Holiday Drinks, Winter Brews, Chocolate Buffet and a Cookbook Round-Up

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Jessica Strand has spent a year researching the best holiday drinks to get you through the season. Ellen Rose from Cook's Library brings the best of the year's cookbook releases. Then, we go back to the bottle for a chat about winter beers with brew-pub owner Sang Yoon. Finally, we dive headlong into a chocolate buffet with pastry chef Michelle Suh.
You can find Janeen Whalen's fresh wreaths and garland at the Sunday Hollywood Farmers' Market, all the Santa Monica Markets and online DesigningEndeavors.com

Guava Jam

  • 8 cups guavas, variable in degree of ripeness
  • 8 cups sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
Cut fruit in half. Place in a pan with a little water and cook until soft. Strain the fruit, leaving behind the seeds and skins. Add the sugar and the lemon juice and bring to the boil. Steadily boil until you achieve the setting test for jam. Bottle and seal.
Note: You may need less sugar when using yellow guavas.

The Hollywood Farmers' Market and The Cook's Library present:

Holiday Cookbook Signing Extravaganza
Sunday, December 7, 2003
Ivar & Selma Avenues, between Hollywood & Sunset
9-11am:
Bob Blumer - Off the Eaten Path
Suzanne Dunaway - No Need to Knead
Cindy Mushet - Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style
Martha Rose Shulman - The Best Vegetarian Recipes, The Foodlover's Atlas of the World, Ready and Waiting
Jessica Strand - Holiday Cocktails Intimate Gatherings
Diane Worthington - Seriously Simple, The Cuisine of California, American Bistro, The Taste of Summer
Clifford Wright - A Mediterranean Feast, A Mediterranean Vegetables, Real Stew, Little Dishes of the Mediterranean
Russ Parsons - How To Read a French Fry
Carl Chu - Finding Chinese Food in Los Angeles

11am-1pm
Nicole Aloni - Cooking for Company, Secrets from a Caterer's Kitchen
Neelam Batra - 1000 Indian Recipes
Patricia Greenberg - The Whole Soy Cookbook
Julie Hasson - 125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes
Evan Kleiman - Cucina Fresca, Cucina Rustica, Pasta Fresca, Angeli Caffe
Faye Levy - Feast from the Mideast, 1000 Jewish Recipes, Jewish Cooking for Dummies
Mani Niall - Covered in Honey, Sweet & Natural Baking
Dan Strehl - Encarnacion's Kitchen
Carla Williams - Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue!
Nancy Zaslavsky - A Cook's Tour of Mexico

Holiday Cocktails by Jessica Strand, published by Chronicle Books
Each recipe makes 1 drink

Santa Baby

  • 1/2 oz Chambord
  • 5 oz Champagne
  • 5-6 pomegranate seeds
Pour Chambord into a champagne flute or other tall glass, then add champagne. Finish by dropping the seeds into the cocktail.

Blitzen

  • 1 oz Irish Cream liqueur
  • 1 oz dark rum
  • 1/2 oz cr-me de cacao
  • 8 oz hot chocolate (see below)
  • Whipped cream
  • Cocoa for garnish
Pour Irish Cream, dark rum, and cr-me de cacao into an Irish coffee glass. Add hot chocolate to within an inch of rim. Finish with whipped cream and a dash of cocoa.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

  • 8 oz milk
  • 2 wedges Mexcian hot chocolate
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until very hot. In a blender, place the chocolate wedges and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add hot milk and blend until smooth.

White Christmas

  • 1 oz vodka
  • 1 oz amaretto
  • 1 oz heavy whipping cream
  • Grated nutmeg, for garnish
Pour vodka, amaretto, and cream over a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until cold, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Grate a little touch of nutmeg on top.

Gingersnap Punch

  • 6 cups ginger ale
  • 2 oz raspberry syrup
  • 3 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Fill a large glass punch bowl with ice. Pour in the ginger ale, raspberry syrup, and lime juice. Stir.

Cranberry Sauce

  • 6 oz cranberry cocktail
  • 2 oz club soda
  • 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • Lime twist, for garnish
Pour cranberry juice into a red wineglass filled with crushed ice Add club soda and lime and orange juices, then stir. Garnish with lime twist.

Hot Buttered Rum

  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 4-6 oz boiling water
  • 1 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 oz dark rum
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Put brown sugar into a glass punch cup and fill two-thirds full with boiling water. Add butter and rum. Wait until butter melts, then stir and sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.

Ellen Rose is the owner of Cook's Library, 8373 W 3rd St, Los Angeles. (323) 655-3141

Baking Books:

Regional Artisan Bakery Cookbooks: Other Books:

Chef Michelle Suh's Chocolate Buffet is at the Raffles L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills.
9291 Burton Way (310) 278-3344

Thursday-Saturday, December 11-13 from 3-6pm
Thursday-Saturday December 18-20 from 3-6pm in the The Living Room.
Guests can indulge in decadent chocolates, truffles and holiday desserts while sipping Champagne by the fireplace. ($20.00 per person including coffee and tea, excluding tax and gratuity)

Sang Yoon is the owner of Father's Office
1018 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica (310) 393-2337

  • Anderson Valley Brewing Company. "Winter Solstice". Tastes like liquid pound cake.
  • Anchor Brewing Company. "Anchor Christmas". Not a stout but black in color. Nutmeg taste. Can be aged.
  • Delirium Tremons Brewing Company, Belgium. "Delerium Noel" - 5 malt beer. Lots of yeast esthers. Similar to a scotch in flavor. 9% alcohol.
  • Ale Smith Brewing Co., San Diego. "Yule Smith". 9% alcohol. Very hoppy. Unfiltered. Bitter. Tannic. Tastes like pine and chamomile. Leaves the palate dry.
  • Unibroue, Canada. "Quelque Chose". 8% alcohol. Tastes like mulled wine. Brewed with dried cherries. Drink over ice or mulled to 150 degrees.

Credits

Host:

Evan Kleiman

Producers:

Marina McLeod, Bob Carlson, Jennifer Ferro