we should definitely have a party ✨

plus: a rolled spinach omelet

Dec 27, 2023

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Good afternoon!

I hope you’re having a delicious, restful holiday break — and I hope you’re one of the happy ones, still on break. I hope you’re sleeping in, goofing off, staying in soft clothes and preserving your energy because we are but four days from New Year’s Eve and I think NYE should be celebrated. No matter what kind of year we had, I love a grand finale, either sending it packing, good riddance, or basking in its glow. I always stay up to watch the ball drop, except that one year I had a newborn and conked out at 10pm.

For the last several New Year’s Eves, our tradition has been to make a fantastic amount of raclette tartiflette (the recipe is in my most recent cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers), a big colorful salad, open a lot of oysters, chill a lot of champagne, and then I make a highly decadent dessert, either these chocolate puddle cakes or the family-style crème brûlée (also in SKK) but this year I’m leaning towards sticky toffee pudding. In 2020, we ate this all around a firepit outside and the tradition has stuck a little where it doesn’t feel as special to be entirely indoors, no matter how cold.

How about you? If you’re still deciding, or need a nudge, do scroll down to many of my favorite foods for parties including snacks, cocktails, and desserts. Plus, a new omelet that’s fun and ridiculously easy, something I will appreciate the morning of New Year’s Day, when I’ve invited family over for brunch.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Want to buy a signed copy of my most recent cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers? Both Strand Bookstore in Manhattan and Books Are Magic in Brooklyn have copies in stock. Wondering what you might include from the book on your holiday table? I thought you’d never ask! I vote for the endive salad with apple matchsticks, winter squash soup with red onion crisp, tangy baked eggplant and couscous, and raclette tartiflette. And please don’t forget the thick molasses spice cookies, family style crème brûlée, and white russian slush punch. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.

rolled spinach omelet

New: I'm completely obsessed with this omelet that's angling to be your holiday brunch centerpiece. The ingredients are simple (frozen spinach, cheddar, eggs), the process is quick (hand-whisked, bakes in 15 minutes), but the presentation is gorgeous enough for the fanciest table. I think you're going to love it too.

union square cafe's bar nuts

A 5-ingredient, timeless recipe, perfect for any party worth going to, plus a reminder that the most exceptional holiday stuff is often the simplest.

feta tapenade tarte soleil

My favorite radiant, party-perfect appetizer to celebrate the longer, brighter days ahead is also a cinch. Once your puff pastry is defrosted, it can be assembled and baked in under an hour.

baked brie with balsamic red onions

Baked brie, my way: A simple, flaky galette dough, sweet-sour jammy red onions under and over the cheese, a paper-thin layer of Dijon, thyme, and a crackle of sesame seeds on top.

pimento cheese potato bites

Bite-sized, bronzed, melty, and completely-impossible-to-stop-at-one potato bites, perfect with (or for, heh) dinner tonight or at any party you're heading to -- minus a few, you know, for "quality testing."

cider-glazed bacon-wrapped dates

The most popular appetizer at every party is also the easiest to make. I am anti-stuffing (too fiddly, takes forever), but pro-glazing, and this one, with cider vinegar, maple syrup, flaky salt, and aleppo pepper, makes what is already an impossibly delicious party snack even more so.

caesar salad deviled eggs

Deviled eggs are only for holiday parties? Not around here. These are bright and zingy and deliciously crunchy on top and I have absolutely no qualms about eating them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner today.

fromage fort

I think this should be our new party trick, the ideal way to turn leftovers from other parties -- scraps of cheese, splashes of wine -- into something far awesomer than its parts. Want to make it even a little more decadent? Run the toasts under a broiler.

scallion meatballs with soy-ginger glaze

Around here, these meatballs check all boxes: perfect party food, easy dinner, plus a kid-and-adult favorite. Colorful cellophane-d toothpicks optional, but who are we kidding, not really.

baked brie with garlic butter mushrooms

I'm making the argument that we should get to eat baked brie for dinner, at least in this cozy time of year, when even the simple meals should feel special. Here the brie is nestled in a pan of the best roasted mushrooms ever and everything is swooped and scooped onto toasty bread. Repeat as needed.

essential french onion soup

Onion soup is one of my favorite foods on earth; it's inexpensive, easy to shop for, and requires no cheffy tricks to make an impossibly good, cozy bowl. Julia Child's books taught me how to make it; real life took it from there.

fudgy bourbon balls

I think we should bring this 60s holiday party standard back. My version uses bourbon instead of rum, a brownie's worth of chocolate, a dab of molasses for intensity and a tumble in sparkly shimmery coatings. They age well (just like us!) so go ahead and make them ASAP and be glad they’re ready when you are.

luxe butterscotch pudding

A caramelized, rich, and luxurious upgrade to butterscotch pudding, delightful in small portions, with or without a puddle of salted caramel on top.

layered mocha cheesecake

This six-layer stacked cheesecake, part chocolate, part coffee, is less complicated (one-bowl cookie layers, one-bowl cheesecake, everything bakes fast) and even more wildly delicious than it looks. I think it's got Saturday Night Baking Project written all over it, don't you think?

rum campari punch

No matter what the question on New Year's Eve, a giant bowl of dark red punch with a fizzy finish is the answer. Punch (admirably) gets more harmonious and mellow with age, even if you (understandably) refuse to, so go ahead and get it mixed up a few days ahead. Cheers!

cosmopolitan

Look what's ready for its comeback (that is, if it ever left). I make a couple adjustments to the original that makes a huge difference in the balance of flavors. What's not up for debate: whether our New Years Eves would be better with these in it.

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. I recently added several new favorites I’ve bought in the last year. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!