I’ve been trying to talk my colleague Jane McTeigue into sharing some of her creations with Cook the Vineyard. A former pastry chef and multi-talented artist, Jane is prone to leaving surprise handmade gifts – from tiny gingerbread houses to pop-up Valentines — on coworkers’ desks. Recently it was a little stack of button-shaped gingerbread cookies, threaded and tied together with baker’s twine.
This time I begged Jane to show us how she made them — and to give us her favorite gingerbread cutout recipe. Finally she said yes. We had fun photographing the process of making these delicious and cute-as-a-button (sorry!) cookies, and I hope the photos will show that you can easily make these Gingerbread Button Cookies yourself with a few everyday tools like wooden skewers, small straws, and round cookie or biscuit cutters.
Meanwhile another foodie colleague of mine, photojournalist Ray Ewing, has been cooking up his annual batch of Cranberry Lime Habanero Hot Sauce. Yes, you read that right – yum! There’s even a bit of maple syrup in this New England-meets-Southwest condiment.
Ray’s recipe yields a thick, brick-red, richly flavored hot sauce that I’ve been using to elevate my egg sandwiches, but with its fruity profile, it could just as easily land on the dinner plate with roasted pork, chicken tacos, or a shrimp stir-fry. Read all of Ray’s tips and then make a batch for holiday gifts. Ray swears that the capsaicin in the peppers will drive away the winter blues. (And I hear the hot sauce makes a wicked Bloody Mary, too, which can't hurt!)
Honestly pretty much everyone on the Vineyard Gazette staff is obsessed with food and cooking. This next gift idea comes from the son of former editor (and great cook) Julia Wells. Judson’s Crispy Granola bakes up golden and crunchy and has a snappy texture almost like a granola bar – you can break it into pieces. Anyone would be happy to get a jar of this as a gift.
Or a jar of my simple Chocolate Sauce for Ice Cream!
And it might sound odd, but I’m going to include a box of Sfoglini cascatelli pasta in each of my family’s Christmas stockings this year. I’d been wanting to try the cascatelli – a new shape that’s the brainchild of James Beard award-winning podcaster Dan Pashman — when I saw some on sale at Morning Glory.
You can listen to The Sporkful to hear the crazy story of how Dan (whose parents live in Vineyard Haven) persevered in his quest to create a pasta shape with the ultimate "sauceability, forkability, and toothsinkability." But I can also now tell you that I’m in love with this stuff. All those nooks and crannies capture sauce and other ingredients like no other pasta shape I’ve had.
I used the cascatelli (“waterfall” in Italian) along with some Italian sausage I’d just bought from Grey Barn to make a Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomato Cream and Parmigiano (and a whole lot of mozzarella!) this weekend. So good, so not low-calorie. But heck, it’s total comfort food and your holiday guests will devour it.
Just a quick note to mention again this week that all of our holiday cookie recipes are in one place, including Holiday Cut-Out Cookies of the straightforward butter and sugar variety.
We’ll see you on Instagram @cookthevineyard. Be sure to follow us if you haven't already.
What's Open, What's Happening
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
• If you're looking to make a dinner reservation or wondering which farm stands and markets are open, visit What's Open on Martha's Vineyard for regularly updated listings.
CHRISTMAS IN EDGARTOWN
• Amidst all the Christmas in Edgartown festivities this weekend, there are of course plenty of opportunities for eating and drinking, from an all-day pizza party at Katama General Store to the chili bar at The Anchors. Make your reservations ahead for dinner at Bettini on Friday night when the lighthouse will be lit.
CHEESE IT
• Friday Dec. 9 from 5:30 p.m. on is Raclette Night at S&S Kitchenette in partnership with Martha's Vineyard Cheesery. Reservations are suggested for this "cheesey, gooey, cozy" night but walk-ins are welcome as well.
