The Salt List, December

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: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°

  2. Steam peeled beets and small potatoes, they are done when just fork tender, approx 15 mins for potatoes and 30 mins for beets

  3. In the meantime, cover a baking tray with tin foil

  4. 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  

  5. 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


What We’re Coveting

The Salt Market’s Gift Guide

JIA Inc. 4 Piece Steamer


Anything from Christopher Kimball’s 177 Milk Street. I have my eye on this JIA Inc. 4 Piece Steamer. Steaming is my preferred method of preparing veggies, and this would look great on the kitchen counter.

Buy Here

Verden’s Arborealist Bath Oil

Something lavish. Verden’s Arborealist Bath Oil is pure pleasure. I was given a bottle for my birthday this year and I treat it like gold. The scent Aborealist is woody and smoky, and the oil is infused with passion fruit seed and pure grape seed oil. It’s a real treat. Made in the UK.

Buy Here

MISE 店 Shoshi Watanabe Udon Essentials Gift Set

I love MISE. They are a company dedicated to sourcing beautiful and delicious things from Japanese and Japanese American artisans. This Udon Essentials kit features all the essentials for preparing and serving udon at home, including a pack of premium dried noodles, handmade using 60 years of traditional technique, a batch of all natural and easy-to-use dashi sachets to prepare a rich and flavorful soup broth. It comes with two handcrafted ceramic bowls and chopstick rests.

Buy Here

Handmade Ceramic Egg Carton


It’s a small pleasure, but I like to keep my fridge looking orderly and appealing. One of the best little joys in my fridge is my ceramic egg carton. It would be a lovely gift because it’s nothing anyone would necessarily buy for themselves, but it brings a lot of joy if you’re a weirdo like me. I’m a fan of this whimsical one from Etsy.

Buy Here

Maison Boissier Marrons Confit


The Parisian confectionery and chocolatier Maison Boissier has been in business since 1827. They make the most beautiful products, inside and out, the packaging is something to treasure. Their holiday collection includes Marrons Confit a l’Ancienne, or old fashioned candied chestnuts, that are so decadent and special. Serve them with whipped cream or ice cream.

See you in January! 🧂

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The Salt List, January

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The Salt List, November