Betsy and Ali's Christmas Dinner Tasting Menu

For Christmas 2011, Mom and I decided to make a tasting menu since it was just the two of us.  We selected ten dishes that we wanted to make from recipes that we'd found and had been meaning to try.  For Christmas, Mom got me a set of tasting plates, tasting bowls and tasting silverware so that we could serve our tasting meal properly!  The tasting set matches David and my everyday plates, which is perfect. As you'll see from the photos, our grade for presentation went up as the meal went on.  We took it slow and started cooking around 1pm and finished eating around 9pm, taking breaks during the day to relax or read.

We planned our menu over Christmas Eve dinner (roast beef, yorkshire pudding and sautéed spinach) but then had to modify the order because we got too hungry to wait!

We started with our Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula and Fig Spread and Toasted Baguette Slices.  We heated the goat cheese medallions on the stove quickly and warmed the fig spread (from Whole Foods) for 10 seconds in the microwave so that it was the right temperature.  We determined that was not the best way to warm goat cheese but weren't sure what the alternative was.  Suggestions are welcome.  It tasted delicious but lost the "medallion" shape quickly. We also toasted some baguette to use as "pushers." As I mentioned, we were pretty hungry, so we had a full sized serving of this.  While we were eating, Mom remembered that as child, she'd been given a pusher to help her eat by herself, but, to Grandmother and Grandfather's frustration, she would eat the pusher before the meal was over.

Next up was Asparagus Gratin.  Mom found this recipe in Cooks Illustrated.  It was delicious, but the cheese sauce was, well, very cheesy!  We'd added some extra cheese since we loooove cheese, but decided we probably should have stuck to the recipe to get the correct consistency.  The presentation left something to be desired, but we had a good laugh over it.  It also tasted fantastic, which is what really matters!

We decided to combine the third and fourth course thinking they would complement each other nicely.  They did!  We had Gaspacho accompanied by Toasted Baguette with Chive Caper Remoulade Topped with Roast Beef and a Garnish of Red Onion and Cucumber.  The Gaspacho recipe was one Mom had found in the Wall Street Journal and the Chive Caper Remoulade was a Martha Stewart recipe.  We used cold roast beef from our Christmas Eve dinner.  We served our dishes on a serving platter that David and I had gotten from our wedding registry.  We gave ourselves high marks for presentation on this one.

Next up, we decided to do a palette cleanser of Raspberry Sorbet with Fresh Mint and a Dark Chocolate Morsel.  We used Haagen-Daas sorbet and a Theo dark mint chocolate bar we'd gotten at Whole Foods.

We also decided to combine the sixth and seventh courses.  We had Baked Winter Squash and Sautéed Brussel Sprouts.  They also complemented each other very well and made for a nice, light combination.  We added bites of gruyere to add a hint of sharpness to each bite.

Our eighth course was also a vegetable dish.  The Spinach and Feta Cheese Bake was a hearty dish that we paired with toasted baguette drizzled with Betsy's famous vinaigrette salad dressing.

For our ninth course, we had Chicken Wraps with Hoisin Mayonnaise, Scallions and Cucumbers.  This was like Peking Duck except with rotisserie chicken.  We used tortillas for the wraps but decided it would also work nicely with crepes if you didn't have fresh tortillas.  The tortillas in South Texas are an outstanding local speciality and are made fresh in the grocery store. The hoisin mayonnaise was from Real Simple.

Of course, we had to end our meal with dessert.  My friend, Kimberly, had given us a container of her Sel du Caramel spread so we drizzled that on a warm double chocolate muffin (store bought) and topped it with mint leaves.  It was superb.  We served it in bowls so it had a brownie bowl feel.

By the end of the meal, we had managed to use almost all the tasting plates but had surprisingly few dishes to do.  We decided that the big thing we'll do for next time will be to prep in advance (perhaps the day before) by doing the chopping and measuring.  Once we'd done the prep for this meal, it was really easy to make all the dishes and not very time consuming.  We also learned that we should not wait until we were ready for lunch to start cooking!  Having the large salad saved the day, but if we were doing it again, we'd have a snack and then start cooking.

Overall, we had a delicious and successful meal and are looking forward to the next one!

Recipe: Chive Remoulade

Chive Remoulade

Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped chives
• 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brine packed capers, rinsed and chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tap freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Stir together 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp finely chopped chives, 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard, 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brine packed capers, rinsed and chopped, 1 tsp paprika and 1/2 tap freshly ground pepper. Refrigerate at least an hour.

Sent from Paprika Recipe Manager.

Recipe: Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with the slicing disk, slice the Brussels sprouts.

In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook 2-3 minutes stirring often.

Add the Brussels sprouts, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tap pepper to the skillet and cook, tossing often, until the Brussels sprouts are tender, 4-6 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and poppy seeds.

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Recipe: Sandwich with hoisin mayonnaise

Sandwich with hoisin mayonnaise

Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

Directions:

Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 1Tbsp hoisin sauce

Use as spread for sandwich with turkey e.g. and mint leaves, scallion and cucumber.

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Recipe: Gazpacho

Gazpacho

Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 5 inches of stale baguette (crust removed)
• 1 med. Cucumber, peeled and cut up
• bread with water squeezed out
• 4 large tomatoes, cut up
• ½ tsp chopped garlic
• 2 TBSP red onion, chopped
• ½ tsp salt or to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tsp red wine vinegar or to taste

Directions:

Soak 5 inches of stale baguette (crust removed) in cold water for 10 minutes

Blend together in blender:

1 med. Cucumber, peeled and cut up

bread with water squeezed out

4 large tomatoes, cut up

½ tsp chopped garlic

2 TBSP red onion, chopped

½ tsp salt or to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

2 Tsp red wine vinegar or to taste

Chill

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Recipe: Baked Winter Squash

Baked Winter Squash

Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 packages frozen squash, thawed. Squeeze out excess water.
• Mix together with:
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp sour cream
• 4 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• Dash of nutmeg
• 2 well beaten eggs.

Directions:

2 packages frozen squash, thawed. Squeeze out excess water.

Mix together with:

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp sour cream

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tsp salt

Dash of nutmeg

2 well beaten eggs.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Can be prepared and even frozen in advance.

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Recipe: Asparagus Gratin

Asparagus Gratin

Prep Time: | Cook Time: | Servings: | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds thin asparagus
• 2 1/2 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Line broiler-safe baking dish with paper towels. Trim 1½ inches from stem end of asparagus and reserve ends. Bring water to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus ends and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove asparagus ends and discard. Add asparagus stalks to skillet, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus to paper-lined baking dish. Pour asparagus water into liquid measuring cup; reserve 1 cup.

2. Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in reserved asparagus water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in ½ cup Parmesan and Monterey Jack until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Remove paper towels from baking dish. Drizzle sauce over center of asparagus and top with remaining Parmesan. Broil until cheese is golden and asparagus is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve.

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