Cook Book Club: December

Thistles and Kiwis

Summer is here, the holidays are approaching and Christmas is round the corner. It is also time for Cook Book Club, with, naturally, the theme of Christmas. This was a hard challenge for me as we have a fixed menu every year, enjoying a ‘Swedish table’ as regular readers may already be aware of, with the usual spread of the usual spread of herring, ham, meatballs, smoked salmon, potatoes, Janssons frestelese and other goodies rather than anything new. Also, since it is summer here and not winter, the table slightly resembles more of a midsummer table with a green salad on the side rather than braised red cabbage, and strawberries for dessert.

Anyway, I picked up Alison Roman’s Something Fancy for some possible make ahead pre lunch nibbles and/or an idea for a salad as this book is all about entertaining with ease. Full of wonderful pictures and a fun text, I’ve not used this book as much as I thought, so it was a good chance to have a go at a couple of nibbles and one side dish.

First up was this dip, which I made with Greek yoghurt rather than labne, sizzled shallots, lemon juice and as I forgot to buy coriander, I used parsley and basil, then dribbled it with a chilli crisp I had in the cupboard. It was OK, but lacked something.

The Slightly Sticky Walnuts with Sesame and Sumac however were excellent. Preheat the oven to 160C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place walnut pieces (my packet was 180g, the recipe is for 350g), and drizzle with maple syrup. tahini, sesame seeds, olive oil and a pinch of chilli flakes. Season, and toss to combine so that everything is evenly coated – be prepare to be sticky and covered in tahini. Roast until the walnuts are golden and the maple syrup is caramalised, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sumac and flaky salt, tossing to coat, and cool before serving. As this can be made up to 5 days ahead, it might well be something I will do to serve up as the guests arrive on Christmas Eve.

I also had a look for a different salad that might go with our usual spread, and thought the Lemony Watercress with Raw and Toasted Fennel would be a possible refreshing side dish. For this, toast fennel seeds until fragrant and light golden brown, then pop into a bowl with lemon juice and very finely chopped shallot, very thinly sliced lemon and season with salt and pepper. Leave to let the lemon soften. Combine watercress and fennel in a large bowl, add the lemon mixture, season, and drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. This was excellent – and yes the lemon slices are missing because for some reason I forgot…but this is a definite for Christmas Eve if I can find watercress, although rocket would do as well.

The book? I really want to make the Crushed Peas with Burrata and Black Olives as a possible Boxing Day leftovers salad, though the wonderful looking spicy pork meatballs will have to wait for another day. Her take on tarte tatin made with apricots though sounds like an excellent summer dessert – maybe for New Year’s Day?

Entered in the cook book club hosted by Jo of Brookford Kitchen Diaries. Next month we’re off to Scandinavia! This is a great theme for me and I already have in mind what I am going to make. Just a reminder – Scandinavia is Sweden, Norway and Denmark only. The date – 21 January 2026 (2026!!).

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

33 Comments

  1. I do love a seasonal nut, but we have a burrata in the fridge that needs using so maybe the peas and olive situation would work well with that… I just so happen to have that book…

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  6. How delightful it is to peep over your shoulder as you experiment with new recipes. Hot summer lends itself to less rich fare for Christmas and salads are always welcome.

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