The Season of Seconds: Holiday Traditions & Recipes Reimagined
The heart of the holiday season lives in the kitchen, whether it’s the cozy clatter of Pip at Treehouse Manchester, where Chef Mary-Ellen Tague leans into comforting classics, or the bright, playful energy of Valley Goat at Treehouse Silicon Valley, where Chef Stephanie Izard brings bold, surprising twists to the table. It’s in these warm, bustling spaces (and in home kitchens everywhere) that recipes are passed down, flavors evolve, and stories rise with the steam from the stove.
Chefs Mary-Ellen Tague and Stephanie Izard bring that spirit to life in their own festive rituals, blending time-honored traditions with just enough surprise to keep every dish feeling new. From the rich, golden layers of a classic potato gratin to the bold savoriness of a reimagined green bean casserole, they remind us that holiday cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful, it just needs heart, intention, and a sense of play.
So before you head back to your own kitchen, we turned to the chefs for the stories, flavors, and small seasonal rituals that shape their celebrations.
Cooking Up Celebration with Chef Mary-Ellen Tague of Pip at Treehouse Hotel Manchester
1. This season is all about gathering. What’s a recipe you love that brings people together around the table, without keeping you stuck in the kitchen?
A really good potato gratin! Perfect with roast meats, braises, stews, veggie dishes- everything. It’s really luxurious and feels like a treat, and very easy to make. It’s just potatoes, cream, salt, garlic and nutmeg. So simple and you can’t really go wrong- potatoes being cut too thick, or a bit too much or too little garlic- it doesn’t really matter. You just need the potatoes to be cooked through, a nice golden top and plenty of unctuous, creamy filling.
2. How do you bring a sense of play or surprise to your holiday dishes? Any unexpected ingredients or twists?
Christmas Spice. It’s an ingredient from NHR Organics who make the most amazing culinary essential oils. It’s a beautifully balanced mix of Scotch pine, mandarin peel and clove, and just the tiniest drop added to your whipped cream for a trifle, or brandy sauce for a Christmas Pudding really elevates the whole thing. It’s not sickly or overdone, and just adds a hint of seasonal flavour to things.
3. What’s one hosting tradition that makes your celebrations feel a little more personal, a little more you?
My Jane Grigson recipe Christmas Puddings. They’re made with breadcrumbs rather than flour and are really light and airy, despite the dried fruit and brandy. Served with homemade brandy sauce, with a tiny drop of the Christmas Spice as mentioned above.
Do you have a go-to festive recipe that you can share?
Turkey pie! It’s basically your turkey roast dinner in a pastry shell. The base layer is confit turkey leg in a rich, buttery turkey gravy with tarragon, parsley and chervil to lift things. Then a layer of sage and onion stuffing, then a layer of shredded sprouts with smoked bacon lardons and toasted chestnuts, then butter-roast turkey breast with crispy skin on top. Served with plenty more gravy, goose-fat roast potatoes and a roast parsnip puree. I love pies and I love Turkey roast dinner so it’s perfect in my book!
Playing with Flavor with Chef Stephanie Izard of Valley Goat at Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley
1. You’re known for bold, unexpected flavors. What’s a dish you love to serve at a holiday party that catches guests by surprise in the best way?
With the holidays, I try to stick to familiar, traditional dishes that friends and family look forward to on the holiday table, but with fun new spices or just fun flavor additions. Instead of regular stuffing, I like to cook cubes of bread that are soaked in a Chinese 5 spice French toast batter, then combine them with a medley of veggies, sausage, apples, nuts. Just a lot of texture!
2. Is there a nostalgic dish you always make this time of year? What’s the story behind it?
I always have green beans on the table, which remind me of my mom. Green bean casserole was her favorite and mine when I was growing up. Though nowadays, I make the mushroom soup with lots of tasty wild mushrooms and a splash of fish sauce to highlight the savory notes, along with freshly fried shallots on top. She’d love it.
3. For someone hosting their first holiday gathering, what’s one trick that takes the pressure off and keeps the good times flowing?
Potluck all the way!!! I think as the host, take charge of the turkey and gravy for sure then have guests bring their favorite side dish, snack, or dessert. After you know what’s coming, just fill in the blanks. Brings a lot of storytelling of family memories with various dishes…plus you don’t have to do all of the cooking!
4. Do you have a go-to holiday recipe that you can share?
My dad always wanted sweet potatoes and marshmallows, which no one else ever ate. So I started making sweet potatoes the way I like them!
Sweet Potato Recipe:
‘This Little Goat Went to Hong Kong’ Sauce
One of my favorite marinades–great on turkey, tasty in gravy, and loving it on sweet potatoes!
I love bringing this super savory marinade to compliment the natural sweetness. Super tender. Sweet + savory. Plus a nutty crunch!
For the Marinade:
Ingredients:
knob of sliced ginger
4 garlic cloves
1 sliced large shallot
2 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 c sweet soy sauce
1/2 c tamari soy
1 T Chinese five spice
2 T Dijon
2 T olive oil
torn mint
1 T sambal
Steps:
Blend together
For the Potatoes:
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
1 c chicken stock
Steps:
Mix together 1 c chicken stock plus 1/4 c marinade, set aside
Peel and slice sweet potatoes to about 3/4 inch slices
Brown in a little oil and a couple tablespoons butter, season with salt on both sides
Add in stock mixture and bring to boil
Transfer to oven and bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until tender then remove potatoes
Heat liquid and stir in a little more butter to finish sauce
Drizzle over top potatoes. Top with candied pecans and mint.
For Pecans:
Ingredients:
2 c pecan halves
2 T marinade
2 T dark brown sugar
1 T kosher salt
Steps:
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl and coat evenly.
Air fry at 340 degrees for 4 minutes.
Tip: if doing larger batch of sweet potatoes, can brown then transfer to a baking dish and heat liquid before adding to the dish
