Category Archives: CHRISTMAS RECIPES

COSMOPOLITAN

Most of you know I’m a martini drinker. But on occasion I leave the comfort of ice cold gin and go over to the wild side and have either one (and I do mean one) of Mr. C’s Margaritas in the summer or for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, one or two (never more than two) of his delicious cosmopolitans. (I couldn’t finish dinner preparations if I had more than two of these babies!)

Cosmopolitans are delightful served any time of year, but are especially wonderful served at holiday time. They look festive, reflect the cranberry flavor we have all learned to associate with “the holidays”, and the tang of the lime juice beautifully counter balances the sweetness of the orange flavored liqueur. Cosmopolitans are wonderfully tart and refreshing and perfect served with appetizers.

Mr. C usually combines the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, Rose’s lime juice, and fresh lime juice ahead of time. (Depending on how many guests we expect, he makes enough for one each.) Then when a drink request comes his way, he does the whole shaker with ice thing and serves up a freshly made drink. Yea Thanksgiving! I can hardly wait to make sure I still like these marvelous drinks. (Maybe I should ask Mr. C to make me one before the big day; you know, make sure he hasn’t lost the Cosmopolitan touch.) Oh, honey…….

3 oz. vodka
1 ½ oz. Cointreau or or other orange flavored liqueur
4 oz. cranberry juice cocktail
splash of Rose’s lime juice
juice of ½ large lime
ice
2 slices of lime, garnish

Pour vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, Rose’s lime juice, fresh lime juice, and ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into 2 chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a slice of lime.

CREAMY CARAMELIZED PEARL ONIONS AND PETITE PEAS

This is another perfect veggie dish to serve during the holidays. The peas and creamy rich onions combined are not only beautiful to behold but taste absolutely delicious together.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. frozen pearl onions
¾-1 c. heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
1-2 c. frozen petite peas

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over fairly high heat. And the onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Reduce heat; pour in cream and slowly simmer until cream is thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Just before serving, place frozen peas in a small colander and rinse under cold water to remove any ice crystals. Drain and gently stir in with the onions. Heat the mixture only until the peas are hot*. Add additional cream if necessary. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

*You don’t really want or need to cook the peas. They are much tastier when served just heated through. In fact, when I make Pea Salad (another wonderful Thanksgiving side dish by-the-way) I don’t heat the peas at all. They are basically right out of the freezer when I add them to the other ingredients.

CREAMY CARAMELIZED PEARL ONIONS

This is a perfect holiday veggie. Our good friend Jim first made this amazing and simple dish for one of our holiday meals, and it was the first food to disappear. Something you should know about Jim before I go any further is that he never makes a small amount of anything he prepares. (God love him.) So even my gravy (and I make fairly decent gravy if I say so myself) didn’t disappear as fast as these onions.

So if you want to serve a veggie that is so delicious that your family and friends will be declaring you the queen or king of the kitchen, add this recipe to your menu. But be advised, it is very rich. You might want to serve it along with another vegetable dish that is fairly simple, like my easy and make ahead recipe for Green Beans.

Any way you serve these onions, you are going to be very happy that you did. Thanks again Jim for the recipe. See you and Margo on turkey day. Don’t forget to add this dish to the menu. Hint hint!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. frozen pearl onions
¾-1 c. heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

I found this recipe a couple years back on the Southern Living site. It looked so beautiful I just had to give it a try. Turns out it is not only beautiful to behold, it is absolutely divine to eat. So if you want to please all your sweet potato lovers this Thanksgiving, the ones in the marshmallow camp and the ones who believe marshmallows are only for children, give them all what they want. You will earn big points, I promise!

4 ½ lbs. ruby or garnet sweet potatoes (sometimes labeled incorrectly as yams)
¾ c. sugar (or part brown sugar)
¼ c. whole milk
½ c. (1 cube) butter, softened
2 lg. eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 c. cornflakes cereal, crushed
½ c. chopped pecans
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. butter, melted
1 ½ c. miniature marshmallows

Bake sweet potatoes in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash with an electric mixer. Add the sugar(s), milk, butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish. *Combine cornflakes, pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter. Sprinkle diagonally over casserole in rows 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 additional minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*If preparing casserole ahead of time, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate before adding any topping. About 90 minutes before serving, pull the casserole out of the refrigerator, leave the foil on the casserole, and bake for 30 minutes. Then follow the above instructions beginning with “Combine cornflakes….”

TURKEY DRESSING WITH OYSTERS OR SAUSAGE

OK, it’s confession time again. So here goes. If truth be told, I would be content to sit down to just dressing and gravy (maybe a small side of Brandied Cranberries) at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the other dishes, but really, for me it’s mostly about the lovely savory flavors in the dressing and gravy. But I can’t skip the mashed potatoes. And since the turkey started the whole thing, there really should be some of that on my plate too. And wow, those sweet potatoes sure look good, etc. etc. So there I am; another Thanksgiving with a loaded plate. And of course, who can say no to Pumpkin Pie Bars with Bourbon Caramel Whipped Cream, or Apple Pie Bars, or White Chocolate Dipped Coffee Bean Shortbread served with a lovely cup of freshly brewed coffee? Not me, that’s for certain! (All dessert recipes are easy to prepare and can be found on this site.)

OK, maybe it’s the combination of dishes that make the dinner so wonderful. It’s just like family and friends. Some of our guests we will have known for decades or all our lives (or theirs). Other friends or family members might be new to the group. But all are welcome and loved because they are a part of the whole special occasion.

And when you think about it, the dinner itself is no different from the assortment of guests. There are the old and familiars, including the “sacred side dishes”, maybe changed or updated from year to year. And along with the traditional favorites, there are usually one or two exciting new dishes that everyone is eager to try. All and all it makes for a terrific feast.

Hopefully some of the recipes in my Thanksgiving Day Menu and Recipes series will give you an idea for updating one of your favorites, or inspiration to try an entirely new dish. Happy Thanksgiving

1 c. butter
1 ½ c. chopped celery (stalks and leaves)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
12 to 14 large mushrooms, chopped
1 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 T. minced fresh sage
1 T. dried thyme leaves
2 T. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. savory, either powdered or dried leaves
2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
16-20 c. dry bread cubes (I like part sour dough) or 3 pkgs. stuffing mix (7-8 oz. each)
1 pint raw oysters, chopped or 1 lb. cooked breakfast or Italian sausage, opt.
3 eggs
5-7 c. turkey or chicken stock

In a large sauté pan, melt butter and add celery, onions, and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the parsley, garlic, sage, thyme, poultry seasoning, savory, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat. Place dried bread cubes or stuffing mixes complete with seasoning packets, in a very large mixing bowl. Stir in the raw oysters or cooked sausage. Add the sautéed vegetables; mix thoroughly.

Beat eggs in a separate medium sized bowl. If you are using stock that is simmering happily on your stove, vigorously whisk 5 cups of the broth into the eggs. (The hot stock will scramble the eggs if you don’t stir vigorously.) Pour the hot liquid over the bread cubes and gently stir. Add more stock if the dressing is dry. (Remember, this is dressing, not stuffing and therefore is not going into the cavity of the turkey. So any moisture needs to be added while it is being prepared.) Taste the dressing and add additional poultry seasoning and/or salt if needed.

Place dressing in a buttered casserole dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until hot. (I put mine in the oven when the turkey comes out.)

Note: recipe for Turkey Stock can be found under Herb Salted Turkey with Cognac Gravy

TURKEY GRAVY WITH COGNAC

All is fair when it comes to making gravy. And truly great gravy starts with the pan drippings left in the bottom of the roasting pan after the turkey has been removed to cool. (And yes, we are talking cholesterol city here, but once or twice a year, leave your worries behind and travel to the dark side!)

For a great recipe for roasted turkey, please see my recipe for Herb Salted Turkey. You will not believe how easy it is to prepare. Happy Thanksgiving.

pan drippings from roasted turkey
flour
turkey or chicken stock
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 turkey gravy mixes (just in case)
2-3 tsp. cognac

Place the roasting pan on the stove after the turkey has been removed. Turn the heat to very low and begin making your gravy immediately. (Good gravy flavor and consistency require time to develop.) Do not remove any fat from the pan, do not strain the liquid, do not do any of the things most cook book writers tell you to do to make good gravy (except me, that is!)

Whisk in enough flour to absorb the fat. Let burble for a couple of minutes. (This process takes time, so be patient.) Slowly whisk in turkey or chicken stock until you reach the desired thickness you like. Add the Kitchen Bouquet (gives the gravy great color) and some freshly ground black pepper. No salt! Taste the gravy. If you think it needs more depth of flavor, begin by adding one of the gravy mixes and a small amount of turkey stock. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and taste again. Repeat if needed.

Turn heat as low as possible and let the gravy simmer away for the next 30 minutes or so, whisking periodically. (You will probably need to add more stock during this time.) Also, after the turkey is sliced and plated, don’t forget to add the juices that have accumulated to the gravy.

Just before serving (and gravy should be the last item plated), taste the gravy and make any final adjustments to the seasoning. Stir in the cognac and serve piping hot.

Note: if the gravy seems a little salty, you might try adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon juice.

HERB SALTED TURKEY WITH COGNAC GRAVY

OK, you got to know that I have roasted a lot of turkeys in my day. From my first days of roasting turkeys until about 15 years ago I baked my Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys in a brown paper bag. Many a great turkey was roasted this way, by-the-way. (I even tried this method one year at our cabin. Suffice it to say that it is not a good idea to use a brown PAPER bag in the oven of a wood burning stove! Duh!) But that’s a story for another time…………

Then a few years ago brining turkeys became the rage. And of course I had to give that method a try. And yes indeed, brining a turkey creates a flavorful, tender and succulent bird. Absolutely no doubt about it. And that’s how I prepared my turkeys for the next several years. But brining a turkey is a pain in the bucket. So when I found this recipe in the November 2008 issue of Bon Appétit, I decided what the heck, if it’s good enough for Bon Appétit, it should be good enough for me and mine!

Well boy howdy, I about flipped when I tasted the melt-in-your-mouth meat. And the gravy! Now I pride myself on being able to make good gravy (my friend Jim says it’s because of the grandma gene), but my old standby recipe went into overdrive when I used the juices and fat from the herb salted bird. It simply was the best turkey gravy I had ever prepared, let alone tasted!

And salting a bird, rather than surrounding it in brine is so very easy. And the effect is the same – juicy, flavorful meat. Can you ask for more than that? Well yes you can. Gravy from heaven! And I am here to help you with just that very thing.

So fasten your seat belts and prepare to read about making sensational and easy turkey and gravy for your family and friends. And if you decide to give it a try, I am confident you will not be disappointed. Happy Thanksgiving.

Herbed Salt Ingredients:

1/3 c. + 1 T. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. dried rosemary
1 ½ tsp. dried sage
1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed
3 bay leaves, coarsely chopped
1 lemon

Turkey Ingredients:

14-16 lb. fresh turkey (there really is a difference)
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ c. melted butter
2 c. chicken stock
3 c. turkey stock, or more if needed (recipe below)

Turkey Stock Ingredients:

1 turkey drumstick or 2 to 3 turkey thighs (get yours early and freeze, because it’s darn near impossible to find these just before Thanksgiving)
reserved neck and giblets
2 qt. chicken stock
2 qt. water
1 onion, rough chopped
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
2 garlic cloves
3 stalks celery, cut into big chunks (don’t use the leaves – you want them for the dressing)
2 bay leaves
3 T. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
6 peppercorns
1 tsp. kosher salt

Herbed Salt Directions: Combine salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, and zest from lemon. (Chop the rest of the lemon and refrigerate until ready to bake the turkey.) Rinse the turkey but don’t pat dry. (Save the neck and giblets for the Turkey Stock you are going to make Thanksgiving morning.) Sprinkle herbed salt on the inside and outside of the turkey. Place in two small garbage bags, set inside a container and refrigerate 18-20 hours.

Roasting the Turkey Directions: Just before baking, wash the bird and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the onion, celery, rosemary, sage, thyme, and reserved chopped lemon and stuff into the cavity of the bird. Place the turkey on a rack inside a large roasting pan. Slather with some of the butter. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan and bake for 45 minutes in a pre-heated 325 degree oven. Baste the bird with more butter and add turkey stock (by this time you can use your own homemade stock) to the bottom of the pan. (The pan should not be allowed to go completely dry.) Continue basting the bird and adding stock to the pan every 30-45 minutes or so until the turkey thigh reaches an internal temperature of about 170 degrees. This should take about 4-4 ½ hours. (If the bird gets too brown after a couple of hours, cover with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.) Carefully remove the turkey from oven when done, remove to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to cool at least 45 minutes before slicing. Make gravy (see below) while the bird is resting.

Turkey Stock Directions: If you have a second oven, or make your stock ahead of time, spread the turkey parts out on a rimmed baking pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until the meat is well browned. (If you don’t have a 2^nd oven, place the raw turkey parts in the bottom of a large soup pot.) When the bones are out of the oven, place them in the bottom of a large soup pot. Pour a little water onto the baking pan, and allow to sit and cool for a few minutes. Then carefully pour the water and as much of the brown stuff that was stuck to the bottom of the pan on top of the meat. Add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover pan and let simmer gently while your turkey bakes. Use as needed for baking the turkey. Use remaining turkey stock for gravy.

TURKEY COGNAC GRAVY:

pan drippings from roasted turkey
flour
turkey or chicken stock
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 turkey gravy mixes (just in case)
2-3 tsp. cognac

Whisk in enough flour to absorb the fat. Let burble for a couple of minutes. (This process takes time, so be patient.) Slowly whisk in turkey or chicken stock until the gravy reaches the desired thickness you like. Add the Kitchen Bouquet (gives the gravy great color) and some freshly ground black pepper. No salt! Taste the gravy. If you think it needs more depth of flavor, begin by adding one of the gravy mixes and a small amount of turkey stock. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and taste again. Repeat if needed.

Just before serving (and gravy should be the last item plated), taste the gravy and make any final adjustments to the seasoning. Stir in the cognac and serve piping hot.

Note: if the gravy seems a little salty, you might try adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon juice.

BRANDIED CRANBERRIES

¼ c. water
1 lb. fresh cranberries
1 c. sugar plus more to taste
¾ c. brandy

Combine water, cranberries, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook on low heat until cranberries begin to pop and sugar is completely melted. Check for sweetness. Remember: the brandy will add sweetness too. If you need to add sugar, continue cooking until 2^nd addition of sugar is also completely melted. Remove from heat. When cool, stir in brandy. Let stand for a couple of hours. Store in glass container in refrigerator. Can be made days, even weeks ahead.

A small jar of these cranberries make a lovely hostess gift if you are invited out for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

PUMPKIN PIE BARS WITH BOURBON-CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

Because I am lazy and want to spend my time doing something besides working in the kitchen on Thanksgiving (I know that surprises some of you), I devised this recipe for a make ahead and easy to prepare dessert. No pie crust to roll out and best made a day or two ahead. Even the bourbon caramel for the whipped cream can be made several days ahead. (Just don’t tell your family it’s in the refrigerator or there will be none left. I speak from experience.)

Crust:

2 c. flour
1 c. butter, room temperature
½ c. powdered sugar

Mix flour, butter, and powdered sugar together and pat into a 10×15-inch pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 16 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven. Meanwhile prepare filling.

Filling:

¾ tsp. salt
¾ c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ rounded tsp. ground ginger
¼ rounded tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs, room temperature
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 T. melted butter
2 c. solid pack pumpkin

Whisk together all of the filling ingredients and pour into prepared crust. Return pan to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling has just set. Filling is set when you can insert a table knife into the middle of the filling and it comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Bourbon Caramel Whipped Cream:

¼ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. + 2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. good bourbon
ground nutmeg, opt.

Whisk butter and brown sugar constantly over medium heat in a small heavy saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved completely. (This happens after the mixture comes to a boil and is allowed to burble for a couple of minutes or until it turns kind of shiny. Continue whisking the whole time the mixture is on the heat.) Remove from heat and gently whisk in the quarter cup heavy cream and bourbon. Allow caramel to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Beat the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream to stiff peaks. Add the cold caramel sauce and whip just until well blended. (This can be made ahead of time.) To serve Pumpkin Bars, cut to desired size, place on dessert plate and dollop with whipped cream. For an extra special touch, lightly sprinkle with nutmeg.

BREAKFAST ROLLS

One of the joys of traveling in Italy is the continental breakfast that is almost always provided as part of the cost of your hotel or B&B room. And as can reasonably be expected, the size and amount of dishes offered depend almost entirely on the size of the hotel or B&B. So in a small B&B you might just get cold cereal, yogurt, individually wrapped croissants, fresh fruit, juice, and coffee. While in a larger hotel, the variety and choices can be almost endless.

In a medium sized hotel (we didn’t stay in any large hotels) you are almost always presented with a cheese and sausage platter or two, wonderful chewy baguette slices, plastic wrapped biscuits and Melba toast, various pastries including croissants, hard boiled eggs (or sometimes scrambled eggs), fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal (both corn flakes and cocoa puffs), juice (often fresh squeezed), and espresso drink(s) of your choice.

But by far the best breakfast bread I tasted was in our first hotel in Rome. It was a not too sweet, hollow brioche type roll made I’m sure by forming several small balls of dough and placing them together in some sort of a large cupcake shaped pan to bake. So when you broke them open, you had several lovely little concave pockets on which to spread your butter and contain the honey. I’m tellin’ you, these babies were enough to make a grown woman swoon. OMG they were good.

So of course when I arrived home, one of the first things I wanted to duplicate were these wonderful rolls. The difficult part of finding a recipe for a one of a kind roll is, well duh, they’re one of a kind! I have spent hours looking, believe me. But when I do figure it out, you, my faithful readers will be the first to know!

In the meantime I’m going to share the recipe for my first attempt. This recipe is easy to make and produces an absolutely divine tasting roll. And when spread with butter and honey, well it’s just a heavenly experience. These would also be fabulous served at Thanksgiving. So give them a try. But keep posted (so to speak). I have only begun to search for the roll of my dreams.

1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1 pkg. or 1 T. active dry yeast
2 T. warm water
2 eggs, room temperature
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
small amount of vegetable oil
melted butter

Scald milk; stir in butter, salt, and sugar. Cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast on warm water in the bowl of your heavy duty mixer; stir to dissolve. Add the lukewarm milk mixture along with the eggs. Beat in flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough. Knead with your mixer or turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly until dough is smooth and satiny. Pour a small amount of oil over the dough in your mixing bowl and turn dough to coat all of the surfaces. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled, about 90 minutes.

Punch down and turn out on a floured surface. Butter 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces using a bench scraper; cut each piece into thirds.

Roll each small piece into a ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup).

Place muffin pan in a warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over the rolls. Let dough rise until almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups) about 45 minutes.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your microwave. Gently brush melted butter over each roll. Bake rolls in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. (Check after the first 10 minutes. If rolls are already golden brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.) Allow rolls to cool for a few minutes in the baking pan then transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHEZ CARR CUISINE

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