Sherry Cheese Bread

Renee Schaukowitch

This cheesy bread was given to me when I first got married and now at every occasion I have to make it… You will love it with a glass of wine,

  • 1 round loaf of sourdough  (cut across then turn bread to cut across again… then place the bread on foil so that when you pour the cheese mixture on the bread you can wrap the bread up in foil for baking)
  • 3 jars of Old English Cheese
  • 1 cube of butter
  • 1 cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of crushed garlic (jar is fine) fill one empty cheese jar with any kind of sherry (inexpensive is just fine)

Melt all ingredients together and pour into the nooks and crannies of the bread Bake at 300° for 1 hour and enjoy.


German Spritzer Cookies

Laurie Balthazar

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar together until waxy.  Beat egg yolks until light brown.  Add flour a tablespoon at a time until soft dough is formed.  Put into cookie designer and press out shapes.  Decorate.  Bake in a hot oven until light brown.

As you’ve probably noticed, she hasn’t included an oven temperature or time.  Great Gram cooked these in a wood burning oven so I guess “hot” was as accurate as she could get.  Great Gram was born in Eagleville, PA in the late 1800’s!  She moved to Conshohocken when she married.  Her new home was next door to her mother-in-law.  This is the same house that my mother grew up in.

Her married name was Laura Linda Shade (guess who’s Laurie Lynn).  Apparently she only worked outside of the home one day in her life and wore pants one day in her life (the same day).  She passed away when I was about 14 or 15.  She was 98 years old.  Perhaps I should repeat that: she was 98 years old!

From what my mother told me, Great Gram was the designated cookie baker at home until the job got passed on to her daughter, Doris (my grandmother).  Eventually her daughter, Beverly (my mom) was the  official cookie baker until she left home.  I’ll be baking these cookies this year.  I’ll probably bake them every year from now on.


Mincemeat Pie

Tim Dineen

  • 2 apples, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup dark raisins
  • 1 cup dried currants
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 oz shredded beef suet (1/2 cup) (or 4 oz butter)
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp minced lemon zest
  • 2 tsp minced orange zest
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ginger

Dough for double crust pie.
Blend together all mincemeat ingredients in large pan.  Cook on low heat until thick.  Cool, then refrigerate.

To assemble:
Preheat oven to 400°F.Place sheetpan in oven on middle rack.
Roll out dough  on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch round and fit into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Spoon mincemeat into shell.
Top with second crust and crimp edges.  Cut steam holes in crust.
Bake until pastry is golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour.


Torrone

The recipe comes from La Cucina Italiana Magazine and it was extremely straightforward and easy to follow.  The candy did exactly what it said it was going to do in the recipe at every step.  It was great.  The one caveat is this is  a sticky, sticky candy.  And I do mean sticky.  I broke a heavy-duty spatula stirring in the nuts.  It was old, granted, but it was my favorite.  Oh well.

The only change I made was to use edible rice paper instead of cornstarch and parchment paper.  I laid out the rice paper on a sheet pan, spread the torrone on it, topped it with rice paper, rolled it to the desired thickness, and then cut it after it had cooled and set.

Sticky.

Torrone

Ingredients

  • Cornstarch for dusting
  • 3 cups whole blanched almonds
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup clover honey
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Finely grated zest of 1 large orange

Special equipment: parchment paper; a candy thermometer

Instructions

Heat oven to 350º.  Lightly dust a clean work surface with cornstarch. Line a 9- x 13- inch baking dish with parchment paper, letting excess paper hang over edges.

Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once halfway through, until fragrant and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack; let nuts cool completely.

Put egg whites and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk; set aside.

In a heavy 4-quart saucepan with candy thermometer attached, heat sugar and honey over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture begins to simmer and sugar is mostly dissolved, 12 to 14 minutes (mixture will be very thick, then begin to loosen and turn cloudy). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 280º degrees. Continue to cook mixture, stirring once or twice, until temperature reaches 315º. It will take the mixture about 15 minutes more to reach that temperature (the mixture will begin to foam and darken in color as temperature increases).

Meanwhile, beat egg whites on medium speed until firm peaks form. Add confectioners sugar and continue to beat until fully incorporated, about 1 minute more. Turn off mixer, leaving bowl in place.

When sugar mixture reaches 315º, remove from heat; stir until temperature reduces to 300º, 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully remove candy thermometer. With mixer on medium speed, slowly pour sugar mixture down the side of the bowl (egg mixture will double in volume, then decrease); continue to beat until mixture is cooled to warm and begins to lighten in color, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and zest; beat for 1 minute more, then, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, fold in nuts (mixture will be very sticky).

Turn out candy onto prepared work surface; dust hands with cornstarch. Knead for 5 to 6 turns, then transfer to prepared baking dish. Dust hands with more cornstarch, then press candy to flatten and fill pan. Put pan on wire rack and let candy cool completely, about 1 hour.

Using parchment paper overhang, lift out candy from pan; cut candy into pieces. Layer in a sealed container, between sheets of parchment paper and let stand overnight, with container sealed and at room temperature, to dry, at least 8 hours or overnight. Candy can be kept, layered between sheets of parchment paper, in a sealed container at room temperature, for up to 3 weeks.


Christmas Eve Killer Shrimp

Luigi Pommi

There’s a restaurant in Manhattan Beach (there’s also one in the Marina) called Killer Shrimp.  They offer a grilled shrimp for the meek but essentially there’s one item on the menu: a big serving of cooked, unpeeled shrimp swimming in a bowl of cajun gravy.  A basket of sliced french bread is provided for dipping into the amazing spicy gravy.  There’s one dessert, too: key lime pie.  The whole experience is sloppy and delicious and after eating there a couple of dozen times I was determined to duplicate the recipe.

And I did. I nailed it.  It took a couple of years but this is exactly what they serve (by the way, great idea for a restaurant, eh?  Just serve basically one thing, simmer it in a pot for a couple of hours, throw in shrimp and serve.  You could get a child to do it  And Killer Shrimp was packed every time I ate there).

This does tie into Christmas because since returning to the vast wastelands of the midwest I’ve been preparing this on Christmas Eve.  It takes very little time to assemble and makes for a fun Christmas Eve dinner.  I’ll be throwing it together for my family again this year.

A couple of notes on the recipe: yes, it takes a lot of butter.  This is because it’s technically a gravy and not a sauce, and a true gravy contains fat.  You can cut down on the butter a bit, but not much.  It’s really essential.  Trust me on this.  Also essential is the huge amount of rosemary in it.  Again, you can cut down a bit but it’s really an important part of the recipe – at Killer Shrimp, the gravy is loaded with it and surprisingly it isn’t overpowering.  The nice thing about the long simmer time is you can make adjustments throughout the process, so if you want to reduce the butter/rosemary at the beginning you can always throw a little more in later.

On to the recipe:

Christmas Eve Killer Shrimp

(weird name for a Christmas recipe, isn’t it?  Oh well).

Add the following to a stockpot and bring to a boil:

  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 2 8-oz bottles of clam juice (you can find this bottled near the tuna in your grocery store)
  • 1 can beer (don’t use dark beer)
  • 3 sticks butter (not margarine)
  • 1/4 C worcestershire sauce
  • 2 quarts Clamato (you can substitute plain tomato juice if you must)
  • 1 C water
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 3 T plus 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
  • 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 tsp Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice

Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  When ready to serve, bring back to boiling and add 3-4 pounds of unpeeled large shrimp.  Let boil for 2-3 minutes until done.  Ladle shrimp into bowls with generous servings of the gravy.  Serve with sliced baguettes and lots of napkins.

The above will provide around 4 servings, adjust as you need to.


Sausage Rolls

Ann Mason

  • 1 package puff pastry
  • 1 pound pork sausage.  I use medium or hot, depending on the age of the eaters.

Thaw pastry, flatten out sheets and cut each in half lengthwise.

Roll four sausage snakes between your hands and place on the middle of each pastry half sheet.

Dampen edge of pastry and seal sausage inside, using fork tines to press edges together.

With very sharp knife, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Make two tiny slashes in the top of each piece.  Do not omit this step or my English friend will be put out.

Bake at 400° until golden brown and sausage is done.  This may involve eating at least two hot ones to make sure.

Serve hot or cold with a good mustard for dipping.

These also freeze indefinitely, good for a week in the fridge.  I don’t reheat them but one could if one doesn’t like cold sausage pastry.


Little Mince Pies

Ann Mason

These are terribly frightfully English, a tradition that my English sister started in our family when my kids were tots and so simple to make but they are a huge hit.

  • 1 double pastry recipe (I used the ready made stuff, either Pillsbury or Weggies.
  • 1 large jar mincemeat, prefer Cross and Blackwells with rum and brandy
  • 1 large finely chopped or grated apple ( or a couple of medium apples)
  • 1 beaten egg or a couple of beaten egg whites
  • Granulated sugar at hand

Roll out pastry and cut into 2 inch rounds. Lightly oil pan. Place one round in each cup of tart pan.  Mix mincemeat with apples, put a spoonful into each pastry cup.  Cut out smaller rounds for the top crusts and cover each little pie, no need to seal.  Brush tops with egg mixture, sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in 400 degree oven until golden brown.  Cool on rack.  Eat any broken or funny shaped ones.  (Very important step)  These will freeze indefinitely or keep a couple of weeks in plastic container.

Even people who say they hate mincemeat go through these by the handful.

When serving, be sure to sing Good King Wenceslas, particularly if it is Boxing Day.


Hot Shrimp Dip

  • ½ stick butter, melted
  • ¼ c. chopped green pepper
  • ¼ c. onion

Sauté above ingredients.  Add

  • 1 c. cooled shrimp
  • ½ c. grated American cheese (not sharp)
  • ¼ c. chili sauce .

Eat with cocktail crackers.


Barak

Great for cocktail parties…can be made ahead and frozen!!

  • 1 lb. strudel (fillo) dough
  • ½ lb. each sharp cheddar cheese, Muenster cheese, cottage cheese

Grind, grate or use blender for cheddar and Muenster cheeses. Fold in cottage cheese and roll into balls to size of an acorn. Cut strudel dough in fourths.  Refrigerate portions not being used for the moment. Dough is fragile and will dry out quickly so handling fast is important.

Spread one strip of dough with melted butter. Put ball of cheese at the bottom. Fold triangle fashion as for a flag, brushing with butter at each 2nd fold. Place on ungreased cookie sheet at least 2” apart.  Bake at 375 for 1 minute. Serve very hot. It can be frozen before baking. Yield: about 80.


Pumpkin Cake

Dana Eilers

Many years ago, I found this recipe in an edition of COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE.  I have been making it for over three decades.  It can be tweaked to be more pungent, more fruity, more nutty.  I have added cranberries to the cake, which gives it a real *kick.*  You can put icing on the cake or leave it bare.  Thin slices with coffee are the perfect holiday interlude.  Thicker slices with cream cheese in the morning are wonderful breakfast fare.  Baked in smaller loaves and wrapped festively, it makes a tremendous, thoughtful *fresh from the oven* Christmas gift for bosses, teachers, etc.  My bosses always loved it when I baked this cake at the holidays.  The cake is festive, bright, and very, very filling.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unsifted flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 16-ounce can pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup apple or orange juice
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup dark seedless raisins
  • confectioners sugar

To Prepare
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a ten inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, juice, eggs, and vanilla. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until well combined. Fold in nuts and raisins. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 60 minutes. Take out of pan. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar before serving.


Brisket in Beer

Sara Leiberman Quirk

This is our traditional first night of Hanukkah dinner.  It’s also served every year for Passover.  I look forward to those holidays just for this dish.

  • 1 4 pound brisket
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 sliced onion
  • ½ cup chili sauce
  • 2 Tbs brown sugar
  • 1 12 oz bottle of beer
  • 2½ Tbs flour
  • ½ cup plus 2 Tbs water (only use flour and water if you need to thicken the gravy, I never use it, don’t usually need to)

Trim fat from brisket and place in 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Sprinkle top of brisket with pepper and arrange onion rings on top.

Combine chili sauce and next 3 ingredients, stir well and pour over brisket. Cover and bake at 350 for 3 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until tender.

I usually slice the brisket and let it sit in the cooking liquid covered until time to serve, then save the liquid for a tasty gravy.


Beverages

There is nothing to show here!
Slider with alias holiday-bev not found.