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| Christmas Menu and Wine Pairings |
From Wineanswers.comSpread holiday cheer this season with easy, festive recipes that incorporate the sights and smells of Christmas and pair deliciously with wine. Andrea Immer, master sommelier and author of Great Tastes Made Simple: Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate, recommends a Sparkling Wine and a classic red Bordeaux with this Christmas family menu, created by cooking teacher and cookbook author Louise Fiszer: Tri-Colored Salad with Gorgonzola and Pomegranate Seeds The pomegranate seeds give a jewel-like appearance to this sparkling, seasonal salad. To avoid stains from seeding the pomegranate, submerge the fruit in a bowl of water and remove seeds with your hands. Vinaigrette Dressing: 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard 1/2 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper
Salad: 1 head Romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into ½ inch strips 2 heads radicchio, cut into ½ inch wide strips 2 Belgian endives, cut crosswise into ½ inch wide strips 1 cup crumbled young Gorgonzola cheese or a favorite blue cheese 1 cup pomegranate seeds In a small bowl whisk together vinaigrette ingredients until well blended. In a large shallow serving bowl combine lettuce, radicchio and endive. Toss with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with cheese and then with pomegranate seeds. Serves 8. Recipe by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com ~*~ Gingered Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Resembling a misshapen light bulb, butternut squash is one of the most common of the winter varieties of squash. Choose one that has a smooth unblemished skin and is firm to the touch. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter 2 celery stalks, chopped 6 scallions, white part only, chopped 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 large green apple, (granny smith, pippin, etc.) peeled, cored and diced 5 cups chicken stock 1 cup apple juice or cider 2 pounds (about 8 cups) peeled and diced butternut squash Salt and pepper 1/2 cup chopped chives Heat oil in a large pot. Cook celery and scallions over medium heat, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in both gingers, pepper and apple. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add stock, apple juice and squash. Bring to a boil over high heat. Partially cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until squash is very tender. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth. (If consistency is too thick add water or stock). Taste for salt and pepper. Serve, sprinkled with chives. Serves 8. Recipe by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com ~*~ Beef Tenderloin with Cranberry Dijon Mustard Sauce Serving a beef tenderloin will make you a star in the kitchen. The only thing that can ruin this elegant roast is over-cooking it. The colorful sweet-tart -hot sauce makes this a truly festive holiday main course and can be made ahead and reheated just before serving. Sauce: 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (home made or canned) 3/4 cup beef stock 1/4 cup cranberry juice 6 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard 4 tablespoons heavy cream Salt and pepper Tenderloin: 1 beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat, weighing about 5 pounds 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon whole mustard seed, crushed or coarsely ground For the sauce: Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to break up the cranberry sauce. Turn down to a simmer and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 8-10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. For the beef: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub meat all over with the oil. Combine the salt, pepper and mustard seed and sprinkle mixture all over the meat. (You might have to press mixture on roast if mixture doesn't adhere.) Set tenderloin on a wire rack on a shallow roasting pan. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 135 degrees for medium-rare to medium. Let stand at room temperature about 20-25 minutes before slicing. Cut meat into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. Arrange overlapping slices on a serving tray and spread a 2-inch wide "ribbon " of cranberry mustard sauce down the center. Pass the remaining sauce. Serves 8. Recipe by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com ~*~ Roasted Red Potato and Onion Wedges This is one of those uncomplicated recipes that will become part of your cooking repertoire because it is irresistibly delicious. This dish can share the oven and roast along with the tenderloin. 3 pounds medium red potatoes 1 1/2 pounds medium red onions (approximately same size as potatoes) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon, dried 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut potatoes in half and then cut each half into 3 equal sized wedges. Cut onions in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 3 equal sized wedges. In a large bowl toss potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, sage, oil and butter. Spread mixture in a greased shallow roasting pan (a jelly roll pan is perfect). Make sure that mixture is in one layer. Roast about 25 minutes or until potatoes are beginning to brown. Add vinegar to vegetables and stir well to combine. Place back in oven and roast another 8 minutes or until vinegar becomes bubbly and slightly thickened. Let cool slightly and remove to a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8. Recipe by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com ~*~ Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots and Sweet Corn Delicious and a visual knockout. If you can't find all of the fresh herbs listed, use the ones that are available and mix with chopped parsley. 3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced 3 pounds green beans, trimmed, cut into 2 inch lengths and cooked just until tender* 2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed corn kernels Salt and pepper 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves In a large skillet melt butter. Cook shallots and pepper over medium high heat about 3 minutes or until slightly wilted. Add green beans and corn and cook about 2 minutes until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine herbs and stir in half of them. Remove mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with remaining herbs. Serves 8. Recipe by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com ~*~ Glazed Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas If you're short on time you can purchase fresh grated carrots from the salad bar section of your super market. Snow peas may be substituted for the Sugar Snaps. 2 pounds carrots, peeled and coarsely grated 1 pound sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and cut into three strips lengthwise 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon lemon juice Salt and pepper In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook carrots 1 minute, add peas and cook another minute. Drain under cold running water to stop cooking. In a large skillet heat butter with honey over medium high heat until honey is melted and runny. Stir in1 tablespoon lemon zest and lemon juice. Add carrots and peas and cook until they appear glazed about 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining lemon zest. Serves 8. Recipe by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com  Recommended ReadingThe Everything Christmas Book: Stories, Songs, Food, Traditions, Revelry, and More by Brandon Toropov, Sharon Gapen Cook, Marian Gonsior The Everything Christmas Book has it all! You can make eggnog and dozens of other classic Christmas recipes, as well as wonderful gifts from the kitchen. There are party ideas, stories and poems, customs and traditions, gift ideas, and a history of Christmas around the world. Plus a complete look at 20th Century American Christmases-from ads that ran in the 1940s to Harry Reasoner's 1968 essay "What Christ Looked Like." From the tradition of mistletoe to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, from the lyrics of favorite carols to the date of the tree-lighting at the White House, The Everything Christmas Book is a classic to share with your family and friends. (courtesy: Amazon) |
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