Christmas Eve - the main course

And, we are finally at Christmas Eve dinner!  My niece's kids stole the show.  They're absolutely wonderful kids and are SO much fun to be around!  

Now, here's a sampler plate of most of the food served:

And, here's the menu:

Beef tenderloin
Blender Bearnaise sauce
Creamed spinach
Carrots with orange
Roasted cauliflower
Potato gratin
Yorkshire pudding
Oatmeal bread
Cranberry Sauce
Persimmon pudding

So, let's dig in with a couple of new recipes:

Creamed Spinach

I'd have sworn that I actually blogged about this.  Truth be told there are probably 100 unfinished blogs and it's undoubtedly in that mell of a hess.  This is one that I don't measure but it's so forgiving that that doesn't matter!  BTW - the persimmon pudding is behind the spinach in the photo

Ingredients:

two packages of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
4 oz cream cheese
couple of grates of nutmeg
handful of grated cheese (I used gruyere but swiss would work just fine)
cream

Directions:

Saute the onion in the olive oil.  Add in the spinach and the cream cheese.  Stir until the cheese has melted in.  Add the grated cheese and stir it in.  Pour in cream and stir until it's reached a consistency that you like.  This is easy to make ahead and reheat.  

Roasted Cauliflower

Another dinner party staple for us.  Super easy to pop in the oven and ignore until you're ready to serve it.  Here's the link:  roasted cauliflower

Carrots with Orange

I used a David Rosengarten recipe.  It was very good but didn't beat others we've made so I'm not going to post the recipe. 


Blender Bearnaise Sauce

If you've never made hollandaise or Bearnaise because your'e worried about how fussy it is to make, you're missing out  The blender version isn't quite as fabulous but it's one heckuva lot better than a mix or a jar!  Here's a link to my mom's:  blender Hollandaise.

Oatmeal Bread

Here, I used a Better Homes and Gardens recipe for my bread machine.  Again, it was good but not as good as other breads we've made so I'll not post the recipe.

Cranberry Sauce

I used a Bon Appetit recipe here.  And, I do believe I'll be going back to my old faithful cranberry sauce recipe.  Which I see I've not yet blogged about.  Ok, I need to rectify that since it is incredible! 


Yorkshire Pudding

This was a failure on my part.  I used a Tyler Florence recipe.  They were like hockey pucks.  Well, maybe not that dense but they certainly didn't rise.  Next time I'll work on figuring out where I went wrong...

Potato Gratin

This, in our opinion, was the star of the sides.  I read about a dozen recipes and narrowed my focus down to a Fine Cooking and a Bon Appetit recipe.  Then, I smooshed the two together and wound up with a recipe I'll make again and again.

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes
salt
lemon peel - a couple of strips
4 peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T thyme
bay leaf
1 1/2 c cream
2 T butter
1 large shallot, minced
two big handfuls finely grated Gruyere 


Directions:

Mix all the ingredients except for the potatoes, salt and cheese in the cream.  Bring it to boil in a small saucepan.  Remove it from the heat and set it aside for 30 minutes.  

Saute the shallot in the butter and set it aside. 

Peel and slice the potatoes about 1/8" thick.  Put the slices in lemon water for about 15 minutes.  Dry then before using.  I liberally salted them when I had them out on the towel

Shingle the potatoes into a baking dish.  See the photo.  This assures every serving gets some nice, crispy edges.

Fish the bay leaf out of the cream.  Combine the shallots, butter and cream in a blender and blend until the mixture is relatively smooth.  Pour the cream over the potatoes.  Top with the cheese.  Bake them for about 60-70 minutes at 350.

Persimmon Pudding

Last but not least.  This is truly an heirloom recipe.  From my great-grandmother to my grandmother to my mother and now on to me.  It's made to be made with Indiana persimmons.  Here's the link:  
persimmon pudding

Chicken PIccata by Fresh Artistry

You know you're busy when dinner is cheese and crackers.  Oh, and wine.  So, I tried something for busy people.  A company called Fresh Artistry sent me a free sample of one of their dinners.  Chicken Piccata on Pasta with Spinach.  They're a new company and will ship to anyone in Indiana.  Outside of Indiana, I'm not certain.  Here's what we got in a large cardboard box with a packet of dry ice:

Now, being one who tries to buy in bulk and save packaging, my first thought was, "Oh, my gosh, there's TON of packaging here."  Everything was in it's own little container.  Olive oil, salt, pepper...  The waste for a week's worth of dinners would send me over the edge.  Yeah, I know.  I'm close to the edge anyway :-)  Still, I think the idea is great for someone who wants to put a nice homemade meal on the table and has the disposable income to let someone else do the shopping and measuring.  All you have to do is assemble the dish.  Yes, there's a bit of chopping here and there but for the most part it just goes together. 

What did we think?  The flavors were good, but it was a bit salty.  Probably because of the boullion cube plus the salt that went on the chicken prior to browning it. And, following the instructions, the chicken was a tad bit overcooked even though I started it when it was frozen.  But, all in all, if you don't have the time to shop and measure and you've got the disposable income, this was a good meal.  And, we managed to turn one serving into two by adding a healthy serving of veggies on the side.   Would I do it again?  Probably not because I really enjoy coming home and talking with Connie and having a glass of wine and trying out a new recipe.  Would I recommend them?  Indeed!

Swordfish a la Red Lion Inn

This is one of those recipes I just cannot believe I've not shared with all of you before.  You see, back in 2006, Connie did a bunch of traveling up to Buffalo, NY.  One evening he coordinated a trip with all of his coworkers to Niagara Falls.  They all had dinner at a place called the Red Lion Inn.  He had the best swordfish he'd ever had.  It was so good that he raved about it to me - all the time afraid he'd hurt my feelings by telling me what an incredible dish he'd had.  As you might have guessed, it didn't hurt my feelings, it piqued my interest.  I looked them up on the internet and wrote a note to the chef telling him what a fabulous meal my then-fiancé had had and asked him for the recipe.  I got REALLY lucky and he responded.

A couple of years ago we decided to drive to Cape Cod instead of flying.  The north route was to be a stay at the Red Lion Inn and a trip to Niagara Falls.  The only hitch to the get-along was that the chef was at his own wedding and the sous chef was really happy with the salt shaker.  So, happy that I sent my dinner back once and would've sent it back twice if my hubby hadn't been tsk'ing.  Breakfast the next morning was much better. And, it turned out the place was a lovely B and B.

Fast forward to this past weekend and swordfish was 50% off at the grocery.  Not only do you rarely see swordfish at our grocery but it's usually a small fortune. We bought a swordfish steak.  Since we've been trying to decrease the amount of protein and increase the fruits and vegetables in our diet, I doubled the veggies that went along with this.  And, since we were out of roasted red bell peppers, I substituted peppadews.  Something I will probably do from now on. 

Swordfish a la Red Lion Inn

Ingredients:

1 swordfish steak
flour
1 T olive oil
4 T butter
1/4 c white wine
1 t lemon juice
1 T capers
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (you can substitute peppadews)
2 C fresh spinach

Directions:

Remove the skin from the swordfish.  Butterfly the fish.  Lightly flour both sides. 

Heat the oil to shimmering so the pan is really hot.  Sear the fish on both sides.  Remove the fish from the pan, reduce the heat and melt the butter.  Swirl in the wine and lemon juice.  Add the other ingredients and cook until the spinach has wilted

and the butter sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Serve the fish on top of the sauce. 

adapted from the Red Lion Inn

Coffee Crusted Pork Roast

Saturday was a pretty lousy day.  I was up all night Friday with a bad belly.  Saturday I not only felt lousy but was exhausted.  All I could get down for dinner was a fried egg sandwich.  Thanks to Connie who was chef for the night.  He toasted the bread just enough to take the smoosh off but not so much as to make it crunch.  The egg yolk was still a little runny.  And, he grated a bit of swiss cheese onto it.  It was pretty darned perfect.  And, as soon as I ate I got to curl back up on the couch and go back to sleep.  That's how to recuperate!
 
Needless to say, my week's menus did not get made on Saturday.  Sunday we went to the office for the morning and got home just in time for the Colt's game.  YAY - we beat Tennessee!  Andrew Luck rocks!!!  So, at 5:00 Sunday I still had no clue what I was going to fix for dinner.  My options from the freezer were not promising.  Fine.  I picked up the cookbook on top of the stack of cookbooks to mark for recipes to make.  Commander's Wild Side.  Another find from the bargain bin at the grocery store.  I want to make everything from the chapter titled, "Showstopping Dishes to Impress Your Friends."  Let's see, there's Truffled Scallps and Crabmeat wtih Caviar Vinaigrette, Creole Lobster Bisque, Crab and Brie Stuffed Flounder, Speckled Trout Napoleons with Morel Cream, Crab and Oyster Mushroom Risotto and Pepper-Crusted Beef Sirloiin with Crispy Oysters and Horseradish Cream.  Is your mouth watering like mine is? 
 
I knew Sunday was not the evening for a show-stopping (read long and complicated) recipe, however.  You see, Peyton's playing Drew Brees.  That we need to see.  So, I opened the cookbook to the chapter titled, "Not-So-Wild Game."  The first recipe was Coffee-Crusted Pork Loin with Fig-Bourbon Syrup.  Not only did it sound fantastic, it also sounded pretty darned quick.  Connie said there was a tub of spinach to be used up.  I found a recipe from Southern Living called Mango-Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.  Sounded perfect together.  And, I had a sweet potato I could mash to go along.  I was off to the grocery. 
 
What did we think?  This was super easy to put together.  The flavors were amazing.  The crust on the pork was very thin but so packed with flavor.  The fig-bourbon syrup was perfect with it.  As were the bourbon mashed potatoes.  Those were just a large sweet potato mashed with about a teaspoon of bourbon, a quick grate of nutmeg, a couple of tablespoons of butter and a couple of tablespoons of half and half.  The salad was a great alternative to your traditional spinach salad.  All in all, we gave the whole meal a score of five on a scale of one to five.  Connie liked the pork best, while I preferred the salad.  But, there were no losers here!
 
Coffee-Crusted Pork Loin with Fig-Bourbon Syrup
serves 4
 
Ingredients:
 
1 cup fig preserves
1/2 c bourbon
1/4 c finely ground chicory or regular coffee
1 T plus 2 t dark brown sugar
1 T Creole seasoning (we use Emeril's)
1 t smoked paprika
2 lb trimmed boneless pork roast, preferably loin
 
Directions:
 
Mix the preserves and bourbon in a small saucepan.  Let it simmer while you prepare the pork.  I needed an immersion blender since there were some pretty big chunks of fig in the preserves.

Make the rub next.  In a spice grinder combine the coffee, brown sugar, Creole seasoning and smoked paprika.  Process it until it's very finely ground.

The original recipe called for rubbing the pork with vegetable oil prior to rolling it in the rub.  I didn't do that and it worked perfectly.  Roll the pork in the rub, coating every surface.  Allow it to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Heat your grill.  Grill the pork for about 20 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 130F.  Make sure to turn the pork so all sides get a nice crust.  Remove the pork from the heat and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving it. 

Serve the pork drizzled with the fig-bourbon sauce.

adapted from Commander's Wild Side


Mango-Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
serves 2

Ingredients:

4 thick slices bacon, diced and browned
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
1 T honey
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 mango, peeled and diced
2 T crumbled queso fresco or mild feta

Directions:

Brown the bacon and drain all but a tablespoon of the fat.  Saute the onion until it's very soft.  When the onion is done, pour in the red wine vinegar, lime juice and honey.  Stir well and keep warm until you're ready to assemble the salads.

To assemble the salads, put a handful of spinach on each plate.  Top with half of the mango, then the bacon, dressing and finally the cheese. 

adapted from Southern Living

Matt's Spinach Salad

The first time my youngest stepson had this salad he about swooned.  Now, swoon probably isn't a great word to apply to a mid-20's young man.  But, it's the closest description I can come up with.  I'll never again have a spinach salad without thinking about Matt.  He's the kid who'll eat anything but beans.  The first time we took him to a restaurant after I'd started dating his dad, he ordered lamb.  I was in shock.  A teenager who ordered lamb.  This is a kid who knows how to eat!  So, here's to you Matt!


My mother's mother used to make hot bacon salad dressing.  Didn't almost everyone's grandmother?  But, Matt didn't remember ever having it before.  To me it was an old family recipe that I rarely made because it was so wicked.  Now, I mostly make it with olive oil to keep away from the bad fat from bacon.  I still like to put a bit of bacon in the salad though.  When I made this, I had a container of diced pancetta that either needed to be used or frozen.  Since I'm trying to take out of the freezer rather than put in, into the dressing it went.


Matt's Spinach Salad
serves 4


Ingredients:
8 oz box button mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
4 eggs, hardcooked
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 T flour
4-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (number depends on how wicked you want to be!)
bag of baby spinach
olive oil
red wine vinegar
sugar
celery seeds

Directions:
Saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil. 

Saute the onions in another pan.  You can do both in the same pan but I don't like the way the moisture from the mushrooms tends to keep the onions from browning a bit.  When the onions are nicely softened and a bit brown, mix the mushrooms in then add about a tablespoon more of olive oil to the skillet.  (Here's where I tossed in the package of diced pancetta.) 

Let it heat through, then sprinkle the flour over everything.  Stir well and allow the flour to cook for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the dressing ingredients:  vinegar, sugar and celery seeds.  I confess I didn't measure here...  Once the dressing is sweet/sour to your taste, allow it to thicken. 

Now, it's time to put the salads together.  Put a bed of spinach on each plate.  Top it with the onion and mushroom dressing.  The put a sliced hardcooked egg on each salad and top with crumbled bacon.  You can see in my photo that I did mine with the egg below the onions and mushrooms.  It just doesn't look as pretty!