Filed under: Celebrations
Holidays are the times when loved ones gather to eat too much, drink too much, and go home full and happy, so why should cooking a great holiday meal be a crazy, stressful experience? We've rounded up some unique, yet simple recipes to add to your traditional dinner menu that are sure to up your B. Smith quotient.--By Alyson Mance
APPETIZER: SCALLION AND GOAT CHEESE BISCUITS
A warm batch of biscuits made with scallions and tangy goat cheese flavors blend to make a buttery biscuit that is actually neither oniony or cheesy. Save yourself a little elbow grease by blending ingredients in a stand mixer, but if you don't have one of those, a sturdy spoon works just as well.
Ingredients:
11/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, cut into cubes, plus more for pan and top of biscuits
4 tbsp. goat cheese (or one 4oz package)
1/2 c. chopped scallions
1 c. buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Stick a baking pan or cast iron skillet into the oven to heat it up while you mix your ingredients.
o. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Mix in butter cubes and cheese until a mealy texture forms. Stir in scallions.
o. Make a small well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Mix. If a spoon just isn't cutting it, get a little dirty - ditch the spoon and mix everything with your hands until the wet and dry ingredients combine to form a big ball of dough.
o. Remove your pan from the oven and coat the bottom with butter. Using an ice cream scooper or a big spoon, scoop out even portions of dough into the pan, then brush the top of each biscuit with a bit of melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until biscuit tops are golden brown.
Recipe courtesy of Gastronoms.net
DINNER: ROASTED DUCK
Everyone's traditions are different, but in our house, it isn't a holiday without duck! Duck is a fatty bird, but like bacon, the rendered fat can be used in place of oil for added flavor in sautéed vegetables. If you're hosting a small gathering, skip the whole duck - the cleaning and stuffing can get tiresome - and buy it already separated into pieces.
Ingredients
2 large duck breasts, skin left on
kosher salt
black pepper
1/4 c. frozen berry mix
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. orange zest
1/4 c. red wine
1 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
1/4 c. sliced shallots
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
preheat oven to 425 degrees.
o. Sprinkle duck breast liberally with salt and pepper. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, then place duck in the pan skin-side down. Sear until skin is brown, about 7-10 minutes. Flip over and sear the other side for about 4 more minutes, then transfer from skillet to an oven-safe pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how rare you prefer your meat.
o. While duck is cooking, pour all but 3 tbsp. fat from skillet into a cup. Bring skillet down to medium heat and sauté chopped shallots until translucent, about 3 minutes. Scrape up any bits of duck left in the pan. Add wine, orange juice, zest, and frozen berries, turn up the heat and bring liquids to a boil, then lower heat and let mixture simmer for about 5-7 minutes, until it's thick enough to coat a spoon.
DESSERT: PEACH, APPLE, AND CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING
Bread pudding is one of the most fool-proof dessert recipes under the guise of a seriously complicated dish. It takes almost no time to prepare, and you can stick it in the oven just before serving dinner so it will be nice and warm post main meal. If you're using fresh bread, soak for 5 minutes only, or the pudding will be soggy. If you have some day-old dinner rolls handy, soak for 30 minutes - you can prepare the dessert then leave it to set while you cook something else. Serve with ice cream or caramel.
Ingredients:
9 dinner rolls, torn into pieces (about 6 cups fresh or day-old bread)
4 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 cream (or 2 c. half and half or milk)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 apple, skinned and chopped
1 peach, skinned and chopped
3/4 c. dried cranberries
chopped pecans (for top)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
o. Combine bread, apples, peaches, and cranberries in a large bowl.
o. Whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, butter and spices together. Whisk in heavy cream, then pour over bread mixture. Stir to make sure all bread pieces have been well coated, then leave for 5 to 30 minutes (depending on freshness of bread), stirring occasionally.
o. Pour bread mixture into a buttered pan, sprinkle with a handful of pecans, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until top is brown and toothpick/knife test is clean.
What's your favorite holiday recipe? Spread the wealth!