Tag holiday recipes

The Secret to Surviving (and Spiking) the Office Holiday Party

It’s December, and you know what that means: decorated trees, holiday lights, and so many sweets you actually start to crave vegetables. There is another nearly inevitable event to expect in December –the Office Holiday Party. (Cue intense, high-pitched music). While some people may live for these events (Ahem, Parties That Cook team members who shall remain nameless), others might feel a bit uneasy about interacting with coworkers after work.

For those of you in the second group –heck, even for those who work from home –you’re in luck! Alcohol-infused treats are becoming increasingly popular these days. Not to worry, 60-75 percent of the alcohol is lost when the alcohol is stirred into the batter. And supposedly, depending on the baking time, only 25 percent of the alcohol remains after baking. I know some of you out there are a little bummed by those facts! Still, spiking your baked goods and other sweets with alcohol adds another dimension to the flavor, and puts a nice twist on the usual holiday goodies (without making the room spin).

A couple of years ago, the hip thing to drink was any cocktail made to mimic dessert. With the recently published Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone’s Booze Cakes and Lucy Baker’s The Boozy Baker, it is clear that the roles have been flipped. Desserts are not invading your drink as prominently as in previous years, but now alcohol is invading… pretty much everything.

Enter, Tipsy Truffles, Humphry Slocombe ice cream, and the rising star The Baking Lab. Located in Las Vegas, Tipsy Truffles is a family owned business that focuses on Tipsy Truffle Cakes and Tipsy Truffle Drops (meant for dissolving into drinks like hot chocolate). San Francisco’s Humphry Slocombe might just have a cult following for its Jesus Juice (Sorbet of Red Wine and Coke) and Secret Breakfast (Bourbon and Corn Flakes) flavors. In Chicago, you select the alcohol, and The Baking Lab’s Labettes get to work on creating the perfect dessert.  Rebecca Denton and her Labettes cater events and can even pass around their baked goods for you (might as well just bring them to the party, too)!

Now you are armed and ready for your holiday office party with a new weapon of choice. Show up with any of the items mentioned in this blog and you’re sure to be a smash(ed) hit! To check out some Holiday Parties that are guaranteed to be blast -with or without the alcohol -go to the Parties That Cook Cooking Parties page! Desserts like our Spicy Gingerbread Cakes with Warm Brandy Sauce and Mexican Chocolate Pudding with Kahlua Caramel Sauce keep Parties That Cook a step ahead of the next big thing.

It’s Prime Time for Butternut Squash and Bacon Galletes!

Now that we’ve all had a full month to recover from nightmares of Lady Gaga’s meat dress, it’s time to get back to the goods. Not to worry, we won’t jump head first into a meaty meal –though if you fancy that idea, check out these ten ways to show your love of bacon. This recipe for Butternut Squash and Bacon Galettes will ease you back into the swing of the carnivore (or omnivore) lifestyle with just the right amount of BACON… for now.

Nothing says “Holidays” better than a Butternut Squash recipe. Really! Butternut Squash is a close relative to the beloved pumpkin -like a cousin, or maybe even fraternal twin? It’s also a staple in those Thanksgiving food horns we colored every year in middle school. Sticking with the Holiday foods theme, this recipe can also be made with Sweet Potato! Check out the original Sweet Potato version of this recipe here.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Galettes
For other great Holiday appetizer ideas, visit our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Galettes:
6 slices bacon
1 small butternut squash yielding 1 1/4 cup of cooked pulp
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon sage leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary needles, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Canola oil

Garnish:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Baby sage leaves

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook Bacon: Put bacon on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and cook until crisp, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the cooling rack.  Once cool, chop  into small 1/4” bits and transfer to a small bowl .  Set aside.

Cook Butternut Squash: Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and roast squash on a lightly oiled sheet pan, flesh face down, until a knife inserted into the thickest part encounters no resistance, about 1 hour.  Cool squash slightly and scoop flesh from shell. Measure out 1 cup of pulp.   Set the rest aside for another use.

Make Batter: In a medium bowl, mix together flour and baking powder; set aside.  Place the cooked butternut squash in the jar of a blender.  Add the cream, milk, melted butter, sage, rosemary and salt; blend for 20 seconds.  Add eggs, and process a few seconds more until fully combined.  Pour butternut squash mixture into flour mixture; fold to mix. Add lemon juice and half of the chopped bacon, reserve the rest of the bacon for garnish. Stir just to combine.  Do not over mix or the galettes will be tough.

Cook Galettes: Pour a Tablespoon of canola oil into a non-stick pan. Spread around the pan with a paper towel.  Working in batches, drop a heaping Tablespoon of batter into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd.  Cook until the underside is golden, about 2 minutes.  Turn pancakes over and cook until the other side is golden and the pancake is cooked through, about two minutes more.  Transfer to a cooling rack over a sheet pan.  Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more canola oil as needed between batches.

Garnish: Combine the sour cream and salt.

Serve: Put the pancakes on a serving platter. Top each pancake with a tiny dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with a little bit of the reserved bacon. Add a baby sage leaf and serve immediately.

Makes 24 delicious galletes.