Category: Cover Stories

From Thanksgiving eve to New Year’s Day, Hippo’s annual Holiday Guide offers you a look at the celebrations, community gatherings and more taking place over the next few weeks. Is there some holiday cheer we missed? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com. Now get out your calendar and plan a season of fun.

Even more uses for this tart and tasty berry

By John Fladd

jfladd@hippopress.com

For many of us, the question “cranberry sauce — whole berry, jellied from a can, or not at all?” is as much thought we invest in cranberries. But if you are looking for a seasonally festive way of using them other than on a Thanksgiving plate, here are some thoughts.

Cranberries in NH

While there are no commercial cranberry bogs in New Hampshire, cranberries do grow in the wild here.

Christine Gagnon is the owner and operator of the Uncanoonuc Foraging Co. (uncforaging.com). She finds wild foods for a living. Once she became aware of wild cranberries and knew what to look for, she says, she suddenly started finding them everywhere, especially low to the ground in marshy areas.

“A friend of mine and I were out duck hunting a couple weeks ago,” she gave as an example. “We were looking for ducks, not cranberries, but it so happens that one of the spots is where we were duck hunting and it was full of cranberries, which was nice. So we collected a bunch. I was really surprised to see that [the cranberry plants] were so small; I imagined it would be something like a bush or a shrub. The plants like growing low to the ground, even lower than blueberries. Someone had said to me, ‘Oh, you should leave them and collect them in the spring after they’ve overwintered.’ I guess there’s a process when they freeze that bursts the cells and releases the sugars and makes them sweeter. But I think all the animals would take them before that happened.”

Baking with cranberries

Because of their tartness and color, cranberries are a natural for baking. Trina Bird, head baker at Lighthouse Local in Bedford (lighthouse-local.com), is a fan.

“Cranberries are perfect for sweet bakery items,” she said. “They are amazing paired with orange and used in scones, muffins and quick breads. [Cranberry] lends itself to a sweet glaze courtesy of its tartness, so we use it for a cranberry glazed doughnut every year, and we sugar them as toppings.They work well fresh or frozen; they are very adaptable.”

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

As Chef Bird said, cranberry and orange are a classic combination. Both are slightly acidic, and orange brings sweetness to the party, which is balanced by the tartness of the cranberries.

1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar

Zest from one large orange

2 eggs

½ cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup (60 g) orange juice – You’ve just zested a perfectly good orange. Cut it in half, jam your fingers into it, and confront your anger issues.

1 cup (99 g) fresh or frozen cranberries – If you’re using frozen, don’t thaw them. They’ll get mushy. If you use them frozen, the muffin batter will lock them in place.

1 cup (115 g) sweetened, dried cranberries

sanding sugar to top

Preheat your oven to 475°F.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. This might be one big muffin tin or two smaller ones.

In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

With your stand or hand mixer, beat the butter until it’s fluffy, then add the sugars and beat again. Lower the speed and mix in the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest, then the vanilla and orange juice, then the sour cream. When it’s all combined, add the flour mixture, a large spoonful at a time (this is to prevent it from poofing up in your face). Mix until the batter just barely comes together, then stir in both types of cranberries by hand. Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cups. Dust the tops with sanding sugar.

Quickly, because the sour cream and orange juice are acidic and are going to start interacting with the baking soda right away, move the muffin tin(s) to the middle rack of your oven, and bake for five minutes. Then, not opening the oven door, crash the oven temperature down to 350°F and bake for another 16 minutes or so. Remove them from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean.

There’s a question a lot of us have asked ourselves from time to time: What is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? In technical terms, a cupcake is supposed to have a light, delicate texture, just like a cake. This is what bakers call a “fine crumb.” Muffins, on the other hand, are denser. In practical terms, they are both equally good with ice cream. These are very orangey, very cranberry-y muffins. The fresh cranberries give a pop of tart fruitiness, and the dried ones give a sweeter, chewier experience. The sanding sugar on top gives a really satisfying crunch.

Cranberry Cookies

Cranberry and orange are such a classic flavor combination that it often becomes a default base for baked goods. The truth is that cranberries go well with a host of other flavors — in this case, cornmeal, fresh mint, and almonds in the form of amaretto.

¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (120 g) yellow cornmeal

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon coarse salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter

¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon (4 to 5 g) finely chopped
fresh mint leaves

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon amaretto

2 cups (1 8-ounce bag) dried, sweetened cranberries

Sanding sugar

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

With a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is fluffy. Add the sugar and beat it again. You will probably have to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber or silicone spatula.

One at a time, mix in the mint, then the egg, then the amaretto. Add the flour mixture to the dough, a large spoonful at a time, to avoid getting poofed with it. Everything should mix together pretty well, but some cornmeal might remain at the bottom of the bowl, much like the sensible member of a group of friends who has doubts about the group’s plans. Finishing the batter by hand will resolve those doubts. Stir in the dried cranberries.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough into balls, then roll them in sanding sugar. Place six balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, then flatten them to half their height with the bottom of a drinking glass.

Bake for eight to 10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. Because they have less wheat flour than usual, there isn’t a lot of gluten to hold them together, so letting them sit will let them set up. Even so, it’s probably a good idea to remove them with a spatula, after which they will be able to stand proud and look the world in the eye like any other cookies.

In a mundane and predictable world, these cookies provide a pleasant surprise. The cornmeal gives them texture. The flavors of the mint and amaretto come seemingly out of nowhere, giving them a mouth-watering quality, and the coarse salt gives little pops of flavor each time you bite down on a grain of it. These are highly recommended and will buy you street cred at this year’s cookie swap.

Cranberry Bakewell Tart

The bakewell tart is a cornerstone of British baking. By tradition it consists of a buttery tart shell, a layer of raspberry jam, and a top layer of frangipane — a creamy filling made from ground almonds. It is usually frosted with a coat of royal icing.

This take on the bakewell substitutes homemade cranberry jam for the raspberry layer, omits the royal icing to keep it from being too sweet, and reduces any fussiness by making it in a springform pan.

Crust

1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup (57 g) powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 Tablespoon water

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar and salt together. Add the melted butter and water, and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.

Press the dough into the bottom of a lined 9-inch springform pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. Set it aside to take a breather while you work on the jam and frangipane.

Cranberry Jam

3 cups (283 g) frozen whole cranberries – this will work with unfrozen whole berries, but the freezing process pokes holes in the cell walls of the cranberries, something called “bletting,” which helps break them down

1 cup (198 g) sugar

1 Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Combine all three ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, until the juice is released from the berries and starts to boil. Mash the berries with a potato masher, then boil for another 10 minutes. Cranberries contain a lot of something called pectin, a natural fiber that helps jams and jellies set. Boiling this syrupy mixture will activate the pectin and reduce the amount of water. You will raise an eyebrow at how jammy this jam gets.

Frangipane

1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, melted

1 cup (198 g) sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (145 g) almond flour

1/4 cup (5 g) sliced almonds

Beat the sugar together with the melted butter. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla, and finally the almond flour and sliced almonds.

Layer the cooled jam on top of the crust you baked in the springform pan, then layer the frangipane on top of the jam.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F.

Let the tart cool in the springform pan. When you’re ready to depan it, run a sharp knife under hot water and then around the inside of the pan. Dust the top with powdered sugar.

The sweetness and the slight fruitiness of the almonds is offset by the slightly musky tartness of the cranberry jam. (Which, not for nothin’, is excellent to make on its own for various jam purposes.)

Cranberries and cheese

“The thing about cranberries,” said Emma Round, owner of Unwined Wine Bar in Milford (unwinednh.com), “is they’re tart. The three main words I would use to describe them are tart, tannic and astringent. The reason that so many people put cranberries and cheese together is that astringency and that kind of tartness — it cuts the flavor of the cheese’s creamy, fatty goodness that can weigh you down. They just make those fats so much easier to digest — depending on which cheeses you pair the cranberry with. I’m not a cheesemonger, but I’ve eaten my fair share of cheese.”

Baked Brie with Pickled Cranberries

1½ cups (340 g) apple cider vinegar

¾ cup (170 g) water

1½ cups (300 g) sugar

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup (4 Tablespoons) honey

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced thin

Peel of a large orange – use a sharp vegetable peeler to take off the thin, orange part of the peel, but not the bitter white pith under it

1 lemon, sliced extremely thin

½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds

1 pound (three 5.5-ounce packages) unsweetened, dried cranberries

1 16-ounce (453 g) wheel of brie

Mix all ingredients but the cranberries and the brie together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, and boil for a further 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and leave the ingredients to steep until the mixture cools. Strain the mixture, rinse out the pan, then return the liquid to the pan, with the dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a vigorous boil, then turn off the heat, and leave everything to sit for a couple of hours. During this time the cranberries will soak up most, but not all, of the liquid. Store the pickled cranberries in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, until you’re ready to use them.

Remove the brie from your refrigerator, unwrap it, and score the rind in a diamond pattern. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer it to a serving plate or platter, or cheese board, and serve with slices of fresh fruit and a super-generous amount of the pickled cranberries.

The sweet, acidity of the pickled cranberries will contrast deliciously with the rich, slightly musky butteriness of the brie.

Savory cranberry applications

Because cranberries pair so well with herbs, nuts and grains, they are an excellent addition to savory dishes. While not native to the Middle East, for instance, dried cranberries can bring notes of raisins and pomegranates to Middle Eastern dishes.

Persian-style cranberry rice pilaf

2 cups (430 g) white or basmati rice

4 cups (900 g) water

1 teaspoon salt

1 small onion (approximately 115 g), sliced super-thin

3 Tablespoons ghee — This is an Indian clarified butter. Do not use regular butter, which will scorch. Coconut oil would be a good substitute, though; it has a high smoke-point (That means it won’t burn easily) and brings flavor to the proceedings.

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1½ teaspoons ground sumac — this is a Middle Eastern spice available from a spice market or online. It’s very sour, which will complement the cranberries and balance out some of the sweetness. Dehydrated lemon juice powder is a good substitute, but the sumac will give you a better depth of flavor.

¼ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar

1½ cups (200 g), about one 8-ounce package, sweetened dried cranberries

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

A large pinch of saffron soaked in 2 Tablespoons warm water

1/3 cup (50 g) chopped salted roasted pistachios

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a lidded baking or casserole dish, mix the rice, 2 cups of water, and teaspoon of salt. Cover and bake for 50 minutes. This will cook the rice to a very tender texture. If you prefer your rice to have distinct, independent grains, cook it on your stovetop. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the ghee and cook the onions until they are soft and translucent. Add the salt and spices and stir to combine. Let the spices get toasty for a minute or so — your kitchen will start to smell like a Middle Eastern restaurant — then stir in the sugar, cranberries and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cranberries have plumped up and absorbed most of the liquid. There might be a little golden oil left; that’s OK.

Add the vegetable oil, rice and saffron water to a large, lidded pot. Stir to combine. Spoon the cranberry-onion mixture over the top of the rice, and top with the pistachios.

Cover the pot with a thin tea towel and the pot’s lid. This will help seal in the steam you need to finish this dish. Cook over medium-high heat for three minutes to sear the rice, then crash the temperature down to the lowest setting and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest for five to 10 minutes.

This pilaf is one of those “Is this supposed to be sweet or savory?” dishes that is extremely appealing. It contrasts sweet and sour and salty and savory in the best possible way.

Anyone who grew up in a culture with rice that has a crispy layer stuck to the bottom of the pot will tell you that the crispy stuff is the best part. When you serve this, make sure you scrape the crispy part from the pan for your family to fight over.

Drinking cranberries

Cranberry Syrup

Cranberry syrup is similar in flavor and sweetness to grenadine, a pomegranate syrup used in cocktails to give color and a sweet/sour fruity taste. The two syrups can be used interchangeably.

Combine equal amounts of unsweetened cranberry juice and sugar in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cool and bottle. This should last at least a month in your refrigerator.

Captain Cranberry, a cranberry mocktail

¾ ounce cranberry syrup (see above)

4 ounces ginger beer – not ginger ale; this is ever so much better with the real stuff. I like anything labeled as Jamaican or Caribbean-style ginger beer. Goya makes a good one. It is very much more gingery than the ginger ale you use to settle your stomach on a long flight, and often spicy.

Plain seltzer to taste

In a mixing glass — you can use a glass measuring cup for this — stir the cranberry syrup and ginger beer together over ice. This is a case where you don’t want to shake the drink and risk losing the soda’s carbonation.

Strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass, then mix in seltzer until it is at your preferred level of sweetness and ginger-intensity. Garnish with fresh or frozen whole cranberries, or even pickled cranberries.

This will make a lovely drink to carry around with you at a holiday gathering if you don’t want to get grilled by your cousin’s husband about why you aren’t drinking. It looks and tastes sophisticated enough that you won’t get pegged as a lightweight even if you are.

District Manager

2 ounces cachaca or flavorful rum

1½ ounces grapefruit juice

½ teaspoon dehydrated grapefruit juice powder – optional

¾ ounce cranberry syrup

2 dashes bitters – Angostura or cardamom bitters are good for this. I used some homemade caraway bitters I had on hand and was pleased with the result.

Grapefruit twist to garnish – Use a vegetable peeler to remove a long strip of rind from a fresh grapefruit. You are looking to take just the outer layer and not the white, pithy part underneath. Roll the strip and skewer it with a toothpick.

In a cocktail shaker, add the rum or cachaca, the grapefruit juice, the cranberry syrup and the bitters. If you are using fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and aren’t happy with its intensity, you can add dehydrated grapefruit juice powder to bump up the grapefruitiness without throwing off the drink’s proportions.

Shake thoroughly, until you hear the ice start to break up in the shaker. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

The use of fruit juice and a fruit syrup might give you the impression that this is a frivolous cocktail. This is a serious, grown-up drink that tastes almost whiskey-like. You can easily imagine high-level management elves drinking a few of these at the North Pole in a meeting looking over their quarterly production figures.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo

When it comes to live music in New Hampshire, there are plenty of choices. It all comes down to what suits the mood. Maybe a country singer with a story to tell, or a musical conversation between the members of a jam band, in the form of nods and hand signs. Or a troubadour folkie with a song that joins old traditions to modern sensibilities might be just right. Maybe it’s a bluegrass combo keeping the mood acoustic, or perhaps the interplay of jazz, the emotive rock of pop-punk, the soaring sound of progressive rock. It’s all here.

Eight of the state’s musical mavens were asked to define their genres and talk about what people might not know about them. Each also weighed in on the leading purveyors and the best venues where they perform.

Hopefully, it’s a handy guide for a night of appreciating the state’s music.

Folk

Tom Pirozzoli is a singer, songwriter, painter and promoter. In 1994 he had a new album and wanted to do a release show, so he asked Tom Mills, owner of Flying Goose Bar & Grille in New London, if he’d be interested in hosting it. Thirty-one years later, weekly folk nights are a staple at the restaurant, bar and brewery. Pirozzoli also books other shows at coffee houses in the area. Find his schedule at pirozzoli.com.

How would you define folk?

Every folk musician gets the same answer. Bill Broonzy once said, ‘I ain’t never heard no horses singing.’ To me, it’s somebody like Harvey Reid, who’s a true troubadour. Harvey knows so many songs. I mean, he knows some pop songs, too, like ‘Ode to Billie Joe,’ which was a hit record, but it’s really a country song. He knows all the Carter Family music, he’s got a huge catalog of folk music. And he’s a great songwriter as well.

What got you interested in it?

I was born in 1950, so I was listening to a little transistor radio when I was 13 years old in 1963. Everybody got one at that age. Then The Beatles came out, and I still remember all the words to their songs. But when I first heard Bob Dylan singing … ‘Just Like A Woman’ was the first song I heard by him and it just blew my mind. It was right around then I started playing guitar, and I guess I got into folk music because it was what I could do.

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative folk acts?

Well, Tom Rush, obviously, would be at the top, even though I think he jumped in between Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Click Horning is with a band called Night Kitchen with Gerry Putnam … his son plays bass, and then Alex Keenan, who plays in a variety of bands down on the Seacoast. Cormac McCarthy was born in New Hampshire, but he lives in Maine now — you can count him.

Where are some of the best places to see folk performed?

Well, the Flying Goose and there’s also the Peterborough Folk Music Society. There’s also Bass Hall, and Deb McWethy’s house concerts — those are what is going to save us…. There are also coffee houses — in Sunapee and Andover, there’s the Deering Coffee House and then the Anonymous Coffee House in Lebanon. Also, the Word Barn in Exeter is great, and the Stone Church [in Newmarket] is too.

Pop Punk

Aaron Shelton plays in a band and runs Kinetic City Events. Most of his shows happen at the Shaskeen in Manchester (such as Emo Karaoke Night with a live backing band, the next of which takes place Friday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m.), but he occasionally books other venues. The emo band tribute night Live Free or Cry has grown into an institution, as well as the muti-band shows that regularly happen in the back room of the Elm Street Irish bar and restaurant. Find Kinetic City Events’ upcoming schedule on their Facebook page.

How would you define pop punk?

I think it’s largely just anything that is more poppy, accessible punk. Typically lighthearted, upbeat punk music.

What got you interested in it?

I listened to nu metal in the late ’90s and around 2001 I came across Thursday, New Found Glory, Boy Sets Fire, bands like that (only one is pop punk), and that led me to dive deeper and found bands like Rufio, The Stryder and Saves The Day.

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative pop punk acts?

The bands that come to mind at the moment are Donaher, Hell Beach and Breaking Up. I’m sure I’m missing some, though.

Where are some of the best places to see pop punk performed?

I’m a little biased but right now I think The Shaskeen and BAD BRGR are doing a lot of excellent pop punk and emo/post hardcore stuff. [Editor’s note: Other venues include Terminus Underground in Nashua, with a Pop Punk Pop happening on Nov. 29, as well as Newmarket’s Stone Church and the Press Room in Portsmouth.]

What’s the most misunderstood thing about pop punk?

I’m not sure I’d say anything is misunderstood exactly. I think there are some big jumps between what I would call true (or good) pop punk and radio pop punk bands like Sum 41 and Good Charlotte, which are of course the biggest of the broad term of the genre.

Jam band

A founding member of JamAntics, Eric Reingold has played in a multitude of bands over the years. Lately he fronts Concord supergroup UP and plays bass with JamAntics spinoff Lucas Gallo & the Guise. Past groups include People Skills, Cold Engines and Blacklight Ruckus. Reingold’s take on jam band music isn’t one of rules-free improvisation. He prefers compact songs and believes discipline, skills and communication are the genre’s hallmarks. Find “UP – the band” on Facebook. Lucas Gallo & The Guide will play Penuche’s Ale House in Concord on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 9 p.m.; follow them via lucasgallomusic.com.

How would you define jam band music?

My impression of jam bands is picking things up on the fly … a little bit loosey-goosey but coming back into a very tight togetherness, whether it’s the verse or the chorus, or taking a stroll down in order to segue into a different song. Now, that being said … if a song is 20 or 30 or 40 minutes long, even if a song is seven or eight minutes long, I’m ADD enough to be like, ‘OK, that’s enough for me,’ and it’s very much shaped my way of being in a jam band. I’ve very much modified my own style to be jam band but tight and short.

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative jam band acts?

Concord especially, where I live, is so welcoming of not only jam bands but just music, original music. … On any given night it’s tougher to find a cover band in Concord than it is to find an original band.I love that about Concord. But the jam band scene, … Any of the Laliotis brothers, all three of them are great musicians. Scott Solsky is another great artist. My bands, Lucas Gallo & the Guise, and UP. Other bands that I’ve become friendly with, in and outside of Concord, and recommend seeing are Kenny Brothers, J3ST, Holy Fool and Trade, which is one of the best examples of super-talented jam originals. Other bands I could recommend I actually became part of after being a fan, like People Skills, Cold Engines and Blacklight Ruckus.

Where are some of the best places to see jam band music performed?

The love of my life will always be Penuche’s. I love that place. … Feathered Friend has really done a lot. They have a great big stage out back, so they’re really up and coming. Then there’s the Bank of New Hampshire Stage, which is amazing … anybody can play on all scale levels. That’s where Andrew Grosvenor puts on an open mic. He’s done a great job of getting solo artists and individual groups that don’t have any following up onto a stage that might never get that opportunity to play on such high-end equipment or such a nice stage. The Tap House is a new place in the Lakes Region, and I want to make a point to bring up Henniker Brewing Co.

What’s the most misunderstood thing about jam band music?

I just want to reiterate … it’s not that people are noodling around and really loose on stage. I think jam bands actually take a lot more skill than having parts and exact songs playing in exactly that way. Just because you need to know…. There needs to be communication up on stage. It’s a tougher thing for a band to have.

Jazz

Brad Myrick leads an eponymous trio and performs solo throughout the region when he’s not traveling in Europe, where he’s made guitar albums with musical partner Nicola Cipriani, and has a new one coming early next year. A characteristic of good jazz, he said during a break from a series of workshops with fellow musician Vinx in southern France, is that it contains echoes of other sounds — pop, rock, the Great American Songbook — to draw listeners in. Catch the Brad Myrick Band Sunday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth. Find more shows at bradmyrick.com.

How would you define jazz?

… I think jazz is really about the spirit of listening, interplay, improvisation and not setting rules. It’s really a wide open space and that’s why it’s been so amazing….

What got you interested in it?

When I was a teenager in the ’90s, I was playing a lot of pop and rock … I was into prog and metal and some of the heavier stuff, and I was into popular music. … But my guitar teacher, Joe Gattuso, kept introducing me to new little things like, Hey, check this out, check this out…. I realized that as a guitar player there were all these other things I could do beyond just the pop and rock stuff, and I just fell in love with jazz and world music …

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative jazz acts?

I’m not as tapped into that as I probably should be, but I love David Newsam. He was the head of the UNH guitar program for a long time, and he still teaches at Berklee. David’s got a whole bunch of different projects going on. … Choro Loco is a great little band where they play Brazilian music — choro and samba and that kind of stuff is really interesting. But I would say if you can tap into Dave he’s got a few projects. He works with some saxophone players that are just fantastic.

Where are some of the best places to see jazz performed?

I’ve actually been trying to reach out and find different places that aren’t necessarily music venues. So I’ve been going to art galleries and presenting ideas. Obviously Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues in Portsmouth is a beautiful venue. Another place I’ve played some music with was a place called Glimpse Gallery in Concord…. My trio plays at Jimmy’s, we do the brunches, and that’s great. They treat us pretty well there, but there’s not a lot of venues that are paying real money for jazz musicians.

What’s the most misunderstood thing about jazz?

I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but my experience is that you, as an artist, should give people a little bit of permission to come be part of what you’re doing, instead of just being the guy on stage with your head down playing a lot of notes. If you include them a little bit, people are really open to it … they say, I don’t know what’s going on here but I’m interested and it’s cool. So just saying hello, talking about the song, raising your head up and smiling at the crowd. … I try to interact with people and let them know, here’s what’s going on.

Prog rock

Though Jerry LoFaro isn’t a musician, he knows plenty about progressive rock, and he even built a venue in back of his Henniker home for concerts. Everyone from Springsteen keyboard player turned jazz fusionist David Sancious to New Hampshire’s own Rocking Horse Music Club has performed at the LoFaro Center, with more shows on the way. LoFaro is also an artist who’s done album covers, including one for a CD/DVD tribute to prog hero Keith Emerson, and he’s the house photographer at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry. Find the LoFaro Center’s schedule on Facebook.

How would you define prog rock?

The simple explanation is to point to the bands that everyone thinks of…. Yes, ELP, Genesis and of course Pink Floyd. That was the benchmark, and of course a lot of people consider the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds to be one of the first prog albums, and The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour … coming from the ’60s, and then all the experimentation happened. So the early definition was pushing the boundaries of composition and skill level … a lot of these jam bands are clearly influenced by prog rock due to the stretching of instrumentals. You hear it in bands like Umphrey’s McGee.

What got you interested in it?

I had all Elton John’s records, and then his Greatest Hits came out with him with the white tux and the hat on the cover. I bought it to have for my collection. I grew up on Long Island and the popular radio station played this commercial with Keith Emerson [and] it was so intriguing. Here’s a guy with a keyboard, and I’m listening to Elton John … I think I’d heard ‘Lucky Man.’ After that commercial, and this is in the days when you could do that, I went back to Sam Goody, where I bought the Elton John record, and traded it in for Brain Salad Surgery, even steven. That album, it just changed my life. I mean, the journey officially began.

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative prog rock acts?

That’s a tough question. The only one I can think of right now is the Rocking Horse Music Club, who just performed here. Rocking Horse creates popular music and they work with a lot of different artists, but when Brian [Coombes, the studio’s owner and producer[ wants to do his own thing, it’s, it’s very prog oriented, very adventuresome, eclectic. His latest album, Last Pink Glow, is really beautiful and very progressive. Then there’s Mindset X from Manchester, and Delusive Relics, which was called Mavara.

Where are some of the best places to see prog rock performed?

I have a loyal following here, but of course the Tupelo Music Hall has had prog rock, it had the Musical Box, a Genesis tribute act, a number of times, and some others that touch upon the genre for sure. Flying Monkey in Plymouth, too. John Lodge played both places, and he certainly would be considered part of that.

What’s the most misunderstood thing about prog rock?

I think the fact that people consider it intellectual music is a barrier for a lot of people. They think, I like rock ’n’ roll, but I don’t want to have to think too much or pay attention to the music. I just want to hear it as background. That has always been a bad rap. Of course, for those of us that lean intellectually, we love that. Another misconception is that it’s pompous, full of itself or show-off or it doesn’t reflect the essence of rock ’n’ roll. Meanwhile, you’ve got Madonna in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Country

Born and raised in New Hampshire, April Cushman is arguably the state’s most successful country artist. The past four years, she’s been nominated at the New England Music Awards for Best Country Artist and won two times. While fans can catch her in clubs, lately Cushman has been headlining places like the Colonial Theatre in Keene. In the recent past she’s become the go-to country performer for the New England Patriots, singing the national anthem multiple times and, last Nov. 2, starring in a Salute to Service-themed halftime show. See aprilcushman.com for upcoming shows.

How would you define country?

What makes it country music is the stories behind the songs. Typically country music is real life experiences, the life that you’re living, the life that you’ve seen other people live. … It’s the lyrics, not necessarily the melody or which branch of country music it kind of pulls off from. There’s always that storyteller element.

What got you interested in it?

I grew up on Tom Petty, The Eagles, Sheryl Crow, Fleetwood Mac, all the stuff that my dad essentially grew up on … but I believe it was Keith Urban that really drew me into more of the early 2000s country, Rascal Flatts and stuff, [and] I’m a huge ’90s country fan. Honestly, I think the thing that made me fall in love with it was the relatability of the stories, even though I was a young teenage kid. I think essentially the older you get too, the more you can look back and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I can relate to Reba McEntire, I totally get it.’

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative country acts?

I feel like a lot of the country music acts in New England kind of fall from the Massachusetts side of things. … Martin and Kelly … are both out of New Hampshire. There is the North County Band. They’re out of Connecticut and they play up in New Hampshire a lot. They’re really, really great people. Nate Ramos is another one.

Where are some of the best places to see country performed?

One of the places that I play a lot, and I’ve actually got a residency that I’m going to be pulling next summer, is up in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. It’s called the Tap House. It’s right out, you can see Winnipesaukee, it’s right there. And I believe they have a lot of classic rock stuff in there too, but it’s a very country-forward place if you have country artists in there, and they’re wonderful. Then there’s Saddle Up Saloon in Kingston, Bonfire and The Goat in Manchester. Arts Alley is great. BNH Stage is right there too, and the rooftop is super cool. …

What’s the most misunderstood thing about country?

A lot of the people that listen to today’s more modernized country and the pop country thing, I think they think … that’s what it is just as a whole, that’s all that it is, but they don’t realize that there’s very different branches and elements to country music that come off from the genre as a whole. So I think the most misunderstood part about country is that there are many, many branches that come off of it, and I think a lot of people don’t realize that not every country song is about missing a girl in the neon lights sitting at the bar.

Bluegrass

Scott Heron is an acoustic multi-instrumentalist who performs with a number of bluegrass groups, including The Treetellers, who recently covered Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs at a Ryman Auditorium Remembered show in Concord. He also leads Any Which Way and the Heron Bluegrass Company and is a member of Big Sweetie, a Seacoast supergroup that includes Jake Davis, Zac Arnault and Jake Smith, which draws from a variety of influences, from country to r&b and rock ’n’ roll. Upcoming shows include with the Heron Bluegrass Company at the Barrington-based Nippo Lake Golf Club’s Bluegrass Series on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m.; see scottheron.com.

How would you define bluegrass?

That’s a very good question, because I play a lot of not bluegrass. I play all sorts of genres. I love bluegrass, and I think people see you with a banjo and their perceptions are that, oh, you’re playing bluegrass. You have a banjo or you have a fiddle, so you’re playing bluegrass. So it’s a funny thing to try to define, but there’s … that typical Bill Monroe five-piece outfit: fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and upright bass. So it can be looked at as the instrumentation is making it bluegrass, but obviously the sound, there’s a particular sound that’s bluegrass. You know it when you hear it.

What got you interested in it?

Probably like everybody else, I came across the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? I was familiar with some of it … the Stanley Brothers, and I knew who Bill Monroe was. But I think that really put it in the forefront, and so it kind of got me going down a rabbit hole. Conversely, I came at it from another angle, ultimately from classic rock, and I just kept kind of diving further and further. You get to classic rock, then get to Bob Dylan and The Band, and then you get to Bob Dylan’s influences, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and then you start getting into the whole folk revival.

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative bluegrass acts?

I’m fortunate to come across a lot of these folks, particularly where I’m on the Seacoast, we have quite a few bluegrass and Americana bands. One of the long-term ones, my buddy Cecil Abels plays in the New England Bluegrass Band. He’s from Mississippi originally, but he’s been up here in New Hampshire for quite a few years, and they play all over. My buddy Rick Watson used to play in the Bolt Hill Band, but I don’t think they’re around any longer. One of my favorite people, his name’s Old Time Dave Talmadge. The big one that comes to mind, who’ve been playing together for over 50 years, is Lunch at the Dump.

Where are some of the best places to see bluegrass performed?

Obviously, the Nippo Lake Bluegrass Series jumps out, and the Word Barn. Stone Church used to do a bit more bluegrass, and they may be bringing it back. There’s a summer series at the Applecrest Farms. There is Pembroke City Limits. I love seeing something like what Rob Azevedo’s done. He’s just made this wonderful space. It can be a honky-tonk, a listening room or just a rowdy bar. He’s been so welcoming.

Hip-hop

Few music genres in New Hampshire have a cheerleader with the energy of Bill Fee, who performs hip-hop as Fee the Evolutionist. He’s nominated for a 2025 New England Music Award, which follows a Rising Star New Hampshire win a couple of years ago. “It only took me 20 years,” he said with a laugh at the time. With his life partner Ruby Shabazz, another NEMA winner, Fee is also a big booster of his hometown of Nashua and often does shows there, along with performing throughout the state and across the Massachusetts border. Fee the Evolutionist is on the bill for Hellbound for the Holidays Toy Drive and Concert on Saturday, Dec. 13, at The Spot in Nashua at 6 p.m., according to his Facebook page, where you can find more upcoming performances. Follow Ruby Shabazz on her Facebook and Instragram pages.

How would you define hip-hop?

Hip-hop, for me, is more than just music; it’s a culture, a movement, a force for truth and connection. It’s about the four pillars — MCing, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti—but it’s also about knowledge, consciousness and giving back. When I define it in my music, I’m talking about that raw, organic feeling from the golden era, where soul samples and real instrumentation drive the beat. It’s a living art form that allows for storytelling, social commentary and genuine expression.

What got you interested in it?

Growing up, hip-hop always resonated with me; it speaks to my soul. I harked back to the fun, melodic harmonies and soul samples of the golden era. I was fascinated by the whole culture and wanted to learn everything I could. I remember sitting in Ski Beatz’s living room and watching him flip deep soul samples into bangers — it was magic to me. That raw, authentic sound, and the ability to use my voice for something meaningful, that’s what got me hooked and kept me evolving.

Who are some of New Hampshire’s representative hip-hop acts?

The New Hampshire and general New England scene has some serious talent. I’ve been proud to collaborate with great artists from the area like Ruby Shabazz, DJ Myth, Dez tha Baker, Cody Pope & Byron G. I also work with legends from the broader New England scene like Edo G, Termanology, Brady Watt and REKS, who are all putting in work and repping the culture strong. Flow Free or Die is a production company from Nashua that is continuously putting out podcasts and promoting shows. Mr. Goodbarz at ToyBox studios has been producing a lot of local acts. Recently a brand new multimedia company called 603 Beat Collaborative just launched and they specialize in live sound, recording production and content creation so that is exciting. We’re all part of this movement that’s bringing respect to the art form.

Where are some of the best places to see hip-hop performed?

The scene is growing and spots are popping up. Locally, I’ve been to some great shows at places like The Spot here in Gate City. I have also performed outside on Main Street during the summer for a series of shows that the Great American Downtown organization put together, which has been great for exposure and community. Believe it or not we played a fantastic show at Jimmy’s Jazz club in Portsmouth! We have played a bunch of times at Warp & Weft in Lowell and have a gig coming up on Nov. 22 at the Lass Stop with the live band. The key is finding venues and events that respect the culture and provide a platform for local artists to shine. “Rap Night” in Manchester is New Hampshire’s longest-running hip-hop residency and recently celebrated its 12th anniversary in June. It is held at The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant every Sunday night and is hosted by DJ Myth, Eyenine and Shawn Caliber.

How healthy is the scene for hip-hop?

The scene is flourishing — I’d call it a renaissance period for hip-hop up here in New England. It’s becoming more diverse and inclusive. Sure, it can be tough for homegrown talent to get exposure, but if you love your craft and stay persistent, progress is inevitable. I was just nominated for Hip Hop Act of the Year by the New England Music Awards, so the industry is definitely acknowledging the art form here in New Hampshire. There’s a real hunger for that organic, jazz-style hip-hop with vision and purpose. People are appreciating the authenticity, which makes the scene very healthy in my eyes.

What’s the most misunderstood thing about hip-hop?

I think the most misunderstood thing is that when some people think of hip-hop they think of the extreme. They either associate it with gangster music or materialism. But at its core real hip-hop is about the culture, social commentary and knowledge. My music is all about shining a light on real life, cutting through the noise to deliver a message that has meaning and gives back to the community. It’s not just noise; it’s art with a vision.

Find your sound
Here are some of the upcoming shows where you can enjoy your genre of choice.

Folk – David Wilcox, Thursday, Nov. 13, Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grille, 40 Andover Road, New London, flyinggoose.com
Prog Rock – Levin Brothers, Friday, Nov. 14, LoFaro Center, 722 Gulf Road, Henniker, jerrylofaro@mcttelecom.com
Hip-Hop – Sound Off Saturday, Saturday, Nov. 15, Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, facebook.com/billyfee/events
Jazz – David Newsam Trio (brunch), Sunday, Nov. 16, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, 135 Congress St., Portsmouth, jimmysoncongress.com
Pop Punk – Waltham, Donaher & Colleen Green, Saturday, Nov. 22, Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, facebook.com/KineticCityEvents
Jam Band – Lucas Gallo & the Guise, Wednesday, Nov. 26, Penuche’s Ale House, Bicentennial Square, Concord, facebook.com/lucasgallomusic
Country – Nate Ramos Band, Friday, Nov. 28, Derryfield Restaurant & Lounge, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, nateramosmusic.com
Bluegrass – Heron Bluegrass Company, Sunday, Nov. 30, Nippo Golf Club, 88 Stagecoach Road, Barrington, nippobluegrass.com

Featured photo: Fee the Evolutionist and Ruby Shabazz, photographed at Castro’s Back Room in Nashua by Colleen Jamieson, courtesy Fee the Evolutionist.

From now through December, the weekends will be filled with craft fairs.

Whether you’re looking for unique gifts or locally made, handmade items for yourself, these fairs offer a chance to shop items you won’t find in big box stores and maybe even meet the people who made them.

In this week’s cover story, we offer a list of upcoming fairs and artisan markets (let us know if we missed any at adiaz@hippopress.com). And, for those who don’t just enjoy shopping crafts but also want to make some themselves, we take a look at some area shops catering to those who sew. From those who can make a quilt or a full outfit to those who are just learning, these businesses help you find community and a new outlet for artistic expression.

Art & community

Sewing offers an outlet for creative expression and a reason to get together

By Chelsea Spear
news@hippopress.com

At first glance the poster-sized portrait of a woman hanging in Jeeni Criscenzo’s studio looks like a photo. The eyes sparkle and the grayscale looks like the many shades of gray you’d see in a vintage photograph. Take a closer look: All those different shades of gray are individual pieces of fabric, arranged like halftone dots across the surface of the quilt. Criscenzo designed and sewed together a quilt portrait as a loving tribute to her mother.

“I created a technique using something called ‘wonder under wear,’” Criscenzo said on a recent Zoom call, gesturing toward the quilt. “It’s almost like making a mosaic with fabric and then quilting over it so you can push the envelope to express things creatively as well as using it in a sustainable way.”

Over the past few years, shops and community centers like DIY Craft and Thrift in Concord, where Criscenzo volunteers as a sewing and quilting instructor, have increased in popularity across New Hampshire. While knitting and crochet had gotten a boost in popularity at the start of the 2000s, with books like the bestselling Stitch & Bitch series, shop owners noticed a renewed interest in sewing in the spring of 2020.

“I really think it started with the pandemic people wanting to learn to sew,” said Carol Lawrence, the owner of Angels Sewing & Quilting in Salem. “We repair all brands [of sewing machines]. You should have seen these old machines we had coming in the store. It was pretty cool. Lots of old featherweight Singers and stuff like that.”

For other sewists, learning to sew allowed them to make some pandemic necessities at home. “During the pandemic, a lot of people were making masks,” Criscenzo said. “I took the time to research what would make a good mask that would actually protect you … I found a very high thread count fabric, then I put a raw silk backing inside, and then another fabric on the back. Based on the testing of those fabrics, I was providing people with something that I felt protected them. And I started selling that online. So then that got me into sewing to make a little money.”

For other business owners, the pandemic offered them an opportunity to reflect on the kind of work they’d like to do.

“A little over six years ago now, I was getting very burnt out from my career,” said Paula Bowen, co-owner of Night Owl Quilting Studio in Goffstown. “I was a director of nursing, and this was right before Covid, and I was getting just tired of the stress of the job. I was looking for a creative outlet, [and I] wanted to own my own business.”

A late-night call inspired Bowen to move forward with her idea.

“I called my mom at 11 p.m. and … I said to her, mom, do you want to start a quilt shop with me? And she’s like, ah, what are you saying? So we just got this idea to just do it for fun,” Bowen said. The shop opened a few nights a week in Goffstown, “and it just exploded. And within a year of being open, my mom retired from her job in the corporation.”

Both Paula Bowen and Jeeni Criscenzo learned to sew from their mothers. For those who didn’t learn to sew as kids or for those looking to pick it back up, communities have formed around sewing, weaving and spinning in New Hampshire and beyond.

Thinking back on a recent trip to a craft store, Criscenzo said: “Wolfeboro Makers Mill had a long-arm quilter that was donated to them. I had to go to a class and get [approved] to use it, but now I can go there. And what I found is they have weaving looms. They have dozens of Janome sewing machines. They have an embroidery machine and even an industrial machine for sewing heavy things. And the people that are there, I found myself driving home just smiling. I don’t know what politics they have, but they certainly have a politics of cooperation. I would love to duplicate that energy of integration.”

A recent New York Times article looked at the growing interest in sewing and pinned some of it to the need to mend ripped or worn clothing. That aspect doesn’t appeal to Lawrence. “Us sewists, we don’t like to mend,” Lawrence says with a laugh. “I don’t even mend my husband’s pants. I’ll cut off with pinking shears. I won’t even hem them.”

“Sewing is no longer just about making garments; it’s about art, it’s about creative expression, and the combination of the craft of sewing and the art is very exciting to me because I’ve always been interested in expressing my creativity through sewing. And it’s a wonderful combination of right and left brain because you can be creative and yet you have to pay attention and think logically about how you’re constructing something,” Criscenzo said.

That creative flair is spreading to areas these crafters wouldn’t have predicted. “Benson Boone had a quilt vest thrown to him in the audience,” Paula Bowen said. “He wore it and it was the thrill of the whole night and everyone’s talking about it.”

Makers in 2025 are seeing the benefits of sewing and are adapting the craft for their own interest. “People gathering to support one another in a craft have something so strong in common that they can let the rest of it go away and they can re-experience that good feeling of working with other people and then hopefully translate that into other parts of their lives,” Criscenzo said. “There’s a mental benefit to sewing in community. There’s a brain benefit in sewing on your own. And then there’s the sustainability, the fact that most of us these days have to struggle to make ends meet. We don’t have these thousand-dollars-a-month clothing budgets that some people have. And so we have to figure out how to make what we have work and last.”

Paula Bowen says succinctly: “The craft world is not going away.”

Sewing shops
Angels Sewing & Quilting 236 N. Broadway in Salem, 898-0777, angelssewing.com
DIY Craft and Thrift 46 N. Main St. in Concord, diycraftandthrift.com
Night Owl Quilting Studio currently 4 Main St. in Goffstown, 384-2557, nightowlquiltingstudio.com. The shop is moving to Amherst soon, according to the website.

Hand crafted

Local fairs offer shoppers a chance to meet artists

Compiled by Amy Diaz
adiaz@hippopress.com

November and December are full of craft fairs, arts markets, artisan fairs and other events where you can find handmade works and probably meet the person who made them. Here are some slated for the coming months. Know of events not mentioned? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.

• The Craftworkers’ Guild shop in Bedford (3a Meetinghouse Road, down the hill in the Library parking lot) will hold its Hearts & Home Shop through Sunday, Nov. 23, open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and its Holiday Shop Friday, Nov. 28 through Sunday, Dec. 21, open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. See thecraftworkersguild.org.

• The Concord Arts Market will be at Intown Concord’s First Friday event on Nov. 7, from 4 to 8 p.m., when the theme is Art Walk, according to firstfridayconcord.com. Find them on Capitol Street, according to concordartsmarket.org.

• First Church of Nashua, 1 Concord St. in Nashua, will hold its Holiday Fair and Silent Auction on Friday, Nov. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring homemade sweets, food to go, gift baskets, craft items, puzzles and more, according to an email from event organizers. Kids can visit with Santa on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., dinner will be available Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., lunch will be available Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the email said.

• The Merrimack Knights of Columbus will hold their 25th annual Fall Craft Fair on Friday, Nov. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mastricola Upper Elementary School, 26 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack. The event will feature more than 40 crafters, a bake table, meals and snacks, an auction and more; admission is free, according to an email from event organizers.

• The United Church of Penacook (Community Drive and Canal Street in Penacook) will hold its Christmas Fair and Bake Sale Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring holiday decorations, home decor, knitted items and more, according to ucpnh.org.

• St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (300 Route 25, Meredith, stcharlesnh.org) will hold its Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the church website.

• Main Street United Methodist Church, 154 Main St. in Nashua, will hold a Fall/Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring baked goods, crafts, a cookie walk, handmade items, breakfast and lunch items, Christmas and winter crafts and more. See mainstreet-umc.org.

• St. Elizabeth Seton Church(190 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, stelizabethsetonchurch.org) will hold its Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring 50 crafters and artisans, baked items, lunch and more, according to the church website.

• The Granite State Choral Society will hold its Fall 2025 Shop Till You Drop Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center, 150 Wakefield St. in Rochester. The event will feature works by local artisans, a selection of homemade soups, chilis and stews starting at 11 a.m. and more, according to a press release. See gschoralsociety.org.

• The Seacoast Artisans Holiday Fine Arts & Craft Show will take place Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Great Bay Community College, 320 Corporate Drive in the Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth, according to seacoastartisansshows.com. Admission costs $7; ages 14 and under get in for free, the website said.

• Manchester Memorial High School, 1 Crusader Way in Manchester, will hold its annual Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. according to memorial.mansd.org. Admission costs $2 per person, to benefit the Booster Club, and the event features more than 200 tables of crafts as well as raffles, according to information from the event organizer.

•The Nashua YMCA of the YMCA of Greater Nashua, 24 Stadium Drive in Nashua, will hold its Fall Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature concessions, kids activities, local vendors and more, according to nmymca.org/fall-craft-fair.

• The Capital City Holiday Craft & Artisan Show will take place Saturday, Nov. 8, and Sunday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Capital City Sports & Fitness Club, 10 Garvins Falls Road in Concord. The fair will feature 100 exhibitors, speciality foods, live music and an appearance by Santa, according to GNECraftArtisanShows.com. Admission costs $5, valid both days; ages 14 and under get in for free.

• The Bedford Handmade Fair takes place Sunday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bedford High School, 47 Nashua Road. See sites.google.com/bedfordnhk12.net/bedfordhandmade for a map of the fair and a listing of all the vendors. Admission and parking are free and Santa is scheduled to appear at the fair for photos, the website said.

• St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (335 Smyth Road, Manchester; stpaulsumcnh.org) will hold its Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring crafts, a cookie walk, a bake sale, a children’s table, a white elephant sale and more, according to a post on the church’s Facebook page.

• The 2025 Craft Fair at Manchester Community College will take place Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the college’s all-purpose room, 1066 Front St. in Manchester, according to a Facebook page for the event. The event will feature more than 50 vendors, and admission is free, the post said.

• The Pembroke Academy DECA will hold a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pembroke Academy, 209 Academy Road in Pembroke, according to the Spartan Market Facebook page.

• The Lil Iguana’s Craft Fair & Raffle will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nashua High School North, 8 Titan Way in Nashua, according to liliguanausa.org/craft-fair. The event will feature more than 200 crafters, vendors and area businesses as well as raffles and more, according to the website. Admission is free.

• The Pelham High School Craft Fair, 87 Marsh Road in Pelham, will be Saturday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and feature 40+ vendors, according to the event’s Facebook page.

• Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St. in Bow, will hold its annual Snowman Fair on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day will feature an appearance by Santa, crafts to make for kids, holiday crafts for sale, baked goods and a cafe, themed gift baskets and more, according to an email from event organizers. See bowmillsumc.org.

• St. Patrick Church (34 Amherst St. in Milford, stpatrickmilfordnh.org) will hold a Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring crafts, a cookie walk, penny sale baskets, frozen apple pies, concessions and more, according to an event organizer.

• The United Methodist Women of Hampton United Methodist Church, 525 Lafayette Road in Hampton, will hold their annual Christmas Fair on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring lunch, homemade pies by the slice, attic treasures, bake and treat shop, photos with Santa, a silent auction and more, according to an email from fair organizers. See hamptonnhumc.org.

• The PTO at New Searles Elementary School, 39 Shady Lane in Nashua, will hold a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring crafters, raffles and more, according to the PTO’s Facebook.

• Holiday Fine Craft & Artisan Show on the Seacoast takes place Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rim Sports Complex in Hampton, according to GNECraftArtisanShows.com. The event will feature 145 exhibitors, food trucks, a juried show, an appearance by Santa and more, the website said. Admission costs $5, valid both days; ages 14 and under get in for free.

• The Picker Artists, 3 Pine St. in Nashua, will host its annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. See pickerartists.com for a listing of artists.

• The Milford 3rd Annual Holiday Fair, hosted by New England Vendor Events, will be held Saturday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at VFW Post, 99 VFW Way in Milford, according to New England Vendor Events’ Facebook page. Admission is free, as are photo opportunities with Santa, the post said.

• The Great New England Holiday Crafts Show will take place Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111 in Derry, according to GNECraftArtisanShows.com and labellewinery.com. Parking and admission are free and the show will feature 65 exhibitors, a juried show, food and more, the website said.

• Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, will feature a “pop up holiday showcase of locally made fine art and craft items featuring local artisans” called The Artisans Nook, according to the website. The shop will be open starting Nov. 29 in the lower level of the Carriage House Mondays through Saturdays from 1 to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. as well as Friday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 7, from noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 19 (closed Dec. 11), the website said.

• The Contoocook Artisans Holiday Fair is set for Friday, Dec. 5 , from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at American Legion Post No. 81 (E.R. Montgomery Event Center, 169 Bound Tree Road, Contoocook), according to the Contoocook Artisans Cooperative Facebook Page.

• The UNH Maker’s Expo will be held at the MUB Granite State Room on Friday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring “cool & creative stuff made by UNH students, staff, and faculty. Engineers who knit! IT folks doing scratch prints! Jewelry from biologists!” according to unh.edu/mub/events/unh-makers-expo.

• The Winter Giftopolis by the Concord Arts Market will take place on Friday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 11 p.m. in the Eagle Square Atrium in downtown Concord during Intown Concord’s Midnight Merriment. See concordartsmarket.org.

• High Mowing School (77 Pine Hill Drive, Wilton) will host its annual Pine Hill Holiday Fair on Friday, Dec. 5, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (for adults only) and Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for all ages, according to pinehill.org.

• The First Baptist Church (121 Manchester St., Nashua, 882-4512, fbcnashua.org) will hold its Old-Fashioned Christmas Fair & Raffle Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the church website.

• Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Milford, 20 Elm St. in Milford, will hold its Holiday Fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature crafts, gifts, a cafe for breakfast and lunch and more, according to event organizers.

• The St. Nicholas Fair at Grace Episcopal Church, 30 Eastman St. in Concord, will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature hand-crafted items, second-hand jewelry, baked goods, used books, and white elephant items, according to an email from an organizer.

• Arlington Street United Methodist Church (63 Arlington St., Nashua) will celebrate its Holly Town Fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair will feature handmade items, candies, baked goods and a cookie walk, with lunch available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit asumc.org or call 882-4663.

• The PTO at Broad Street Elementary School, 390 Broad St. in Nashua, will host a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to sites.google.com/view/broad-street-pto.

• NHSS Athletic Boosters Annual Craft Fair will take place at Nashua High School South, 36 Riverside St. in Nashua, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 2p.m., according to the Boosters’ club Facebook.

• The Holiday Craft Fair at Brookline Event Center, 32 Proctor Hill Road in Brookline, will take place Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. See brooklineeventcenter.com/our-events.

• The Somersworth Festival Association will host its Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Somersworth High School (11 Memorial Drive, Somersworth), according to nhfestivals.org.

• Saint Patrick’s Parish (12 Main St., Pelham, 635-3525, stpatricks-pelham.com) will host its Annual Christmas Craft Fair in its Parish Center, Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring local crafters, food, a homemade baked goods table and raffles, according to the church website.

• The 36th annual Christmas in Strafford, featuring more than 50 artists and craftspeople across about 30 locations (stores, studios and other locations), is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days (some stops are open Saturday only), according to christmasinstrafford.com.

• The Unitarian Universalist Church of Manchester (669 Union St. in Manchester) will hold its Holiday Fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, according to uumanchester.org, where you can check back for updates.

• The Animal Rescue League of NH (545 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3647, rescueleague.org) will hold a Holiday Fair Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring pet photos with Santa or the Grinch (by appointment), craft vendors, tree sales, a bake sale and more, according to rescueleague.org.

• Sanborn Mills Farm (7097 Sanborn Road in Loudon) will hold its Winter Market on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Fifield Hall, according to an email from the farm. The Market will feature local artisans and craftspeople, farm made lunch and refreshments and festive music, the email said.

• The Nashua 10th Annual Holiday Fair, hosted by New England Vendor Events, will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Birch Hill School, 71 Amherst St. in Nashua, according to New England Vendor Events’ Facebook page. Admission is free, as are photo opportunities with Santa, the post said.

• Chapel + Main, 83 Main St. in Dover, chapelandmain.com, will hold Arts & Drafts on Sunday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the website.

• Concord Arts Market and Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, will host the Gingerbread Marketplace at Kimball Jenkins on Sunday, Dec. 7, from noon to 6 p.m. featuring “sweet treats and gifts for your holiday shopping” as well as Kimball Jenkins’ The Artisans Nook of fine arts and crafts items, according to the website.

• The NH Audubon’s Annual Holiday Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org) featuring more than 30 local crafters, raffles and more, according to the website.

• The PTO at Main Dunstable Elementary School, 20 Whitford Road in Nashua, will host a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring crafts by local artisans, baked goods, raffles, silent auctions, kids’ activities, a Santa meet and photo opportunity and more, according to mdespto.com.

• Concord Arts Market will host the Concord Holiday Arts Market at Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the website.

• Caya Reiki and Healing (caya-healing.square.site) will hold its Winter Wonderland Craft Market & Psychic Fair at the Hooksett American Legion on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find CAYA on Facebook for updates.

• Wrong Brain will hold its annual Holidaze Bizaare on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Community Campus, 100 Campus Drive in Portsmouth, according to Wrong Brain’s Facebook page. Billed as an “alternative craft fair,” the Holidaze Bizaare “will take place in the gymnasium, 2 lobbies, AND we have the art room for workshops & activities,” according to a post.

• The New Hampshire World Market will take place Saturday, Dec. 13, and Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Anheuser Busch Brewery, 221 DW Highway in Merrimack, featuring music, photos with Santa, food, crafts and more, according to nhworldchristmasmarket.com, where you can purchase tickets.

• The Holly Jolly Craft Fair will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton (2 Somerset Plaza, Nashua) on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature items from more than 75 artisans, according to joycescraftshows.com. Items will include holiday decor, country folk art, soy candles, gift baskets, wood art, artwork and more, the website said.

• Wrong Brain will hold its Night Bizaare on Monday, Dec. 22, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Chapel + Main (83 Main St. in Dover), according to Wrong Brain’s Facebook page.

6 ways to put pumpkin on your menu

While breaking down a whole pumpkin and cooking it from scratch might sound a little overwhelming, Jason Devriendt is confident that you’ve got this. He is a farmer and one of the owners of Devriendt Farm Products in Goffstown. You just have to pick the right variety of pumpkin, he said, which probably isn’t the kind you carved for Halloween.

“Jack-o’-lantern pumpkins are a much older variety,” Devriendt said. “They kind of started it all. Nowadays, we obviously have eating pumpkins. The main difference is that the content of sugars an eating pumpkin will produce is going to be significantly higher. You can still eat jack-o’-lantern pumpkins. They’re just going to be very, very bland.”

“One of the biggest names [of eating pumpkins] is a style called cheese pumpkins. We grow a particular variety of it called Long Island Cheese and it’s a squatter, tan color squash pumpkin. They boast an even higher sugar content than even sugar pumpkins. Supposedly the flesh of those smooths out a lot more in the cooking process. It breaks down better. The average cheese pumpkins get larger than a sugar pumpkin. I’d probably say somewhere in the 10- to 15-pound range, whereas your average sugar pumpkin is going to be anywhere between three to five pounds.”

On the other hand, there is no shame in using canned pumpkin. For Amy Casella, the owner-operator of Crumbs on Cambridge in Bedford, canned pumpkin is her default ingredient. “Truthfully, I don’t break down pumpkins,” she said. “It’s just too time-consuming for me, so I’ll go after the organic canned pumpkin and I think it’s lovely. The flavor is good, the texture is good.”

Pumpkin to Drink

One of To Share Brewing’s most popular seasonal beers is something called Sophisticated Pumpkin, but co-owner and brewer Aaron Share says he had to be talked into offering it.

“When we first opened [the brewery], I was very resistant to the idea of making a pumpkin beer,” Share said. “I made pumpkin beers as a home brewer, but I just didn’t think it was something that folks would really enjoy, because it just had a lot of pumpkin. And so after a couple years of [my staff] insisting that we make a pumpkin beer I finally caved and told them that I was going to do it my way. It wasn’t going to be overly sweet. So what I did is I used our Vienna lager recipe and we add 40-something pounds of pumpkin to our mash. We add just a touch of pumpkin pie spice and we add some bourbon-soaked vanilla to it to just give it some added flavor and sophistication. So it’s a little more upscale than I would say some of the ones out there that are made with mostly sugar.”

Because even his pumpkin beer has some sweetness to it, Share suggests pairing it with other sweet foods. “I would go with something a little bit more robust in flavor. Maybe something like a pumpkin ravioli or something like that. Or even if you’re just snacking on a piece of pumpkin bread or something, I think it would stand up to that. Even something like a Boston cream pie could pair nicely with it.”

Bourbon Pumpkin Smash

This cocktail will help you ease into the holiday season. Even with a bunch of complementary flavors, the pumpkininess shines through.

• 2 ounces pumpkin syrup (See below. You’ll have to make it yourself, but like all syrups it is almost embarrassingly easy to make.)
• 2 ounces bourbon – there are several strong flavors at play here, so probably don’t use your very best bourbon for this
• ½ ounce orange juice
• Several dashes of orange bitters – this is to offset the sweetness of the other ingredients. Use your best judgment
• Ginger beer to top – not ginger ale. Ginger beer. You want the spicy bite of the good stuff.

Combine the pumpkin syrup, bourbon, orange juice and bitters in a cocktail shaker, then dry shake it (without ice) for several seconds, before adding ice and shaking it again. This is to prevent the syrup from seizing up when it hits the ice.

Strain over fresh ice in a large rocks glass, and top with a couple ounces of ginger beer.

Pumpkin Syrup

• ½ cup (156 g) maple syrup – the real stuff, please
• ⅓ cup (75 g) water
• ⅓ cup (75 g) pumpkin puree
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Add all the ingredients but the vanilla to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for two to three minutes to make sure all the ingredients have gotten to know each other.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. (Vanilla is very volatile. It won’t explode or anything, but it evaporates easily and takes some flavor with it.)

Not for nothin’, but if you’re a pumpkin spice fan this is great in your coffee.

Pumpkin with Chocolate

Given its distinctive flavor, pumpkin pairs surprisingly well with a wide variety of other distinctive flavors — brown butter, whiskey (particularly bourbon), “warming” spices like ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper, almost every type of nut, and of course chocolate.

Brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

If you were to tell people that you were field-testing pumpkin recipes, a shocking number of them, a truly startling percentage, would try very, very hard to give you their recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

These cookies hit several of pumpkin’s sweet spots: brown sugar, chocolate, and brown butter. While theoretically there is probably a baked good somewhere that would not be improved by the use of brown butter, this is not one of them. The caramelized milk solids bring a rich, almost savory flavor that stands up to the pumpkin’s muskiness. A pinch of citric acid balances out the brown butter’s heaviness and gives these cookies a mouth-watering quality.

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ¼ cup (50 g) dark sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 Tablespoons (86 g) pumpkin puree
• 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt – I like kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon citric acid (optional – the odds of your having a bag of citric acid hanging around in your pantry are admittedly low)
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup (90 g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Brown the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Wait until it has stopped foaming, then watch it like a hawk until it turns the color of dark toast, then remove it from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the powdery ingredients — the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, citric acid and spices. Set it aside. Mutter “Your time will come” to it.

With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the brown butter and the sugars until they are as combined as you can get them, about three minutes. Add the vanilla and keep beating. Add the pumpkin and keep beating until it is fluffy and looks like caramel frosting.

Turn your mixer to low, to prevent the poofing of flour, and spoon the dry ingredients into the mixture until everything is barely combined. Stir the chocolate chips in by hand. Cover the dough and chill it in your refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Flatten tablespoonfuls of the chilled dough onto the palm of your hand. Roll it into a ball, then flatten it, and place it on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Arrange six of the disks on the sheet, then bake for 12 to 13 minutes.

Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the pan. This recipe will make between 15 and 18 cookies, so you’ll be making three batches. Remember to keep the remaining cookie dough in the fridge between batches.

Pumpkin as Soup

Because it pairs so well with sweet ingredients, it’s easy to forget how well pumpkin works in savory dishes. Perhaps the most popular savory application for pumpkin is as a soup. For super ambitious hosts, serving pumpkin soup from a hollowed out pumpkin, or individual servings in baby pumpkins, is a Show-Stopping Number. But if you have too much drama in your life already, pumpkin soup is a Tier 1 Comfort Food.

Curried Coconut Pumpkin Soup

• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon chili oil (optional)
• 1 small or ½ large white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon pickled jalapenos, minced
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon garam masala or sweet curry powder
• 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
• 1 15-ounce can of coconut milk
• 1 cup of broth – I like vegetable broth, but chicken or turkey broth would work well too
• salt and pepper to taste
• roasted pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large saucepan, fry the onions, garlic and jalapeños in the two oils until the onions turn translucent and start to pick up a little color. You’re not looking for full caramelization here, but some light browning will bring extra flavor to the finished soup.

Stir in the garam masala and let the mixture cook for a minute or so, until your kitchen starts to smell spicy. Stir in the pumpkin and let the mixture cook for another few minutes, then add the broth and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for a few minutes.

Either transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree it until smooth. Season it with salt and pepper, then serve garnished with cilantro and pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin in Bread

Pumpkin bread and its affiliates, pumpkin muffins, are fall classics.

“Once you get into this, your fall season, everybody wants pumpkin and apple,” baker Amy Casella said. One reason for pumpkin bread’s popularity, she speculated, is that it makes even novice bakers look good.

“If you’re using canned pumpkin,” she said, “it has a ton of moisture, so even if you overcook [pumpkin bread or muffins] it’s very forgiving.”

Pumpkin bread with crystalized ginger and a bourbon glaze

The conventional raisins have been replaced in this recipe by crystallized ginger — the spicy cubes that have the same texture as gummy candies. This gives the pumpkin bread pops of flavor, in contrast to raisins, which are, shall we say, more introverted in the way they present themselves. While the boozy glaze is not strictly necessary, it improves the already delicious pumpkin by at least 15 percent.

• 1 package (about 16 ounces) boxed yellow cake mix
• 2 cups (one 16-ounce can) pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup (113 g) molasses
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg – Seriously, if you’ve never grated nutmeg yourself, you’ve been missing out. The whole nutmeg kernels never go stale (as opposed to the pre-ground version, which turns to sawdust within a month or two) and smell almost citrusy. If you don’t have a microplane grater, use the smallest side of your box grater, the one you’ve always wondered what it was for. It’s for this.
• ⅓ cup (38 g) chopped nuts (optional) – I like pecans for this, but if the idea of nuts in baked goods angers you, I totally understand.
• ⅓ cup (57 g) crystalized ginger, chopped
• Bourbon glaze – see below

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Empty the cake mix into a large mixing bowl, and toss the ginger pieces in it. This will keep the ginger from clumping together. Add in the rest of the ingredients and beat the mixture for about two minutes.

Pour the batter into two greased loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how big your loaf pans are. (Check them with a toothpick at 45 minutes.) Let them cool before depanning them. Drizzle them with bourbon glaze.

You can make this recipe as muffins. Remember to use liners in your muffin tin, and check doneness at 20 minutes.

Bourbon Glaze

• 2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons bourbon – again, use some that tastes good, but don’t break out the premium stuff
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon milk or half & half
• a pinch of salt
• 1 Tablespoon melted butter – aside from being delicious, this will help the glaze set and keep it from dripping off your bread or muffins

Mix everything together, adding the butter last, then drizzle over anything that needs to be drizzled — in this case the pumpkin bread, but I can’t help thinking this would be great with grilled pork chops.

Pumpkin Contributes to Granola

If you’ve never thought much about pumpkin seeds outside of field-dressing a jack-o’-lantern, you can find the roasted, salted variety in the seed-and-nut section of your supermarket, sometimes called pepitas.

In this granola recipe, pumpkin seeds fill the role usually played by chopped nuts. Much like pumpkin, they get along with an impressive number of other ingredients. In this case the addition of soy sauce and black pepper will play off their sweet/savory nature and add complexity to the final granola.

• 2½ cups (263 g) rolled oats
• ¾ cups (75 g) roasted, salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• ¼ cup (37 g) poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or a mixture of both
• 3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup (50 g) vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup (104 g) dark maple syrup, the real stuff
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• ¾ cup (127 g) dried, sweetened cranberries

Preheat your oven to 300°F.

In the largest bowl you have, combine the oats, seeds, sugar and spices, and toss them with your hands. Separately, mix the oil, syrup and soy sauce, then pour the mixture over the dry ingredients. Combine everything — again, with your hands. (You could theoretically use a spatula or something, but hands work better.)

Scoop the mixture onto a baking sheet, spread it out, and press it into the corners.

Bake the proto-granola for 15 minutes, then stir it up and press it back down into the pan. This time you will probably need to use a spatula or a large spoon; it will be too hot for your hands. Bake for another 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Let the granola cool. Hopefully there will be some clumps. Mix in the cranberries.

Ta-dah.

Pumpkin Made Fancy

Pumpkin soufflé is one of those dishes that can seem very intimidating. That also means it brings a lot of street cred if you can pull it off.

But here’s the secret: It’s easy to pull off. Just follow the instructions, one at a time. The final soufflé will be light and delicious.

• ½ cup (113 g) whole milk or half & half
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg – see the pumpkin bread recipe for a diatribe about this
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• a pinch of salt
• 2 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 2 cups (one 16-ounce can) pumpkin puree
• 1 Tablespoon orange liqueur – Grand Marnier is a classic for this, but orange curacao or even triple sec will work
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of a large orange
• 8 egg whites
• ¾ cup (150 g) white sugar

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Thoroughly butter the inside of a soufflé dish, the ceramic one with vertical ridges on the outside. Really slather the butter on. Then dust the buttered surface with white sugar. Set the dish aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the milk or cream, the cornstarch and the spices, and bring to a simmer. It should thicken considerably. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Stir in the salt, brown sugar, pumpkin, orange liqueur, vanilla and orange zest. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Using the whisk attachment on your stand or hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they reach “soft peaks.” This means they’ve turned white and are slightly thickened. Mix the sugar into the egg whites and whip on high speed, until they reach “stiff peaks.” This means, if you turn the bowl sideways or upside down, they stay put.

OK, this is the closest this recipe gets to tricky. Don’t panic. Drink a slug of the orange liqueur, if you have to.

Add about a third of the stiff egg whites to the pumpkin mixture, and stir to combine. This is just to lighten up the batter. Add half of the remaining egg whites to the pumpkin bowl and gently fold them into the mixture. This means to mix it super-gently so you don’t deflate the fluffy egg whites. (If you are nervous about this, search online for a video: “how to fold egg whites.” It’s actually very simple.) When the egg whites are folded in, do the same with the remaining egg whites.

Transfer the eggy pumpkin mixture to the soufflé dish. Put it on the middle rack in your oven and bake for 30 minutes. When it is done it will have risen above the rim of the dish and will be a golden brown color.

As soon as you take the soufflé out of the oven, take a picture of it. Within the next 10 minutes or so it will deflate and will not look as awe-inspiring. But it will still be delicious.