Elegant Christmas celebration is best present
Turkey gets its chance to shine at Thanksgiving, so for Christmas, ham, cornish hens or beef tenderloin is the main attraction at our house. I like to present different meat selections to shake up the menu each year, but the dish that receives the most praise is beef tenderloin prepared with a mushroom gorgonzola sauce.
This recipe may look a little daunting at first but is really not that difficult. I think of cutting the meat into a book. Begin by making a cut one-half inch from the top of the meat to one-half inch of the opposite side. Then open like a book. Turn the beef and cut from the opposite edge to within a half inch of the opposite edge. You have now created a thinner version of your beef in which to stuff it with the filling and roll.
Beef tenderloin with gorgonzola and portobello mushrooms
Really, this is not as time consuming as one of standbys I cook every Christmas: eggplant casserole. I was fortunate to receive this recipe on a card directly from Wyatt’s Cafeteria before the restaurant chain closed its doors. After the eggplant is peeled, it is cut into cubes and placed into salted water overnight. The next day, it must be boiled to softened the texture and eliminate some seeds.
Toasted bread cubes soak in evaporated milk, giving this dish a rich base that is punctuated with the bright flavors of sauteed white onions, celery and green bell pepper. Pimiento cheese and sharp cheddar cheese melted on top complete this rich package. It’s only once a year, but if you would like to prepare this dish more often, then by all means experiment with reduced fat versions.
Eggplant casserole is a cheese lover’s dream
Dessert should always look as good as it tastes, and holidays are certainly a time for sweets to shine — literally — with dustings of glittery sugar, edible gold and chocolate curls. Confectioners’ sugar, while simple and sweet, provided just the right amount of dusting on cherries to resemble a light snow. Fruitcake gets such a bad rap, however, I like the homemade version (no green cherries, please).
So I make a mix between the over-the-top Southern favorite, Lane Cake, and fruit cake, called Christmas Lane cake. Coconut, toasted pecans, eight egg yolks and a dash of 80-proof bourbon whisky is decadent enough to be the only dessert needed at the table. I had some bourbon left, just enough for candy. Rum balls are usually on my candy list, but I wanted something gingerbread this year. Melted almond bark coated these spicy balls to create a different and zesty treat that is more spice than sugar.
Just one whiff of these was enough to induce a light-headed sensation! I hope you enjoy making some of these for your own holiday celebrations. Don’t forget to comment about some of your holiday favorites!
Christmas Lane cake is fruit filled heaven
Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola and Mushrooms
1 2.5 pound beef tenderloin
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut down the tenderloin length to within 1/2-inch of the border. Turn over and repeat process. Open flat. In a medium bowl, mix in onion and mushroom with bread crumbs, cheese and parsley. Melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook until tender. Remove from heat and cool about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle bread crumbs over beef to within 1 inch of edges. Tightly roll up beef, beginning with the long side. Tie beef with kitchen string in about 2-inch intervals. Place beef in roasting pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes or until thermometer reads 140 degrees. Cover beef loosely with foil and let stand about 15 minutes.
Servings: 6
Eggplant Casserole
1 medium to large eggplant, peeled and cubed
6 slices bread, toasted
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup pimiento cheese spread
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
Peel eggplant, slice into 1-inch cubes. Place in medium bowl of water with 1 teaspoon salt. Store in refrigerator at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sautee onion, bell pepper and celery in butter in a medium saucepan. Set aside to cool. Toast bread slices and cut into 1-inch squares. Add to large mixing bowl with evaporated milk. Let soak about 25 minutes. Remove eggplant from refrigerator and drain. Boil a quart of water and pour eggplant cubes into medium-sized pan. Boil 15 minutes and stir with wooden spoon to encourage seeds to loosen and fall out. Remove from heat and drain. Mix together eggplant, eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into greased casserole dish.
Cook for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven for about 10 minutes.
Servings: 8
Christmas Lane Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup eggnog
8 large egg whites
For the filling:
8 large egg yolks
1 stick butter at room temperature
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cup Fruit Cake Mix (with green cherries removed)
For the frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
For the topping:
1 cup maraschino cherries
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting
Cake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour four 9-inch cake pans. Line pans with parchment paper.
Sift first five ingredients into medium bowl. Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 3 alternating additions with eggnog.
Beat egg whites in a separate mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until whites are stiff. Fold 1/3 of whites into butter mixture. Fold in remaining whites in two additions. Divide batter among pans. Bake cakes for about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto racks to completely cool.
Filling:
Mix fruit and bourbon in a small bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature until most of the bourbon is absorbed and fruit softens, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Using electric mixture, beat yolks and sugar in a medium bowl for about 4 minutes. Beat in butter. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan. Cook until mixture is thick over medium heat, about 12 minutes.
Remove from heat; mix in nuts, coconut and fruit mixture. Let cool completely. Wrap cakes and cover filling; chill. Place cake layer on platter; spread with 1/3 of filling. Repeat layers.
Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in bourbon and vanilla. Fold in cream and remaining powdered sugar in bowl until soft peaks form. Add cream cheese to whipped cream; beat until stiff enough to frost cake. Spread frosting over cake. Place cherries on top and sprinkle with dusting of powdered sugar.
Servings: 12
Gingerbread Balls serve up a spicy treat
Gingerbread Bourbon Balls
3 1/2 cups crushed vanilla-flavor wafer cookies
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons light Karo syrup
1/4 cup bourbon
1 1/2 cups almond bark, melted
Mix together wafer cookies with dry ingredients. Stir in Karo syrup and bourbon. Roll into 1-inch balls and chill. Melt almond bark in microwave at 25-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Dip balls into bark and place on wax paper. Let candy coating set and place into Ziplock bags to preserve freshness.
Servings: 12
A spicy interior is coated by sweet almond bark
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