I had two short pieces of 1×6 poplar board left over from another project and they happen to have a complimentary grain pattern. I lined them up side by side and drew out an organic shape with a slight carve out in the center. Since poplar is a relatively hard wood, it will wear well and take a beating before you see the evidence.

Carve out your shapes using a jig saw or router and sand smooth.

Copper soldering tape is the perfect size for two stacked strips to round the edges of each platter.

Starting in a less conspicuous spot, begin wrapping your platter with the first row of banding. Take care to press firmly as you go and smooth along the way.

Your second row should sit directly above the first so they appear as if they are one row.

Using my Micro Torch with soldering tip I gently gave the soldering foil a bit of heat in the places it wasn’t cooperating and along sections that had to make tricky curves. This helped activate the sticky side of the foil and forced it to bend and flex where I wasn’t able to smooth it out otherwise. To make your platter food safe you can give it a coat of mineral oil and keep in mind this isn’t a cutting board and merely a serving piece. No one would be the wiser if you carve it up, but avoiding this will keep the integrity of your piece intact for a much longer period.

CANDY DIP // Using any leftover candy from Santa, or any chocolate based candy that is your fave (a crispy crunchy type is fab), carefully melt in the microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time. Stir in between heating and take care not to over heat as chocolate is notorious for burning. You can also use the heat gun portion of your torch and melt it down as needed. Cover with a layer of marshmallows if you prefer and gently heat with your torch to melt the marshmallows down into fluff. Once you have them melted a bit, you can toast them with your torch on a slightly higher heat setting or with the actual flame of your torch and blow out carefully if you light that baby on fire – which you probably will – but that tastes amazing so who cares as long as you don’t burn the house down.

BUTTERED BEER // Cocktail or Mocktail – Makes 6 to 8 servings. Adapted from this recipe and adjusted for ease of ingredient finding and measurements.

48 Ounces – Good Quality British (or Scottish) Ale – I used this one and it was fantastic. If you have trouble finding something similar, just be sure to get a good quality cask conditioned ale.

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1 Cup Brown Sugar

5 Egg Yolks

7 TBSP Unsalted Butter

Follow the directions outlined here under recipe method. If you want to make this kid-friendly, you can! Instructions are outlined for this as well.

To make the modern chilled version, I recommend the delicious adaptation of using equal parts half and half with eggnog. Absolutely fabulous and if the half and half and eggnog are already chilled, you can skip the chilling process and it works beautifully.

To add a topper of toasted marshmallows to your warm buttered beer, layer onto your drink and follow the same process as for the candy dip. Melt gently then toast for the best flavor. Take caution when add heat or flame to anything with alcohol since you will more than likely end up with flambe if you don’t… eek.