall vase, use peppermint sticks. For a small round, vase use original, round-shaped peppermints.
2. Place the vases from one end of the table to the other, varying the sizes.

Peppermint Place Cards

What You Will Need:

-Red Cardstock paper
-White Cardstock paper
-Hole Punch
-Red and white striped ribbon, ½ inch width
-Silver paint pen

1. Find a small, oval-shaped object, like a jewelry box or picture frame. Trace the shape on different colors of cardstock paper, one oval per guest. Cut out each shape.
2. Punch two holes per oval opposite sides from each other.
3. With the silver paint pen, write each guest’s name per oval. Have fun and save the cursive handwriting for Christmas dinner and break out fun shapes and designs with each name.
4. Cut a length of ribbon that would give each place card an extra ½ inch to 1 inch per side. Slide the ribbon from the front, right side toward the back and out through the back, left side. With scissors, cut a triangle at both ends of ribbon to finish the peppermint look.
5. Place each place card on top of plate and charger to give each guest their own personal peppermint.

Peppermint Coffee

What You Will Need:

-Peppermint sticks
-White melting chocolate
-Variety of red and white sprinkles
-Peppermint candies, crushed

1. Fill 1/3 of a pan with water and place a smaller pot with white melting chocolate on top. Bring to medium heat and stir frequently until chocolate is melted. Turn off heat.
2. While chocolate is melting, pour out sprinkles and crushed peppermint candies onto individual parchment sheets or paper plates. Dip 1/3 of the peppermint stick into melted chocolate. Immediately roll in desired sprinkles. Place upright to dry. Repeat for each peppermint stick.
3. Using a spoon or spatula, spread leftover melted chocolate on the rim of each guest’s coffee cup.  Flip the cup over, and roll the rim in the crushed peppermint candies.
4. Serve after dinner with coffee. Guests can use the candy-coated rim and candy-coated peppermint stick to flavor each cup of coffee poured.

Peppermint Cookies

What You Will Need:

-Sugar cookie dough
-1/2 Tbsp. peppermint extract
-Red food coloring
-Sugar-cane peppermint candies

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix up favorite sugar cookie recipe and divide dough in half. In one bowl, mix the peppermint extract into the dough. In other bowl, mix red food coloring into the dough.
2. Take a small piece of the peppermint-flavored dough and a small piece of the red-dyed dough and roll together to form a ball. Place ball on cookie sheet. Repeat for desired amount of cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Immediately press a peppermint candy into center of each cookie. Let cool.