New Year's Eve Menu

For many years we have hosted a NYE party with lots of real fireworks as they are legal in our state. I have prepared many menus but for tonight, I decided on a sort of Steak and Stein night. It was and may still be a restaurant near my hometown. As a child my parents served this dinner to celebrate their anniversary which is Dec 29th. So in a tribute to them I decided to use that sort of menu for tonight. It's fairly easy but requires a bit of prep but is totally kid friendly. In part, it's a salad and baked potato bar with some sort of grilled meat(s). As a child we always had a whole tenderloin and what a treat to grill in the snow and bring the smell into the cold house to warm it up with loads of cheer. It was always a very special day for us all. I mentioned I was one of 7 and as a child to have the choices to make a salad and baked potato just the way I like it was a treat enjoyed me and my family. So to you Mom and Dad a belated happy 58th!!!
Salad 2 bowls, Romaine and Spinach leaves. Toppings to include, Crumbled Feta, Crumbled Blue Cheese, Black Olives, Green Olives, Grated Carrots, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Sliced Peppers, Crispy Onions, Crispy Bacon Bits, (and whatever else you like). For vegetarians, add things like Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Black Beans and Chick Peas. I'll have 5-6 different salad dressing. For the Potatoes, I'll bake small Russets and Sweet Potatoes, with Butter, Sour Cream, Chives, Cinnamon, Grated Cheddar. Of course all salad/potato bar items are interchangeable! Will will grill either a 1 1/2" thick Sirloin or a Tenderloin and I'm roasting a 5-6 Lb Hen since we will have lots of children. These will both be sliced ahead and served with Rolls. I'll serve sauteed mushrooms in brandy and will have some horseradish cream for the steak. For the Stein, serve a variety of beer. Once I get it set up, I'll post a picture! Happy New Year!!

Standing Rib Roast Cooking Times

Over the past 10 years I have kept track of how long I have cooked various sized Standing Rib Roasts, aka, Prime Rib. The reason it is called a "Standing Rib Roast" is that "Prime" is a grade reserved mostly for restaurants. You are likely getting Choice or Select grade meat. Any other grade goes down in quality quickly after that. This year we have a 12 1/2 lb Angus Standing Rib Roast!
When choosing a rib roast, think also of how you are going to carve and serve it. If you carve the ribs apart after roasting, the meat is a good 1 1/2" thick and takes up the entire plate. It also doesn't go very far and you'll need doggie bags. I always order it off the bone but have it retied. The bone helps flavor the meat as well as reduce cooking time plus keeps it upright in the oven. Once the meat rests, untie it and carve your desired thickness, ideally 3/4" thick. Keep the bone for a later meal as there is a lot of meat on it and it is really good!
The smallest roast I get regardless of whether there are just 2 of us is 3 bones. I think this ends up about a 3 1/2 - 4 lb roast. If it doesn't have 3 bones it will fall over as it shinks in the cooking process and it will cook unevenly.
Next, you have to have a roasting pan long enough to fit your rib roast. You can buy those at a reasonable price now. I would not use glass for a rib roast but rather a roasting pan. Once the meat is done, you will need a carving board large enough. One with a well to collect juices is best. You will also need a very sharp carving knife. When setting the table don't forget sharp knives. Remind your guests to kindly not cut into you silver plate or sterling silver forks when cutting. For this occasion, I would cut children's meat on the carving board and serve theirs ready to eat.

Preheat oven to 350. Place oven shelf 1 level below center making sure the roast will fit in the space without touching the heating element. If it looks too close, lower the shelf one more time.
Place roast in the pan. S&P the outside of the meat. If you like herbs, thyme is a good choice. Quarter an onion creating fairly large wedges, cutting from north to south poles. To prevent burning, do not pull apart every layer. Arrange in bottom of the pan. 

Place in the oven WITHOUT covering. If you cover it you are steaming the meat.

4.36 lbs 1 hour 25 minutes
4.6 lbs 1 hour 25 minutes
5 1/2 Lbs 1 hour 30 minutes
6 1/2 lbs 1 hour 45 minutes

7.75 lbs 1 hour 55 minutes
10.4 lbs 2 hours 20 minutes
17 3/4 lbs 2 hours 20 minutes

You can see that once the meat is longer than it is wide it doesn't cook any longer. It took me a few thoughtful hours to figure this out. Once I came to that conclusion with my $100+ 17 lb rib roast and finally called Houston's Restaurant to make certain of my thought process. They were nice enough to confirm this and the roast was prefect!

Ina Garten's Thumprint Cookies

What a delicious cookie! These are different from most jelly filled cookies in that they are filled first, then baked. These are well suited for stacking for a gift or a platter of cookies. Also a good choice for low sugar diets.
1 1/2 Sticks UnSalted Butter, 1/2 Cup Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla, 1 3/4 Cup Flour, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1 Egg (for egg wash), 14 oz Flaked Coconut, 1 Small Jar Raspberry Jam or Preserves, 1 Small Jar Orange Marmalade.
The butter doesn't have to be soft, in fact this recipe is better if it is cool. In a mixer fitter with a paddle, cream butter and sugar til just combined. Add vanilla and salt. Sift Flour and add it while the mixer is running. Stop mixing when dough comes together. Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface, form a round disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350. Place coconut in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and a splash of water. Open the orange marmalade and the raspberry preserves and have them ready with spoons.
Roll the dough into 1oz or 1 1/4" balls. Try to make them uniform in size. Roll in egg wash, coat with coconut and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Using your thumb or a small rounded form like the end of a wooden spoon, press an indentation in each cookie. Fill with one on the preserves. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the coconut is golden brown. This should easily make 3 dozen cookies.

Toasted Hazelnut Chocolate Biscotti

I love making my own biscotti. The store bought variety is always too hard. I find this recipe quite good because they are slightly soft in the middle unless you really cook them until they dry out completely. This comes from Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. I did make a change to the recipe, she blanches her hazelnuts and I toast mine. I think it makes a big difference in how they taste. You be the judge!

Brandy Alexander

When I read this recipe in my Old Mr. Boston's I knew it was made for Christmas! With these simple ingredients, you can be sure to toast the holidays with any guest who may drop by to pay you a visit! It's a "no fuse and cream" for anytime of day or night.

In a shaker mix 1 oz Each of, Brandy VSOP, White Creme de Cacao and Heavy Cream. Top with ice. Stir til really cold and strain into a glass. Top with freshly ground Nutmeg.

Baked Brie

I got a little inspiration while watching the Iron Chef Holiday Show last night. One of the ingredients they had to use was chocolate. I decided to add chocolate to my baked brie.
Defrost 1 Puff Pastry Sheet. Preheat oven to 400. Roll out pastry until just large enough to get 2 circles. I used an 8oz Wheel of Brie, the smallest you can buy. Make an egg wash by beating 1 Egg and a splash of water. Place brie on 1 circle and using the egg wash like glue, fold up and crimp sides. In skillet, toast 2 oz Sliced Almonds in 1 1/2 tsp Butter. Set aside. Melt 2 oz White Chocolate. I like to use dried raspberries (The Fresh Market carries these) because they don't bleed and they don't get overly juicy. Top the brie with 2 oz Dried Raspberries. Drizzle berries with the melted white chocolate. Top with nuts and place a round of pastry over top. Press down slightly. Brush the sides with egg wash and crimp and glue to the bottom pastry. Decorate the top pastry using the scraps of pastry. If you aren't artistic, use a cookie cutter. Brush with egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve hot with crackers. I have to say adding the chocolate made this brie divine!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

This wonderful winter dish is priced incredibly well. I think this makes a terrific Christmas Eve or even Christmas dinner. Dare I say this 4 lb Pork Loin was under $5 and can easily serve 8! Children like it too because it is moist.
Remove Pork Loin from the refrigerator an hour before roasting. Make sure the meat will fit into your roasting pan.
Preheat oven to 350. Melt 2 Tbl Butter. Place Pork Loin in roasting pan, fat side up. This sounds crazy but first brush the meat with butter. Wrap with enough bacon to cover the meat. If this is a special dinner, I would go to a fine grocer and get 5-8 Slices Applewood Smoked Bacon (depends of the length of the loin) from the butcher.
Wrap with bacon by draping and tucking under the loose ends. If you know how to tie the meat with string you can do it as you work. If you don't know how to do this step it will still end up just as good. Brush bacon with butter and season with ground pepper. I don't think you need salt but you be the judge. Cut 1 Small Onion into quarters and add to the roasting pan. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until when stabbed, the juices run clear. Do not over cook! PLEASE NOTE: The meat will roast the same amount of time regardless of its length. Once done, remove from oven and place on a platter with foil loosely over the top. Let rest for 15 minutes before placing on a carving board and slicing to 1/4" slices. Serve on a warm platter with au jus, as pictured.
There are wonderful juices to make a great gravy. Place roasting pan over medium high heat and deglaze pan with 1/3 Cup Apple Juice, 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock and a Splash of Kitchen Bouquet. Mix 2 Tbl Flour to 2 Tbl water in a small bowl. Add 1/4 Cup of the Pan Juices to the flour mixture. While stirring, pour flour mixture into pan juices. Let this return to boiling and gently boil for 3 minutes. If too thick add additional stock, if too thin, let it evaporate a bit or repeat with more flour. Strain into a sauce pan and serve in a gravy boat with sliced meat.

Toasted Coconut Butter Cookies

Back in Dec 1995 I received a Food & Wine issue filled with pictures of cookies on the front cover. It wasn't til years later that I tried these. I changed the recipe by adding pure Orange Oil because I thought, and still think, in compliments the toasted coconut just right. If you need other uses for the oil, try the Orange Raspberry Scones on this web site. If you don't have time to get it, try zesting an orange over the bowl capturing the oils, too.
This cookie is delicious, packages well for gift boxes and adds a rectangular shape if you are arranging a platter. If you have time to make the dough early in the day but can't get to the baking this is perfect because it is done in 2 steps.
When I have made these in the past they puffed up slightly bellowing the sides and that is not desirable. These nice rectangles are what you want. Don't over beat the dough and through practice you can attain this perfect shape, too! To me these cookies smell like Christmas!
Preheat oven to 350 and toast 2 1/2 Cups Coconut to a golden brown. Turn once during the toasting precess. Let cool.
The butter should be cool, not room temperature. Beat together 2 Sticks UnSalted Butter, 1/2 Cup + 2 1/2 Tbl Sugar, 1/4 tsp + a pinch Salt until light and fluffy. Add 2 Egg Yolks, 1 at a time (choose your smallest 2 eggs. If you have one very large egg, use just one). Add 1 tsp Vanilla, 1 tsp Orange Oil (or zest of 1 orange). Add 2 1/3 Cups Flour gradually and beat just until combined well. Add Toasted Coconut and mix slowly until just combined.
Line a small sheet pan with a long piece of plastic wrap. Lay half in the pan and half hanging over one of the ends of the pan. Put all the dough on the wrap closest to the overhang. Fold the wrap over the dough and with you hand, quickly flatten the dough to fill the pan. It should be level and about 1/2" thick. Work the dough down the pan until if forms a square or rectangle. It will not fill the entire pan. Whatever the shape, you can use the heal of you hand to make a straight edge on the one open side. Place in refrigerator for a few hours but 6-8 works best.
Preheat oven to 350. Place dough on a cutting surface. Using a very long chefs knife, cut dough in half and in half again, creating 4 long bars of equal width. Cut the bars into 1/2" cookies and place on a light colored cookies sheet. They can be fairly close together since they don't rise much. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. The recipe calls to dip 1 end of each cookie but I never had luck since they are very tender and fell apart into the chocolate, therefore I like to drizzle them. Once they are all cooked, place very close together on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Melt 1 1/2 Cups Chocolate over very low heat stirring all the while, (can use milk or dark chocolate bars or semi sweet bits). Remove from heat. Dip the tines of a fork into chocolate and drizzle by shaking the fork crosswise over the cookies until you have the desired effect. Let cool completely before trying to stack. These are a family favorite every year!

Brussel Sprouts and Pancetta

I don't know what the big fuss is over Brussel Sprouts! I never ate one until I was in my 30's but each year since, I include them somewhere along the way. To me if they are done right they have a bit of a similar flavor to fresh artichoke hearts. A few years ago, I came across a Bobby Flay episode and he was making this dish. I later jotted down what I thought I saw him do. I thought it would be great holiday vegetable. When I host Christmas Dinner I like to serve 3 vegetables, I make 1 very simple for the children and a few that blend flavors so this is perfect. Now is the time to make this dish since the Brussel Sprouts are in high season! Go to the deli counter and have them cut 4 slices of Pancetta 1/4" thick. Clean 1- 1 1/2 Lbs Fresh Brussel Sprouts by trimming the stem and remove any dark green tough outer leaves. Cut in half and rinse. Dice Pancetta to 1/4" squares or there abouts. Heat empty sautee pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbl UnSalted Butter. Once melted, add Pancetta and cook til just getting crispy. Rinse Brussel Sprouts so a bit of water remains and add to hot pan. Sautee together until the Sprouts are tender. Add S&P to taste but go very easy on the salt. I think this dish needed a splash of lemon so just before placing on a platter for serving, toss with a quick Squeeze of Lemon Wedge. Instead of lemon and salt, you can also garnish with parmesan cheese. Happy meal planning!

Crispy Asparagus and Proscuitto Straws

This hails from MS Hors D'oeuvres Handbook. I love to make this during the holidays. Photos to come later but it's easy enough to figure out.
Defrost Phyllo Pastry in the refrigerator over night. Remove woody ends from 24 Asparagus Spears and steam them for about 2 minutes so they are bright green. Meanwhile cut 6 thin Slices of Proscuitto into 4 strips each giving you 24 strips. Lay asparagus flat to cool or rinse in cold water. Pat dry on a clean kitchen towel. You'll use about 1/4 - 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese in all. Preheat oven to 450. Melt 3 Tbl UnSalted Butter. Count out 6 sheets of phyllo and cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying out. Using 1 piece of phyllo at a time, brush with melted butter. Cut into 4 squares. Place a strip of Proscuitto, an Asparagus Spear and a 1/2 tsp Grated Parmesan Cheese on one side of the phyllo and roll up. It's ok if the the asparagus is longer than the phyllo, leave the tip exposed. Use butter to secure the pastry. Place on a sheet pan and sprinkle with Grated Parmesam Cheese. Once pan is filled, bake for 5-8 minutes until golden brown. For serving, may I suggest building a tower on a flat platter of some sort. Do this by lying 2 parallel about 4" part and stacking 2 more parallel to each other but perpendicular to the first also 4" apart. Continue with the pattern to build a hollow tower. This keeps them easy to pick up and avoids soggy phyllo. I love to serve these with a mustard dip or you can even add a drizzle of mustard before rolling them. Enjoy these hardy appetizers with a glass of bubbly this holiday season!