Newsletter: 🍝 Fred Plotkin on his passion for pasta + recipes galore for Thanksgiving and Stir Up Sunday 🎄

Our favorite pear recipes 🍐

Christmas planning starts with Stir Up Sunday

For those of us longing to be festive, we officially announce that Christmas prep is on! In Great Britain the last Sunday before advent is Stir Up Sunday—November 24 this year. A Victorian tradition, this is the day to make those Christmas treats that need to be made well ahead—such as Christmas pudding, fruitcake, and the mincemeat for mince pies. Several weeks of maturing and being ‘fed’ regularly with spirits ensures they are at their tip top best when the time to serve them comes around.

We have a collection of Stir Up Sunday recipes, whether you are seeking The Best Christmas Pudding recipe, a Seriously Epic Christmas Cake, or the Fruited Mincemeat that will later fill your homemade Mince Pies de Luxe. So put on some festive tunes, gather the family, and pass that wooden spoon around—it’s extra good luck if everyone has a stir, that’s part of the tradition.

Chef, patisserie royalty, and Australian Bake Off judge, Darren Purchese’s book Chefs Host Christmas Too, might be the best advance Christmas present you could receive—don’t worry, you can thank us later. Darren loves Christmas so much he wrote a book about it. As a seasoned host and professional foodie, he understands the pressures of entertaining. So, as he puts it: “Think of this book as a little survival guide to the holiday season—it has everything you need to totally crush Christmas.”

From that first drink your guest, or you, need to get the party started, through to what to do with those inevitable leftovers, Darren will guide you through. He’s even got a section of sample menus, from The Traditional and beyond, to help with your event planning. There are so many recipes you will want to make, from Gin-Cured Ocean Trout with Blinis, to Turkey Saltimbocca and Cheeseboard Pasta Bake. And his Christmas Trifle is a showstopper if ever we saw one.

Find all 90+ recipes from Chefs Host Christmas Too

Pictured above: The Christmas Pudding from Chefs Host Christmas Too by Darren Purchese

Fred Plotkin introduces favorite recipes from The Authentic Pasta Book

“I am gratified how The Authentic Pasta Book has come to be seen as a repository of the diversity and ingenious simplicity of the ways Italians use fresh and dried pasta.” Fred Plotkin

An expert on both Italian opera and Italian food, Fred Plotkin has written several regional Italian cookbooks. This week, they are joined on ckbk by the book that started his food writing journey—The Authentic Pasta Book. In our latest Behind the Cookbook feature, Fred shares his recollections of his time as a student in Bologna in the 1970s, and memories of the Italian food culture which inspired him to make the leap into food writing.

In the feature, Fred talks us through many of his favorite dishes. The book is packed with pasta making know-how, great recipes, and his evocative introductory anecdotes. What about Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Peas, Spaghetti with Scallops and Wild Mushrooms? Or you could try your hand at making your own filled pasta with Pumpkin Tortelli.

Go 'Behind the Cookbook' with Fred Plotkin

Thanksgiving—the countdown is on

There is one more week of prep time for the big day on November 28. In last week’s newsletter we covered the all-important centrepiece. This week we bring you recipes for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Desserts Every Which Way.

If you are catering for vegetarians, or vegans, this Squash and Black Bean Chilli makes a spicy warming meal, and no one is going to say no to this vegan Creamy Sweet Potato & Leek Bake.

For dessert at Thanksgiving there are of course the essential trio of pies, Pumpkin, Pecan and Apple. But we’ve also got recipes for Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Chocolate-Cranberry Torte, if you feel like going off-piste.

Ingredient focus: pears

The pear, like the apple, is part of the rose family, Rosaceae. Pears originate in the general Caucasus region, from where they were carried into Europe and Northern India. Like the apple, pears number many hundreds of varieties, which differ in size, shape and color. Unlike the apple, which should be crisp, pears are eaten tender—the perfect state of ripeness for a fresh pear being something of an elusive state.

The flavor of a good pear is sweet, delicate, a little earthy, and gently aromatic, with a level of fruity acidity being an element of flavor that differs most across the different varieties.

While a fresh pear is a thing of beauty, pears are also good in many dishes, both sweet and savory. Explore our collection of 12 Ways with Pears for inspiration. Try Cranberry and Pear Chutney, try these classic Poached Pears, or this Pear & Almond Frangipane Tart.

6 of the best gingerbread recipes

November 21 is National Gingerbread Day, and we are all for baking up a batch. A kitchen filled with the scent of sweet spices is the perfect way to start getting in the mood for the holiday season.