Spice Drop Cookies

I posted the recipe for these cookies last year, but buried under a photo and recipe for some other cookies I don't even like. Silly blogger! Here I give Spice Drop Cookies, my favorite holiday cookies, their due.

I believe I got this recipe from Saveur*. Cookies are very personal. I don't know if these cookies will do it for you like they do it for me, but they just make me so very, irrationally, happy. They come out plain and brown, and it may not even occur to your guests to pick them up and eat them, which is good. More for you that way.

Spice Drop Cookies

Use a spice or cleaned coffee grinder to grind the following spices together:
10 allspice berries
5 cardamom pods
5 black peppercorns
1 clove
1 star anise
1 small nutmeg

Sift together spice mixture with:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar

Add:
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses

Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture. Drop tablespoon-sized bits of dough on cookie sheet and bake 8-11 minutes. If you bake until crisp they will still have some chewiness to them. Marvelous.

*...But I can't find this exact recipe anywhere on their website, so who knows.

Thanksgiving confessions

I blew the gravy.

Years ago we celebrated Thanksgiving with a large group of friends. One of these friends accidentally threw out the gravy and it was a Very Big Deal. As in, our friendship almost ended the morning I discovered the gravy was gone. Gravy is god, or so I thought. This year I didn't make enough turkey stock and became worried about having enough volume. So I added too much flour. I also poured the gravy into the boats 30 minutes before we sat down. By the time we sat down to eat we had lukewarm, gelatinous gravy.

Fortunately the turkey was super flavorful and juicy, so it wasn't a huge tragedy. But lesson learned: next year make tons of turkey stock so I can just reduce for an hour with drippings and not even bother with flour (trust me, delicious). And then don't pour into boats until we're just about to sit down.

I don't like pumpkin pie.

Oh sure, if you make your own butter/lard crust and use fresh pumpkin and do some cool pumpkin seed streusel topping I'll eagerly eat your pie. But the classic? It's not a good recipe! Why do we keep making and eating this bland, mushy dessert? No more, I say, no more.

Cocktails for the cook are a bad idea.

In years past I've been plied with cocktails while cooking prior to dinner. Instead of relaxing me the booze makes me stressed and emotional, less capable of handling a crisis or last-minute changes with grace. This year I had herb tea instead of cocktails and guess what--no crying. No crying! Unbelievable. I must try that again.

I am a slob.

Luisa discovered this when we got started. She is a scrupulously tidy cook and bussed the countertops so quickly it was like she had an army of kitchen brownies working with her. I've never seen such a clean kitchen prior to sitting down before Thanksgiving dinner. It was like we hadn't even been cooking in there. What a dignified way to operate! I had no idea this was possible. Unfortunately I still don't understand how she does it and have not been able to change my ways at home.

I love you, turkey

Thanksgiving was

Hubbard squash soup with pumpkin oil and herbed butter hearts

The perfect tart with squash, mushrooms, greens and goat cheese

Two little boys playing harmoniously in their very own world

Endless cups of very good tea with milk and honey, leftover mashed potato pancakes with cranberry sauce

The discovery that lots of pepper makes an American Bronze turkey sing

And the discovery that an American Bronze turkey has excellent bones

Many thanks to our gifted and generous hosts Luisa and Rishi. Now is the quick breath before the next holiday season. It's time for simple turkey stew with rice and carrots.

Here she is, Miss America

We're joining 20 people in Sea Cliff for this year's Thanksgiving feast. I'm in charge of the birds. Rather than trying to roast one giant bird I'm roasting two smaller American Bronze turkeys from McDonald Farm, one 6.5 pounds and one 12 pounds. I'm doing the dry brine and then carrying them in an insulated bag over the Long Island Railroad. Think it'll work?

I'll also be whipping up some chicken liver pate and this pear, walnut and brandy cranberry sauce, and making a gravy with turkey stock and apple cider. Otherwise our hostess has her own vision for this dinner and it's going to be grand: cornbread stuffing with pork sausage, creamed onions, pumpkin soup, squash, salads, tart, pies.

I am thankful for all the farmers who raised the food we'll be eating this weekend. And I am thankful for the friends we'll share the meal with and for our families near and far. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Spiced pork belly with apple cider glaze

I finally got organized enough to enter a Food52 contest! One of the themes this week was pork with apple cider. I probably could have made this with hard apple cider instead of fresh apple cider with vermouth. Anyway, I'm just proud I managed to create a recipe, write it up, and photograph it in time for the deadline. (At least I think I met the deadline.) Have a look-see.