Well, I survived Thanksgiving with just minor leg cramps from my exile to the little table and have slowly started to emerge from my tryptophan induced coma (helped along by several bottles of very good wine and one too many helpings of pumpkin and pecan pies).
It is the day after Thanksgiving and I have decided to pull myself off the couch and write my Christmas column while the rest of the world is out shopping in a media induced frenzy, spending money they don’t have, on things they don’t need. But I digress.
That rant will have to wait for the Persnickety Socialist column. Let me get back to writing about food we don’t need to eat but will anyway because it tastes good. Besides, during cold winter days, food puts us in our comfort zone and helps keep me gainfully employed.
Christmas dinner and Christmas parties: Authors note: Yes, I insist on using the word Christmas. I cannot bring myself to use some plain politically correct phrase or christmas/x-mas/hannukah/kwaanza no offense to anyone’s beliefs. For this author, Christmas will remain Christmas. Wow! Two rants in two paragraphs. Time to put away the espresso machine.
Christmas dinner itself varies from home to home based on family traditions, ethnic backgrounds and what various family members’ friends and relatives will or won’t eat. Some people have their big feast on Christmas Eve the Italian tradition of seven fishes is a wondrous feast celebrating food family and religion. I always enjoy the fresh homemade Tamales from my Mexican co-workers. Then, there are traditions I don’t understand such as the omnipresent Christmas Fruitcake, and no I don’t mean the annoying family member who you only see once or twice a year (in my family it is usually me) I am talking about that dense heavy bread that is passed around and re-gifted year after year with its variety of fruits in colors that cannot be found in nature unless you live next to a nuclear power plant. Why it exists I am not sure but for some people it is not Christmas without one.
Before we get to Christmas Eve or Christmas we have to run the gauntlet of Christmas parties. Hosting a party can put people into a terrorized state so bad you would think they have announced another Cher farewell tour. So, for those people, the place to start the planning is with libations and lots of them mainly warm seasonal drinks with lots of booze in them.
Besides the brandy soaked Eggnog, try Hot Apple Cider Splash in a little tuaca and putting together that 3000 piece train set for the young ones becomes much easier. Hot chocolate – the creamy beverage of cold winter days of your childhood – can be spiked with kahlua, peppermint schnapps, grand marnier, chambord, banana liqueur, crème de menthe or any other liquor you so desire. Remember what many women have told me: chocolate makes anything better.
Persnickety Tip #1: Melt real chocolate and add it to warm milk. In my years scouring the countryside I have never run across a powdered chocolate cow.
One of my favorite frosty weather beverages is Hot Buttered Rum and my version will definitely have sugarplums dancing in your head.
Hot Buttered Rum (2005 version)
Ingredients
- 1 Stick butter
- ¼ Cup granulated sugar
- ¼ Cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ Cup light brown sugar
- Ground cloves
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- Allspice
- Nutmeg
- 1 Pint good vanilla bean ice cream
Instructions
- Melt butter in saucepan. Add sugars cook over medium heat until sugars completely dissolve and you have a thick caramel like mixture. Add cinnamon sticks and other spices to taste. Fold in vanilla ice cream cook until ice cream is dissolved. Cover mix and refrigerate mix will hold 2-3 weeks. In an Irish coffee mug add 2-3 tablespoons of mix and 1 shot of good rum (I prefer Meyers Dark) Fill to top of glass with hot water stir well. Put away car keys for the evening and enjoy.
As to the food for your Christmas party – Persnickety Tip #2: stick with things you are comfortable with. Remember the party isn’t about food but friendship and passing along the spirit of the season. Or, if it’s an office party – it’s about finding out who’s the biggest drunk. It’s always the little things that make parties so much fun at this festive season.
Stick with light Hors d’Oeuvres. Cheese trays and simple light foods such as Pastas or Roasts with fresh rolls. These are mostly for standup affairs so make the food simple to eat. Platters of Shrimp or Warm Crab and Spinach Dip work well as does Baked Brie in puff pastry. Most of these things can be bought in your grocery stores. Use the stores to your advantage. Most of them have wonderful selections of sliced cheeses and cured meats. If you don’t want to make everything from scratch, you can find good products in the stores or hire a caterer or rent a chef who is probably sitting around writing a food column. (Shameless plug)
For the main holiday meal, stick with family favorites. I really enjoy Roast Goose this time of year even though my family does not. A Standing Rib Roast (prime rib in restaurant vernacular) is really simple to prepare and makes a nice central dish as does a Crown Roast of Pork with its center piled high with chestnut stuffing. With your Roast Beef, try making Yorkshire pudding (popover recipes work well combining flour with pan grease may best be left to the English) cheddar and horseradish mash potatoes work well with both dishes. For dessert Plum Pudding is fun to serve especially if you serve it with a traditional hard sauce.
Crab and Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Cream cheese
- 1 lb Crabmeat claw or special will do You don’t have to incur the expense of jumbo lump the price of which may cause you to refinance your home
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Old Bay seasoning to taste
- ¼ Cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 can artichoke hearts roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a stainless steel bowl, combine all ingredients. Place bowl over a double boiler heat until mixture becomes hot throughout, stirring often. Serve with warm sliced baguettes.
Remember have fun when you cook. If something does not turn out perfect, open another bottle of wine and all will be forgotten by New Year’s. Have a safe and happy Christmas season.
