What's on the Table this Holiday Season?

I’m pretty traditional when it comes to the holiday foods. For Thanksgiving I always do turkey, even though I’m not really a fan. One year, a good friend asked if we should do two chickens instead of a turkey. Um, no. Chicken is more towards the “everyday spirit” than the “holiday spirit”, even if there are two of them. Hubby has suggested duck but I’m not feeling that either. If I don’t do turkey, I’ll feel lost. So it’s going to be turkey again this year, only this time I’m doing the dry brine. No icky salmonella liquid to get rid of at the end of the day.

Christmas is still up in the air. I think we’re supposed to do brunch with friends. Last year I did a prime rib roast for the first time and it was spectacular. Turned out to be the easiest roast I’ve ever done, thanks to my trusty $6 thermometer. I recently did a roast beef using a top round roast, which was also fantastic and probably more appropriate given the state of the economy. Ham is always a crowd pleaser and it’s a no-brainer, but maybe this year I’ll go as far as curing my own ham using a recipe out of Charcuterie (see right side bar). Or I can just keep it simple and do a Cuban-style pork roast.

I'm not going to think about New Year yet. It's only the week after Christmas but still seems so far away.

What do you think I should make for Christmas? Any suggestions? Our Christmas is in your hands, Interwebs! Okay, not really. But I’d really love some suggestions.

In the meantime here are some holiday-appropriate recipes for you just in case you need some inspiration as well. Some are mine but I threw in a few from around the web that piqued my interest. I'll probably update the list as I find interesting recipes.

Meats:
Perfect Prime Rib Roast Impress your guest with this deceptively easy roast. If I do it again, I'm going to try Citymama's suggestion of coating with brown sugar, Hawaiian salt and garlic.

Picnic Pork Roast A delicious alternative to the beef roast.

Ham with Thai Tea, Cardamom, and Clove Sauce May sound weird, but tastes great. This post has details on how to make a proper pan sauce for ham.

Salt Rub and Butter Turkey from Wandering Chopsticks I'm doing the dry brining this year!

Duck Adobo Confit from Burnt Lumpia Love confit. I'm considering it for Christmas dinner since it might just be me and the boys.

Homemade Bratwurst and Red Cabbage from We Are Never Full This dish reminds me of the Danish Julefrokost, which is a meatfest Christmas brunch (eaten throughout month) accompanied by a lot of drinking. Think smorgasbord with hard liquor.

Appetizers and Accompaniments:
Tasty tomato jam Wonderful accompaniment to strong cheese

Danish-style pate Eaten all year round, but made extra special by serving with crispy bacon and sauteed mushrooms. No Julefrokost is complete without it. Invite your cardiologist friend, just in case.

Danish meatballs Another staple of the Danish Julefrokost. Delicious with red cabbage and/or pickled beets.

Hummus What kind of gathering would it be without hummus? Use sun-dried tomatoes to make it extra festive.

Cranberry Chutney Nice alternative to regular cranberry sauce.

Danish curried pickled herring Definitely an acquired taste, but worth trying if you're adventurous. I normally only eat this during Christmas as part of my Danish Christmas brunch.

Gravlax from Citymama A must at any Julefrokost. I do it similar, but add a light layer of ground fennel before the dill (I also used dried dill).

Swedish Potato and Rutabaga Casserole from One Perfect Bite Rutabagas are an underrated vegetable. I love the taste and bet they are perfect in this casserole.

Brunede Kartofler (caramelized potatoes) also from One Perfect Bite How could I forget these? I ate these every Christmas when I lived in DK. Perfect accompaniment for roasted duck and easy to do!

Pumpkin Rosemary Dinner Rolls from Sass and Veracity I just made these (using canned pumpkin) and they were a hit! A nice, seasonal alternative to dinner rolls. Makes a big batch (I stopped at 16 rolls and froze the rest of the dough), but any leftovers can be used to make Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding!

Desserts:
Pumpkin Coconut Crème Brulee Elegant alternative to pumpkin pie.

Thai tea Crème Brulee What can I say, I love creme brulee, and this is my favorite so far.

White Chocolate and Star Anise Crème Brulee from Culinary Delights I'm planning on trying this for Christmas. Don't see how it could go wrong.

Kugelhof from All-Purpose Girl This reminds me of something I ate in Denmark. May be a good alternative if you're not a fruit cake fan.

Fruit Cake from Burnt Lumpia The fruit cake loves fruit cake. I'm talking about myself, of course. But only if it's good. And this looks good. How can it not be? It's spritzed every other day with brandy for 2 weeks! Imagine the moist, alcoholic goodness.

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies from No Special Effects Come on, don't gingerbread people just scream Christmas? And the kiddies can have fun decorating them.


So what's on your table this holiday season?

Have a happy Christmas and eat some prime rib!

Did I ever mention I love my neighbors? Yesterday our neighbor across the street hosted a neighborhood (+ family friends) holiday potluck party. As always, it was all good times. It was too much of a good time for Hubby and he paid for it today…at work. HEHE!

Originally I was going to bring some kind of appetizer/finger food, but when I found out my local grocery store was having a sale (to the tune of $4/pound!!) on prime rib roast, I couldn’t resist. I’ve always wanted to try fixing one, but was nervous to pay $50+ to experiment on a beautiful cut of meat. Well, it turned out to be super easy thanks to my $6 meat thermometer.

I've started new tradition this year--rib roast for Christmas dinner!

If you do a little research on how to make a standing rib roast, there are a few different ways. I like searing the meat at high heat, then going low until it’s done. This requires a little more roasting time, but I think that allows for better browning of the exterior without the threat of burning.

About the seasonings...I think you can choose just about any seasoning combination you like and the roast will still taste fantastic. All that’s required is plenty of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Everything else is a bonus. I used garlic and since I had some thyme, I threw that in too. Get creative. Try toasted and roughly ground cumin and coriander seeds for a Caribbean flavor or dry mustard for a more traditional English taste.

Ain't it a beaut?

Standing Rib Roast

• 8 to 10 pound rib eye roast, with bones
• 1 head garlic
• 1 to 2 tbs chopped herbs, such as thyme or rosemary
• 1 tbs oil
• kosher salt (at least 2 to 3 tbs)
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 portion Gorgonzola sauce (recipe follows)

special equipment: reliable meat thermometer and kitchen twine

Peel the garlic and mash it in a mortar with the chopped herbs. Add the oil to the paste and rub the seasonings over the meat. Push the spices into any little crannies and crevices. Using the kitchen twine, tie the roast at regular intervals. This will prevent any of the crusty parts from peeling off during cooking. Leave the roast on the counter for a couple of hours to bring to room temperature. I know some people may be freaked out by the thought of leaving meat out for so long. Trust me, it won’t get warm. It won’t even really come to room temperature. You just want to be sure to take the chill off so it will sear more efficiently and reduce the total cooking time.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Put the roast in a shallow roasting pan, rib side down, and rub the roast with plenty of salt and pepper (don't be shy!). Roast for 20 minutes. Resist the urge to open the oven no matter what you hear or smell (unless it’s an oven fire, of course). Turn down the heat to 300° and continue roasting for about 1 hour.

After that first hour, rotate the roasting pan to promote even browning. I have a convection oven, but I still find it’s helpful to rotate if I’m doing a lengthy roast. This is also a good time to check the temperature. Don’t expect the roast to be close to done, but it’s still good to get an idea. Insert your thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat. Be sure to push far enough into the roast to get an accurate reading. If you only go an inch in, the reading will be deceptively high. Go in a little farther and the temperature will drop. My magic number is 130, but anywhere from 125° to 130° will give you a nice medium-rare roast. For an 8 pounder, expect it to take at least 2 hours, so shut the oven and don’t open it again until the next hour. After the second hour, you’ll probably be close, so you’ll want to check every 15 minutes (or less if it makes you feel better).

Once the roast is done, move it to a platter immediately. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. It will release juices, which can be used as a simple sauce. You can also make a simple Gorgonzola sauce, which tastes fantastic with beef.

For the perfect roast, cook until the internal temperature reaches between 125° and 130°, but not one degree more.

Easy Gorgonzola Sauce

• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 oz crumbly Gorgonzola
• 2-3 tbs mayonnaise

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the Gorgonzola with the heavy cream. Stir occasionally to promote even melting. When the cheese has melted, continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before adding in enough of the mayonnaise to thicken the sauce a little. Pour the sauce into a container and chill it in the fridge. Take it out about a half hour to an hour before serving. Using a fork or whisk, quickly whip the sauce to homogenize. It will have the consistency of sour cream.

Hope everyone has a happy Christmas!!! It's just the three of us this year. We are having some friends over for brunch, but otherwise it will be a quiet holiday. I wanna know, how are you celebrating??

This picture was taken at Hubby's company party earlier this month. Note to self: take family photo before face painting.