Issue #03 (December 2023)
Where We’re Going
The Northeast Harbor Holiday Festival
The Northeast Harbor Holiday Festival on December 2nd. Our dreamy little town of Northeast Harbor holds a Holiday Festival every year. We are so thrilled to take part in this tradition! Santa and Mrs. Claus come in on the Sunbeam, there’s caroling in the harbor, and shops stay open late. This year, we will be open late in the evening to serve shoppers praline chestnut lattes and glasses of Prosecco. Cranberry Oysters will be shucking oysters from 3-6pm, and we’ll be selling cones of warm, spiced mixed nuts. Come see us on Saturday 12/2!
What We’re Drinking:
Glühwein
A sip of this spiced, mulled red wine drops me slap dab in the middle of a Holiday Market in Paris. It’s simple, warming, and festive. Gather brandy, a dry red wine, sliced oranges and warming spices like cloves, cinnamon sticks and star anise, and pop them in a pot to simmer on the stove for thirty minutes. Et voila! The taste and smell of a European winter.
What We’re Listening To:
The Salt Market’s Holiday Playlist on Spotify
I love a nostalgic holiday playlist. This one is a combination of mellow Bing Crosby and orchestral renditions of Christmas classics from The Boston Pops, Glenn Miller and Count Basie. Glamorous, festive and easy listening for your winter evening at home simmering glühwien.
What We’re Eating
Creme fraîche on Roasted Veggies
Have you ever tried this? It’s delicious. I like to make smashed baby potatoes and beets by steaming them first and then smashing their tops with a big spoon. It’s delicious on its own for a quick supper or as an accompaniment to a roast chicken.
Here’s how:
Preheat the oven to 450°
Steam peeled beets and small potatoes, they are done when just fork tender, approx 15 mins for potatoes and 30 mins for beets
In the meantime, cover a baking tray with tin foil
When the veggies are done, transfer them to your lined baking tray. With a spoon, smoosh the top of the beets and potatoes, sprinkle them with generous olive oil and salt. Roast until brown and crispy, approximately half an hour
When they’re hot out of the oven, generously butter your potatoes and dab spoonfuls of crème fraîche onto the crispy, smashed tops of your potatoes and beets. The crème fraîche will melt into the vegetables with the butter and the salt. It’s delicious. You could also do this with green beans, carrots or broccoli. Yum
