Time to Celebrate

You know who loves a party? Knife and Fork loooooves a party, especially those of the holiday variety.  Thus, it would be appropriate to use too much holiday partying as an excuse for our lack of posting in the month of December.

Sadly, this is not the case. We’re working girls and as is common at the close of a year (is it really almost 2011?), we have been busting our booties with the best of them.

This, of course, should not hamper our readers’ ability to host a kick ass holiday party. Granted, Hanukkah’s over by now, so to our Jewish readers, we extend our most sincere מצטער (that’s sorry in Hebrew, by the way), but for everyone else, there’s still the rest of December to think about. Christmas, New Year’s Eve, both hold much promise in the party circuit, but what to make if you’re planning on hosting?

Pancetta Wrapped Prawns with a Pesto Balsamic Glaze

Not to worry friends: we’ve got you covered.

One of the most important things to think about when you’re planning a get together is preparing as much as you can in advance. Nothing spells “bummer of a party” more than a stressed host or hostess slaving away in the kitchen (I’d be lying if I said this has never before happened to me. The thought of Halloween 2009 still makes me break out in a sweat). By writing out your menu and timeline days in advance, not only will you feel in control, you’ll also have a better time at your own gathering as well.

Stuffed Dates

For holiday party drinks, one can never go wrong with champagne, prosecco or sparkling wine. Served in flutes with a few raspberries, cranberries or a touch of pomegranate syrup merely adds to the festive mood. If hard alcohol’s more your thing, you can always serve up a Dark and Stormy with a holiday twist: add seasonal whole spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel and star anise to your simple syrup while heating it on the stove. It will infuse traditional flavor to an already wonderful drink. Eggnog with Maker’s Mark and hot apple cider are also excellent go-to winter beverages, and for the beer drinkers, I’ve been spotting some special ales at Trader Joe’s specifically made for the weeks of December.

Pear, Sage and Blue Cheese Crostini

But what to do about food? Hosting a dinner party is only suggested for those planning on inviting less than eight friends. When it comes to a group of ten or more, go with appetizers, some hot, some cold, some room temperature. This will not only help you in determining how much you can cram in the oven, it will also allow you to have much of it done before your guests arrive. And there’s nothing better than looking like a million bucks with everything ready to go once showtime rolls around.

Below are a few tried and true appetizer recipes we’ve had at some of our own gatherings over the years, and I hope they’ll come in handy over the next few weeks.

To all of you, Happy Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year, and happy eating for the rest of 2010.

See you in 2011,

Elizabeth

Pancetta Wrapped Prawns with a Pesto Balsamic Glaze

Slice pancetta slices in half. Lightly fry pancetta on medium-low heat about halfway (i.e. partially cooked, but allowing it to be malleable and move easily). Once brought to room temperature, wrap pancetta around prawn and secure with a toothpick if necessary.

In a bowl, combine pesto, balsamic vinegar and honey. Mix well and taste; if you think the sauce needs a little more balsamic, feel free to add some. Also, if your vinegar is not as high quality* as it could be, feel free to add a pinch of brown sugar to the mixture as well.

Pan-fry the pancetta wrapped prawns on medium heat. This should finish cooking the pancetta, while allowing the prawns to be cooked, but not overdone.

Once done, remove prawns from pan and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with pesto balsamic glaze and serve.

*High quality balsamic vinegar should have the consistency of syrup and be much sweeter than it’s average counterpart.

Stuffed Dates, A Few Ways*

Dates with pits removed, but still holding their shape**

A variety of cheeses including Gruyere, Pecorino and Parmesan wedges, and goat cheese

Any nuts including walnut, pecans and almonds, toasted, candied or seasoned

Prosciutto if desired

There are two different ways to go about making this recipe: one can be served at room temperature; the other is broiled in the oven.

Place a wedge of cheese or a smear (depending on what type) in center of date. Place nut within date as well. For the room temperature version of this dish, you are done.

For the hot version, wrap a piece of prosciutto around the stuffed date. Continue with other dates. Place on a foiled lined pan and broil in a 400 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Keep an eye on them as prosciutto is thin and will scorch easily! Serve immediately.

*Don’t be afraid of the date; it’s no longer just for your grandparents and their glory days! They are seriously one of nature’s candies, and can be balanced with a variety of options.

**It’s better to buy dates with the pits, and remove them yourself.

Sage, Pear and Blue Cheese Crostini

3 pears, diced (Bosc or D’Anjou varieties are good)

1 and ½ Tablespoons minced sage

1 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Crumbled blue cheese

Sourdough or French Baguette, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a pan, melt butter. Add pears and sage and stir well. Once pears start to cook, sprinkle with brown sugar and combine well. Cook for approximately 7 to 9 minutes on low heat. Put pear mixture in mesh stainer over a bowl or sink to allow the excess liquid to drain.

Meanwhile (or beforehand), arrange baguette slices on a pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle or brush on olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven, close to the heat source, for about 7 minutes.

Arrange crostini on a platter. Top bread slices with pear/sage mixture, then with blue cheese. Grind a little pepper over the hors d’oeuvres if desired.

To make this ahead of time, create the pear/sage mixture and the crostini a day ahead of time. Save the crostini in a ziplocked plastic bag and the pear/sage mixture in the refrigerator. Remove the mixture from the fridge about 3 hours before the party. Thirty minutes before guests arrive assemble and set out.

My mom, Sue, enjoying a bite.

1 pound of shelled, uncooked large prawns

½ pound of thinly sliced pancetta

4 heaping tablespoons of homemade or store bought pesto

1 Tablespoon quality balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Go Stuff Yourself

So… I have much to be thankful for this month. One, a new job after five months of searching finally came my way (sigh of relief!). Two, it is sweater weather… and I’m not talking about “it’s foggy outside and I can trick my body into wearing a sweater” weather. I can actually see my breath in the morning. And the scarves… OH, the scarves! I have flung them out of my closet with flourish and have incorporated them into my daily wardrobe seamlessly. It’s as if the weather gods have tired of messing with me and are finally willing to toss me an appropriate weather bone.

Kyle’s halfway done with school, for the second year in a row we have secured our title as owners of the world’s cutest dog and I have wonderful friends, family and my health.

Does one really need a reason to have a seasonally satisfying and soul nourishing meal with the people they love most? Why shouldn't we chow down heartily to celebrate all that is right with the world?

I meant to post this recipe last week with an explanation about how much I used to hate stuffing. I was going to regale you with a description of my mom’s oyster version (sorry to throw you under the bus, Mom, but what kid likes shellfish next to their mashed potatoes and gravy?), as well as how the two of us came by this recipe from this school when we decided to take a mother/daughter cooking class three years ago. We left in agreement that while the instructor’s “Perfect Mashed Potatoes” were anything but, his stuffing was certainly a crowd pleaser and has made it onto our communal table every year since.

Truthfully, I hoped to make this an outstanding post because, for me, this IS one of the ultimate annual holidays and one of the reasons I am happy to be an American (obviously, not the managing to wipe out an entire race of people with sadistic methods and a European epidemic part). Unfortunately, I’m not infallible and I completely dropped the ball; I think the writing is banal and hastily put together at best. Apparently, when one has a lot to be thankful for, time has an easy and somewhat tricky way of getting away from said person. 

Although, would I have it any other way? I don’t think so.

Happy Thanksgiving (and happy eating),

Elizabeth

Three Bread Stuffing with Apples, Pecans and Sage Sausage

3 cups French or sourdough bread (no baguettes), cubed in one inch pieces

3 cups corn bread, cubed in one inch pieces

3 cups whole wheat bread, cubed in one inch pieces

1 pound sage sausage (Trader Joe’s makes one now!)

1 white or yellow onion, diced

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

4 stalks of celery, halved and chopped

½ cup Italian flat parsley, freshly chopped

2 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons (half a stick) of unsalted butter

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon crumbly, dried sage

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

Grease a large Pyrex or metal pan with butter; set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine three different types of bread (or any combination thereof) in a large mixing bowl. In a large pan, cook sage sausage until there is no more pink visible. Pour on top of bread, add apples and pecans and set aside.

 In the same pan (no need to clean it… the flavor and little meat bits only add to the deliciousness of the stuffing), melt butter on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add celery and stir for an additional 3-4 minutes. Once that’s done, add the dried oregano, thyme and sage, and chopped parsley; mix well with onions and celery. 

Pour this mixture on top of bread, apples, pecans and sausage. Slowly stir all ingredients in bowl together.

Once done, slowly pour 1 cup chicken broth on top of mixture. Stir well until incorporated, then slowly pour last cup of chicken broth. Pour beaten eggs on top and mix slowly, but well. You want to achieve a consistently moist, but not soggy, mixture.

Pour mixture into greased pan and cover with tinfoil. Put in 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove tinfoil after 25 minutes is up, and let bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm until dinnertime.