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Top Five Easy Holiday Dishes

Thursday December 22nd 2011

I am officially engulfed in the holiday spirit.

I have a sadly decorated tree. I am permanently listening to the Holly station on XM. I have cheerfully gone to the mall. Multiple times. I bought a bag full of clothes and gifts for little Pedro and Maria, my Salvation Army Angels. I have officially wrapped all my presents. I’ve been regularly watching Love Actually. And I’ve even admired the Kardashian 3D Christmas card.

But the one thing I haven’t started thinking about is cooking. I always get so wrapped up in the rest of the holiday season that cooking usually becomes an afterthought. I’m not sure why – the holiday season is a season for eating. A lot.

But, if you’re like me, and you’re rushing to the grocery store on Christmas Eve, make sure to check out the dishes below and arm yourself with their ingredients. They’re simple, easy to make, and definite crowd pleasers.

Chai Gingerbread Bars

These bars are super versatile. Eat them for breakfast? Sure. Eat them for dessert with whipped cream on top? Definitely. These stay fresh for days if you keep them in an airtight container. My only recommendation – make two batches.

Spiked Apple Cider

Can you celebrate the holidays without a cocktail? I’m really not sure. And this one is made in the crockpot, so you know it’s legit. You could also make it on the stove, and make your house smell like holiday heaven.

Cannelini Beans with Bacon, Tomato and Sage

I’m not sure about you, but I get tired of the same old side dishes. I know beans is a weird addition to the holiday list, but they have tomatoes & sage, so they’re red and green so technically they’re a perfect addition. This would be a fabulous side dish to a roast beef tenderloin served with some steamed asparagus, salad and bread. Super easy meal for entertaining.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Ginger and molasses scream the holiday season to me. So why ignore that scream? These cookies are always a kid/grandma/weird cousin pleaser, so make them for a party or make them for yourself!

Thomas Keller’s Roasted Chicken

Anyone who knows me at all will not be surprised by this dish on the list. A roasted chicken is one of the most simple, elegant, comforting meals you can serve. When all else fails, roast a chicken. Serve it with crusty bread and a green salad, and you’re done. And by Christmas, people are usually tired of turkeys so it’s time for the roasted chicken to make a surprise appearance.

So that’s it. The top five hot potato holiday recommendations. We hope everyone has a merry & bright and delicious holiday season.

Hugs,

Sarah & Angela

Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

Monday December 19th 2011

I love a cornish game hen. So cute and easy and perfect for entertaining.

I’ve made them several different times, but I’ve never actually attempted stuffing one, like a turkey. But I felt like it would be good practice if I ever get called up to the Thanksgiving big leagues in my family and have to stuff the family turkey. As of right now, I’m still assigned chores like filling water glasses and setting the table. And I sit at the kids table. Sigh.

Anyway, the cornish game hen is good, but the stuffing was excellent. And it’s no surprise that it comes from my old friend Martha Stewart. The queen of holiday meals.

It’s actually a quite simple recipe, especially when you cheat and buy Whole Foods cornbread.

Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

2 Cornish Game Hens (20-24 oz each)
Cornbread, bacon, leek and stuffing (recipe below)

1/2 stick of butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

Stuff each hen with 3/4 cup stuffing and pat the butter on top. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Place extra stuffing in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; refrigerate. Place hens breast side up on a rack in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover loosely with foil; bake at 375° for 45 minutes.

Bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing. Bake the extra stuffing, covered, for 30 minutes. Yield: 2 servings.

Cornbread, Bacon, Leek and Pecan Stuffing

2 cups pecans
2 cornbreads (rounds, squares, or loaves, 8 inches each), coarsely broken into 2-inch pieces (16 cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for dish
8 slices smoked bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 leeks (white and pale-green parts only), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, rinsed well
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven for 7 minutes. Let cool slightly; coarsely chop. Mix together pecans and cornbread in a large bowl.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cook bacon in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until almost crisp, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add celery and leeks. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. Transfer to a large bowl

Return skillet to medium-high heat, and add stock; bring to a simmer, scraping up brown bits and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add to bowl with bacon-vegetable mixture. Stir in eggs. Gently mix in cornbread mixture. (Do not overmix.) Transfer to baking dish. Dot top with butter. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Flounder with Rock Shrimp in Saffron Citronette

Thursday November 17th 2011

I’m continuing to pour over the Babbo cookbook I received as a gift this past summer. Some of the recipes are surprisingly simple, yet they always deliver flavorful results. This isn’t one of the surprisingly simple recipes. It’s quite a few steps, but they’re certainly not complicated.

This recipe originally called for skate wings, which I actually LOVE. But they’re tough to find here in Dallas, so I settled for flounder. It was a nice substitute to let the flavors of this dish really sing – especially the sweet clam citronette. Although I’ll confess, I don’t really like clams that much. I think it’s because I adore mussels, and clams always feel like a poor substitute. But if you like clams, keep them in there, because I think they would be a nice addition to the dish.

This is definitely a dinner party dish – it looks impressive, and fish is always a crowd pleaser when you’re not sure who eats what.

Sauteed Flounder and Rock Shrimp in a Saffron Sweet Clam Citronette (Babbo Cookbook)

Serves 4

4 Flounder filets (6-8 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Wondra flour
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 shallots, finely chopped
1 bunch of arugula
1/2 pound rock shrimp or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound New Zealand cockles, scrubbed
1 cup saffron cironette
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Season the flounder with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in Wondra. In a 14-16 inch saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat until just smoking. Add the flounder and cook 4-5 minutes. Turn the fish, add half the shallots, and cook until the fish is golden brown and cooked through, 4-5 minutes more.

2. Once the fish has been cooked, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and the arugula. Season with salt and pepper and toss over high heat for 1 minute to wilt but not cook completely. Divide the arugula among 4 warmed bowls, and place one flounder filet atop each bed of arugula.

3. Meanwhile, in a separate pan with a cover, combine the rock shrimp, cockles, citronette, white wine, and remaining shallots. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook until the shrimp are cooked through and the cockles have opened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the shellfish and broth evenly among the four bowls, pouring the broth over the flounder. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

Saffron Citronette
makes 2-1/2 cups

1 cup champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Spanish saffron threads
1/2 a medium red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
zest and juice of one lemon
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, saffron threads, and red onion and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until reduced to one third of the original volume, remove from the heat, and stir in mustard, sugar, and lemon zest and juice. Place the mixture in the bowl of a food processor or blender and, with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. Strain and season with salt and pepper.

Baked Penne with Basil, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chicken

Thursday November 10th 2011

It’s officially chilly in Dallas. In the mornings anyway, by afternoon we hit summertime temps, but I’m focusing on the little bout of cold I brave during my AM runs. And since it’s actually cold during one small day-part, it’s time to bake up some pastas.

This pasta comes straight from my dear friend Martha Stewart. We’re pretty much besties if you count how much time we spend together via TV and Internet. She never fails when it comes to creamy, bubbly, straight out of the oven pasta indulgences. Her mac and cheese recipe is one of my favorites and an absolute crowd pleaser.

In retrospect, I should have halved this recipe. I was only feeding two people, not ten. This recipe makes a lot of pasta. But, if you’re a trooper like me, you’ll persevere through adversity and finish off the pasta over a week.

Penne with Basil, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chicken (adapted from Miss Martha)

Martha swears this serves four people, but I’m thinking more like six.

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (you could also just use store-bought rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups whole milk
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add basil and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pink Shower & Rice Krispies Treats

Wednesday October 26th 2011

Over the weekend, I helped throw a pink-themed baby shower for my dear friend Casey. We’re all really excited for her first little girl, so weren’t scared to go a little pink-crazy.

Must-haves for your all pink baby shower:

Pink candy bar with pink favor bags
Pink dessert bar (pink frosted sugar cookies, strawberry cupcakes, pink frosted rice krispies treats)
Pink champagne (Gruet Rose is one of my faves)
Pink raspberry lemonade with fresca and fresh berries
Pink baby clothes on clothesline for decoration
Assortment of pink flowers

And since I posted a healthy recipe earlier this week, I think it’s time for another dessert recipe. I know you think you know rice krispy treats, but you don’t really know what you’re missing until you’ve tried these. They’re hands down the best rice krispy treats I’ve ever eaten. And this is a subject I take extremely seriously.

Salted brown butter rice krispies treats (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1.5 10-ounce bag marshmallows (I use one whole bag, plus half of the second bag)
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
8 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 9×13 inch pan (or similar size pan).

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool, and then indulge!!

Roast Rack of Lamb With a Rosemary-Parmesan Crust

Wednesday September 14th 2011

So it’s technically fall, right? Or do I have to wait for the equinox?

Either way, I’m ready for fall foods, and lamb just happens to be one of them. I’m not sure when I went from a lamb hater to a lamb lover, but the transitioned happened gradually within the past five years. Same thing with beets. And stinky cheeses.

When I usually make a rack of lamb, I resort to this rosemary butter recipe from Food & Wine, but this weekend I fell upon this recipe from from New York Magazine, and I decided to give it a whirl.

It requires a bit more time & ingredients, but I was generally happy with the results. I say generally as I had a tough time keeping some of the bread crumbs adhered to the lamb once I started cutting it. But the flavor was really, really solid.

The recipe below calls for a three racks of lamb (8 ribs in each rack), but you can purchase a half rack or 5 ribs as I did from the butcher when you’re not feeding a huge crowd.

And don’t be intimidated by the rack. It’s really a simple weeknight meal that looks uber fancy.

Roast Rack of Lamb With a Rosemary-Parmesan Crust
(from Chef Laurent Tourondel of BLT Steak)

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup bread crumbs, preferably panko
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 8-rib racks of lamb,
trimmed
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sprigs thyme

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together butter, bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, onion, and rosemary, until they come together to form a ball. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Brush the racks of lamb with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Set a sauté pan over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, and thyme. Sear the lamb, one rack at a time, for 1 minute per side or until golden brown, and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast the racks for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue cooking until the lamb’s internal temperature reaches 130 degrees (medium-rare; start check-ing after 5 minutes at 350 degrees).

Preheat broiler.

Transfer the racks of lamb to a work surface, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before coating the meat with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil the racks for a few minutes, watching carefully, until the crust turns golden brown.

Chai Gingerbread Bars

Thursday September 1st 2011

I have a slight obsession with chai tea lattes. They’re the perfect cold weather comfort drink, and they remind me of blistery winter days in New York. If I was having a rough morning, or extra cold, I’d pick one up for myself as a treat on my 20 degree weather walk into work.

Dallas doesn’t have as many of these cold, frigid days, but I allow myself to embrace a chai tea latte on any day that’s below 70 degrees. Because I’m pretty much always cold anyway.

So I was obviously intrigued when I saw these chai gingerbread bars on Tasty Kitchen. They definitely feel more like a fall/winter weather treat, but I’m not scared to enjoy something out of season. They’re perfectly delectable on their own, but they would also be great served warm with cinnamon ice cream or fresh whipped cream on top.

Chai Gingerbread Bars

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Chai Tea Leaves (from one chai tea bag – I used this kind)
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
1 cup Butter, Softened
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
½ cups Turbinado (raw sugar – white sugar can be substituted)
2 whole Large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Fresh Grated Ginger

Preheat oven 350F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan.

In a bowl, put flour, all the spices, chai tea and baking soda. Mix together.

In your mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until soft. One at a time, add the eggs. Beat until they are combined. Mix in the vanilla and grated ginger. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture. Blend until the flour is blended in.

Scoop the batter into the pan. Spread it around evenly over the bottom of the pan. With a greased spatula (sprayed with a bit of cooking spray, because the batter is pretty sticky!), smooth out the batter. Sprinkle the top with white sugar (totally optional). It doesn’t look like a lot of batter, but it works.

Bake for about 25 minutes. When you poke it with a toothpick, it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before cutting.

Whole Roasted Snapper

Tuesday June 28th 2011

Cooking a whole fish can be somewhat intimidating. It has beady eyes, scaly skin and tons of bones – not exactly a dream specimen to work with. But with the help of your local fishmonger (and this recipe!), cooking a whole fish can be a snap.

And this isn’t even really a recipe. Just advice/guidelines to help you through the simple process of cooking a whole fish. I’d love to hear other people’s tips on how they cook whole fish – especially if you use a grill as I’m ill-prepared in that department.

How To Cook a Whole Fish

Step 1: Don’t be afraid. I promise, it’s a snap.

Step 2: Pick out your dinner. When buying a whole fish, first look at the eyes. A fresh fish has bright, clear, and protruding eyes rather than dull, hazy, sunken ones. The skin should be moist and shiny, the gills red or pink, and the flesh firm and elastic. The odor is also one of the best signs of freshness. A fresh fish has a fresh, slightly oceanlike, mild odor. If it smells fishy and stinky, stay away!

Step 3: Ask your new best friend, the fishmonger to scale it, gut it, remove the gills, and remove the fins. Then ask your fishmonger to butterfly it for you. This creates an opening down the center for you to stuff it will all your favorite acoutrements.

Step 4: Shop for lemons/olives/fennel/tomatoes/fresh herbs – whatever your heart desires. These items will go in and around the fish to create your whole fish feast.

Step 5: Put your fish in a roasting pan or a shallow glass pan (or you can be ghetto/lazy like me and put it in a shallow pan with foil so you don’t have to clean as much). Stuff and surround your fish with your items of choice. Use twine to wrap it up if you want to keep everything together, and then throw it in the oven. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your fish, but I roasted my whole snapper for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Step 6: Time to impress your guests. Serve the fish on a platter. Run a knife between the flesh and the bones and lift off the fillet. Turn the fish over and repeat. Repeat with the other fish. Pass lemon wedges. Enjoy!

For this particular recipe, I used a 3lb snapper that I stuffed with thyme, rosemary, basil, lemon slices, salt & pepper and olive oil. I surrounded the fish with yellow, red & orange tomatoes, thyme, garlic and olive oil that I ended up serving over the fish filets. Perfection!

Artizone: Private Dinner at Bolsa

Sunday March 20th 2011

Just like everyone else in Dallas, we love Bolsa. The fresh, local ingredients, the patio, the mixed drinks made by handsomely mysterious man with a mustache – how can you go wrong? So when Artizone announced a private dinner at one of our favorite spots, we knew we had to partake. The four course menu, designed by Chef Graham Dodds, featured ingredients from all of our favorite Dallas artisans.

The wines flowed freely and the meal was served family style, resulting in a cozy vibe in an already-warm, but insanely cool atmosphere. Guests were greeted with large, family-style platters of Scardello Cheese paired with jellies from JJ&B Jellies Jams & Butters. I’m pretty sure I ate half the jar of the Fig & Walnut Jelly, while Angela swooned over the White Zinfandel Jelly.

Next up, field green salad from our favorite dallas farmer, Tom Spicer of Spicman’s FM 1410. Light and refreshing, topped with pepitas and huge heirloom tomatoes.

And for our main course, we enjoyed the Vongeertsem Butcher Shoppe show. Crisp, airline chicken topped with cilantro pesto, followed by tender beef fillets. And if that wasn’t enough food, a heaping bowl of creamy spinach risotto, furnished by Flavors from Afar, appeared next.

And last, but certainly not least, was the ultimate crowd-pleaser, the “PB&J” dessert. A giant, soft peanut butter cookie from Kessler Cookie Company topped with peanut butter panna cotta and blackberry jam from JJ&B. I thought I couldn’t eat another bite after our 3 dish main course, but I somehow managed to take down a whole sumptuous cookie dessert. It was the highlight of the evening for me.

Chefs For Farmers: Cafeteria Style

Saturday March 19th 2011

In retrospect, we should have worn overalls to this event. Or sweatpants. Or a maternity dress. Pretty much anything except what I wore, which was jeans that are on the tight side (because of the dryer, obviously).

But what a cool, unique event. It was the perfect blend of a traditional cafeteria setting mixed with extraordinarily talented chefs, which resulted in out-of-this-world comfort dishes. It definitely exceeded my expectations and beat out my old-school cafeteria lunch of square pizza with a side of corn.

The event was held at Highland Park Cafeteria, a Dallas institution, and a place that I grew up frequenting with my grandparents. That was back when I counted macaroni & cheese and mashed potatoes as vegetables. And I thrived on orange jello with whipped cream. Luckily, my taste buds have evolved (somewhat).

I’m not sure how many dishes were served, but I tried each and every one of them, and finished the ones that I couldn’t imagine leaving behind. As part of the event, guests were asked to vote on their favorite dish, and the chef would win $1000 courtesy of Artizone. It was a tough, tough competition, and we certainly had trouble picking just one dish.

Sarah’s favorite dish: Burnt ends, Brisket and Banana Pudding by Pecan Lodge Catering. Banana pudding is probably my biggest weakness, but I’m constantly searching for one that measure’s up to Magnolia Bakery’s version. This pudding hit a home run for me. I’m a little worried about the number of times I’ll be visiting Shed No.2 at the Farmer’s Market to get another taste of Pecan Lodge’s banana pudding heaven.

Angela’s favorite dish: Chicken Fried Steak served up by Maple and Motor’s Jack Perkins. For me it just doesn’t get much better than this kind of southern comfort food. This dish was fried to golden perfection and so tender I could cut it easily with my fork. Then paired with a delicious creamy gravy and mashed potatoes- I was in heaven. Like Sarah, I was also so excited to be introduced to the Pecan Lodge, and I was a huge fan of the Banana Pudding the served up.

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