Chocolate and Cheese Dessert Board

Chocolate and Cheese Board
Jump to Recipe

This is the second dish in this year’s nostalgia-themed holiday menu. And yes, we’re skipping right to dessert. It doesn’t appear to make sense, I realize that. But I figured this was the best place to put this Chocolate and Cheese Dessert Board because this is one of two dessert options. Yes, you have another dessert coming to you and I promise it will be more appropriately placed chronologically speaking. And when it comes to dessert and sugary things in general it pays to spread them out. Plus, this is a board and the Jalapeño Cold Pack appeared on a board, so they sort of make sense as a duo. Sort of. It doesn’t matter. What matters is this Chocolate and Cheese Dessert Board delivers elegant salty-sweet bliss. So let’s talk about it!

Continue Reading

Jalapeño Cold Pack with Onion Bagel Chips

Jalapeño Cold Pack with Onion Bagel Chips
Jump to Recipe

Every year for the month of December I post a holiday menu centered around a particular theme. Last year was an ode to seafood, which was a celebration of my maritimer roots. This year I’ve decided to look back once again but in a more personal way. This year’s theme is nostalgia. And no, that doesn’t mean I’ll be posting a turkey with all the trimmings, not that there’s anything wrong with that. When I say nostalgia I mean personal nostalgia. Dishes from my past holidays were either memorable one-offs or treats enshrined in family rituals. But of course, this wouldn’t be Rhubarb and Cod if they were faithful recreations. Expect twists galore as always. First up is this Jalapeño Cold Pack with Onion Bagel Chips.

Continue Reading

Gnocchi Stuffed Squash with Spinach Artichoke Cream

Gnocchi Stuffed Squash with Spinach Artichoke Cream
Jump to Recipe

It’s December and you know what that means, the holidays are upon us. Now, depending on who you are, that could be a very good thing or a kind of crappy thing. And if you’re like me, it can be either or depending on the day. I am currently wrapping up my holiday shopping, so I’m a little lukewarm on the subject. But even my post-Black-Friday sour mood can’t spoil the joy I get from planning festive menus. Cocktail parties, cookie boxes, and lavish feasts – I love dreaming them all up.  Today I’m bringing you a holiday-ready main – this Gnocchi Stuffed Squash with Spinach Artichoke Cream. A vegetarian offering that I think is grand enough to hold its own next to a standing roast and decadent enough to make omnivores jealous. So let’s talk about it!

Continue Reading

Caramel Apple Linzer Cookies

Caramel Apple Linzer Cookies
Jump to Recipe

If you frequent this site, you might have noticed I don’t post cookies often. Sure, as a tastebud-possessing individual, I like a good cookie. What’s not to like about hand-held delights made primarily of butter and sugar? But I don’t tend to have a lot of cookie-related ideas. They seem to be my culinary blindspot. It might be because I don’t find them particularly beautiful. And I am a visual learner and schemer. Now, before you direct me to the plethora of perfectly gorgeous sugar and gingerbread cookies on the Internet, I know they exist. My other Achilles heel is royal icing. So yeah, I can’t even approach cookies from a design standpoint. But every now and then the baking gods come through and bless me with a good cookie idea I can actually pull off. And these Caramel Apple Linzer Cookies are a fine example of such an idea.

Continue Reading