A Niwot Christmas on your holiday table

The Christmas holidays may be a lower-key affair this year, so what you serve on your table can bring festivity back into the day. The pressure is on for cooks, and but you're not sure what to have to make your menu extra special, the answers could be closer than you think.

The Niwot and Gunbarrel areas have their share of exceptionally talented chefs, mixologists, and even a world class cheese supplier. Some of them were willing to share their expertise so that your meal is everything you want it to be.

Holiday cheese selections from The Cheese Importers

A holiday cheese board is one of the most indulgent things you can have while waiting for dinner. Cheese is not only delicious, it's possible to adjust serving amounts for a smaller-sized get together and still enjoy high quality.

While nearby Cheese Importers offers as wide a selection of offerings, exploring the company's large walk-in cooler can be both delightful and overwhelming. Sascha Stanger, the company's VP of Sales, Purchasing, and Marketing and the owner of his own company, Sascha's Seasonings, has suggestions for cheeses that work well this time of year.

Stanger advises choosing a selection from each general cheese category: soft, blue, hard, and semi-hard. If you're looking for something different to serve, he would steer cooks towards fruited Wensleydale cheeses that come in apricot, blueberry, cranberry, lemon zest, and sage derby variants.

Stanger also suggests that cooks provide accompaniments to the core cheeses once they're selected. He encourages additions like meats, fresh and dried fruit, and jams or jellies to round out the plate's flavor profile.

Warming cocktails from The Wheel House

At this time of year, the weather often calls for warmer cocktails. With snow and cold outside, there's nothing nicer than a warm mug of something to drink while waiting for dinner or relaxing after a meal. The Wheel House mixologist Kendal Lew offers her recipes for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic winter beverages. She said that each of these can be made individually or in batches.

Smokey Apple Cider

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup apple cider

2 Cinnamon sticks (add as many or as few as you'd like. Ground cinnamon also works well)

5 Whole cloves

2 oz of mezcal

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat apple cider, cinnamon, and clove on medium heat until simmering and until the cider is nice and spiced.

2. Add mezcal to your favorite mug, and top with the warm cider.

3. Leave the cinnamon sticks and clove in for a simple garnish.

Orange Hot Chocolate

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz hot chocolate

1 oz bourbon

1 oz orange brandy

2 shakes orange bitters (optional, but delicious!)

Whipped cream for garnish

Orange zest to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare hot chocolate however you like it best (Lew's personal favorite is some homemade hot cocoa-milk, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, a touch of vanilla and salt.)

2. Add in bourbon, orange brandy, and orange bitters

3. Top with whipped cream and orange zest.

Hazelnut Almond Steamer

INGREDIENTS:

1 oz Frangelico

1 oz amaretto

1 tsp brown sugar

Dash cinnamon (or more if you'd like)

1 cup of milk (almond milk works great for a dairy-free option!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat milk and cinnamon on medium heat until desired temperature is reached, stirring constantly, or use the milk frothing attachment on a coffee machine to heat milk

2. Turn off heat and add Frangelico and amaretto

3. Pour into a mug and enjoy!

Entrée recipes from The Niwot Tavern

This year, Niwot Tavern is preparing take out Christmas dinners for customers that are versions of the large holiday meals they usually offer. Chef Juan shared recipes for two of the items they'll be including: scalloped potatoes, which find their ways into every big dinner, and honey glazed ham. Both recipes are designed to serve ten people but can be scaled as needed.

Scalloped Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds potatoes

1 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make a cream sauce by heating the butter, flour, heavy cream, and cheese.

2. Slice potatoes layer in a pan, cover with sauce, make another layer of potatoes and sauce until the pan is full.

3. Bake 45min at 350 degrees.

Tangy Honey Glazed Ham

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

zest of one orange

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the ham fort 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

2. Pull out ham and brush with the sauce made of the ingredients listed above.

3. Bake another 45 mins and finish with the remaining sauce.