Category Archives: CHRISTMAS RECIPES

WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE GRITS

So, you’re asking yourself, why is Patti, the highly sophisticated world traveler and lover of the arts, posting a recipe for something as ordinary as grits? I believe that to be a very fair question and worthy of a dignified answer. Because they’re darned good honey, that’s why! Allow me to elaborate. A few years ago when Mr. C. and I were visiting daughter Eden and her family, Eden fixed grits for us one morning for breakfast. This was about the same time polenta started appearing on every menu in America. I had tried polenta several times while dining, and frankly had not been very impressed. So I wasn’t coming to the table (so to speak) with much hope that grits would taste any better. Ho baby, was I wrong! And I have to tell you when I am wrong, I am usually very, very wrong. This time was no exception. Eden’s grits were so amazing I could not stop eating them.  I was absolutely blown away. I immediately begged for the recipe. As soon as I checked out the ingredient list I knew why this dried ground hominy dish had stolen my heart. Butter, heavy cream, and sharp white cheddar cheese! The unholy trinity of health conscious people everywhere. So, needless to say, White Cheddar Cheese Grits do not grace our table on a frequent basis. But when I want to impress the socks off guests or am feeling particularly in need of a good pampering, I fix this recipe. And for those readers who love polenta, I must confess that over the years I too have come to love it as much as I do any other starchy food. That is to say, with a passion!  I just know that had “carbohydrate” been one of the 12 signs of the zodiac, I would have been born under it (with “dairy” ascending, of course)!

  • 2 c. milk
  • 1 c. water
  • ¾ c. quick grits (like Albers)
  • 1/3 c. butter
  • ¾ c. heavy cream or evaporated milk
  • 2 ½ c. grated sharp white cheddar cheese
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6-12 drops hot sauce
  • 1/3 c. chopped fresh chives, opt.
  • paprika

Bring the milk and water to a boil in a medium sized covered sauce pan. Slowly whisk in the grits. Cover pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, and chives. Gradually add the egg mixture to the hot grit mixture, stirring vigorously to prevent eggs from curdling. Pour into a buttered casserole dish, sprinkle with paprika, and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

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There are few foods as evocative of my childhood as bread and butter pickles. When I was young every holiday meal had to include “the relish tray”. And said relish tray had to offer at the very least black olives, carrot and celery sticks, and pickles. Sometimes the pickles were homemade dill pickles, but more often they were bread and butter pickles, because they were my dad’s favorite. It was always my job to assemble the “tray” which I gladly did with nary a “mom, do I have to?”  It was simply the best chore ever! I got to cut the carrot and celery sticks, open the can of olives and drain the pickles.  And, I was allowed to arrange the tray any way I wanted! Of course arranging the tray was really the fun part, well that and eating most of the olives and a considerable portion of the pickles before they ever hit the tray! So when I found this simple recipe years later and it didn’t even involve the “C” word (canning), I was very excited.  (And yes, I would gladly give credit to the awesome author of this recipe if I had any recollection. But I’m certain that when I saw bread and butter pickles, easy, and 24 hours all in the same sentence, the recipe could have been handed down from Moses for all I would have noticed.) So if you too love a good bread and butter pickle, give this recipe a try. I have actually observed grown men hover over a bowl of these pickles mumbling mine, mine, mine! I could easier accept such behavior from a flock of seagulls, for example, than grown men. But truth be told, I do understand. These lovely pickles are just that good.

  • 2 English cucumbers, partially peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ T. kosher salt
  • 1 c. thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • ¼ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 c. white vinegar
  • ½ c. cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ tsp. mustard seed
  • ½ tsp. celery seed
  • 1/8 tsp. turmeric

Combine cucumber slices and salt in a large non-reactive bowl (glass works best); cover and chill for 90 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion. Combine sugars, vinegars, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric in a medium sized saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve. Pour hot mixture over cucumbers and onion; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. At this point the pickles can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. (Good luck on that! They have yet to last that long in our refrigerator.)

 

MEXICAN HOT COCOA

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You know, there are just times when you have to make the supreme sacrifice and learn how to prepare something that you yourself have no desire to consume, or in this case imbibe. And because I am not inherently a martyr, (that was my mother’s specialty), I don’t often “put myself out” enough to play around with a recipe I just know I am not going to like. But some people really love hot cocoa and one of them happens to live with me! (Actually it turns out that most people like hot cocoa. I am definitely in the minority on this one.) So I suppose at this point you think you have figured out the end of this story. That I have had some amazing revelation and I am now transformed into a cocoa lover because truly, has there ever been a better taste combination than chocolate and orange?  Wrong!  I still don’t like hot cocoa even if it does contain chocolate and orange. However, my husband and everyone else I have ever served this to think it is just delicious. So if you enjoy a cup of cocoa on a cold winter day, give this recipe a try. As for myself, I’ll have another cup of coffee, thank you!

  • 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ c. sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1/3 c. boiling water
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
  • 4 c. whole milk
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 2 T. powdered sugar
  • 1 T. Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur

Combine cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and boiling water in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring the entire time. (Will scorch if not stirred.) Stir in orange zest, cinnamon, and milk. Bring to just under a boil, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Whip cream to stiff peaks. Add powdered sugar and Cointreau. Ladle cocoa into 4 cups and dollop with whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

PICNIC BUNS

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There are just some recipes that bring back memories that make you feel good. This recipe and this way of shaping dinner rolls (my grandmother always called them picnic buns) take me back to my childhood. I grew up on 2 ½ acres in Kenmore, Washington. There were two homes on this parcel of land. One home was occupied by my dad, mom, two younger brothers and me; the second residence belonged to my maternal grandfather and grandmother. We had fruit trees, various types of berries, a couple of cows, a lot of chickens (my grandfather sold eggs for a living), a creek, a copse of trees, and the biggest vegetable garden you could ever imagine. My mom, the dear woman, could not find her way out of a recipe if her life depended on it (in other words, she was not a good cook). And my grandmother, who on a regular basis could not make jello, did make two types of food that were sensational. She made the best bread and pies imaginable. Why she could bake a pie that tasted like heaven and cookies that were almost unpalatable will forever remain a mystery? But her Banana Split Pie and Mince Meat Pie were heaven sent. Also, any kind of bread she baked was perfect in every respect. So in memory of my grandmother, who was patient, loving, taught me to appreciate art, kittens, clouds, and how to bake bread, I offer you her signature rolls.  I hope this recipe brings back good memories of special food you too once shared with loved ones.

 

  • ¼ c. warm water
  • 1 T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • ¾c. warm, scalded milk (not too warm or your yeasty beasties won’t be happy)
  • ¼ c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • ¼ c. Crisco (sometimes I use butter – sorry grandma)
  • 3 ½ c. or more flour
  • Vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl, (I use the bowl of my Kitchen Aid mixer), combine the water, yeast, milk, sugar, salt, egg, and Crisco. Let proof for about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix thoroughly. Add enough remaining flour to form a medium stiff dough. Pour about a teaspoon of oil over the dough and roll into a ball. When dough ball is completely greased, cover the mixer bowl with a tea towel, let rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes. Butter a 9×13-inch pan. Punch down dough again and divide into 18 pieces. (I just squeeze off small balls of dough as I place them into the prepared pan.) Cover with a tea towel again, and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Serve warm.

 

 

 

CREAMED SWISS CHARD

Although I have creamed other veggies using this recipe (i.e. spinach, beet greens, and pearl onions), Swiss chard is still my favorite. (Of course it is! It’s the most expensive. Duh!) But regardless of what veggie I use, this preparation turns it into a dish fit for a king, or even one step higher – Mr. C. (It’s incredibly lucky for me that Mr. C. does not read my blog, because if he ever read all the things I tell you about him, he might never speak to me again. He truly does not like being the center of attention.) But putting his feelings aside, I truly do take pleasure in fixing food that I know he is going to enjoy. It’s one of the many joys of being married to such a wonderful man. (This is where you start feeling nauseous or go ahhhhhhh, isn’t that sweet?) Regardless, you are all going to be glad I shared this recipe with you. And no it’s not a new recipe (I’ve been making it for over 30 years), or apt to win me a place in the Julia Child hall of fame (although that would be nice), it’s just one of those recipes that I feel every good cook should have in their repertoire.

  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, very thinly sliced
  • 1 T. flour
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg (dried or freshly grated)
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt or to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 c. milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 1 large or 2 small bunches Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add shallots and cook only until translucent. There should be no brown on the shallots. Whisk in the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and simmer gently until the mixture is thick. Meanwhile, steam the Swiss chard until tender. When the sauce has thickened nicely, add chard and serve immediately.

Note: If you are using spinach or beet greens, use the same amount as the Swiss chard. If you are creaming pearl onions, use 2 small bags from the freezer case.

 

REFRIGERATOR MASHED POTATOES

So, you might be asking yourself, what the lowly potato, and one made into such a non-gourmet dish as “mashed potatoes” could possibly be doing on the Chez Carr Cuisine blog? After all, isn’t this a blog about fine food, entertaining and “the good life”? Well first of all, let me begin to address your concerns by stating unequivocally, that I love potatoes! And without the ever so comfortable and delectable potato, especially when it is mashed, I’m not so sure my life would be half so good. Now don’t get me wrong. We don’t eat potatoes every day. In fact, they are not Mr. Cs favorite starch. But when I do serve them, especially mashed up with yummy additives, he enjoys them and I totally resemble that cartoon dog that floats in the air whenever he is given a dog bone (I think it was a dog bone). Whatever, you get the picture. I believe the term is rapture. And I guess while I am at it, I should go into full disclosure mode and clear up a misconception some of you might have about me. You may think I am a gourmet, but I am not. I was disqualified years ago when I went public about my passion for cheeseburgers. Not any cheeseburger you realize, but a really good cheeseburger with all the trimmings and a sauce that pulls all the wonderful flavors together. (If the saucy stuff isn’t dripping off my elbows by the time I am half way through the burger, then demerits are given and the maker is out of the will.) I take my cheeseburgers that seriously!  So am I the stuff from which gourmets are made, I think not. Are you going to find more recipes like this one on my blog, I think so!

  • 2-1/2 lbs. potatoes, cubed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • kosher salt
  • 3-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 c. sour cream
  • ¼ c. butter, room temperature, divided
  • 2 T. freeze-dried chives, plus more for garnish
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • milk

Place cubed potatoes, garlic, and about a tablespoon of salt in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Mash potatoes and garlic cloves together with cream cheese, sour cream, 2 tablespoons of the butter, chives, pepper, and enough milk to bring to desired consistency. Taste and add salt if required. Spoon potatoes into a buttered baking dish, dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove dish from refrigerator 30 minutes or so before you place, uncovered,  in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes,  or until heated through. Sprinkle with additional chives and serve immediately.

Note: I like to use a combination of red and yellow potatoes in this dish, and depending on how formal the occasion, I decide whether or not to peel the potatoes. (Actually, most of the time I leave the skins on). I like to get as many nutrients in my old body as I can. And potato skins are fairly replete with the same little devils as in the potatoes themselves.

Another Note: This is a great buffet dinner or holiday dish. It can be made well ahead of time, even the day before, and heated just before serving.

BABA AU RHUM

One never knows what might just come from a simple question asked by your husband while he is completing a cross word puzzle. One morning  Mr. C. was doing his daily New York Times cross word puzzle (he does them every morning in the time it takes me to drink my Americano) and the clue was Baba au _ _ _ _ (fill in the blanks). Well he came up with rhum, but neither one of us had any idea what it meant. I happened to be near my computer so I did a search. Well the first thing that came up was Ina Garten’s recipe for “Baba au Rhum”. I read the recipe and told Mr. C. about my discovery. The recipe sounded so good, I just had to give it a try (with my own spin, of course). So, since it was a couple of weeks before Christmas, and I needed a dessert for both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I thought a double recipe of Baba au Rhum would be perfect.  I don’t believe “perfect” adequately describes this dessert. It is possibly the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. Everyone else loved it too. It has now become number 1 on the “Extended Family Holiday Sacred Side Dishes and Desserts List”. I’m fairly certain that if I don’t make this fabulous dessert again next Christmas, and every year thereafter, I might meet the “hereafter” sooner than nature and the Gods of such things had originally planned for me! Just sayin’…….

  • 1/3 c. dried currents
  • 1 T. + 2/3 c. dark rum
  • 5 T. butter, divided, room temperature
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 T. active dry yeast (1 pkg.)
  • 2 T. + 1 c. sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 2/3 c. flour
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. + 2 tsp. vanilla
  •  3/4 c. apricot preserves
  • 1 T. water
  • 2 c. heavy cream
  • 3-4 T. powdered sugar

Combine the currants and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush a Bundt pan, tube pan, or kugelhopf mold with the melted butter. Be sure every surface is coated with the butter. Warm the milk and pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You don’t want the milk to kill your poor little yeasty beasties, so not too warm.) Stir in the yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit (proof) for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, flour, salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. After the dough has doubled, stir in the currants. Spoon the very sticky dough into the prepared pan, smooth the top, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise for another 50 minutes to an hour. Place the Baba in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then gently encourage the Baba to release from it’s pan and land gracefully on a serving plate. (Saying “good Baba” whilst releasing Baba from its baking pan always helps, by-the-way!) Meanwhile, while the Baba is baking, prepare the rum syrup that will be poured over the cake when it is out of the oven. Place the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2/3 cup dark rum and the ½ teaspoon vanilla. Set syrup aside until the cake is out of the oven and on its final resting place. While the cake is still hot, gently and slowly pour or spoon as much of the rum syrup onto the cake as it will absorb. (Don’t be surprised if it sucks up almost all of the liquid. It will be a thirsty little Baba, make no mistake.) You will know when it has had its fill (so to speak), when standing puddles of liquid start appearing on the cake plate. At this point heat the apricot preserves with the 1 tablespoon of water and brush the mixture over every little nook and cranny of the Baba. Let cool completely before serving. When you are ready to serve, whip the heavy cream to hard peaks (not too long or you will end up with butter), add the powdered sugar, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla and continue whipping just until all ingredients combined.  Serve slices of Baba with a dollop of whipped cream on each piece.

At this point, I think it might be a good idea for me to recommend that before you serve this amazing dessert, you take the time for just one more tiny little preparation. In order for you to be ready to humbly and graciously acknowledge all the glowing compliments you will receive from your guests, you should mentally prepare what I lovingly refer to as an “acceptance” speech. Nothing over the top you realize, just  a conception of how you are going to graciously accept the many compliments you are inevitably going to receive. You might consider, for example, a modest nod to your superior baking skills, perhaps an antidote about how clever you were to find the recipe, an honest statement about how horribly hard this recipe is to prepare, and perhaps close with an endearing comment about how happy it makes you to be able to serve this incredible dessert to those you hold so dear. Like I said, a humble and gracious acknowledgement, nothing over the top!

 

 

GREEN BEANS

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Ok, I know what most of you are thinking. What in the name of all things healthy is Patti doing posting a recipe for simple steamed green beans? Hasn’t she got better recipes to offer? Doesn’t she know my time is valuable? But wait, ye of little faith, this is more about procedure than ingredient content.  It’s all about making life easier for the person preparing and serving a buffet dinner and as such the first recipe in my DINNER PARTY MENUS series.

Most buffet dinners include, at a minimum, appetizers, a main dish, starchy side, veggie of some sort, salad, perhaps bread, and a tasty dessert. This formula provides plenty of variety and seemingly an easy menu to plan. But if you are like me, the choice of the veggie component can be most vexing. And there is the general appeal of the flavor combinations to be considered.  If, for example, you are serving a creamy main dish such as Swedish Meatballs or pasta, the last type of veggie dish anyone would enjoy eating would be one smothered in yet another rich sauce. In fact, most of the time, any main dish or starchy side dish you plan to serve is going to be fairly rich. So, over the years I have learned to serve plain veggie dishes with buffet dinners. And preferably a veggie that can be prepared ahead of time and just heated up at the last minute as in this green bean recipe. So give this recipe a try for your next dinner party. And of course you can use this same method with other veggies such as broccoli or carrots. Just don’t overcook your veggies. Nothing shows off your cooking skills better than a perfectly prepared vegetable. And another little hint. Don’t try to be too precious when serving a buffet dinner. If not all of your guests will be seated at a table, don’t leave the green beans in their original long and lovely state. Do your guests a favor and cut those stunning beauties into bite size pieces. Believe me, it will not change the flavor of the beans, and your guests trying to balance a plate of food, a fork, a napkin and a beverage on their lap, will be eternally grateful that a knife was not required.

  • 2 lbs. green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
  • butter
  • kosher salt
  • juice of one lemon, opt. (don’t even think about using bottled juice – it’s fresh lemon juice or nothin’)

 

Steam or cook the beans in boiling water until crisp tender. Do not overcook. Immediately pour beans into a colander and spray with cold water until beans are no longer even warm. Allow to drain for a few minutes. Pour into a microwave safe serving bowl and dot with butter. Cover and place in refrigerator until just ready to serve. When ready to serve, warm beans in the microwave (remember, you don’t want them to really cook any more, just get warm). Remove from microwave, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and drizzle with lemon. Stir and serve. 2 lbs. of beans serves about 20 people nicely.

Note: I love the 2 pound packages of green beans from Costco for a dinner party. They are of uniform length and just the perfect bite size when cut in half.

 

 

CRAB BISQUE – also reverently referred to as Heaven in a Bowl!

I absolutely love serving a first course soup at dinner parties. I have a large selection of flat bottomed coffee cups (short, squat, straight sided, with the bottom and top sharing the same circumference) that I picked up at our local Goodwill. After the appetizers and beverages have been served, and my guests have had sufficient time to tell me how wonderful the appetizers tasted (always allow time between courses for unsolicited compliments), I hand out small cups of a rich soup like this bisque before the main course is served. The servings are small because my first course soups tend to be very rich, and a tiny amount goes a long way. In fact, I try to serve fairly small portions of every dish that I serve. I have always felt that a person’s taste buds (like mine for example – that can legitimately be classified as overworked) get tired after a few bites of any flavor, regardless of how fabulous. So rather than too much quantity of any one food, I prefer to offer a greater assortment of small dishes, with lots of different and interesting flavors and flavor combinations represented. And yes, I know that it takes more time and effort to prepare the food for a dinner party using my criteria, but happy taste buds dancing around your dining room is worth the effort.

  • 2 T. butter (don’t even think about using margarine)
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • ¼ c. loosely packed basil chiffonade* (rolled into the shape of a cigarette and very thinly sliced)
  • 2 ½ T. flour
  • 2 c. vegetable stock
  • 8-oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 1/8 tsp. white pepper
  • 1/3 lb. fresh or canned crab (do not use that fake crab stuff in MY Crab Bisque recipe – or else!)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, or until soft. Add basil and continue sautéing for 1 minute more. Whisk in flour and cook until mixture is bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add veggie stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Add heavy cream and bring back to just under a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add white pepper and crab, reserving a tiny amount to add as a garnish, and continue cooking 3 or 4 minutes. Serve immediately garnished with reserved crab.

*rolled into the shape of a cigarette and very thinly sliced