Jenjin

Scorched pumpkin creme brulee in a gingerbread crust.

A deceptively simple recipe: paper-thin red apple slices pulled from a bath of lemon juice and rosewater, sprinkled with cinnamon,
layered just so in syrup-brushed strips of pastry, and then rolled into perfect rosebud shapes that crisp up into a red-gold bouquet in the oven.

Pomegranate, Wild Plum, and Green Tea grove. 

Pomegranate, Kyphi, and Oud grove. 

Pomegranate, Golden Sandalwood, and Amber grove. 

Pomegranate, Fir, and Cypress tree grove. 

                  Ink of Pomegranates. 

This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God.


I will wash my hands among the innocent; and will compass thy altar, O Lord: That I may hear the voice of thy praise: and tell of all thy wondrous works. I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house; and the place where thy glory dwelleth. Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked: nor my life with bloody men: In whose hands are iniquities: their right hand is filled with gifts.

But as for me, I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, and have mercy on me. My foot hath stood in the direct way: in the churches I will bless thee, O Lord.

In Roman Catholic tradition, the Christmas season begins liturgically on Christmas Eve, though it is forbidden to celebrate the Christmas Mass before midnight. The most devout attend Midnight Mass, celebrating both the Eucharist and the drama of the Nativity.

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

Merlot and Frankincense

Marshmallow Snow!

Apple custard with sherry and lemon zest.

Welsh cakes and ale with a smattering of dried lavender.

An echo of the rites of Rhiannon, the Great Queen and Mother of Horses, the Mari Lwyd is a Midwinter tradition in Wales. The beribboned Grey Mare travels door to door with her entourage, seeking permission to wassail and initiate a contest of wit: the pwnco, a battle of improvised verses filled with good-natured ridicule set to song. If the Mari party were victorious, they were invited into the home to partake of ale and cakes and provide entertainment for the family.

A sugar-crusted vanilla peppermint stick!

A mouth-watering mixture of glistening plum wedges and ground almonds,
enfolded in flaky crust and drizzled with lavender sea-salted caramel.

Ribbons of thick curd cooling in a crust flecked with crystallized purple buds.

Every crumb sticks to the fork: a dense, lightly-spiced cake glazed in raw honey gathered from bees who thrive on lavender nectar.

A bitter, tea-stained ache soothed by softly herbaceous sugar cookies.

Billows of lavender-tinged whipped cream luxuriating on a silky bed of coconut custard.

A chewy-edged brownie that gently bites back, studded with cacao nibs and lavender baking morsels

Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches.

Happy SEVENTEENTH ANNIVERSARY to our Krampus perfume!

This scent is anything BUT jolly! Draped with chains and bells, wielding both whip and rod, this rag-clad, horned, red-skinned, soot-covered leering creature is both the companion and the antithesis of rosy-cheeked and ebullient Kris Kringle. He is called by many names, and, in a myriad of cultures, he is seen with different robes and faces, but he is nevertheless always a sinister and fearsome instrument of Santa’s wrath: he wields a switch on all irredeemably naughty children before tossing them into his large black sack and whisking them away.

A bounty of butter, honey, and sweet cream.
 

Far above enthroned in glory

Sweetest Saint of Erin’s Isle

See thy children kneel before thee

Turn on us a Mother’s smile.

Sancta Mater, hear our pleading

Faith and hope and holy love

Sweet St. Brigid, Spouse of Jesus,

Sent to us from Heaven above.

Sweet St. Brigid, Erin’s children,

Far and near o’er land and sea

In the world and in the cloister

Fondly turn with love to thee.

Sancta Mater, sooth the mourner

Shield the weary tempted soul

Sweet St. Brigid, guide thy children

To thy bright and happy home.

A hearty, humor-balancing, cheer-inducing cake crafted with spelt, nutmeg, clove, and a dollop of honey.

 

Nutmeg (Nux muscata) has great heat and good moderation in its powers. If a person eats a nutmeg, it will open up his heart, make his judgment free from obstruction, and give him a good disposition. Take some nutmeg and an equal weight of cinnamon and a bit of cloves, and pulverize them. Then make small cakes with this and fine whole wheat flour and water. Eat them often. It will calm all bitterness of the heart and mind, open your heart and impaired senses, and make your mind cheerful. It purifies your senses and diminishes all harmful humors in you. It gives good liquid to your blood, and makes you strong.

The best grain is spelt (spelta). It is hot, rich, and powerful. It is milder than other grains. Eating it rectifies the flesh and provides proper blood. It also creates a happy mind and puts joy in the human disposition.

– Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica, translated by Priscilla Throop

Sweet pipe tobacco, cherry wood, the warm, worn leather of an easy chair and a pleasant, subtle waft of fireplace smoke.

This year’s Transanta fundraiser scent is a wish for enjoyment that transcends hard conditions:
a cotton candy-flavored lollipop blessed with a pinch of grit and petrichor.

A minty mousse of creme de menthe, creme de cacao, marshmallow fluff, and whipped cream in a chocolate graham cracker crust.