Our Christmas Eve Dinner

Easy dishes for a Special Night

Mike and I hung out at home Christmas Eve-just the two of us. We enjoyed a slow, relaxing dinner where we exchanged presents in between courses. The highlight of my evening, was receiving a new digital camera. It was the perfect gift. How many times can you really say that? Not too many, I am really excited about it. I hope that the quality of images posted on my blog will dramatically increase.

Dinner was just two courses, we began with Moules Provencale (mussels in a garlic, tomato, and white wine broth). For dinner I served Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes (two thumbs up) and Rack of Lamb with a Sour Cherry Glaze. The mussels were very easy and good but the dish is absolutely dependent on having fresh mussels--without good shellfish the dish is devastating. The potatoes were my favorite food of the evening and will definitely be added to my dinner rotation. The lamb was good. Rack of Lamb is Mike's favorite so we typically have it for all special occasions.

Moules Provencale

Total Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients
2lbs of fresh mussels cleaned
1 C white wine
2 garlic cloves minced
1 C canned plum tomatoes, chopped
Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
Olive Oil

Put a large stock pop under a medium flame, when heated add the olive oil then the garlic.
Saute the garlic for 30 seconds and add the tomatoes.
Add the wine and season with Salt, Pepper and Hot Pepper flakes. Let the mixture simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until the alcohol from the wine evaporates.
Add the mussels.
Stir constantly with a long handled spoon until all of the mussels open, discard any that do not open.

Pour the mussels and the broth into a large serving bowl and eat at once with toasty bread. The dish has about a 5 minute shelf life, it isn't something that you can cook in advance.

Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes



This was my most favorite dish of the evening. I do think that it was a little strong with the richness of the lamb--it would be perfect with chicken, ham, or turkey.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
Active Time: 15 min

Ingredients
2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1/4" disks
1/2 of an onion finely chopped
1/2 C flour
1 C of good blue cheese
1 C shredded guyere
1/2 C grated parmesan
2 T of butter cut into small squares
1 1/2 C whole milk, warmed
Salt and Pepper

Spray an 8 x 8 or small casserole dish with non stick spray. Heat the oven to 400.

Peel and slice the potatoes at 1/4" thickness, layer half of them (overlapping a bit) in the dish.
Sprinkle the potatoes with salt, pepper, onion, butter pieces and flour.
Divide all the cheese in half and top the potatoes (reserve the remaining cheese).
Place the remaining potatoes on top of the cheese, season with salt and pepper.
Pour the warm milk over the mixture, the milk will not cover the potatoes.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil (the sauce will look curdled) and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
Place in oven for another 30 minutes or until the cheese is a golden brown.

This dish is rich and perfect as described above. Though I am sure that it would be equally delicious with a sharp cheddar and/or fontina cheese. Use the cheese you love.

Rack of Lamb with Sour Cherry Sauce



Serves: 2
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 min

About 1 or 2 hours before you plan on cooking the meat, take it out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature so that it cooks evenly.

Ingredients

1 rack of lamb frenched
Salt and pepper

For the sauce
3T of balsamic vinegar
3T sugar
1 C red wine
1/2 C chicken broth
1 C dried cherries
3 t of cornstarch mixed with 1T water

Heat the oven 450 degrees.
Generously season the lamb with Salt and Pepper.
Roast in the oven for exactly 20 min for rare, exactly 23 min for medium.
Let the lamb rest for at least 10 minutes after you take it from the oven

Meanwhile make the sauce.
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir the sugar and the balsamic vinegar together until the sugar dissolves and it forms a thick glaze (about 3-4 minutes).
Add the wine, let simmer under medium high heat until it reduces by half.
Add the broth and the cherries and simmer under medium high heat for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the cornstarch mixture.
Simmer under a low heat until the cherries swell and the sauce it thick.

To serve place a generous dollop of the sauce on the plate, top with 3 lamb pieces.

Christmas Cookies

This past weekend I began to bake Christmas Cookies. I gathered recipes, bought pounds of sugar and flour, left the butter and eggs out so they come up to room temperature. My mouth was watering. I started out with an old favorite, Chocolate Crackles and tried a new recipe--Lemon Shortbreads. Both recipes were easy to put together and delicious.

Chocolate Crackles
I found these little rounds of heavenly chocolate in a special edition of Martha Stewart magazine that was devoted solely to cookies. Here is a quick warning--if you are not a fan of dark chocolate you won't like these--the crackles are like flourless chocolate cake in cookie form. Rich. Chocolately. Dense and perfect with a cold glass of milk!

Makes about 4 dozen
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1T instant expresso powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop bittersweet chocolate into small bits, and melt over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

Using your hands, roll the pieces into a ball shape. Roll dough into small rounds then in confectioners’ sugar to coat completely. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes.

Transfer from oven to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These are light and sweet. Since they are a shortbread they are a bit dry but are perfect dipped in coffee or milk. The recipe calls to pipe the dough into pretty bows, however my piping skills are abysmal so I made little hershey-kiss like drops!

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) softened
3 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Confectioners' sugar , for sprinkling

Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in granulated sugar. Add egg, and lemon zest and juice; mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; mix into butter mixture on low speed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a small amount of the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large French tip. Holding tip very close to the surface, pipe pretty dots onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper; space 1 inch apart. Refill pastry bag as needed with remaining dough. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Christmas Progressive Dinner Party Recipes

Last night was the First Annual Christmas Progressive Dinner Party in our neighborhood. It was Big Fun. There was lots of great food, wonderful new friends and a bundle of Christmas cheer. At our first stop we had drinks, followed by appetizers, then we were off to the main course and our final destination was dessert.

I was in charge of the main course. I served a mix of heavy appetizers that were easy to eat while holding a drink and chatting. Coming up with a menu that met these requirements and served 20 guests proved to be a tricky task, but I think it came out pretty well. I served Cheddar Corn Chowder in sippable coffee mugs, baked brie in croute, bacon wrapped in asparagus with a spicy, cream dip, spanakopita, and smoked salmon with horseradish cream. The recipes that seem to shine were the baked brie and the asparagus, so I have posted those recipes below!

Brie en Croute with Caramel and Walnuts

This is an easy and incredibly delicious recipe that serves a crowd.

Ingredients
1 round of brie (1-2lbs)
1/2 to 3/4 C of toasted Walnuts
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 package of Puff Pastry (thawed)
Egg Wash

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Place the brie on its side and slice it in half, on one open half place the walnuts and brown sugar then place the other half on top as if you are making a sandwich.

Next gently fold out the pastry and wrap it completely around the cheese, depending on the size off the wheel of cheese you may need to do some fancy patch work with the second piece of pastry.

Brush the outside of the pastry with the egg wash.

** If making in advance, place the cheese in the fridge until you are ready, but be sure to bring the cheese up to room temperature before you bake it.

Bake the cheese for 30-35 minutes, or until soft and gooey. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with baguette slices, crackers and grapes.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Spicy Cream Sauce

What vegetable isn't improved by adding bacon? This recipe is a great side dish or a perfect appetizer.

Ingredients

1 Bunch of Asparagus prepped (the ends snapped off and rinsed)
Approximately 15 slices of bacon cut in half
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil

Turn on the broiler to high
Wrap three spears of asparagus with a slice of bacon and place on a foil lined baking sheet
Once all are wrapped, drizzle olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper
Place under the broiler for about 10 minutes or until the asparagus is cooked and the bacon is crisp.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine 1/2 C mayonnaise, 1/2 C sour cream, a healthy dash of garlic powder, and 1 t of Garlic Chili Sauce stir together and season to taste. Serve a generous dollop with each asparagus bundle.

Watch Out King's Court Tavern--Here are My Fish & Chips

There is this wonderful little pub that is right around the corner from our house called King's Court Tavern that serves pretty good Fish & Chips. Mike and I like to go on summer evenings because there is a fabulous jazz band that regularly plays and the bar is always filled with interesting characters. Their Fish & Chips are very traditional--wrapped in newspaper--served with malt vinegar and tarter sauce. Mike and I have only ever gotten the fish & chips and they are pretty good, but the chips are often soggy and the fish is dry. The whole experience of King's Court is just a lot of fun; that is why we go back.

I have tried several times to create my own version of Fish & Chips, the first time I baked the fish and it was fine but it lacked the crispiness that I wanted. The second time, I deep fried the fish and the batter literally fell off and I ended up with an oily mess. Well, today I created the best Fish & Chips that we have had and used a technique that involved both pan frying and baking. The fish was crispy and flavorful and not in the least big soggy. For chips, I must confess that I did use a bag of frozen Ore Ida Steak Fries (very good) and of course lots of malt vinegar!

Megan's Fish & Chips
Serves: 2
Active Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 filets of Tilapia, you can also use Cod, Catfish or any other white fish
1 C Corn Meal
1/2 C Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) if you don't have Panko, regular breadcrumbs will be fine!
Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
Salt & Pepper
2 Eggs lightly beaten
Olive Oil

Combine the corn meal, panko, cayenne, salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag and shake to combine. Working with one filet at a time, place a piece of fish in the bag and cover with the topping. Remove the fish and cover with egg and place back in the bag and cover with the breading again. Repeat with the other filet.

Heat the olive oil in an oven safe pan and sear both sides of the fish until a crust forms, about 2 minutes per side. Then place the pan in a 450 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Serve with french fries, tarter sauce and malt vinegar!