Christmas Pistachio and Orange Cookies

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Pistachios, orange zest, and glace cherries make for a delicious holiday cookie.
Pistachios, orange zest, and glace cherries make for a delicious holiday cookie.

The palest green with hits of bright red peeking out here and there, these cookies have Christmas written all over them.

For extra holiday bling, I added shiny, sticky, lipstick-hued glace cherries to these “Pistachio and Orange Cookies.”

The recipe is from “The German Christmas Cookbook” (Weldon Owen), of which I received a review copy. It was written by Jurgen Krauss, a 2021 “Great British Bake-Off” contestant.

A native of the Black Forest in Germany, he moved to the United Kingdom in 2003. His passion for baking was kick-started when he couldn’t find any traditional German bread to his liking in his new home country, so he tried his hand at baking his own.

In this collection of recipes, you’ll find both sweet and savory treats for the holiday season, including — yes — his recipe for “Crusty Black Forest Loaf.” Other temptations include “Mulled Wine Cake,” “Chocolate Waffles with Kirsch Cream,” “Semolina Dumpling Soup,” and “Smoked Fish Canapes.”

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What to Read

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“Care and Feeding: A Memoir”

Do you fantasize about being an assistant to a celebrity chef?

Read “Care and Feeding: A Memoir” (Ecco), of which I received a review copy, by Laurie Woolever and you will probably have second thoughts.

Woolever is a writer and editor who has written about food and travel for the New York Times, Food & Wine and GQ. She also was an assistant to the late-great Anthony Bourdain and to the now irreputable chef Mario Batali.

No surprise, Bourdain comes off as a thoughtful and professional boss while Batali’s antics are as lecherous and unseemly as you imagine.

But when it comes to telling all, Woolever doesn’t spare herself, either. Indeed, her writing is raw and unflinching as she describes this period in her life, where drugs, booze, and extramarital affairs nearly did her in.

Thankfully, as the title implies, she finally learns the importance of taking care of herself first, and in so doing, emerges as the respected and successful writer she was meant to be.

“I’m Not Trying To Be Difficult: Stories From the Restaurant Trenches”

He is one of the most storied restaurateurs in the country, having opened such iconic New York establishments as Tribeca Grill, Nobu New York City, Nobu Next Door, Batard, and Montrachet.

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Tea Time with Hojicha Shortbread

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Buttery, crisp shortbread flavored with roasted Japanese green tea.
Buttery, crisp shortbread flavored with roasted Japanese green tea.

Move over, matcha.

The new “It” Japanese tea in town is hojicha.

With its rather homely, dirt color, it may lack the splashy, attention-grabbing vivid green hue of matcha. But like a brooding, slightly mysterious friend, it can take a little time to reveal just how appealing and intriguing it can be.

This low caffeine, Japanese green tea is pan-roasted over charcoal to create its characteristic smoky, toasty and nutty quality that has hints of coffee and caramel.

It stars magnificently in “Hojicha Shortbread,” which bakes up with an unusual top.

The recipes is from the new cookbook, “Baking & the Meaning of Life” (Abrams), of which I received a review copy.

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Jose Andres’ Zaytinya Finally Opens in Palo Alto

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Chef Jose Andres opens his first restaurant in the Bay Area.
Chef Jose Andres opens his first restaurant in the Bay Area.

It’s a big deal whenever a world-renowned chef opens a new restaurant. But even more so when it’s Jose Andres, recipient of two Michelin stars and two James Beard Awards, who was twice named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” He not only operates 40 restaurants globally, but founded World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit humanitarian organization that is so often first on the ground at major disasters around the world to help feed those in desperate need.

It’s been a long time coming, but Andres has finally opened his first restaurant in the Bay Area. Zaytinya took two years to debut from conception through construction, and was nearly derailed by a short-lived ban by Palo Alto on gas stoves in new construction.

Last week, it opened in the former Macy’s site at Stanford Shopping Center to great fanfare to serve Greek, Turkish and Lebanese fare. It is the sixth location of Zaytinya in the country.

Opened in the former Macy's store.
Opened in the former Macy’s store.
Outdoor dining for the warmer months.
Outdoor dining for the warmer months.
Neon at the bar.
Neon at the bar.

Although Andres wasn’t there for the opening, his presence was on display in the form of a monogrammed chef’s jacket hanging at the host stand. He also had veteran staff on hand from his other restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas to ensure seamless service, as I found when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant last Tuesday.

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Holiday Sips

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The perfect start to any holiday gathering.
The perfect start to any holiday gathering.

2023 Bloodroot Petillant Naturel

What would the holidays be without a glass of sparkling? Not nearly as festive, of course.

The 2023 Bloodroot Petillant Naturel ($48), of which I received a sample, will get the party started in lively fashion.

Not only is it the palest of blush in color, but it’s made entirely of the little-known Trousseau Gris, a French varietal that is grown in small amounts in eastern France and was once widely harvested in California as Gray Riesling. Healdsburg’s Bloodroot, so named in honor of the “blood” of the vines being nourished by its “roots,” makes this particular wine from Russian River Valley-grown grapes.

It is produced in the petillant naturel method, in which the unfiltered wine is bottled before the first fermentation is completed, trapping the carbon dioxide for natural carbonation.

It has a soda pop-type bottle top, and extremely lively effervescence to match. Pour it into a glass and the bubbles will foam up immediately like a just-opened soda.

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