Roasted squash 'jam' and a festive cocktail

So you can entertain like a pro

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Greetings and welcome today’s Stories from Catbird Cottage! With less than a week til Christmas *and* Hanukkah, I thought it would be appropriate to share a recipe that comes together easily and will delight everyone. This sweet-savory vegan spread is festive, fun to look at, and so delicious.

And then to pair with it, something for you imbibers! A perfect tipple for the moment. I dreamt up this cocktail for guests dining at Catbird Cottage during an especially frosty weekend… It is crisp and bright, and conjures the sunshine in a big way. It’s sheer bliss to sip!

⭐️ If you’re still looking for a perfect cookie and other baking gifts, look no further than these terrific triple chocolate cookie bars, lacy oat lace cookies, and juniper shortbreads (dipped in chocolate ganache, then dusted in pistachios, no less). If you’re on the hunt for *just the right* gift for a foodie friend or someone else you love, my cookbook makes an excellent gift that celebrates the seasons and extends into forever.

⭐️ Pair it with a gift subscription to my newsletter: receive straight to your inbox every week beautiful things that speak to the moment - hello discovery and joy! - plus full access to the archive, with new recipes to make your life more delicious. Click the button below to get a gift subscription for you, or someone you love.

⭐️ And lastly: I curate exquisite, memorable seasonal coursed dinners, on par with the great restaurants of today. Guests constantly give rave reviews!

Contact me here if you’d like to celebrate a special occasion at Catbird Cottage, or arrange one at your own abode.

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Next week I’ll be hosting a giveaway for everyone that you won’t want to miss. I am very excited for what’s taking shape - stay tuned!

Without further delay, let’s get to party planning so you can make these two stunners for your holiday crew, or create a special night without need for an occasion...

I love cocktails and make them all the time. The repertoire is usually guided by a theme you might characterize as “boozy but bright”. I prefer a shaken cocktail, which always includes freshly squeezed citrus, so that the liquor doesn’t hit me front and center. A drink that sidles up to me, refreshes and feels bright and friendly, is what I seek. If this sounds like your speed, you must make this. Come back and let me know how you loved it…

Some time ago, at a wine store I frequent I discovered Contratto and Solerno, two takes on citrus liqueurs.

Contratto dates back to 1935 and is based on a combination of 28 herbs, spices, roots, and seeds. Here’s a list of some of the aromatics incorporated: angelica, cinchona, bitter orange, sweet orange, lemon, mandarin, hawthorn, cloves, cardamom, juniper, mint, rhubarb, sage, nettle, ginger. It’s dazzling to consider this array, and makes me want to begin creating my own small batch spirits! This liqueur is made using a traditional process of cold maceration to create an all natural (no chemical flavorings or colorants) aperitif that makes cocktails exceptional. I use this spirit in many drink-making adventures and I always love the results. Another interesting fact - Contratto gets its vibrant color from carrot and beetroot extracts – how cool is that! Try this as an earthier, naturally derived, vibrant alternative to Aperol.

Solerno is the other specialty spirit in this beverage. It’s a complex blood orange liqueur made with three different varieties of Sicilian blood oranges, including the Sanguinello varietal, harvested from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. The Italians know their drinks, and this is no exception. From Curiada tasting notes -

Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur captures the essence of Sicily's prized blood oranges, offering a vibrant and intense citrus flavor that's both sweet, bitter, and tart. The liqueur is made using a unique three-part infusion process that includes not only the juice of blood oranges but also their essential oils and peels, resulting in a remarkably complex and layered flavor profile that's hard to replicate.

Unlike many orange liqueurs that rely on artificial flavoring, Solerno uses a unique "Essential Oil Foglia" extraction method to capture the essence of the entire fruit, including oils from the leaves and blossoms, resulting in a complex and intensely aromatic spirit.

Sunshine in winter
makes 2 cocktails

2 oz Old Overholt rye
1 oz Solerno blood orange liqueur
1 oz Contratto Aperetivo
1/2 oz maple syrup
1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 dashes mole bitters (or 1 dash firewater tincture)
orange or kumquat wedge, to garnish (optional)

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Fill rocks glasses with fresh ice cubes, strain cocktail into glasses, garnish, and enjoy.

See if you don’t feel refreshed, warm, and cozy in no time…

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The story of this savory jam is that I am currently flush with winter squash and was on the hunt to try something new. In the lead-up to friends coming over for steaming bowls of bean stew in front of our nightly fire, I thought I’d add something a little different to the ‘cheese and crackers’ portion of our evening. This sweet-savory, umami infused jam did not disappoint.

Feel free to use just butternut squash, or just sweet potato. I had both and thought the density of the sweet potato made the savory jam hearty, in a way everyone loved. I could see spreading this on toast and layering it with bacon and a friend egg - and maybe even wilted escarole or spinach - for another piece of heaven. Whatever the case, don’t skip the garnishes. They add sparkle and nuance, and they’ll make it inevitable your guests will want to dive in.