Christmas Dinner at Clove Brook Farm

January 4, 2024

I hope you caught a glimpse of what I did for the holidays on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.

This Christmas, I attended a lovely dinner at Clove Brook Farm, the Hudson Valley, New York home of my friends, Christopher Spitzmiller and Anthony Bellomo. Among the many delicious dishes we enjoyed - radicchio pomegranate salad, corn pudding, Yorkshire pudding, baby Brussels sprouts, and the best Pat LaFrieda standing rib roast, which I brought to season and then cook at their home. For dessert, we had homemade Bûche de Noël. It was a wonderful celebration and feast.

Here are more photos, enjoy.

: Christopher, the potter lamp maker, and his husband Anthony, the landscape architect, who owns Orangerie in Millbrook, have a silver tip Christmas tree. These trees are native to Oregon and Washington state.

: It is often referred to as a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree. The spaces between the limbs highlight the ornaments and are reminiscent of Christmas trees from the 1920s and 1930s.

: Christopher and Anthony decorate it with charming vintage ornaments and icicles.

: This year, they used mostly cardinals. Christopher likes to purchase ornaments in groups of six so one’s eye moves all over the tree and sees familiar “friends.”

: The tree topper is by Wendy Addison, who makes all sorts of wonderful seasonal holiday items – all by hand.

: Here is the holiday table – set with antique Wedgwood plates edged in red and gold. The festive tablecloth is a discontinued print from Cowtan & Tout. Anthony arranged the flowers in the center cachepot and Christopher made the golf lustre faux barrel cachepots in his New York Studio.

: Here’s a view of the beautifully set table from above.

: I recommended that Anthony sugar pears, nectarines, apples, and grapes using egg whites and sugar. They look so pretty on the plate surrounding the tureen.

: It looks real, doesn’t it? Look again. This hand made ceramic artichoke is by the ceramic artist Clare Potter.

: I actually brought the rib roast to Christopher’s the day before, on Christmas Eve. Pat LaFrieda gave me a seven rib roast. We seasoned it and let it set for 24-hours before cooking.

: And then on Christmas Day, we put it in the oven. Here’s Anthony smiling for a quick photo just before the roast goes in.

: For medium rare, the temperature in the center of the roast should be between 130 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit when ready.

: Meanwhile, guests enjoyed ROE Caviar, crème fresh, toast points and mini latkes Anthony prepared.

: Here I am with guest and interior designer, Ashley Whittaker, warming up by the fire and drinking egg nog. Anthony made the egg nog using my recipe. Ashley and her husband Andrew Spence hosted a holiday gathering at their home the night before.