supper on Christmas Day

We started with this marvelous pear-onion-gorgonzola tart - you can see the fresh thyme sprinkled on top.  Then an herb roasted beef tenderloin, creamy scalloped potatoes, spinach/pear/candied pecan salad, rolls, and molten chocolate cakes (garnished with whipped cream, raspberries, chocolate nibs, and edible silver glitter stars!) for dessert. 

holiday open house 2011

It was a horrible blizzardy evening and yet 3 dozen friends managed to stop by.  The menu included eggnog (add your own brandy/nutmeg), sparkling water, sparkling cider, hot mulled cider (add your own brandy), pate and jam sandwiches, tuna sushi salad with rice crackers and nori, shrimp with Russian dressing, Asian chicken wings, apricot-almond baked brie, sweet-hot pecans, and assorted holiday cookies.  Here are some photos as we set it all up, as well as a look at one of the thousands of luminarias that lit up our neighborhood on Christmas Eve. 

blackberry pie

I was able to get a couple of containers of fresh blackberries from Costco so I made some refrigerator jam and this lovely pie.  The crust was from a pre-made refrigerated pie crust.  The filling was 6 c. of berries, 3/4 c. sugar, 3 Tbs. cornstarch, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.  I just cut out stars from the second crust for the top and affixed them with an egg wash.  I froze the unbaked pie for an hour, more egg wash and sprinkled with sugar, then baked for 1 hour 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  It is best to bake this on a parchment lined baking sheet to catch any potential spills, and tent the pie with foil after about an hour in the oven if it looks like it will get too brown. 

shrimp dumplings

I followed the Har Gao recipe in a recent issue of Saveur magazine.  These are a bit time-intensive but wonderful  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Har-Gao-Shrimp-Dumplings

made-up pasta for lunch

This sauce was the product of what was on hand.  While I was cooking a pound of short, tubular pasta I sauteed some onion, garlic, and prosciutto in olive oil in a large skillet.  Then I added a can of undrained, diced tomatoes and let it simmer to thicken.  I also added a touch of vodka.  At the end, as I was letting the pasta drain I added some cream and fresh basil to the sauce.  Then I stirred in the pasta to let it soak up some sauce for a moment.  Salt and pepper to taste and fresh grated Parmesan on top.  It was wonderful.  I think you could also throw in some fresh spinach to saute with the onion and garlic. 

almond pear tart

I made these about 5" across with store-bought puff pastry and folded up the rim to make an individual serving.  There is some almond filling spread on the bottom, then topped with beautiful slices from a red pear.  I baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, then glazed the top with a bit of melted apple jelly.

pinto bean-pine nut-green onion pilaf

This is one of my favorite side dishes.  I slightly saute the rice in oil, then cook it in chicken broth.  When the rice is done I fluff it up and add a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans - cover and let set a few minutes.  Before serving, stir in toasted pine nuts and chopped green onions.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

delicious banana tartes tatin

From Bon Appetit magazine:  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2011/10/banana-tartes-tatin

These are simple, few ingredients, and divine.

chicken melt on a Christmas plate

The special holiday dishes are being put to use.  There are oven roasted potato slices on one side and a grilled chicken breast topped with a roasted poblano chile and melted jack cheese on the other side. 

an autumn skillet dinner - pork chops with butternut squash & escarole

I browned the pork chops, then took them out of the pan (deglazed the pan with a bit of chicken broth).  I then put cubes of butternut squash, chopped up head of escarole, and some shallot halves into the pan and roasted that all in a 400 degree oven until the squash was cooked.  Then the pork chops get nestled back into the mixture and baked until the chops are done and it is all garnished with toasted walnuts.

grilled lamb chops and potatoes lyonnaise

The lamb chops are marinated in a garlic-rosemary oil before grilling.  The potatoes are a fancy version of home fries that include richly browned onions (and a squeeze of lemon juice to finish).  I used some lovely flat-leaf Italian parsley from the front porch planter as a garnish.  The next night we dipped into the single digits and I now have very frozen parsley out there. 

lasagna roll-ups and a bacon-and-egg salad

For the roll-ups I softened some no-boil lasagna noodles, then spread them with a ricotta-spinach- parmesan filling.  Rolled them up, put in a pan with a marinara sauce on top, then baked until heated through.  The salad was arugula with a vinaigrette, topped with bacon crumbles and a softly fried egg. 

shrimp and napa cabbage

I stir fried some garlic and ginger in hot sesame oil, added shrimp and sliced napa cabbage until the shrimp was cooked through, and finished it with a cornstarch-chicken broth slurry to thicken. 

bananas foster parfait

This was a tasty saute of bananas in brown sugar and butter, but then served over Greek yogurt instead of ice cream, and topped with toasted pecans.  I love how the sweetness of the topping combines with the tangy yogurt.  Of course the no-fat yogurt helps to offset the calories.....

eating more lamb

I have tried to remember to put lamb on the menu more regularly.  These chops were marinated with some herbs, garlic and oil, then grilled and topped with some gorgonzola butter.  The accompanying salad had a refreshing ruby grapefruit vinaigrette and topped with sunflower seeds.  Red wine, of course, alongside.