‘How I Holiday’: 16 Chefs Share Their Traditions and Recipes
Turns out chefs aren't only experts when it comes to running a restaurant—they also know how to holiday. We asked the pros for the timeless rituals and recipes they wouldn't dare celebrate the season without.
Photo by Peden + Munk1/16Chips with
DipCaviar“I learned about caviar and potato chips from the late Sam Beall of Blackberry Farm. It’s become my family’s holiday tradition, just the four of us. The high-low is what’s so great about it. I have a rose-colored antique glass dish that I’ll spoon the caviar into, and we use mother-of-pearl spoons. If I’m planning in advance, I’ll use homemade chips from Restaurant Eugene. If not, it’s classic Lay’s. I’ll make clabber cream to go with it, but you can also use crème fraîche. Lately we’ve been enjoying Mote caviar out of Florida, but you can find other great stuff online. I recommend Browne Trading Company; a friend of mine gets his from Sam’s Club.” – Linton Hopkins, C. Ellet’s, Atlanta
Photo by Peden + Munk2/16Make a Showstopper
“I grew up in India, so my first experience with American holiday traditions was with my wife’s family. They’re Jewish, but they do Christmas bigger, badder, and louder than most, not to mention their over-the-top Thanksgiving feasts. Turkey’s hard to cook and always dry, so I’m always thinking, what can I do that’s as centerpiece worthy? I do crown roast with black peppercorn, fennel seed, and cumin. It’s not that I’m trying to Indian-ize it; my spice pantry is just four times larger than other people’s.” – Meherwan Irani, Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
Get the recipe for Indian-Spiced Pork Roast with Rosemary and Onions.
Photo by Imagno/Getty Images3/16We’re All Secretly Puzzle Nerds
“A holiday-themed puzzle is always on the table, and it’s slowly built over many days by many hands. My partner Kaitlyn’s family rolls in the 2,000-piece range; 1,000 is entry-level.” – Ashley Christensen, Poole’s, Raleigh, NC
Photo by Peden + Munk4/16Embrace Tradition–Even If It Involves Rum Sausages
“I split Christmas between my parents and my girlfriend’s family, but it doesn’t really matter if I’m there, as long as I send the rum sausages: Hormel breakfast sausages, brown sugar, and light rum. Let it stew until it gets thick, like half an hour, throw it in the slow cooker, and serve with toothpicks. It’s just one of those dishes that’s so easy, so dumb, so fantastic.” – Chris Shepherd, Underbelly, Houston
Illustration by Peter Arkle5/16Wait, You're Not Sabering?
“My wife tries to discourage my holiday Champagne sabering. It’s not because of safety—she just wants me to open bottles like a normal person. But sabering is the way to go—like shotgunning a beer but better.” – Justin Severino, Morcilla, Pittsburgh
Justin’s Saber Tips:
- Choose wisely. “The better the Champagne, the better it sabers. Really good Champagne comes in awesome delicate bottles. Prosecco bottles can be as hard as steel. In general I gear toward the Brut rosés from France, but I’m not picky.”
- Secure your weapon of choice. “I keep a foot-long metal file on top of my refrigerator. That works well, but I pride myself on sabering with anything that’s around. I once sabered with an iPhone 4.”
- Prep your bottle. “Take the foil and basket off the cork, then turn the bottle so the seam faces up. Run the blade up and down the seam three to four times to create a little vibration and carbonation.”
- Take your shot. “Aiming away from people, hack off the top of the bottle in one fluid sliding motion and follow through. The last thing you want is to use force. As you get better, start thinking about distance and accuracy. My record is 25 feet.”
- Exercise caution. “Don’t drink straight from the bottle. It’ll cut your face off.”
Photo by Peden + Munk6/16Ring in the (Lunar) New Year
“My siblings and I have separate Christmas plans, but on the Lunar New Year, we all get together with our families. We call it Festivus [laughs]. We cook, we feast, we play cards—and I always make tteokguk, or rice cake soup. Koreans traditionally eat it to welcome New Year’s Day, and it signals that you’re getting a year older and, hopefully, better as a human being. The older generation says, ‘If you don’t eat your tteokguk, you won’t get a year wiser!’ It’s their passive-aggressive way of making sure you have a bowl.” – Sohui Kim, Insa, Brooklyn
Get the recipe for Good Luck Beef and Korean Rice Cake Soup.
Photo by Alex Lau7/16Put the Kids to Work
“The past four years, we’ve done Christmas Eve with family friends. Our friends’ oldest daughter wants to be a chef, so we give her new tasks every year. Anything that involves an interesting object or a repetitive task works well, like shaping gnocchi. Oyster shucking is heavily supervised. Once, another friend’s daughter skinned her hand, so we just said, ‘You have chef hands now!’ She was really proud.” – Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Photo by Peden + Munk8/16Food Gifts > Other Gifts
“Every year I make my mom’s salt-and-butter-roasted pecans. We share them with special customers, my kids’ teachers, and friends. Plus, I keep a few tins in the car for moments when I feel like I should have a gift for someone and I don’t. And I always receive a few jars of ‘Apple Pie’ cocktail as gifts—it got the name because people used to hide their moonshine in apple cider jugs and cut it with cider and spices. That trick evolved into a batched cocktail folks take great pride in. I’ve served it more nights than I can remember, heated with more lemon juice, as a nightcap.” – Vivian Howard, Chef & the Farmer, Kinston, NC
Get the recipe for Salted Buttered Pecans with Orange and Nutmeg and Apple Pie Moonshine here.
Peden + Munk9/16Get Cracking
“My dad, my brother, some friends, and I go crabbing on Christmas Eve. If the weather is nice, we’ll cook them right on the beach in saltwater. My parents have a big marble countertop, so we’ll sit around in the kitchen making dinner. Everyone in this family has cracked a lot of crab, so it’s nice to have the help. We’ll do a simple but decadent pasta. Oh, and lots of Champagne. We don’t wait until five o’clock. We’re not going anywhere.” – Renee Erickson, Bateau, Seattle
Get the recipe for Fettuccine with Crab, Crème Fraîche, Lemon, and Tarragon.
Photo by Peden + Munk10/16It's Your Lucky Day
“It’s a big tradition in the South to eat black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day. It’s something my mom has always done, and I think my grandparents, too. It’s a superstitious thing. The black-eyed peas bring good luck, and the greens symbolize money. Everybody takes a couple of bites in solidarity.” – Julia Sullivan, Henrietta Red, Nashville
Get the recipes for New Year’s Day Black-Eyed Peas and collard greens.
Illustration by Peter Arkle11/16Cue the Netflix
"On Christmas Day, we all lounge around, eating leftovers from our Christmas Eve feast and watching some strange, obscure indie movies. Try Santa Sangre." – Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
Photo by Melissa Tse/Getty12/16Peking Duck or Bust
“Peking Gourmet Inn, this Chinese restaurant in a strip mall in Falls Church, Virginia, is a madhouse between Christmas and New Year’s. I go with my family on Christmas Day and always run into friends from restaurants like Komi, Tail Up Goat, and Mirabelle—among my friends, it’s a Jewish tradition. I’ve never left there not in pain…and without extra food.” – Aaron Silverman, Rose’s Luxury, Washington, D.C.
Photo by Peden + Munk13/16Time to Make the Doughnuts
“One year my staff and I realized that with tweaking, our challah dough has all the characteristics of really good doughnut batter. Now this version inevitably makes an appearance on our Hanukkah menu at Zahav. When we fill them with fresh quince paste, it’s the classiest jelly doughnut.” – Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
Kelsey McClellan14/16The More Cookies the Merrier
The best part of hosting our cookie exchange at Sister Pie—a tradition we started last year for staffers and customers—is seeing this gloriously diverse selection of cookies that you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. Here’s a few tips.” – Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie, Detroit
- Make a Big Batch. “Bake at least three dozen to trade. It’s enough that you can try a few during the swap and still go home with a full box of treats.”
- Try a New One. “As someone who bakes for a living, I love the chance to make something challenging that I wouldn’t otherwise, like rainbow cookies. Last year I decided to make a vegan cookie—we very rarely make those at the shop.”
- Set Out More Than Cookies. "If you’re hosting, having savory snacks, like chips and guac or a cheeseball, encourages people to hang out and helpswith palate fatigue. Mulled wine, cider, or milk is never a bad idea, either.”
Photo by Peden + Munk15/16Finish with a Bang
I always set a long table—at least 12 seats. And after dinner, I lay clementines or satsumas with their green-leaf tops right down the middle. I’ll do nuts, too—walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts. We’ll drop beautifully wrapped Italian chocolates and some big bricks of nougat for people to chip away at. And then there’s the chocolate truffle, with spoons for people to run across the surface and create chocolate shavings. Everyone grabs a small plate and serves themselves. It’s participatory. We’ll peel the citrus and suddenly the peels will be everywhere. We’ll start to crack nuts and there will be shells everywhere. That’s when the meal becomes really, really relaxed. You could sit there all night, making conversation, playing card games. That’s my favorite moment.” – Jody Williams, Buvette, NYC
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott16/16And After the Party It's the Leftovers Party
“Every year, right after Christmas, I get my friends together for a leftovers party. People bring whatever’s in their fridge and we convert the leftovers into a second meal. All the pressure’s off this time! Everyone can just kick back and have a good time.” – Mike Lata, FIG, Charleston, SC
- Ham >> Biscuit sandwich with preserves
- Turkey >> Turkey hand pies
- Ham scraps & gravy >> Redeye gravy potlikker with young greens
- Mashed potatoes >> Shepherd’s pie
- Rolls >> Turkey sliders with mayo and cranberries
