JENNIFER GARNER'S SWEET POTATOES
HOLIDAY SPECIAL
The movie star-and mom of two-shares a side-dish recipe she loves to make during the holiday season
LEMONY MAPLE SWEET POTATOES
Serves: 6 to 8
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" × 2" chunks
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper in a large glass baking dish.
3. Cook until almost tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Whisk syrup and lemon juice in a small bowl.
5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and drizzle ½ maple-lemon mixture over potatoes.
6. Stir gently, return to oven, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven, drizzle with remaining maple-lemon mixture and serve.
Garner has teamed up with Frigidaire to support Save the Children. Learn more at maketimeforchange.com
HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Top Chef Just Desserts Winner
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Pastry chef Yigit Pura-the champ of Bravo's sweets competition-provides a twist on a classic
ROASTED HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Makes 150-160 cookies
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 egg yolks
4 cups flour
1 tbsp. salt
1 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts (skin on), fleur de sel for garnish
1. In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add the egg yolks and keep mixing until just blended.
2. Sift together flour and salt. Add to butter mixture, on low speed, until almost incorporated. Stir in hazelnuts and mix until just combined. Take care not to overmix the dough.
3. Divide dough into four portions. Flatten each portion and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 325. Take one portion of dough and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Lightly flour the top, and roll out to about ¼-in. thickness.
5. Punch out cookies using a round 1.5-in. cutter. Place cookies on a parchment-lined sheet, and garnish tops with a pinch of fleur de sel. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating sheet after five minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Repeat with rest of dough. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Note: Dough can be frozen.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Valerie Bertinelli GUILT-FREE PARTY SNACK
The TV star offers up a light, savory appetizer for your Christmas celebration
FILET MIGNON TOWERS Makes 32 rounds
1 8 oz., 4" × 4 " piece beef tenderloin (filet mignon) Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. (2/3 cup) light cream cheese
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. finely chopped basil
1 8-in. cucumber, sliced into 32 quarter-in. rounds
1 small tomato, seeded and finely diced (3 to 4 tbsp.)
2 tbsp. finely diced red onion
1. Season beef with salt and pepper and grill over medium-high heat until medium-rare, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Cut beef into 8 equal-size pieces, then slice each piece into 4¼-in. slices. Reserve.
2. Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, sugar and basil in a bowl. Using a spatula, transfer mixture into a large ziplock bag. Twist bag until mixture is forced to one corner of bag. Using scissors, snip off the corner of the bag.
3. Arrange steak slices on cucumber rounds.
4. Pipe 1 tsp. cream cheese mixture onto each round and garnish with onions and tomatoes.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL
FESTIVE COCKTAILS
Forget eggnog and Christmas punch! Three experts offer chic drink options that will impress all of your guests
Wynn Las Vegas mixologist Patricia Richards
BLOOD ORANGE MIMOSA
Serves: 1
3 tbsp. blood orange juice
½ tbsp. simple syrup
½ cup well-chilled sparkling wine
Pour juice and syrup into a champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.
New Orleans chef John Besh
HOT SPICED WINE
Serves: 6-8
1 bottle red wine
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup kirschwasser or cherry brandy
1 bay leaf
1 clove
½ vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla
1 orange peel
1. Place all of the ingredients into a pot and warm on the stove until the sugar has dissolved. Do not boil.
2. Remove bay leaf and clove before serving.
San Francisco party planner Laurie Arons
CRANBERRY CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Serves: 1
1 sugar cube
¼ tsp. pure cranberry concentrate (available in all health food stores)
2 dashes of bitters
¾ cup chilled champagne or sparkling wine
1 orange twist for garnish
1. Place a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne flute.
2. Pour cranberry concentrate and shake bitters over sugar cube. Top with champagne.
3. Garnish with orange twist.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Genevieve Gorder's PARTY ESSENTIALS
Playing host this holiday? The HGTV designer shares some favorite things that will make any get-together more stylish
HAUTE CHOCOLATE
Offer your guests these salt-topped chocolate caramels and "you will not only be the star of the evening, you will also be held prisoner until you tell everyone where you got them," insists Gorder. Gray & Smoked Salt Caramels, $25 for 20; franschocolates.com
A Hollywood Hostess Gift
Looking for a last-minute present? Beauty and fragrance guru Lisa Hoffman-who's married to Oscar-winning actor Dustin-recommends these Madagascar Orchid and Japanese Agarwood scented candles. "When lit, the organic wick creates the sound of softly crackling wood," she says. $46 each; lisahoffmanskincare.com
SWEET TREAT
This cake stand is "beautiful and timeless," says Gorder. "You can leave it out year-round." 6-in. Jadeite Glass Cake Stand, $40; poshchicago.com
TABLE TOPPER
"The holidays are all about wishing, and they're a chance to buy things you wouldn't normally buy for yourself-the purely decorative things," she says of this accent piece. Gold Wishbone, $48; jaysonhomeandgarden.com
LUXE LINENS
"I like a table that doesn't look like you've tried too hard," says Gorder, who's a big fan of these hand-embroidered vintage napkins. "Holiday decor should feel effortless." Folk Napkins, $75 for 4; matteohome.com
SPECIAL SEASONING
Gorder suggests using these Himalayan salt bricks as "decor for the middle of your table," or you can use a grater on them: "The shavings give salads and sweets a kick." Salt Plates and Bricks, $25-$40; deananddeluca.com
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