Make-Ahead Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Serves 6-8 ӏ Preparation time 30 minutes ӏ Cooking time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Meatball ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground pork or beef or a mix of both
• ¼ cup finely diced shallot
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Sweet and sour sauce

• ⅔ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 ¼ cup pineapple juice
• ½ cup finely dice onions
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp grated ginger

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and place the oven rack in the middle position.
2. Mix together all the meatball ingredients until well combined.
3. Form small meatballs by rolling about one tablespoon of the meat mixture with your hands to form a ball.
4. Place all the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
5. Place in the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
6. While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for 2 minutes until fragrant and tender. Add the garlic and ginger, and continue cooking for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer until the sauce thickens, about 4 to 6 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and reserve.
7. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Stir well to coat all the meatballs. Remove from heat. At this point, when completely cooled down, you can refrigerate the sweet and sour meatballs for up to three days before reheating or freezing for up to 2 weeks.
8. To reheat, preheat the oven to 350ºF, and place the oven rack in the middle position. Place the sweet and sour meatballs in an ovenproof dish, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the meatballs are heated through. Stir a few times while reheating.
9. Serve warm with some cocktail toothpicks and sauce.

 

 

Cognac Rustic Pâté

Serves 8-12 ӏ Preparation time 20 minutes ӏ Cooking time 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken livers, cleaned and trimmed
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 dry laurel leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp all-spice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh oregano)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp Cognac
• 8 strips bacon
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 envelope of gelatin (2 tsp)
• 1 French baguette bread
• French gherkin pickles, for serving

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and place the oven rack in the middle position.
2. In a food processor, grind together the chicken breasts, the chicken livers, the garlic cloves, the onion, the laurel leaf, the salt, the pepper, the oregano, and the all-spice. Pulse until the chicken mixture becomes smooth. Add the egg, the cognac, and the bread crumbs. Pulse until well combined. Set aside.
3. You can either use 8 individual 6 oz. ramekins or a 1 1/2 quart ramekin. Line each ramekin with a layer of the bacon strips. Stretch the bacon strips and cut the excess off the edges of the ramekins.
4. Spoon equally the chicken mixture in each ramekin. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
5. Place the ramekins in a large 2 inches deep baking dish. Pour some hot water all around the ramekins. Cover at least 1 inch to 1 ½ inch of the ramekin’s bottoms.
6. Place in the oven, and bake for 60 minutes. After an hour of baking, check to see if the pâté is firm. If not, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. When firm, remove from the oven, and place the ramekins on a wire rack to cool down. Carefully remove the foil to let the steam off. Cover the ramekins with plates, and let cool.
7. Pour the juices from each ramekin into a measuring cup. You should gather ⅔ cup. Add the chicken stock to make up the difference if needed. Place in a saucepan, and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Remove from heat.
8. Mix the gelatin with 2 tbsp of water in a small mixing bowl. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add to the pâté’s juices. Stir well. Let cool completely.
9. When cold, add the gelatin mixture equally on top of each ramekin. Cover with a plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and the pâté is well set.
10. Serve with thin slices of French baguette and French gherkin pickles on the side.

 

 

Prime Rib of Beef with Red Wine Sauce

Serves 10-12 ӏ Prep. time: 30 min (10 min for the prime rib, 20 min for the sauce) ӏ Cooking time 3 hours (2 hours 40 min for the prime rib, 20 min for the sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 prime rib with bones, 8 pounds
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

Red wine sauce ingredients

• 1 large French shallot
• 1 ½ cup of veal or beef stock
• 1 ½ cup dry red wine
• 1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp butter, plus 1 tsp
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorn

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 500ºF, and place the oven in the middle position. Line an oven baking tray with aluminum foil.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, flour, salt, and black pepper.
3. Rub the entire surface of the prime rib with the flour mix.
4. Place the meat, fat side up, on the roasting pan in the preheated oven. Cook for 40 minutes. Let the beef rest in the oven for two hours without opening the oven door. It is important to keep the oven door closed so you do not lose any heat for the cooking process of the meat.
5. After two hours, remove from the oven and carve. Serve with the wine sauce on the side.
6. About 20 to 30 minutes before removing the resting prime rib from the oven, prepare the red wine sauce.
7. Finely dice the French shallot.
8. Warm the butter and olive oil on medium-high heat in a saucepan. Add the diced shallot. Cook for one to two minutes, or until fragrant and tender.
9. If using the black peppercorn, crack them a few times in a mortar.
10. Crank the heat to high, and add the stock. Let it reduce to half before adding the red wine and cracked peppercorns (optional), about 5 to 7 minutes. Let the wine reduce by half, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cream, and let it reduce by half, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the Dijon mustard, and stir with a whisk until well blended.
11. Remove from heat. Just before using, reheat the sauce, if needed, for 1 or 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Place in a saucer just when ready to serve.
12. Serve with Yorkshire pudding for an authentic English Christmas dinner.

 

 

Yorkshire Pudding

Serves 8 ӏ Preparation time 10 minutes ӏ Cooking time 60 minutes

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 eggs
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup pan drippings from the prime rib

Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until well combined. Add the flour, milk, and salt. With an electric mixer or manually, beat the batter until it is smooth and lump-free.
2. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to 12 hours.
3. When ready to bake your pudding, preheat the oven to 425ºF, and place the oven rack in the middle position.
4. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Stir it a few times to make it soft and smooth.
5. If you don’t have pan drippings from the prime rib to spare, you can use bacon fat or melted butter, but you will lose some of the flavors.
6. Pour some of the drippings (or alternate fats) in eight holes of a large muffin pan.
7. Ladle equal amounts of the batter in each hole. Place in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the puddings are puffed and golden brown.
8. Serve at once with the prime rib.

 

 

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chestnut

Serves 6-8 ӏ Preparation time 10 minutes ӏ Cooking time: 60 minutes

 

Ingredients

• 8 maple bacon strips, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 3 ½ oz. chestnuts, cooked, peeled, and sliced
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and place the oven rack in the middle position.
2. Cook the bacon and the diced onions in a large skillet on the stove on medium-high heat for 3-minutes. Remove from heat, and reserve the bacon pieces and drippings.
3. Toss the Brussels sprouts, onions, and chestnuts on a large baking dish.
4. Season the vegetables with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the garlic powder. Add the bacon, bacon drippings, and stir well.
5. Brush generously the top of the vegetable medley with the melted butter. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
6. Place in the oven, and bake for 50 minutes or until fork-tender. Toss the vegetables after twenty minutes and once more after another 15 minutes. Add the maple syrup and stir to coat well. Bake for another 15 minutes uncovered.
7. Remove from the oven, and let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

 

Cranberry Mousse

Serves 6 ӏ Preparation time 20 minutes ӏ Refrigerating time 5 hours

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup 100% cranberry juice
• 3 oz raspberry-flavored gelatin (1 envelope)
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce (14.5 oz.)
• 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp superfine sugar
• 1 tsp pure extract of vanilla
• Extra whipping cream for garnish (optional)
• Edible silver beads (optional)

Preparation

1. Melt the cranberry sauce in a large saucepan on medium heat, and stir until smooth. Add the cranberry juice. Stir to combine.
2. Add the gelatin, and mix until well dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool down for 10 minutes.
3. Pour the cranberry mixture into a bowl, and let thicken in the refrigerator for 1 hour, uncovered.
4. In the meantime, whip the cream with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate.
5. After an hour, fold in 1 cup of the whipping cream in the cranberry mixture.
6. Ladle into a serving dish, and place in the refrigerator for about 4 hours, until firm.
7. To serve, add some whipping on top and a few silver beads, if desired.

 

All recipes are from Sarah Spencer’s cookbook Christmas Feast Cookbook The Very Best Classic and New Recipes. Click here to get the book or on the cover.

 

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