The holidays are a time to relax, reflect, and enjoy time with loved ones. If you’re hosting this holiday season, it is probably because you’re looking forward to inviting your friends and family over for a shared meal and revelry. In practice, however, preparing a sumptuous feast for a group can feel like the opposite of relaxing, and getting bogged down in all the details that go along with party prep can leave little time to connect.

Luckily, we’ve spent years perfecting our hosting chops and we’re here to share our secrets for a perfect meal. We’ve got your covered – from appetizers to mains to desserts and drinks – so you can spend more time enjoying and indulging this year.

Appetizers

Guests are arriving and you’re still finishing up in the kitchen with your main course? No problem. Set out appetizers and let everyone mingle over small bites and small talk while you put the finishing touches on the meal. Here are a few of our favorites. Most are easy to prep ahead so you can just lay them out when the festivities are ready to begin.

**Baked Feta With Elderberry Infused Maple Syrup**
*The honey and fig flavors bring out the finest nuances of cheese and provide the perfect, sweet compliment.*

**Sweet Potato and Tahini Dip with Spicy Merquén Drizzle**
*Both sweet and earthy, the coup de grace is the swirl of Merquén Infused Maple Syrup that gives it spice and smokiness while bringing out the sugars of the sweet potato.*

**Prosciutto and Melon 2.0**
*A melding of woodsy, figgy Elderberry, salty, buttery Prosciutto, honey-like melon and zingy cress.*

**Vermont Sweet and Tangy Cornbread**
*An excellent recipe from our friend, Gesine Bullock-Prado, this is a great rendition of cornbread made just a tad sweet with our Sugarmaker’s Cut or Sugarmaker’s Dark pure maple.*

**Eggplant Dip**
*Adding either the Cardamom Infused or Pecan Wood Smoked maple syrup brings out the sweetness of the eggplant and onions and gives it a little extra something.*

Cheese Pairings — **Pairing Runamok Syrups with Cheese**
*Perhaps our greatest discovery with the infused, smoked and barrel-aged syrups is finding out how well they pair with cheese.*

Flavor Recommendations – our favorite cheeses: Jasper Hill Farm‘s Harbison (try it slightly warmed with honey!), Vermont Creamery‘s Goat Cheese, and Rogue Creamery‘s Rogue River Blue.

Mains

Choosing a main dish to please everyone at your table can be as big of an undertaking as cooking it. Luckily, we have everything from light seafood dishes, to long braises for the traditional table. Our roast delicata squash can be stuffed with beef or bulgur to cater to a variety of food preferences, and roast duck is the perfect size for a more intimate gathering. Still can’t decide? Think about pairing two main dishes with a few hearty sides to provide variety and take the pressure off of a single perfect presentation.

**Duck with Maple Ginger Orange Sauce**
*If the idea of an enormous roast turkey seems too much, consider celebrating with roast duck.*

**Seared Scallops with a Maple Miso Glaze over Swiss Chard**
*Succulent scallops, sweet maple, spiced cardamom, bitter chard, umami miso: a clear winner.*

**Braised Pork with a Maple Mustard and Fennel Sauce**
*Maple and pork were meant for each other. Try this marbled pork braised for hours in a tangy cider and fennel broth.*

Broiled Salmon with Smoked Maple and Dijon 1 1 — **Broiled Salmon with Smoked Maple and Dijon**
*This smoky and sweet salmon is a very simple stunner that will get you some serious culinary cred.*

Roasted Delicatas Stuffed with Beef or Bulgur and Drizzled with Hot Honey — **Stuffed Delicata Squash with Hot Honey**
*Filled with meat or bulgur for a vegetarian delight, these squash boats plate beautifully and work well for a crowd.*

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Mint Vinagrette 1 1 — **Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Mint Vinaigrette**
*Elevate your leg of lamb with a homemade vinaigrette that incorporates plenty of fresh mint, Dijon mustard, maple, and balsamic vinegar.*

Flavor recommendations: Boyden Farm‘s grass fed ground beef is our go-to for our stuffed delicata squash, and the folks at Vermont Wagyu ship VT raised Wagyu beef directly from their rural farm across the country.

Sides

Round out your meal with a few simple and versatile side dishes – roasted vegetables, a fresh salad, and some heartier options with complex and refreshing flavors to cut the richness of your main course. And remember: just because they are a breeze to make, doesn’t mean they’re boring!

**Maple Glazed Carrots**
*Another great recipe from Gesine Bullock-Prado, author of My Vermont Table. She recommends cooking the carrots sous vide but you can also roast them – preferably beside your roast.*

bluebird bbq brussels — **Fried Brussels Sprouts with a Maple Cider Glaze**
*Inspired by our favorite seasonal offering from our local barbecue restaurant, these tangy sweet sprouts are sure to be a hit.*

**Roasted Cabbage with Horseradish Cream and Maple**
*Braising the cabbage in the cream tames its sourness so the horseradish can step in and be the dominant note.*

**Roasted Red Onions with Elderberry Maple**
*Roasting onions in the oven with butter, salt and a maple glaze can mellow them into a lovely addition to any meal.*

**Beet Arugula and Citrus Salad with Ginger Maple Vinaigrette**
*A bright, festive salad, perfect for rounding out a heavy meal.*

Sweet Sour Beets — **Sweet + Sour Beets**
*Orange juice and a finishing drizzle of Smoked maple syrup complement the sweetness while a dose of cider vinegar gives them a little edge.*

Desserts

The star of any holiday table is the desserts. Most holiday desserts are rooted in longstanding family tradition – dense fruitcakes, troops of gingerbread men, and grandma’s cookies made from a top-secret recipe. If you’re looking to bring something new to the table this year, we have you covered with our favorite twists on some classic holiday flavors. They’re so good, they may turn into a holiday staple in their own right.

**Maple Cranberry Gingerbread**
*The cake turns out surprisingly light and pillowy for a gingerbread, with ribbons of sweet-tart fruitiness. It is the perfect cake for a holiday potluck or tea with friends.*

**Maple Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Icing**
*Classic and festive, these gingerbread cookies are going to be the staple of your holiday table.*

**Roasted Pears with Maple Caramel**
A lovely cool-weather dessert. Once the pears are roasted in the oven, the caramel is made in the same pan, blending butter and pear juices into the sauce – perfect with our Salted Caramel Maple Syrup.

**Bee Sting Cake**
*This cake is a nice example of how a little honey can add a unique sweetness to pastries. The base is composed of a yeasted cake dough and topped with a honey-nut-caramel mix.*

**Apricot Cake with Ginger Maple and Orange**
*We loved the mix of orange, maple and apricot. This makes a small cake that is perfect to have around for breakfast or afternoon tea.*

**Pudding Chomeur**
*A classic Quebecois dish, Pudding Chômeur is a dessert in which simple biscuit dough is poached in maple syrup caramel.*

Flavor recommendations: Our friends at King Arthur Baking have the best high quality ingredients for all your baking needs.

Drinks

No party is complete without the drinks. Whether you’re imbibing in some holiday cheer, celebrating the season with cocoa, or looking to balance the merrymaking with a very tasty, very sessionable sangria, these recipes below are sure to keep spirits jolly.

**Ward 8**
*A rye whiskey cocktail made with our new maple grenadine and fresh squeezed juices.*

**Chai Spiced Hot Cocoa**
*Beloved by kids and adults alike, this Chai Spiced Hot Cocoa is the perfect treat for a snowy evening.*

**Ginger Hot Toddy**
*Simple and well-balanced, this ginger hot toddy will take the chill off of the most brutal winter weather.*

**Elf on a Barstool a.k.a.Maple Cardamom Eggnog**
*What is a holiday party without a little eggnog?*

**Cranberry Apple Sangria**
*Mix up a big pitcher of this beautiful, festive, and low alcohol sangria for your next holiday gathering.*

**Runamok Glögg**
*Glogg is a traditional Scandinavian mulled wine libation – warming, festive and delicious.*

Flavor recommendations – our favorite spirits: Caledonia Spirits‘ Barr Hill Gin, WhistlePig‘s Rye Whiskey; our favorite non-alcoholic options: Lake Champlain Chocolate‘s hot chocolate mixes, Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co.‘s selection.

Enjoy & happy holidays from the crew at Runamok!