Southern Spoonful: Holiday Treats for Your Table

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The story below is a preview from our November/December 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Festive, flavorful, oh so delightful — these holiday recipes will dazzle every guest and family member throughout the season!

One of my favorite holiday memories is my mother’s chocolate fudge peppermint cake. She added a bit of peppermint extract to her seven-minute frosting and drizzled the frosting with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. The result was like a Dairy Queen chocolate-dipped ice cream cone. The crispy chocolate candy shell melts in your mouth. The cake can be baked and frosted ahead of time.

Mom always whipped up the most marvelous treats during the holidays. She added her special touches to make holiday dishes extraordinary. I’ve added some festive and flavorful ingredients to my holiday recipes to make them extra special for you. Cheers to you and your family for a very happy holiday season!

Mini Crab Cakes

The addition of duck fat to my crab cakes makes them extra crispy.

Makes 16 mini crab cakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • 8 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small shallot
  • ¼ cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of ground cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy)
  • 2 tablespoons duck fat*

Place crabmeat in a mixing bowl and pick through to make sure there are no pieces of shell in the crabmeat.

Place olive oil in a sauté pan and heat over low heat. Add shallots, celery and red bell pepper. Stir and heat until shallots are wilted (about 1 minute). Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add mustard, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, Italian parsley, lemon zest and juice, Old Bay Seasoning, salt and cayenne pepper to the crab. Mix with a fork, breaking up any large pieces of crab. Add the shallots, celery and red bell pepper. Stir to combine.

Place duck fat in a small bowl, microwave the fat briefly just until it melts (it will melt very quickly). Using a pastry brush, brush the duck fat on the bottom and sides of mini muffin tin sections. Fill each mini muffin tin section with crabmeat mixture. Brush each mini crabmeat with duck fat.

Bake mini crabcakes for 15 minutes in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven. Serve warm with spicy remoulade sauce.

Spicy Remoulade Sauce

Makes 1 ½ cups

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
  • 6 pimento stuffed green olives
  • 2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
  • 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 teaspoons non-pereil capers
  • 4 teaspoons sweet salad cubes
  • ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 3 green onions, white part only, sliced thin

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Ham Jam

My European version of southern bacon jam. Serve ham jam with pimento cheese on your favorite flatbread crackers. Perfect addition to a charcuterie and cheese board.

Makes 1½ cups

  • 3 ounces Serrano ham slices*
  • 3 ounces prosciutto slices*
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons prosecco vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

For service: Pimento cheese and Firehook sea salt flatbread crackers (or your favorite flatbread crackers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lay serrano ham slices and prosciutto slices in a single layer on a rack on a baking sheet with sides. Bake ham and prosciutto for 10 minutes or until very crispy. Watch carefully so the ham does not burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once the ham and prosciutto have cooled, chop into very small pieces with a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors and place pieces in a bowl.

Place butter in a frying pan. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Cook garlic and onion for 1 to 2 minutes until the onion is cooked and translucent.

Add the maple syrup and brown sugar to the frying pan. Stir to combine. Add the prosecco vinegar and cayenne pepper. Stir in the serrano and prosciutto pieces. Cook for 3 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place ham jam in a serving dish.

Serve ham jam with pimento cheese on flatbread crackers.

Whipped Ricotta with Hot Honey and Toasted Pistachios

Sweet, hot and nutty, my whipped ricotta can be served as an appetizer or dessert with champagne or sparkling wine.

Makes 2 cups

Chill 2 hours before serving.

  • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 1 tablespoon AR’s Hot Southern Honey (or your favorite hot honey)*
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • Zest of 1 large lemon
  • ¼ cup toasted chopped pistachios
  • 2 tablespoons AR’s Hot Southern Honey (or your favorite hot honey)
  • ¼ teaspoon flaked sea salt*
  • Dewey’s Triple Ginger thin cookies

Place ricotta, 1 tablespoon hot honey, heavy cream and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Mix with a rubber spatula to combine all ingredients.

Pour the ricotta mixture into a flat serving bowl and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Sprinkle pistachios evenly over the ricotta, drizzle with 2 tablespoons hot honey and sprinkle with flaked sea salt.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Serve with Dewey’s Triple Ginger thin cookies.

Want to learn how to make your holiday dishes extraordinary with more festive recipes? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below! 

The story above is a preview from our November/December 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!