Holiday Tables, Holiday Decor and a Cozy Meal To Remember

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.

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 Rib
home-made gravy
Yorkshire Pudding
Creamed Spinach
Potato Gratin

 Here I am making popovers (Yorkshire Pudding) in individual  cups. I am putting the drippings from the roast beef into hot popover pans, but you can use regular muffin tins .

the roast beef (carved off the bone) and pan gravy

potato gratin and creamed spinach

 

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.

Transfer the beef to a platter and let it rest  for at least 15 minutes . Cover loosely with tin foil. 


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

(adapted from Time Life Cookbook) 

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... 

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.

 

Starting the fire Christmas morning.

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

Twas the Night Before Christmas Cocktail Party

  

Over the years we have created different themes for Christmas Eve.

Different stages of life do create different scenerios.

When it was just the two of us living in New York, Christmas Eve meant shopping at the very last minute. My husband, Bill would love to wait till "twas the night before Christmas" to be swept up in the merriment and the urge to give. The twinkling lights of New York, the tree at Rockefeller Center  all added to the merriment. Running through Bloomingdales we gathered as many presents as there were friends and family. Then a special dinner out to celebrate our enjoyment in all this last minute shopping. Twas a stage.

The very first Christmas tree my husband and I shared was based on storybooks of old fashioned Christmas’s. Visions of sugar plums danced in my head. All of the ornaments were home-made and edible. The tree had a child-like charm. Garlands of popcorn and cranberries were hung around the branches. I baked Gingerbread men and all kinds of Christmas cookies and hung them on the tree with ribbon. I put candy canes on every branch. Hand-made cornicopias decorated with old-fashioned  printed Christmas memorabilia, lined with paper lace doilies and filled with silver covered almonds. Clementines were studded with cloves. Then I added lady apples and meringue Christmas wreaths . And of course lots of colored lights and tinsel. This to me was the quintessential Christmas tree.

This tree would later become the inspiration for a  cocktail party. 

In 1995 I sent out invitations to all of our friends, and family...asking them each to bring an edible ornament to decorate the tree.  Below, I am sharing the journal entries from that party....   

"Twas The Night Before Christmas Cocktail Party"

Notes on a Page from my 1995 journal

The dining room table was covered with a bed of evergreen. Groupings of hors d'oeuvres were arranged on serving platters atop the branches so guests could nibble while mingling. Nearby, the tree was lit and ready to be adorned with the guests' edible ornaments.

                                            

Hors d'oeuvres Menu:

Canapes and Crostini's

Gravlax with mustard-dill sauce on dark pumpernickel bread

Smoked tuna on cucumber

Tuna and black olive tapenade on garlic crostini

Cucumber rounds and cherry tomatoes stuffed with 

Potted shrimp

Tarragon and mustard deviled eggs

Herring and beet salad on whole grain bread

Tomato bruscetta

Round of brie stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto

Hors d'oeuvres Menu continued:

 Red pepper dip with grilled asparagus

Baked ham sandwiches with plum chutney

For those guests who linger on late into the evening, I prepared an oxtail and onion soup, served with slices of crusty baguette.

 Recipes:

  Gravlax 

(adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook) 

If you like smoked salmon, you will love this recipe for Gravlax, a Scandinavian preparation for marinating raw salmon.

The salmon is cured with salt, sugar, and spices. It's very easy to make, but you must start at least 48 to 72 hours ahead.

3 pounds fresh salmon, center-cut and halved lengthwise.

2 very large bunches of fresh dill

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons crushed white peppercorns

Place half of the fish skin side down in a  deep rectangular glass dish. Spread the dill over this half of the salmon. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the dill. Top with  other half of  fish, skin side up.

Cover the fish with foil and weight down with a small cutting board, and a 5-lb weight. You can use unopened cans of beans, exercise weights, anything really, that will weight it down.

Refrigerate for 48 hours to 72 hours, (remove foil and weights) turning the salmon every 12 hours and basting with the liquid (this is what cures the fish) that accumulates in the dish.

Cover with foil and weights each time.

To serve, remove the salmon from the liquid and scrape off all of the dill and spices. Pat dry with paper towel. You will have two sides of salmon. Slice the salmon thinly on the diagonal and serve with black bread or sliced baguette. Serve with Mustard-Dill Sauce, lemon wedges and garnish with fresh dill.

Mustard-Dill Sauce

(adapted from Saveur magazine)

makes 1 cup

This is a sweet sauce, traditionally served with gravlax.

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon lemon juice.

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Mix the Dijon mustard with the dry mustard in a small bowl. Using a whisk, beat in the sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Continue beating while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Stir in the chopped dill. 

Note: This sauce can be made up to a week ahead and stored, covered in the refrigerator.

Tuna Tapenade Dip

(adapted from Doris Tobias)

1 7-ounce can of Italian tuna, drained

1 2-ounce can anchovies, drained

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 pound pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup  cognac (optional)

In the bowl of a food processor, place the tuna, anchovies, capers, olives, olive oil and cognac. Puree until smooth. 

Tomato Bruschetta

makes 30-40 pieces

8 ripe Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette

Preheat broiler. 
Combine the chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil in a bowl. Season with sea salt and ground pepper.
Slice the bread 1/3 -inch thick. Place slices on large baking sheet. Broil both sides until lightly golden.
Spoon tomato mixture on top of toasted bread.

Oxtail and Onion Soup

(adapted from "The New Doubleday Cookbook" by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna)

serves 6

2 pounds oxtail, trimmed of excess fat and cut in 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks 

1/2 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 quarts water, or 6 cups water and 1pint beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

bouquet garni of 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 3 cloves, 2 sprigs parsley

2 medium-size carrots, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1/3 cup dry sherry or port wine

Dredge the oxtails in 1/2 cup flour. In a Dutch oven, brown the oxtails over high heat in the oil. Remove them from the pan and drain on paper towel.

Turn heat to moderate and cook the onion, 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Sprinkle in the remaining flour, mix well and brown lightly.

Slowly add water, or water and broth. Stir in tomato paste, salt and pepper and bouquet garni. Return oxtail to kettle, cover and simmer 3 hours until meat is fork tender. Cool and skim off fat; remove bouquet garni.

Separate meat from bones, cut into bit-size pieces and return to kettle along with carrots and celery. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until carrots are tender. Stir in the sherry or port. Serve with crusty bread.

A sconce by the entry adorned with lady apples and winter foliage(again, to add to the edible theme)

Whatever you choose as your holiday theme to share with family and friends, 

I hope you will enjoy and treasure the memories tomorrow.

Next week, I look forward to sharing Christmas table ideas and a dinner menu from my journals.

As Always, 

xxoo Sheila

A Cozy Bistro Dinner

Table Setting for Bistro Dinner

To many people Entertaining means putting out your finest china and crystal, and cooking a meal that you’ve cooked many times before.

Entertaining is so much more.

Entertaining isn’t just about fancy. It’s about graciousness and making your guests feel special and warm. You have to love every part of the process.

It’s about the entire experience you present to your lucky guests. From when your guests arrive at your home, until you say goodnight, you want everyone to feel welcomed. And you want them to have a unique experience.

The way you accomplish this…

Creating a theme is one of the most important ingredients for a successful evening. The theme sets the mood, the look and the taste. The food should also relate to the theme. Entertaining is about presentation. The planning and setting of the table, the drinks or wine you serve.  The music you play.

Who you invite, the conversation, the stories that are told, making friendships that blossom.

The way you dress, your personality, your uniqueness, cleverness, hospitality and sense of humor, all add to the art of entertaining.

There are so many cookbooks. And more and more cookbooks are published every year. They give you an enormous repertoire of recipes to choose from but following a recipe is just a part of entertaining.

What they can’t give you is how to make the entire experience memorable and original. How you would like to present your entertaining style is what I am talking about.

As an example in each of my blog posts, I talk about the theme of my dinner and what I want it to be. With this blog post I reflect on the Bistro Dinner. A theme I have revisited on several occasions.

In France a bistro is a small, casual, work-day style café, known for hearty foods served in a cozy atmosphere.

My bistro themed dinner refers to a style of restaurant that is informal, unpretentious and relaxed in it’s setting. The foods served are simple meals of generous portions, and full of flavor. Comfort food that can be made in advance and just reheated the night of the party. The wine, like the dining in a bistro, should not be complicated or expensive.

Bistro Dinner Journal, November 15, 2011

The table was set with no tablecloth, and no placemats.
Linen napkins, always.
Casual French Pottery. No flowers, but gourds and votives.

To set your bistro themed table, use your everyday plates with linen napkins, unfancy wine glasses, votive candles and a small vase of flowers. Wine bottle on table or in a pitcher.

French Provencal flower pattern plates, terra cotta Italian hand painted pitcher for wine.

The Menu: 
One main course: Braised Short Ribs over Polenta with a Side of Sauteed Spinach.
Dessert: Apple Tart 
The Wine: A sturdy robust red from the Rhone Valley.

Short Ribs on Polenta and lots of sauce.

Short Ribs and Polenta

Adapted from “The Mozza Cookbook”

Very convenient for entertaining at home, since the ribs can be prepared a few days in advance. Braise them before dinner date and reheat.

6 beef short ribs- about 1 pound each

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 medium onion, cut up into large pieces

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2 -inch pieces

1 celery rib, cut into 2-inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon tomato past1 bottle dry red wine

1 14-ounce can San Marzano Italian plum tomatoes in their juices

4 cups Chicken Stock, plus more as needed

10 fresh thyme sprigs

10 fresh oregano sprigs

1 long rosemary sprig

½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms.

Instant Polenta- Polenta is a native dish, orginated from Friuli, Italy. Polenta is made from boiled yellow or white cornmeal. It has a smooth, creamy texture ( you can prepare the polenta while you are reheating the short ribs). Easy!

Place the short ribs in a large rectangular baking dish and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, and up to overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until oil is smoking. Place the short ribs in the pan and sear on all three sides, ( not necessary to sear bone side). Cook the meat until deep brown, about 5 minutes per side. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Sear in two batches if necessary. Remove short ribs to a platter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent from browning. Move the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the tomato paste to the bare spot. Cook for 1 minute stirring, to caramelize the tomato paste slightly.

Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and boil for about 20 minutes, until it is thick and jammy. Add the tomatoes and their juice and sauté for about 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

Return the short ribs, bone side down to the pan. Add any juices that may have collected on the platter they were in and enough stock to come to the top edge of the short ribs. Nestle the thyme, oregano, and rosemary sprigs in the liquid around the meat.

Wrap the dried porcini in a doubled piece of cheesecloth, and tie it into a bouquet with cooking twine. Tuck the bouquet between the ribs, making sure it is submerged in the liquid.

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place a lid on it. Place the short ribs in the oven and cook until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bones, about 3 hours. Remove the short ribs from the oven and remove the foil, but be careful not to burn yourself from the steam. Set aside to let the short ribs cool in the braising liquid for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the short ribs from the liquid to a platter. Pour the contents of the pan, including the veggies and the bouquet, through a fine sieve and extract as much juice as you can from them. Remove the porcini from the cheesecloth and add the mushrooms to the braising liquid. Discard the rest of the veggies.

You can prepare the short ribs to this point up to five days in advance. Refrigerate the short ribs in the braising liquid, until you are ready to serve it. Proceed as below.

If you plan on serving right away, remove the short ribs to a platter. Remove the meat from the bone and any sinewy tissue that connects the meat to the bone. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer until the liquid is the consistency of a thick glaze, stirring occasionally and it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

To Serve:

Spoon  polenta in the center of each plate. Place one or two short ribs on top of the polenta and ladle a generous ½ cup of sauce over the short rib. Divide the porcini evenly among the servings and serve any remaining sauce on the side.


A much simpler recipe(for Short Ribs), but yummy too, is adapted from 
"The Silver Palate Cookbook"

Serves 6

4 pounds beef short ribs

3 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 ½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, with juice

3 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

8 whole cloves

1/ cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

¾ cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups Beef Stock

Sprinkle  2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper over short ribs. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until it smokes. Sear ribs, 3 or 4 at a time, till browned on all sides. Remove the ribs and set aside when done.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Return half the ribs to the casserole. Sprinkle with half of the garlic. Layer half of the vegetables over the meat. Add the cloves and half of the parsley. Add the rest of the ribs and the remaining vegetables.

In a bowl mix together the vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, the remaining teaspoon of salt and cayenne. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Add the beef stock just to cover the ribs.

Cover the Dutch Oven and over medium heat, bring to a boil. Bake in the oven for 1 ½ hours. Uncover and bake for 1 ½ hours longer, or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.

Serve over mashed potatoes(alternative to polenta).

I have enjoyed making Bistro style dinner parties over the years...

Here is one from 1997: A French Bistro Dinner

Menu 


Main Course:

Blanquette de Veau, Rice Pilaf and Buttered Peas.

Composed Salad with endive, red leaf lettuce, watercress, baked sliced red comice pears, walnuts and roquefort cheese.

Wine: A soft, round white Meursault. 

 Dessert: 
A classic chocolate mousse with chantilly cream.

I hope you have many warm and hearty dinner parties this Winter. Next Sunday's post will be from a 1995 journal 

"Twas the Night Before Christmas" Cocktail Party.

As always, xxoo Sheila