December

December is everything at once. Roast turkey or goose, the standing rib roast, smoked salmon, the Christmas ham, oysters, Yule log and Christmas pudding, mulled wine, gingerbread, mince pies, scallops in vanilla butter, chocolates. The tree, the set table, the guests overflowing. On the condiment side, it's the apotheosis — everything comes out at once. Fleur de sel on the seared foie gras and the ham, grated tonka in the dessert sauces, Tahitian vanilla in the custard, saffron in the starter risotto, star anise in the mulled wine, cardamom in the dark chocolate, pink peppercorns on the smoked salmon. Citrus is at its absolute peak — clementines, blood oranges, candied peel. It's a marathon month, a month of magic. And it's the month to spend the good vanilla you ordered in November — this is exactly what you saved it for.