If you're busy baking cookies and other treats, here's another fun holiday memory. This was originally posted on Dec. 23, 2020.
I hope you are all enjoying these last couple of days before Christmas despite pandemic guidelines to keep parties and other gatherings small and intimate.
This year, I wasn't able to have my annual holiday party at my Bedford, New York farm. I usually invite more than 200-guests for an open house through three buildings, each with a different and festive theme. Some of last year's party photos are in the December 2020 issue of my magazine "Martha Stewart Living" - I hope you have your copy; it's on newsstands now. Among the main features at the event - my elaborate gingerbread village and the thousands of cookies we baked and decorated for my guests.
Here are photos, enjoy.
Preparations for my annual holiday party start weeks in advance. During the week leading up to the party, I make two or three cookie doughs every night after work and then store them in the refrigerator. I made all the sugar cookie and gingerbread cookie doughs.
Last year, I gifted myself with this wonderful prepline countertop dough sheeter from Kitchenall. It is a commercial size machine, so it took up almost the entire counter, but it saved us so much time. The dough is placed on the conveyer belt and then passed through the machine – no rolling needed. It’s so amazing. And when it is done, it is flattened to a pre-programmed thickness.
Longtime “Living” contributor and author of the new book, “Fruit Cake: Recipes for the Curious Baker,” Jason Schreiber, helped me create a beautiful gingerbread village for the party. My Winter House kitchen was bustling with activity.
Jason pre-made all the templates using cardboard and labeled each piece with the structure name and building part.
Royal icing was used to secure all the pieces together. This is the back of a chimney ready to be placed onto a house.
Here is the inside of two walls – all carefully connected with delicious royal icing. Finished houses dry in the background.
T-Pins are used to hold the pieces together until they dry.
Then more icing is applied to support the roof.
Here I am using silver-leaf foil to decorate the the top of this roof. We worked late into the night, but it was so much fun.
Meanwhile, Jason tends to the piping details on this wall to the clock tower.
Down at my Maple Avenue House, Molly Wenk @moll_doll23 and Jessie Damuck @jessdamuck prepared the long list of cookies to make. Being very organized is crucial when making so many cookies.
Molly and Jessie spent four days baking and decorating cookies with me. I am fortunate to have several kitchen at the farm where we could use all the ovens to make stacks and stacks of cookies.
These cookies were just decorated and are ready to be displayed. In the center, crushed freeze-dried raspberries and pink peppercorns on icing-filled sugar cookies.
On the day of the party, guests were told not to miss the “Cookie House” – Alexis’s little Tenant House was filled with sweet treats. We made about 2500-cookies in all. Many of the recipes are from my books and my web site at MarthaStewart.com. In this house, they were surrounded by whimsical woodland animals and miniature cookie figurines – the children loved this house the best.
I made these gorgeous palmiers, also known as pig’s ears, palm hearts, or elephant ears. These are French pastries made in a palm leaf shape or a butterfly shape. My guests loved these so much, they were gone before I got to even taste one myself.
I love to incorporate natural elements whenever possible. Here in the woodland Christmas themed Tenant House, cut tree stumps hold stacks and stacks of cookies – Alexis’s brown-sugar chocolate chip cookies, four-ingedient sables bretons, bourbojn-spiked Noel nut balls, raspberry and apricot jam filled pecan linzers, and sugar cookie mushrooms.
We decorated sugar cookies in different colors – these in white, gold and silver.
Green royal icing and sanding sugar were applied in sections to add texture to these gingerbread trees.
And these sugar cookie wreaths were embellished with ground Sicilian pistachios and silver and gold dragees.
Some cookies were as small as coins while others spanned seven inches across – there was something for everyone. And guests were encouraged to take a bag home with them to enjoy later.
And then back in my Winter House Brown Room – the finished gingerbread village.
Small lights were used to illuminate every house.
The entire village scene includes outdoor elements as well – gingerbread boxwood and trees covered in snow.
The village filled an entire table. It was such a beautiful centerpiece – everyone loved it. I hope you are baking lots of beautiful cookies this holiday. No matter how small, every Christmas gathering can be special. See more photos from last year’s gathering in this December 2019 blog. Happy holidays.
While we're all busy getting ready for Christmas, here's another encore blog I know you'll enjoy. It was originally posted on December 22, 2022.
The holiday season is one of my favorite times to entertain.
Earlier this week, I hosted a dinner gathering for 13 - you may have seen images on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. My Winter House was decorated with lots of beautiful trees, glistening in green, silver, and gold. Before dinner, we enjoyed a 30-minute program by professional magician, mentalist, and illusionist, Philip Deutsch, also known as Phil “The Magic Man.” Chef Pierre Schaedelin of PS Tailored Events and I planned a wonderful menu that included twice baked potatoes with golden Osetra caviar, dover sole meunière with carrots, sunchokes, and green beans, and Grand Marnier soufflé with raspberry coulis for dessert. It was a great evening with colleagues and a most delicious holiday feast.
Enjoy these photos.
Every year, I try to vary the holiday decorations in my home. Here is the tree in my Brown Room – it is one of the most beautiful trees we’ve ever done.
At the base of the tree, my Tinsel Penguins with glittered feet – all gathered beneath the branches.
I always fill the rooms with many trees during the holidays. On this game table, I placed a silver tinsel tree laden with icicle ornaments on every branch – simple, yet elegant.
My mantel is also adorned with bright silver balls and my Flameless Polar Bear candles.
This is my Nativity Set. We placed all the figures on the table under a bed of soft, snowy cotton and lights.
The table is set and looks so wonderful – just in time for my guests to arrive. Each dinner menu is placed on the plate with the sycamore tree on the menu card cover – the symbol of my Cantitoe Corners Farm.
As part of the table centerpieces – this bowl filled with colorful ornaments and lights. It stands out so stunningly.
And more flameless polar bear candles in the center of the table.
In my servery, just off my kitchen – more sparkling silver trees placed on white cake stands.
And silver wreaths in each window.
While dinner was being prepared, we all gathered in my sitting room for a magic show by Philip Deutsch, also known as Phil “The Magic Man.”
My beautiful Empress Tang graced us all with a brief visit – I think she also enjoyed the magic show.
In my kitchen, all the limoges dinner plates were set out on the counter ready for the first course.
My dear Empress Qin waited patiently underfoot for the smallest morsels to fall her way.
A gold plate with Mother-of-Pearl spoons for the caviar. Pearl is always recommended for caviar because it does not hold flavor, nor does it transfer it, so your caviar will hold exactly as much flavor as intended.
And here is a large container of golden Osetra caviar. Osetra caviar ranges from golden to brown and comes from the Osetra sturgeon, which weighs 50 to 400 pounds and can live up to 50 years.
And here are the twice baked potatoes fresh from the oven.
At dinner, the potatoes were served with crème fraîche and each of us spooned dollops of caviar on top.
Here is our entrée – beautifully plated dover sole Meunière with vegetables. Meunière is both a French sauce and a method of preparation, primarily for fish that is dredged in flour before being sautéd or pan-fried. The word itself means “miller’s wife” in French.
And of course… the dessert – the most perfect soufflés with a sweet, tangy, and delectable raspberry coulis sauce. It was a very delicious meal and a very enjoyable evening for all. Here’s wishing you a memorable and safe holiday with loved ones.
Wherever you are this holiday, I hope you are able to enjoy the time with those near and dear. For the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing a few of my favorite holiday and blog memories from years past. This blog was originally posted on Dec. 21, 2019.
I love this time of year when everyone gathers together to celebrate the holidays.
Recently, I hosted my annual holiday party at my Bedford, New York farm. More than 200-guests wandered in and out of three buildings, each with a different and festive theme. My Winter House was where my friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin, and his talented team from PS Tailored Events, prepared and served a variety of delicious and savory dishes. Fancy sweets and eggnog were served in my Summer House, and the little Tenant House offered an array of beautiful and whimsical holiday cookies. Friends, family, and neighbors also enjoyed music from a jazz guitarist and photos with Santa! It was a cold late autumn day, but everyone had a most wonderful time!
Enjoy these photos.
Here I am with Douglas Friedman and Kevin Sharkey on this day of merriment and good cheer. See more fun selfies of the three of us by @DouglasFriedman on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. And you can always find fun photos on Kevin’s Instagram page @seenbysharkey.
My home was filled with all kinds of trees. Here is a collection of bottle brush trees on the green marble table in my foyer – a woodland scene under my great falcon weathervane.
I love how the sun came through the window in this photo taken by @seenbysharkey.
My Green Room was decorated with gold and shades of green. On the right is one of two Chinese foo dogs given to me by Kevin. They’re perfect for this parlor.
I published this recipe for my special eggnog in my first book, “Entertaining” in 1982. It’s made with plenty of bourbon, cognac, dark rum, heavy cream – and this year, 96 eggs for 200 people.
All the eggs used for my eggnog came right from my hens here at the farm. A single eggnog recipe, by the way, calls for a dozen eggs, which can serve about 26-guests. My eggnog is always so popular – it is so rich it needs no accompaniment.
I used Marti Autentico Rum “Dorado” – a delicious quality rum with a lovely rich taste. https://www.martirum.com/
The oysters are from Norm Bloom – we ordered hundreds of delicious oysters, served on the half shell with cocktail sauce and mignonette. http://www.coppsislandoysters.com
My Winter House is where Chef Pierre Schaedelin @pstailoredevents and I prepared and served all our glorious savory foods. We pushed my kitchen counters together on one side, so we could serve the food buffet-style – it’s a wonderful solution for large gatherings.
Our shrimp and salmon came from True North, @truenorthseafood. We served the shrimp on cake stands in circular layers. http://www.truenorthseafood.com
These are mini blinis – traditional Russian pancakes, which are best served with a dab of creme fraiche and a spoonful of caviar. I published the recipe in “Martha Stewart’s Hors D’oeuvres: The Creation and Presentation of Fabulous Finger Food” in 1984.
We also had two hams from my friend, Pat LaFrieda. This is a 20-pound smoked ham. http://www.lafrieda.com
The ham was served with homemade biscuits, scones, horseradish sauce I made from horseradish grown here at the farm, and homemade mustard sauces.
The smoked chicken was displayed so nicely on this large platter. I smoked four four-pound chickens using my delicious smoked chicken recipe from my first hors d’oeuvres book. Everyone thought it was duck and every tidbit disappeared. This photo was taken just before the guests started eating.
For sweets, I made these gorgeous palmiers, also known as pig’s ears, palm hearts, or elephant ears. These are French pastries made in a palm leaf shape or a butterfly shape. My guests loved these so much, they were gone before I got to even taste one myself.
We also made a beautiful croquembouche – a French dessert consisting of choux pastry puffs filled with creme patissiere piled into a cone and bound with threads and threads of caramel. We topped ours with orchid flowers because we didn’t make enough puffs.
Also in my Brown Room – my precious Drabware manger set, which I made years ago. While Drabware tones vary from light coffee to dark olive, it took me a while to get this perfect hue – I love it. I fired and glazed all the pieces myself and then embellished it with palm trees imported from Germany.
Outside, Empress Qin, Emperor Han, Bete Noire, and Creme Brulee stand guard – picture perfect.
Here is a fun snapshot of television correspondent and Editor-at-Large at Ballantine Bantam Dell, Alina Cho @thealinacho, Douglas @DouglasFriedman, Sarah Carey @sarahcarey1, and Kevin @seenbysharkey outside on my terrace parterre.
And here he is, the jolly ol’ man himself – Santa Claus. Santa, played by Fernando Ferrari, wished everyone a Merry Christmas as they walked from house to house.
My Summer House was where guests could sit and share holiday stories and plans while eating sweets and sipping eggnog. It was decorated in lots of pink and silver.
The trees were decked in silver with silver ornaments – I love how everything glistens.
Alexis’s famous Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies went so fast. Her recipe is in my book, “Entertaining.” Unlike traditional recipes, this batter produces flat and crisp cookies. They are my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Another lit nativity scene sits on a side table in my Summer House. I got this one from Brazil.
Anduin Havens, her daughter, Harper, and her husband Cedric, stopped for this photo with Santa.
And here are my neighbors, Laura Blau, and her husband, Michael Citro.
All the outdoor decorations glimmered in the early evening light. My holiday party was from 3pm to 6pm, so everyone could enjoy the farm’s festive lights.
Guests were told not to miss the “Cookie House” – Alexis’s little Tenant House was filled with more sweet treats. We made about 2500-cookies in all. Molly Wenk @moll_doll23 and Jessie Damuck @jessdamuck baked cookies for four days. Many of the recipes are from my books and my web site at MarthaStewart.com. In this house, they were surrounded by whimsical woodland animals and miniature figurines – the children loved this house the best.
Because my grandchildren stay here when they visit, I love decorating the space for them with lots of stuffed toys.
Even the napkins had a woodland theme. The delicate machine embroidered napkins are from Coral & Tusk @coralandtusk in Brooklyn, New York.
And of course, there were candy canes – all our hard candies came from Hammond’s. http://www.hammondscandies.com/
And outside, my beautiful Christmas tree with 1000 lights. Everyone had such a great time at the party. Happy holidays to all of you.
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