Feastive Holiday Feast
In anticipation of the Holiday Season, the ladies of LadyLUX put together a delicious holiday menu for you and your loved ones to enjoy!
Appetizers
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
• 12 Dates
• 6 Strips of Bacon, cut in half
• 1 log of Goat cheese (Chevre)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Poke your finger in the dates, creating a little hole and remove the pit. Take 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of chevre and push it into the pitted date. Wrap each filled date in a half–slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. If you want to add some texture and a little more sweetness, roll the bacon wrapped dates in a little brown sugar before baking. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the bacon is fully crisped.
Courtesy of Kelly Artz
Aimee’s Caramelized Onion Puffs
Ingredients
• 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry sheets
• 6 Maui sweet onions
• ¼ cup Brown sugar
• ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ Tbs Rock Salt
• ½ Tbs Peppercorns crushed
• 2 Tbs Butter
• ½ cup of Chardonnay (any kind)
• 8 oz Chevre cheese
• 1 egg
Directions
Prepare Puff pastry sheets according to directions on box. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut onions in half and then in ½ inch slices. Heat a large skillet on medium low and add half the amount of olive oil, 1 Tbs butter and the chopped onions. Add salt and pepper. Stir onions often, when onions start to shrink down add brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Add chardonnay and turn up heat. Before all liquid evaporates turn heat down. Let the onions caramelize for about 20 minutes stirring often.
Cut puff pastry sheets into 3”x4” squares. Grease two cookie sheets and keep puff squares about 1 inch apart. Beat egg and brush liquid over each entire puff square. Top squares with onions, then goat cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Be careful not to burn crust. When done, plate and let cool for 5 minutes before enjoying.
Courtesy of Aimee Poulson
Cocktail
Pomegranate Champagne Punch
Ingredients
1 ½ cups Pomegranate Juice
1 cup Pear Nectar
¼ cup Orange flavored liqueur such as Grand Marnier
1 Bottle of Champagne
Directions
In a large pitcher combine pomegranate juice, pear nectar, and orange flavored liqueur. Serve over ice.
Courtesy of Food Network
First Course
Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad
Ingredients
• 3 ripe but firm Anjou Pears
• Juice from 3 lemons
• ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
• ½ cup pomegranates plus more for garnish
• ¼ cup pistachios
• 2 Tbs honey
• ½ cup spiced apple cider
• 3 Tbs port
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 6 ounces baby arugula
• Sea salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise in half. Remove the core and seeds. Scoop out a round indentation in the center of each pear half for the filling. Cut a small slice from the rounded side of each pear half so that they will lay flat while baking. Dip each pear in some of the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Place the pears, core side up, in a baking dish. Gently combine the crumbled blue cheese, pomegranates, nuts, and honey together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, placing in the indentation. In the same bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over the pears. Bake the pears, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.
Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, ¼ cup of lemon juice, and ½ cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. In a large bowl toss the arugula with the dressing and season with salt. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Sprinkle with extra pomegranate seeds.
Courtesy of Leanna Wake Comer
Main Course
Roast Prime Rib with Thyme Au Jus
Ingredients
• 1 bone-in prime rib (6 to 7 pounds)
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 cups red wine
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves
Directions
Thirty minutes before roasting the prime rib, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make small slits all over the prime rib and fill each slit with a slice of the garlic. Season liberally with the salt and coarse pepper, place on a rack set inside a roasting pan and roast for about 2 hours until medium-rare, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 135 degrees F. Remove the meat to a platter, and tent with foil to keep warm.
Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over 2 burners set on high heat. Add the wine to the pan drippings in the pan and cook over high heat until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Slice meat as desired and serve with thyme au jus.
Courtesy of Food Network, Bobby Flay
Side Dishes
Popovers/Yorkshire Pudding
Ingredients
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of Milk
• 2 cups of Gold Medal Flour
• 1 tsp salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Grease 12 deep custard cups (5 ounces) or 16 medium muffin cups. With a hand beater, beat eggs slightly: add milk, flour and salt and beat just until smooth. Do not over beat.
Fill custard cups ½ full or muffin cups ¾ full and bake for 20 minutes. Then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from pan; serve hot.
Yorkshire Pudding: The traditional English accompaniment for roast beef is simply popover batter baked in the meat drippings.
Courtesy of Betty Crocker
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
• 6 Rustic Potatoes peeled and cut in quarters
• 1 Package of Boursin herb cheese (5.2 oz)
• 3 Tbs of butter
• ½ can of chicken stock
• ½ cup of sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chives
Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain in colander and return to same pot, keep heat on low. Add butter and start mixing with hand mixer. Add chicken stock, sour cream, Boursin cheese and salt and pepper. Mix until smooth then plate and garnish with chives to taste.
Courtesy of Aimee Poulson
Haricots Verts with Tarrogon
Ingredients
• 1 lbs haricots verts (French green beans)
• ½ cup of pancetta
• ¾ Tbs fresh tarragon
• 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs lemon zest
• Salt and pepper
Directions
In a large pot boil water and cook the beans for 5 minutes. Then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the beans from cooking and to keep the bright green color. Set aside.
In a skillet heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium high heat and add pancetta and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add the shallot and garlic, careful not to burn them, reduce heat to medium. Cook until softened about 3 minutes. Add the beans, wine, and lemon juice. Increase heat back up to medium high. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally and then add the tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another minute. Finish with lemon zest and serve.
Courtesy of Leanna Wake Comer
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans
Ingredients
• 3 Acorn Squash cut in half
• 6 Tbs cranberries
• 6 Tbs roughly chopped pecans
• 3 Tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• 3 Tbs butter
• Sea Salt
Directions
Slice each squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place the squash face down in baking dish filled with an inch of water. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and drain water. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray and place squash face up in the baking dish. Lightly sprinkle the edges of each squash with sea salt.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and then sprinkle evenly in the center of each squash. Add 1 Tbs each of cranberries and pecans to the center of each squash and then top with ½ Tbs of butter.
Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until bubbly.
Courtesy of Kelly Artz
Dessert
Chocolate Orange Mousse
Ingredients
• 6 oz good semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 oz good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ¼ c Grand Marnier liqueur
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 12 Tbs (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• ½ cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup cold heavy cream
• Whipped Cream for decoration
• Mandarin oranges, drained, for decoration
Directionsb>
Combine the two chocolates, Grand Marnier, ¼ c water, and the vanilla in a heatproof bowl. Set it over a pan of simmering water just until the chocolate melts. Cool completely to room temperature. Whisk in the orange zest and butter until combined.
Place the egg yolks and ½ c of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick and pale yellow. With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.
Place 1 cup of egg whites (save or discard the rest), the salt, and 1 Tbs of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until firm but not dry. Whisk half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; then fold the rest in carefully with a rubber spatula.
Without cleaning the bowl or whisk, whip the heavy cream and the remaining tablespoon of sugar until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse into individual dishes or an 8-cup serving bowl. Chill and decorate with whipped cream and oranges. Serve with extra whipped cream on the side.
Courtesy of Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten pg. 204
Leanna Comer
