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Cooking For The Winter Holidays


Heather

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Just now out of the oven: Guiness Stout ginger cake from _The Last Course_ by Claudia Fleming. It smells insanely good.

Pulled up this recipe and will be making it for NYE. My question: Do you need to use your mixer to combine the eggs, sugar and oil? Or, just a whisk in a bowl? What I mean is, there is no mention of a "ribbon stage" for the eggs and sugar.

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big cooking day today, and last night I made chopped liver with schmaltz and gribenes, and roasted an eggplant in the woodstove. K has been in Chapel Hill all week; she's on her way back with her bf, but won't get here until close to 9 p.m. tonight, which is a little late to be starting to make latkes. I'll probably do them tomorrow. today i made a braised brisket, chick peas in the pressure cooker, applesauce, quince sauce (for me--I'm allergic to apples), and baked a Guiness stout ginger cake (the recipe is from Claudia Fleming's wonderful dessert book The Last Course.) I'll probably make farro or a barley pilaf to go with the brisket.

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Christmas Eve menu:

assorted cheeses, cured meats, crackers, marinated olives

cappelletti in brodo

latkes?

applesauce

pot roast

popovers

hashed Brussels sprouts with mushrooms and bacon

roasted carrots

angel food cake

cookie plate (bee stings, pizelle, cardamom butter cookies, apricot filled cookies, Viennese chocolate pepper cookies, pignoli)

The brodo is made and stashed in the fridge.  The cappelletti are made and stashed in the freezer.  So is the applesauce.  Haven't decided yet whether to make latkes; there is already, as Mom would say, "enough to feed an army".  Three of the cookie doughs are made and stashed in the freezer; will start baking later today.  If time allows will revive my mother's tradition of making cinnamon twists for everyone to take home and heat up for breakfast the next day.  Oh, and I need to make a coconut cake for the in-laws Christmas day.

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Christmas eve is a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas at Mom's. Christmas day we're cooking.

Starters:
Chestnut and foie gras soup
Arugula and Fennel salad w/honey-drizzled figs and Stilton
 
Mains: 
Pork Belly Porchetta (sous vide and deep fried, w/gravy and apple chutney)
Deep-fried Capon - added because the pork belly was smaller than we ordered
Butternut squash, shallot and blue cheese Wellington - for the vegetarian
 
Sides:
Potato and celery root gratin
Maple and cinnamon glazed root vegetables
Haricots verts w/shallots
Balsamic glazed cipollini onions
 
Desserts:
Apple and mixed berries crisp w/vanilla ice cream
Pumpkin pie
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For Christmas, sort of German style:

Christmas eve, cold cuts from the German Gourmet.

Christmas day,

Roast goose

Dumplings

Red cabbage and sauerkraut

Latkes fried in schmaltz

Chopped chicken liver with gribenes (will also try the goose liver and maybe the turkey liver left over from Thanksgiving)

Russian rye bread, 100% rye and approximately the density of plutonium

My mother-in-law was from Lauf, Germany, near Bavaria.  She and her mother immigrated to the US after she met my father-in-law working at AFN, Munich. Her mother always used a German mix for dumplings.  Brother-in-law loves them. When we decided to roast a goose for Christmas my husband went to the German Gourmet and happily picked up a couple of boxes of dumpling mix.  I am sure they will taste ghastly to me, but that's not the point.  The two men will play German music after dinner and watch old family movies and become sentimental and weepy.  I will play on my iPad and remain detached and amused.  Hey, it's Christmas!  It's that time of year.

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Inquiring minds want to know what is a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas meal? I'm sure it's tasty!

Most Puerto Rican holiday / special event / party meals are based on arroz con gandules (rice and pigeon peas) and pernil (roast pork shoulder). Lechon asado (roast suckling pig) is preferred, but less available in the mainland US than on the island. There are usually tostones (green plantains sliced, fried, flattened and refried) or mofongo (green plantains fried and mashed, with lots of garlic and crispy pork rinds). There may be any of a wide range of other foods, but those are the essential Puerto Rican party dishes. Christmas has all of those, but the main focus is on pasteles. They're a pain in the ass to make, so they're a Christmas specialty. Usually various family members will get together to make huge quantities, and everybody takes some home to freeze for later. Or just find someone who makes them and buy them frozen.

Dessert is flan and something else, usually rice pudding or tembleque (coconut pudding with a gel-like texture).

Our equivalent of eggnog is coquito - condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream of coconut, coconut milk if you want it thinner, and rum, along with various spices and vanilla. Extremely rich, so best sipped in small quantities.

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We have an eclectic group of friends coming over, and to meet all the difffering food requirements, I'm thinking tamales for Christmas dinner.  Mushroom/poblano and black bean/greens fillings, roasted chipotle sweet potatoes with lime crema on the side, and a "southwestern" slaw.  A pecan pie for dessert along with a couple of sorbets for those who want something a little lighter.  Sangria and margaritas to drink.

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Planned dinner menus

Christmas Eve Dinner

Spinach Salad

Cornmeal Fried Oysters and Tartar Sauce
Calamari Braised in Tomato Sauce with Cannellini Beans
Rosemary Lamb Lollipops over Whole Wheat Orzo 
 
Christmas
Mixed Green Salad with Clementines, Watermelon Radishes, Roasted Hazelnuts, and White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Pumpkin Christmas Bread and Cream Cheese Spread
Prime Rib Roast
Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Steamed Carrots with Parsley Butter
 
Boxing Day (not that we celebrate Boxing Day, but, hey, it's a federal employees' day off this year)
Cheese Board and Baguette Slices
Green Salad with Cucumber, Avocado, and Red and White Radishes and White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Wild Rice Stuffing
Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts
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We have an eclectic group of friends coming over, and to meet all the difffering food requirements, I'm thinking tamales for Christmas dinner.  Mushroom/poblano and black bean/greens fillings, roasted chipotle sweet potatoes with lime crema on the side, and a "southwestern" slaw.  A pecan pie for dessert along with a couple of sorbets for those who want something a little lighter.  Sangria and margaritas to drink.

The lime crema is a great idea. You might consider also making a cooked green salsa or mole verde to serve over the tamales. Maybe it's just me, but I like a little splash of warm salsa put on the tamal when the wrapper is opened.

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Her mother always used a German mix for dumplings.  Brother-in-law loves them. When we decided to roast a goose for Christmas my husband went to the German Gourmet and happily picked up a couple of boxes of dumpling mix.  I am sure they will taste ghastly to me, but that's not the point.

Would those be bread dumplings or potato dumplings? I see that the German Deli has a number of choices in both categories. They have some "Panni" mixes plus some "Pfanni" pre-made dumplings in boiling bags. The "Panni" name is used for marketing in the U.S., where "Pfanni" is too exotic. They also have other brands. In fact, a search on "dumpling" on their website returns 89 items. Anyway, I wouldn't assume they'll taste ghastly.

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For dinner on Thursday I'm planning a poule au pot. Yesterday, I bought an old stewing hen at Bestworld on Mt. Pleasant Street (0.99 a pound!) and simmered it in lightly salted water with a large onion for four hours or so. On the day itself, I'll poach a whole young chicken in the broth, with carrots, turnips, leeks, and cabbage, and a forcemeat of bread, sausage, foie gras, and chicken liver wrapped in cheesecloth. We'll start with potato pancakes with caviar and sour cream and champagne, then have some of the broth, and then the poached chicken with the forcemeat and vegetables with a Bandol rosé. Should I clarify the broth (and possibly call it bouillon), or would that be too fussy? On the other hand, should I add something to it, like pasta or rice? And I'm thinking of serving an aioli with the chicken and vegetables. Is that a good idea? I think mustard and cornichons are more traditional, but aioli is obviously more luxurious. 

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For dinner on Thursday I'm planning a poule au pot. Yesterday, I bought an old stewing hen at Bestworld on Mt. Pleasant Street (0.99 a pound!) and simmered it in lightly salted water with a large onion for four hours or so. On the day itself, I'll poach a whole young chicken in the broth, with carrots, turnips, leeks, and cabbage, and a forcemeat of bread, sausage, foie gras, and chicken liver wrapped in cheesecloth. We'll start with potato pancakes with caviar and sour cream and champagne, then have some of the broth, and then the poached chicken with the forcemeat and vegetables with a Bandol rosé. Should I clarify the broth (and possibly call it bouillon), or would that be too fussy? On the other hand, should I add something to it, like pasta or rice? And I'm thinking of serving an aioli with the chicken and vegetables. Is that a good idea? I think mustard and cornichons are more traditional, but aioli is obviously more luxurious. 

I wouldn't sully that glorious broth with pasta or rice. You're already starting with a starch, in the form of potato pancakes. I'd strain the broth through a muslin towel before you start your poule au pot. Assuming you are poaching, it shouldn't stir up too much sediment. taking everything out of the pot and then clarifying your consomme will certainly make it more elegant, but you might not need to do it. I'd go with aioli. sounds fabulous.

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I wouldn't sully that glorious broth with pasta or rice. You're already starting with a starch, in the form of potato pancakes. I'd strain the broth through a muslin towel before you start your poule au pot. Assuming you are poaching, it shouldn't stir up too much sediment. taking everything out of the pot and then clarifying your consomme will certainly make it more elegant, but you might not need to do it. I'd go with aioli. sounds fabulous.

Thanks, good advice I'm sure. I'll probably boil the broth again tomorrow and strain it (I just banged the stockpot with carcass and all into the fridge once it had cooled down last night). The forcemeat that I'm planning to poach with the chicken will undoubtedly make the broth quite cloudy, which is why I was thinking of clarifying it. But you're quite right, putting rice or pasta in it would be foolish; not sure why I was thinking of it. Maybe some chives or elegant sliced mushrooms could go into the consommé to make it less monotonous than it would otherwise be. They've had some fancy mushrooms at Whole Foods of late, although I was hoping not to go there again before Thursday.

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The lime crema is a great idea. You might consider also making a cooked green salsa or mole verde to serve over the tamales. Maybe it's just me, but I like a little splash of warm salsa put on the tamal when the wrapper is opened.

I typically have extra seasoning salsa from whatever I made for the fillings on the side, and I also cheat a little by using a little chile paste in the masa dough for more flavor.  I have a strange tendency to make big batches of chile pastes at a time and I keep little stashes of different types in the freezer - all from Rick Bayless' first cookbook - so it isn't as big a production as it might be.  We're now up to nine people from the original six, so I'll make them tomorrow and stash everything in the fridge.  I'm also thinking Julia Child's Queen of Sheba cake made with Grand Marnier would be nice.

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Hersch, the boxes contain Panni potato dumplings. My brother-in-law enthusiastically described how before they started using this, his Omma would have to spend hours and hours grating fresh potatos, and this was so much easier and just as good. Me thinks not.

Anyway, getting off early today, 1:00 p.m., Christmas eve. Going home to finally make a batch of schmaltz with gribenes, and steam the goose. Found a Julia Child recipe where you put the goose in a rack after pricking the skin all over, pour an inch of water in the pan and cover it all with foil and steam the goose for an hour. Pour off the water and fat into a heat proof container so you can separate the fat and save it, put the goose uncovered in the fridge overnight so the skin will dry out, and roast Christmas day.

We are having goose, the dubious dumplings, authentic latkes, and some version of red cabbage. Haven't figured out the red cabbage yet. Some red wine, some onions, some red sauerkraut, maybe juniper berries.

Feeling very fortunate, a co-worker gifted me this morning with a ham bone with meat on it! They got tired of ham and he doesn't know what to do with the bone. This will make ham broth for pois pigeon (Hopping John) for New Year's Day. I told him he should use it for ham broth and he rolled his eyes at me, so I asked him to give it to me, and he did! Glee!

First edit, phase one. Goose pricked and steamed, no rude comments please, now resting on baking sheet in fridge, drying overnight. Rendered out about a quart of goose fat just by this. No wonder when we roasted goose before, it looked like a fat bomb went off in the oven!

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I wouldn't sully that glorious broth with pasta or rice. You're already starting with a starch, in the form of potato pancakes. I'd strain the broth through a muslin towel before you start your poule au pot. Assuming you are poaching, it shouldn't stir up too much sediment. taking everything out of the pot and then clarifying your consomme will certainly make it more elegant, but you might not need to do it. I'd go with aioli. sounds fabulous.

In the event, the potato pancakes (made following a Jacques Pépin procedure with raw potatoes, chopped onion, salt, potato starch, raw egg, and baking powder all ground up in a food processor) were a huge success, with and without caviar (which my mother won't eat, the fool), and everyone was at least half sated with that course (and its accompanying champagne). So I didn't serve the broth, glorious though it was indeed. We had modest little portions of the poached chicken, with the vegetables and forcemeat, and an aioli that was also a huge success. I think I should have put more bread into the forcemeat, which didn't cohere well enough to slice into rounds, but it was delicious all the same. Now I have a prodigious amount of, again, glorious chicken broth, and hope I can find good uses for it in my one-person household.

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Sipping broth instead of tea or coffee in the morning has been recommended to me. I haven't tried it yet, but drinking broth/brodo/bone broth is all the rage, it seems. Sounds like you have a worthy candidate.

LOL.  I was just about to suggest drinking it as tea, possibly with ginger and turmeric infusion.

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Does the Superbowl count as a winter holiday?  I am going to say yes, i couldn't find a Superbowl Party thread on a donrockwell search.  Well I am making celery sticks, it's too easy to just buy carrot sticks.  I am also making homemade blue cheese dressing from this Food52 recipe.  I am also making roasted cauliflower with homemade buffalo sauce.  And then the classic- Velveeta cheese dip with some of my homemade salsa and Fritto scoops, of which I bought the last bag at Giant.  I am going to a party that should have wings, and some other items.  What are you making?

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Hosted a Superbowl/Housewarming combo party and made some really good snacks.  The key to success was finding recipes I could put together the day before and then just heat up/finish during the actual shindig.  In the slow cookers, I did soy-sesame wings (flavor was great, but the meat fell off the bone - normally good, but not so for finger food) and jalapeno-corn dip (delicious with Fritos).  I also made mini crab cakes with sriracha mayo, fried ricotta and sage pork meatballs with homemade marinara sauce (I was skeptical, since they were fried the day before and then stored in the freezer, but they were awesome), and fried chicken sliders with honey, mustard, and pickles (everyone's favorite of the day).  Of course, I also had salsa and guac and chips and whatnot, and I outsourced dessert by simply buying football-themed cupcakes at the store.  Thankfully, by making things that could be pulled out and heated as needed, I ended up having pretty much the perfect amount of food.

I also did some pre-made cocktails/punches - rum punch was a big hit (with a cool peach-thyme ice ring), as was tequila grapefruit splash and my beloved Sophia Loren Shim (aperol, bourbon, lemon juice, and rhubarb bitters).  It was nice to be able to enjoy the party and not be slinging drinks all day!

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Prep pix for Sunday lunch for six:

 

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Chicken and cardamom rice, from "Jerusalem" by Yotam Ottolenghi, page 184.

We'll dress this with parsley, dill and cilantro leaves, and Greek yogurt tomorrow prior to service.

Also made the following in advance:

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Roasted cauliflower

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Spinach with garlic and anchovy

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Tunnel of Fudge chocolate bundt cake

 

I have some pâte brisée in the fridge right now -- going to make a French apple tart tonight.  Appetizer tomorrow will be fattuosh, also from "Jerusalem".

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My extended family is coming for our family Christmas on Tuesday.  I'll have 20-28 folks show up.  I'm making four different kinds of chili and I've got the first of the lot (spicy red chuck)  braising in a low oven now.  I'll get the green pork chili going after lunch.  Still have a mild hamburger chili and a vegetarian chili to make tomorrow.

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Christmas Dinner:
Green salad with homemade ranch dressing
Cream of mushroom soup
Chateaubriand with red wine-shallot sauce
Buttered roasted carrot batons with minced parsley
Rice pilaf with noodles and pine nuts

Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Cuvee Papale 2013)

 

 

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