Chritmas Dinner In August

Not too long ago at work we had an entire Christmas dinner in August. We had a feast with all the fixings and afterwards felt happy and stuffed. Our Christmas dinner consisted of Challah bread and butter, different pickles, chutneys, and preserves, honey thyme carrots, peas, creamy mashed potatoes, stuffing, a brined turkey breast with gravy, pumpkin pie, and homemade vanilla ice cream.

fresh Challah bread

mustard pickles, cranberry sauce, red pepper jelly, and pickled peppers

brined turkey breast

gravy

honey and thyme glazed carrots

creamy mashed potatoes

the entire feast

stuffing

Yuletide Greetings!

Christmas - the one day of the year I never plan to have an actual blog post. If there is any single day of the year that is meant to be spent with loved ones, it is Christmas, as least in my family. Christmas is a time to celebrate, be thankful, reminisce, catch up on memories, and simply enjoy some good company. And let's not forget to enjoy some great food as well - whether it be the traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings, a myriad of family favorite potluck dishes, a more contemporary holiday feast, or simply a pile of decadent sweets!!!

PHOTO CREDIT:"download"  http://thanksgiving-day-2015.com/merry-christmas-food.html. All Things Christmas, n.d. Thursday, December 24, 2015.

Christmas Buffets

Croquembouche or cream puff tower - an edible
centerpiece display on the dessert buffet table

Beginning in December, we spent the next two weeks of school planning, preparing, cooking, plating, and serving large Christmas buffets in the restaurant - which feed around ninety people each day and are prebooked by May! The buffet set-up was the same each day, with items and offerings varying slightly depending on the day of the week.

The pasta station - made to order. Choose plain or gluten-free pasta, chicken or shrimp, tomato or alfredo sauce, and an assortment of vegetables such as sauteéd mushrooms, sautéed onions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, and olives, as well as garlic, fresh herbs, and cheese.

At the beginning of the line, there is the pasta station. At the pasta station, diners choose between two types of pasta (regular and gluten-free), two proteins (usually diced chicken breast and sauteed shrimp), and two sauces (tomato and alfredo). Then they choose any of the following pre-cooked vegetables we have available: red and white onions, red and green and yellow bell peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, olives; as well as desired toppings: fresh minced herbs, minced garlic, and grated parmesan cheese. Two students stay at the station with saute pans and propane burners to complete the orders within minutes. 

The soup station with fresh bread rolls.

Next there is a daily soup (some examples are seafood chowder, parsnip cream, cheddar broccoli) and an assortment of freshly baked bread rolls. Next there is a charcuterie platter featuring thinly sliced pates and smoked meats with a variety of pickled, preserved, and fresh accompaniments. There is also a huge fruit and cheese mirror, usually featuring honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple, grapes, and sometimes fresh berries, along with at least three different types of cheeses (goudas, cheddars, mozzarellas, blues, goats). This is followed by three different salads, changing daily; one green salad (garden, Ceasar), one starch salad (pasta, rice, potato, quinoa), and one other salad (waldorf, roasted vegetable). Two different vinaigrettes are also offered (persevered lemon, mango, maple sesame, cranberry lavender, tomato tarragon).

A huge fresh fruit and variety of cheeses on a platter - changed daily

Charcuterie platter - a variety of patés, paté en croute, smoked meats,
preserved fruits, jams, chutneys, pickled vegetables, and nuts. 

Next to the cold line is the hot line, featuring the daily potato (roasted garlic and brown butter crushed potatoes, truffle scented mashed potatoes, herb roasted baby red potatoes), a medley of fresh cooked vegetables, the international seafood item (Asian haddock, salmon wellington, tropical monkfish), the chaffeur dish item (roasted chicken breasts in sherry mushroom cream, beef tips with peppers and onions, paella, tourtiere), and the large roast item (roasted pork loin, beef butt, ham en croute, or turkey) with accompanying sauce (pork jus, beef demi glace, sweet raisin and date sauce, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce).

Salad Station: a green salad, a starch salad, and another salad, accompanied by two vinaigrettes. 

A sample of offerings from the dessert table -
 festive shortbread cookies, linzer bars, and
miniature pavlovas with fresh fruit.

At the end comes the dessert table, featuring a large array of holiday-themed sweets, some bite-sized and some larger. I have seen peppermint cheesecake, cranberry cheesecake, chocolate hazelnut cheesecake, chocolate caramel bacon cheesecake, miniature plain and chocolate cheesecakes, chocolate and cranberry yule log, fruit cake, miniature fruit cakes, bread pudding, sticky toffee puddings, Bavarian creams, blueberry and mocha and gingerbread creme brulee, gingerbread and white chocolate blondies, chocolate mousse, English custard, shortbread cookies, cream puffs, miniature pavlovas, linzer bars, carrot cake, and best of all - a big bowl full of caramel rum sauce that some people like to drink!

Gingerbread House 2015

As I have mentioned the past four years, every year it is a family tradition to purchase a gingerbread house kit and assemble and it as a family. Fortunately, we have been able to spend all of our Christmas holidays together as a family. Unfortunately, we do not always get to assemble the gingerbread house together, because we always do it quite early - a few weeks before Christmas - so we can have it on display throughout the holiday season.

Here is this year's house that my parents did a great job of. Every year we try to get a slightly different kit, as every store seems to have a different version, but we have run out of different types a few years ago. One year we did a train, and I would like to do some of the new kits out there, such as carousels, palaces, horse and carriages, etc. but we seem to like the traditional house. 

Single Serving Sticky Toffee Pudding

Today was the first snow day and I am really beginning to get into the festive spirit. I even received a Christmas card in the mail today. As I usually do when I have some free time, I headed to the kitchen to experiment and create a yummy snack for myself. This winning, Christmas dessert recipe is vegan, 100% whole grain, and contains no refined sugars!

Single Serving Sticky Toffee Pudding
STICKY TOFFEE SAUCE
1 Tablespoon smooth nut butter (I highly recommend a really smooth one for this so the sauce doesn't end up gritty - peanut and cashew are good choices. Even smooth almond butter is a bit grainy)
2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses (can substitute 1 Tablespoon maple syrup and 1 Tablespoon molasses for a slight mapley and sweeter taste. Molasses is essential to gingerbread recipes but can leave a very robust taste)
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PUDDING
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1 flax egg (1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed stirred into 3 Tablespoons water. Let stand in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes)
2 Tablespoons raisins 
2/3 of sticky toffee sauce from above

SAUCE: In a small bowl or mug, place the nut butter, molasses, oil, and vanilla. Microwave in HIGH (100% power) for 30 seconds until bubbling and melted together stir. Set aside.
PUDDING: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the egg, raisins, and approximately 2/3 of the sauce from above.
Place the remaining sauce in a large, wide microwave-safe mug (you can make the sauce right in the mug initially to save on cleanup and ensure you get every drop of the sauce). Spoon the pudding batter over top. Microwave in HIGH (100% power) for one minute until risen and firm. Allow to cool a minute, run a knife around the sides of the pudding, invert onto a plate, ensuring all the sauce is drizzled on top, and dig in!

I live alone, so I am used to making individual servings on things. I am sure the recipe could be scaled up, and baked in a pan in the oven successfully as well. I like the robust molasses taste (not to mention blackstrap molasses is quite nutritious), but feel free to add in other sweeteners if you wish. You may also alter the spice amount and type (cloves and nutmeg would be nice too). You won't taste the nut butter in it, nor notice it is whole wheat.

Christmas Gifts 2014

Last year I had a very cupcake Christmas - as in the vast majority of my presents were cupcake themed in some way, shape, or form. Well, that wasn't the case this year, although I did receive a few more cupcake things. However, because I love cooking and baking and everything food related and am in the food industry, I still do receive many food related gifts. Here is just a taste of some of the foodie gifts I got this year.

Pictured here (clockwise from 12:00):
A set of dish towels and flour ornaments and a purple plate arranged to look like a cake, a milk frother, a new French cookbook, an "I Love Chocolate" mug, a Christmas catalog from one of my favorite bakeries, a cupcake novel, black forest cake tea, a decorated gingerbread cookie, coconut oil, and Lebkuchen. 

More foodie gifts I got that are not pictured here include:
A cupcake apron, dishtowels, a tablecloth, a Brie baker, a cupcake ornament, a cookie ornament, a culinary hoodie, cookies, a decorative food angel, a cookie notebook, and of course, chocolate. 

And you may be able to see in the background - more cupcake wrapping paper!!!

Traditional Panettone

This year, I decided to try a new recipe that I found in a reputable baking textbook. No other recipe from this book had failed to disappoint me, and I had tried several, so I decided to go with this one. This new panettone, although a bit heavier than the old recipe, was certainly richer and moister. It is made by the enriched straight dough method for yeast breads. It was also chock-full of plump, delicious fruit and flavor. The new recipe uses only egg yolks and a large quantity of butter for richness. It is flavored by vanilla extract and lemon and orange zest. It uses bread flour for a higher gluten content and more structure. Instead of making three or four smaller panettones, I made two larger ones and baked them in a bundt pan and a tube pan. 

There are a few major differences between this panettone recipe and the one I used to use. The old recipe was less traditional, and used cherries as fruit and also contained the addition of a little rum for extra flavor and keeping qualities. This new recipe uses more traditional fruits - simply raisins, golden raisins, and candied orange peel. The new recipe contains both lemon and orange zest, where the old recipe used the flavorings of lemon zest and anise extract. Both are yeast breads that are formed into small round loaves and baked either free-form or in panettone molds or similar pans. 

I definitely like this new recipe better though, and if I make panettone next year, I will be using this recipe again (unless I find an even better one).

Panettone Revamp

Panettone is a traditional Italian fruit bread that appears around Christmastime. You can get some really good store-bought ones, with simple ingredients and good flavor, however they are still full of preservatives (they last about a year) and just do not beat homemade! I have been making homemade panettone breads for the past three or four years. Before then, my grandmother and my father had always bought some panettone each Christmastime to enjoy, but I decided I could try making some myself. Now I like to give some out as gifts at Christmastime, and share some with family members.

The past few years I have been using the same panettone recipe I found in one of my mother's bread cookbooks, which usually makes 3-4 smaller loaves. It turned out really well the first year, but in the next two years I noticed several areas for improvement. 

I found this recipe a bit dry, lacking in fruit, and not quite as rich and buttery as it needed to be. Although I always found the fruit difficult to knead into it, I found the final product didn't have quite enough fruit. The flavor was there, but not quite strong enough. And the loaves were small with an uneven shape and appearance. Although I tried a few changes to the recipe myself, I decided to try a brand new recipe this year, and I will share the results of that trial tomorrow.

Seasons Greetings!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings! This is the one day of the year where I really take a break from food blogging, set an automatic update, and just post a quick little message to wish everyone a great day! Enjoy time spent with loved ones, and some great feasts. Whether you opt for the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, or a different family tradition, something unconventional, or even a really good pizza - enjoy it along with some great desserts and great memories made with loved ones. 

PHOTO CREDIT:"images" http://www.mudgeefinefoods.com.au/category/newsletter/. Mudgee Fine Foods, n.d. Wednesdayday, December 24, 2014.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread isn't just for cookies or cakes - it can work for cupcakes or muffins as well! These gingerbread cupcakes my mother made are moist and sweet enough to be cupcakes, but we eat them as muffins. If you would like them to be cupcakes, I would recommend a cream cheese icing, brown butter icing, or salted caramel buttercream. An eggnog flavored frosting would be nice as well. 

Gingerbread Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a twelve cup muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the first six dry ingredients. 
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the last six wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until fully incorporated. 
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake for abut 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Miniature Gingerbread Cookies

Here are some more gingerbread cookies! I made these one miniature for some bite-sized cookies. What I like about these cookies is they are so small and extra crisp - almost like crackers - so you can eat a bunch of them. You can also make so many more different shapes, and you get way more cookies from one batch of dough. Also since they are so tiny, they really don't require any decorating. though they would probably be really good in a dip - try a sweet frosting, cream cheese, and eggnog dip, etc. Pictured here are two different angel shapes, a candy cane, and a star.

Christmas Layer Cake

Christmas will soon be here, and I was feeling quite festive and inspired the other day. So I made a Christmas themed cake. The red and green colors showing through the cake and the red and green sprinkles give a very festive appearance. The trick to get the red and green in the cake is actually quite simple, the same technique I used at Halloween (see {Orange Poke Cake}). This also makes the cake extra moist! 

Christmas Layer Cake
2 round white cake layers, baked (cooled, optional)
1 package green instant gelatin mix (lime)
1 package red instant gelatin mix (cherry, raspberry, or strawberry)
2 cups boiling water
2 packages instant whipped topping (or use real whipped cream)
1 cup cold milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles

The cakes need not be cool, but should be removed from pans and placed on plates. Pierce the cakes all over with a fork.
In small bowls, dissolve each of the gelatins in one cup of boiling water. Whisk until dissolved. Carefully pour one over each cake. Cool.
A few hours later, whip the topping mix with the milk and vanilla. Spread half of this one one of the cakes. Top with other cake. Spread top with remaining topping. Garnish with sprinkles. 

You may use a boxed mix, purchased cakes, or your own homemade cakes for this recipe, however white cake must be used in order for the colors to show through. You could decorate the cake with any type of frosting instead of cream or whipped topping, but I like the texture and light, fluffy appearance of the topping, almost like snow.

Christmas Chip Squares

Christmas Chip Squares
1 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Christmas chips (like chocolate chips, but red, white, and green colored)

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. 

This square recipe is really just chocolate chip cookie dough baked in a pan and eaten in bar form. They are made festive by the use of colored chocolate chips, which are not chocolate flavored, but are still sweet and tasty. For the off-season, just replace with your favorite type of chips - milk chocolate, dark chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, mint, etc.

Spiced Eggnog Cream Pie

This is a Christmas pie recipe I came up with while staring at a jug of eggnog in the fridge. It is an easy way to make a simple cream pie, but had the Christmas flavors of eggnog and spices. I also found some cute little gingerbread man sprinkles to garnish it, though whipped cream would work as well. I like to use one of my favorite pie crust recipes, and oil-based pastry which is lighter and easier than a traditional pie crust. A shortbread or graham crumb crust would also be nice, but a prepared frozen or refrigerated pie shell could be used as well.

Spiced Eggnog Cream Pie
1 prepared pie crust, baked and cooled 
(I used {Oil-Based Pie Pastry})
2 cups eggnog
2 packages (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix (no cook)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
gingerbread man sprinkles (or desired garnish, optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggnog, pudding, and spices for approximately two minutes until thickened. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pie shell. Garnish as desired. Chill before serving.

Gingerbread Shapes

Gingerbread cookies are definitely one of my favorite Christmas cookies. I love the soft texture, and the molasses and spice flavor of these cookies. I seem to make them every year, but I always seem to use different recipes. Not that I haven't found a good recipe, I just like to try different ones I guess. This one makes a fairly large batch - anywhere from three to six dozen, depending upon size.

Gingerbread Shapes
1 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup molasses
2/3 cup water
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the molasses, then slowly beat in the water. 
In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture until combined. This dough may seem dry at first, but will turn into a soft and sticky dough. It should not need to be chilled before rolling, but it can be.
Roll dough out to desired thickness (about 1/4 inch) and cut with floured cutters. Bake for about 10 minutes until beginning to turn golden around the edges.

These cookies can be decorated by pressing candies, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or dried fruit into the dough before baking. Alternately, brush the cookies with warmed corn syrup to attach decorations after baking, or decorate with icing.

Chocolate Crispy Christmas Squares

This is a spin on the traditional crisp rice cereal squares. Extra texture comes from the addition of oats and coconut. The squares are given a holiday theme by using colored shredded coconut and crisp rice cereal, both are available in red, green, and white colored mixes for the holidays. Of course you can use regular as well, especially if it isn't Christmas time. These squares also have a mellow chocolate flavor. 

Chocolate Crispy Christmas Squares
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup shredded, colored coconut
1 1/2 cups Christmas crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and marshmallows until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Let stand briefly to firm up before cutting. 

Boiled Fruit Cake

Here is a really speedy and easy fruitcake recipe - good to have on hand if you have forgotten to prepare your homemade fruitcakes well in advance. All you have to do is boil some ingredients together, then once cooled, stir in everything else and bake. The boiling process helps to caramelize the sugar, soften the raisins, and intensify the spice. You can use your favorite fruits in this cake - substitute currants or chopped dates for some or all of the raisins, and use any kind of glacé fruit or peel you wish. You can add some nuts into this as well if desired. The fruitcake can be enjoyed immediately, frozen for long term storage, or soaked in liquor and well wrapped to age. 

Boiled Fruit Cake
2 cups water
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 butter or hard margarine, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups raisins

4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chopped mixed fruit

In a large saucepan, bring the first eight ingredients to a boil. Boil for five minutes, then cool to lukewarm. 
Preheat oven to 325◦F. Grease a ten inch tube pan.
Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for about an hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before removing from pan. 

Gifts of Cupcakes

Here are some more of my gifts, that are not directly cupcake themed, but are at least cake or culinary themed in some way.

From left to right: tea towel, cookbook, decorating tip organizer, cake leveler, Linzer cookie cutters, homemade vanilla extract, large decorating tip, cake journal, cake whiteboard, tablecloth, knife. 
So some of these are cake related, the cookbook has cupcake recipes, the towels are for displaying cupcakes, the tips, tip organizer, and knife are for decorating cupcakes, the vanilla is for baking cupcakes. Not pictured here are a new digital camera (for taking pictures of cupcakes), and a breadmaker (can't really use it to make cupcakes, but it is still culinary related). 
The only gifts I received that really were not cupcake or culinary-related in any way were socks, slippers, a bag, and a bracelet. I mean, I could even relate another cookbook and a box of chocolates to the culinary field. 
I also got a later present after this picture was taken of star cookie cutters - the kind that become increasingly bigger and you can stack the cookies and decorate them like a tree! 

A Cupcake Christmas

This year, I received quite a bit of stuff that was cupcake-related for Christmas. You see, my mother had decided she would go with a cupcake theme for the majority of my presents, as she sometimes likes to choose themes for the Christmas gifts she gives, depending on the recipient. It just so happened that completely coincidentally (or so she assures me) others who gave me presents also followed suit with this theme. It began with one of my Secret Santas, who gave me decorative twelve days of Christmas cupcake liners and a cupcake cookbook. Then I opened a present from the family of my boyfriend - also cupcake related. My other Secret Santa gave me a cupcake ornament. My parents and brothers gave me cupcake stuff. The pattern just kept continuing. Here is a picture of all of my cupcake Christmas gifts, minus a cupcake recipe magazine, which I seem to have forgotten to include (not that I didn't like it, but this was an early gift that I had already read and put away on my shelf. I'm a bit of an organization freak). I know some of these gifts may be a bit difficult to make out in this picture. 

Presents going left to right, beginning in the back row, with the giver in brackets:
BACK - cupcake wall calendar (Mom and Dad), cupcake Christmas card (Mom and Dad), cupcake wrapping paper (Mom and Dad), cupcake cookbook (Secret Santa).
MIDDLE - cupcake oven mitts (boyfriend's sister), pink cupcake ornament (cousin), cupcake note pad (stocking), cupcake s'mores ornament (Mom and Dad), cupcake mug (brother), cupcake holder (brother), cupcake cake tester (boyfriend's sister), cupcake ornament (Secret Santa).
FRONT - cupcake liners (Secret Santa), pink cupcake ornament (cousin), cupcake tea towel (stocking), cupcake necklace (brother), chocolate cupcake ornament (cousin), cupcake socks (Saint Nicholas). 

Gingerbread Family

Every year when my mother makes up her gingerbread cookie dough for Christmas, she makes some trees and stars and bells, but she also makes some people. Each member of the family gets a person to decorate themselves - loading it up as much or as little as pleases them! This year my brothers were not around at the time to decorate their cookies, so I dd for them, trying to match their cookie-decorating habits. Since they weren't around, they both got extra big gingerbread men. The top left and middle are my brothers' cookies - one decorated more than the other (with chocolate), the one next to it is my father's, the bottom left is my mother's, the bottom middle is mine (all chocolate) and the bottom right is an extra, yet to be decorated. We usually use candy-coated chocolates, chocolate pieces, and sprinkles to decorate our gingerbread and decorate them before baking. This is just another little example of Christmas tradition and baking. How do you like your gingerbread?