Winter is the perfect time to whip up festive treats and cocktails. We asked a few of our neighbors to share their favorite holiday recipe traditions, perfect for enjoying at home.
Compiled by Anna-Rhesa Versola | Photography by James Stefiuk
Grandma Dawson’s Hungarian Nut Rolls
Makes eight rolls
Lori Olivet, member engagement director at the Chatham YMCA, says this recipe is one of her all-time favorites. “My grandmother, Helen Dawson, always made Hungarian nut rolls every holiday season,” she says. “My brother, sister and I now make it every year.” The recipe takes two days to make, and there will be plenty to share with friends, so plan accordingly!
Dough
- 10 eggs, separated
- 1 Tbsp. baking soda
- 8 cups flour, plus more for work surface
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 packets yeast (Add 1/3 cup warm water and stir to activate)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 6 Tbsp. sugar, plus more for work surface
- Milk
Nut Mixture
- 10 egg whites
- 3 lb. walnuts
- 2 cups sugar
Day 1
Dough
Separate eggs into yolks and whites into two different bowls. Place egg whites in a container in the fridge for the nut mixture the next day.
In a mixing bowl, add baking soda to flour and stir. Add butter to flour mixture and mix until crumbly.
In the bowl with the egg yolks, add sour cream and beat with a whisk. Add activated yeast, salt and sugar to the egg yolk mixture. Stir and knead to a pie dough consistency.
Divide the dough into eight equal balls and individually wrap each dough ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (eight hours minimum).
Day 2
Nut Mixture and Baking
Remove egg whites from the fridge and bring them to room temperature.
Remove four dough balls from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature while making the nut mixture (you want to be able to roll it out, but you don’t want it too warm).
Grind walnuts into small pieces in a food processor (be careful not to overgrind and make walnut butter). Add 2 cups of sugar to the walnuts and mix.
Beat egg whites with a hand mixer until frothy, add to nuts and mix to make spreadable.
Preheat oven to 170 F (to allow the dough to rise). Remove the next four dough balls to let them begin to come to room temperature.
Add some flour and sugar to the work surface where you will roll your dough. For each dough ball, flatten dough and roll to a 12-by-12-inch square. Take 1/8 of the nut mixture and spread evenly over the dough to within ¼ to ½ inch from the edge. Begin on one side and roll the dough into a log, tucking the ends in as you go. Brush the edge with a little milk to help it stick and seal the roll. Place seal-side down on a baking sheet. Once you have all eight rolls done, place in the warm oven to rise for 30 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 F. Pierce the tops and sides of the rolls (about 12 times per roll) to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake rolls for 10 minutes, rotate sheets and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Slice each roll into eight pieces and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Orange Slice Cake
Serves 12
Jon Woolard, a library assistant at Chatham Community Libraries, recalls his mother making orange slice cakes and sending them via U.S. Postal Service as gifts. “I think [orange slices] were the original gummies,” Jon says. “They were gummies before gummies were cool.”
- 2 cups pecans, chopped
- 8 oz. dates, chopped
- 1 lb. orange slice candy, chopped
- 3 ½ cups cake flour (all-purpose works), divided
- 2 sticks margarine or salted butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. soda, dissolved in buttermilk
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
In a small bowl, mix nuts, dates and orange slices with ½ cup of flour. In a mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour with other ingredients. Add fruit and nut mixture. Pour cake batter into a greased pound cake pan and bake at 250 F for two hours.
Icing (optional):
Mix ½ cup orange juice and 2 cups confectioners’ sugar. Pour over hot cake, a little at a time. Let stand overnight or rest of day. Cake freezes well if there are leftovers.
Note: Let the cake sit overnight before taking it out of the pan to avoid it coming apart. Run a knife around the outside of the cake before removing it. Icing is recommended to keep it moist.
Classic Pecan Pie
Serves six
When Natalie Powers was a little girl, she spent a lot of time with her grandmother, Leah Short, in Bennett. Last year, she inherited her grandmother’s pound cake pan and began her business, Creative Cakes by Natalie, in Leah’s honor. “That pan has a lot of wonderful memories,” Natalie says. “We have a lot of recipes that we made together, and I still make today as an adult. My mom also taught me a lot about baking. She has always been an amazing cook and always cooks and takes care of others. We have many family recipes we fix every holiday for gatherings.”
- 1 9-inch pie crust
- 1 cup Karo light corn syrup
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans, halved
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan. In a medium bowl, combine Karo light corn syrup, cinnamon, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Stir in pecans. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Bake on the center rack for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for two hours before serving.
Tip: Cover edges of pie crust with aluminum foil before baking to prevent over-browning.
Valrhona Coeur de Guanaja Chocolate Soufflé
Serves eight
This recipe was initially developed by the late Edna Lewis during her time as a guest chef The Fearrington House Restaurant. It has been adapted in the decades since, but remains on the menu with good reason. And, the warm chocolate sauce makes it the perfect indulgent treat for a chilly winter evening.
Note: The Fearrington House recommends that the base be made the day before you plan to serve the soufflé.
Soufflé base
- Unsalted butter
- 1 cup 2% milk, divided
- 1½ Tbsp. cornstarch
- ¾ cup 100% Valrhona chocolate pieces
- 2 cups egg whites
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for coating
Chocolate sauce
- ¼ cup 100% chocolate pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2.5 oz. sugar
Whipped cream
- 1 cup cream
- 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- ½ vanilla bean
Butter and sugar the molds a few hours prior to making the soufflés to set. Brush eight 8-oz. ramekins with melted unsalted butter, using an upward motion with the brush. Coat each with granulated sugar. Melt the chocolate on a double boiler until hot to the touch.
Set aside ¼ cup of milk. In a small bowl, add cornstarch and pour ¾ cup of milk slowly into the cornstarch, stirring to prevent lumps. In a pot, bring the ¼ cup milk to a simmer and slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for five minutes.
In a mixing bowl, add the chocolate into a mixer with the paddle attachment. Add milk mixture in intervals, mixing well after each addition. Place in a covered container and store in the fridge until needed.
To make the whipped cream, in a medium pot, bring the cream and vanilla bean to a simmer. Remove the vanilla bean and add the powdered sugar using a hand blender to help incorporate fully. Reserve in a container and refrigerate until ready to use. Combine all the ingredients and whip to soft peak. Place into a piping bag.
To Finish
Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat the base and the sauce in a water bath until warm. In a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, place the 2 cups of egg whites. Whisk until foamy and then slowly add the 1 cup sugar. Whisk until a medium peak. Add 6 oz. of warm base to a mixing bowl and then whisk in 1/3 of the whipped egg whites. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon into sugared molds and repeatedly tap the mold removing air bubbles then blow torch the top to prevent cracking. Place into the oven, rotate after five minutes and cook for a total of 10 minutes.
Remove the soufflé from the oven. Use the back of a spoon to push in the middle of the soufflé and make a hole. Pour in the chocolate sauce and add the whipped cream.
Note: Using egg whites that were prepped the day before and molds that have been sugared the day before will help to make a straight consistent soufflé. The remaining soufflé base will hold in the fridge in a covered container for up to one week.
Bourbon Apple Cider
Shared by Merrick Rahl, bartender at The City Tap
- 1.5 oz. bourbon of choice
- 3 oz. apple cider
- ¾ oz. autumn simple syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1 tsp. allspice
- 1 lemon wedge, squeezed
- Lemon slice and sprig of thyme to garnish
In a shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients and shake vigorously. Pour over ice in a Collins glass and garnish with lemon and thyme.
Autumn simple syrup
Combine equal parts water and brown sugar and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. coriander and 1 tsp. allspice. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Cranberry Orange Cocktail
Shared by Ben Starr, mead maker at Starrlight Mead
- 1 oz. bourbon
- 3 oz. Starrlight Mead’s Cranberry Orange Mead
- 2-3 drops of orange bitters
- Squirt of honey, if you like it sweeter
- Orange slice and/or sprig of rosemary to garnish
Combine bourbon, mead and bitters in a glass. Add a squirt of honey, for desired sweetness. Garnish with a slice of orange or a sprig of rosemary.
Make it spicy: Garnish with chipotle peppers.
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