| In this blog post I am featuring an intimate Holiday Dinner at home. BUT FIRST, I wanted to get back to a comment made on last week's blog about my edible wreath ornaments. Below are photos from my journal where I'm making the meringue wreaths. I use these edible ornaments to decorate the tree. The recipe can be found at bottom of this blog post. Enjoy! Mark Bittman of The NY Times, had a video on his blog- The Minimalist, showing how easy it is to make different colored meringue kisses. Check it out! I really think he's terrific. I like his laid back style. He makes everything sooo very easy. |
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Every year I change the decor for Christmas. I use the same elements that I've collected and assembled over the years, but in new ways. It's called shopping in your own closet. Here are some...
A Winter-Wonderland inspired Holiday Table |
Dinner place settings, are nestled in a village landscape surrounded by snow. It's a magical winter wonderland for the holiday table. This is one of those times when I use my most elegant china. I put the porcelain plates trimmed in gold on Venetian wooden chargers of multiple colors edged in Venetian-gold paint. I love the whimsy and the surprise of combining the Christmas village with the formal china. It's so much fun to watch the skaters on the pond move across the ice, see the lights on the miniature houses and stores flicker and the man decorating the town Christmas tree. I highly recommend trying to create your own winter wonderland as a setting for your holiday dinner. It's almost like creating your own holiday store windows in New York. At this Holiday table, I served an elegant and classic English inspired Dinner. ( no fruitcake) Just perfect for the holidays! This is a staple menu found in many of my journals and 99% of the time served during the holidays (often at the request of my kids and husband!) Menu: Roast Prime Ribhome-made gravy Yorkshire Pudding Creamed Spinach Potato Gratin   the roast beef (carved off the bone) and pan gravy |
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| potato gratin and creamed spinach |
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| If expecting guests over the holidays, we have a bar set and ready for serving... |
This includes the makings for a martini plus Bill's favorite cocktail, a Negroni(made with three equal parts of gin, compari and sweet vermouth, always finished with an orange peel) and a single-malt scotch. Of course, there are plenty of options. Citrus is ready for the slicing, ice waits in the bucket, wine is uncorked, glasses are ready and of course we always have a bottle of san pelligrino chilled for a non alcoholic option!
Recipes for the elegant and cozy Holiday menu:
Prime Rib of Beef
Serves 6 to 8
(adapted from Time Life Cookbook and Saveur Magazine)
A 6-pound standing rib roast
Coarse salt
Freshly cracked black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the beef, fat side up, in a large shallow roasting pan.
Rub the meat all over with the salt and pepper
Roast the beef undisturbed in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. The high heat allows for a beautiful outer crust. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to roast, without basting, for about 1 hour, or until the beef is cooked to your taste. The lower temperature allows the roast to cook evenly throughout.
A meat thermometer will register 125 to 130 degrees F. for rare, 140 to 150 degrees F. for medium, and 150-160 degrees F. when it is well done.
Pour all the drippings from the pan into a fat separator. The beef drippings are used to make the best-flavored Yorkshire pudding. While the roast beef rests, deglaze the pan, and make the Yorkshire pudding.
Yorkshire Pudding is a savory not sweet pudding. It is like popovers, but a very large one. It is so delicious and such a treat, you will think you are in heaven.
See the recipe below.
To make the gravy:
Return the roasting pan to medium-high heat. Pour 1½ cups of dry red wine into the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping up the crispy brown bits that stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
To carve, first remove a thin slice of beef from the large end of the roast so that it will stand firmly on this end. Insert a large fork below the top rib and carve slices of beef from the top, separating each slice from the bone as you proceed. Traditionally, the roast beef is served with its own juices and with a horseradish sauce.
Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire Pudding:
Serves 6 to 8
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
roast beef drippings
The key to success is- the batter must be very cold and the roasting pan very hot.
To make the batter, combine the eggs, salt, flour and milk in a blender and blend at high speed for 2 or 3 seconds. Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the jar, and blend again for 40 seconds. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a 10-by15-by2 ½-inch roasting pan, heat the fat (beef drippings) over moderate heat until it sputters. Briefly beat the batter again and pour it into the pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until the pudding has risen over the top of the pan and is crisp and brown. With a sharp knife, divide the pudding into portions, and serve immediately.
Alternately to make popovers, use muffin pans and follow as above. Put about 2 to 3 tablespoons of drippings in each muffin cup.
Horseradish Sauce
Makes about 1 cup
¼ cup bottled horseradish, drained and squeezed dry in a kitchen towel
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon dry English mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup chilled heavy cream
In a small bowl, stir the horseradish, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and white pepper together until well blended. Beat the cream with a whisk or an electric beater until stiff enough to form peaks. Pour the horseradish mixture over the cream and with a rubber spatula, fold together lightly but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning. Serve the sauce from a sauce-boat.
Here's a look at some of my photos from the holidays & seasons past...
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our Christmas tree 2010  The dining room with a tree decorated with lights only. This year I will put ornaments on this tree too.  Close up of the dining table. Pink and cranberry candles and napkins. Pine cones, Nutcrackers, gold Christmas crackers and gold votive candles fill the table festively. The sweets below are all from a store called Belgique in Kent Ct. Photos by my daughter Paisley, YUM.   
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Starting the fire Christmas morning.
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| This holiday color theme, cranberry-pink. Candles, berries, cranberry roping, and bows on the mantel. As stated at the opening of this post, an anonymous guest comment asked for the recipe for meringue wreaths. I also like to make Meringue mushrooms as a confection to use for decoration and for eating. Meringue Wreaths 4 large egg whites ( room temp.) 1 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon mint extract 1/2 teapoon green food coloring silver dragees and red hotspots for decorating Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Draw circles on the tin foil for the wreaths.Whip egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt. Add the sugar, a little at a time and blend well. Whip until stiff peaks form. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip. Fill the pastry bag with egg whites. Holding the pastry bag at an angle, pipe out the meringue on the circle, leaving it open in the center.Decorate with silver dragees or red hotspots.Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.To hang on the Christmas tree, loop a ribbon thru the center or hang directly on a tree branch. Wishing you love and joy this holiday season. And I hope you are finished running around so that you can enjoy and cherish those you love. Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas. xxoo Sheila |
