An appetizer, entree and dessert to add to your holiday menu
Photography by James Stefiuk
First Bites
Add a fresh and surprising element to your appetizer course with guacamole recipe from David Sadeghi, owner of O’Ya Cantina. Or bust it out right before the football game begins.
Serves 4-6
3 ripe avocados
½ bundle of cilantro, finely chopped; include the top of the stems as well
¼ white onion, finely chopped
½ jalapeño, chopped, seeds removed (for extra heat, add the whole jalapeño)
½ tsp. salt
4 limes, freshly squeezed
Remove the pit and skin from avocados and put them in a large bowl. Add the cilantro, onion, jalapeño and salt. Mix ingredients well. Squeeze the fresh limes into a separate cup. Add the lime juice from the cup slowly, mixing well until you reach your preferred flavor. Ready to serve. (Store in the fridge with a cover.)
Main Course
Forget the turkey and ham this year. Try this roasted beef shoulder tenderloin with port wine and rosemary demi-glace recipe from Greg Lewis, chef and proprietor of 39 West Catering, as the highlight of your holiday meal.
Serves 6
Demi-glace
1 onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Olive oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
3 sprigs rosemary
3 cups fortified port wine*
1 qt. veal or beef stock Salt and pepper, to taste
Brown onions, carrots and celery on high in a saucepan with olive oil. Add garlic and tomato paste. Lower heat to medium. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add fresh rosemary and port wine to barely cover the vegetables. Simmer on low until reduced to thick consistency. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and reduce until slightly thick. (This will take several hours, as you want the sauce to cook very slowly while reducing.) Once the sauce is the desired consistency, strain, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
*Do not use cooking wine!
Beef Shoulder Tenderloin
2 beef shoulder tenderloins
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste Garlic, to taste
Fresh rosemary, to taste
Sprinkle olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and fresh rosemary liberally on tenderloins and rub in. Roast at 350 F for about 5-10 minutes (or to desired doneness). Let sit for 5 minutes, slice thinly, and serve with the demi-glace.
Leave Room For …
The best part about the holidays? All. The. Desserts. These eggnog muffins by Willy’s Cinnamon Rolls Etc.’s volunteer bakery trainer Jeff Jacomet are guaranteed to be an instant hit in your household.
Makes 24 muffins or 12 jumbo muffins
24 or 12 muffin cup liners
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups eggnog
1 cup melted butter
2 tsp. rum
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup buttermilk
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Dash of nutmeg
2 dashes of rum
Dash of eggnog
Sprinkles (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups and grease the cups with nonstick cooking spray.
In one bowl, wire whip eggs with sugar. Add eggnog and whip again. Add melted butter and gently whip. Add rum and vanilla and whip.
In another bowl, combine flour with salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Then add wet ingredients and whip until combined. Gently add buttermilk to loosen batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. For regular muffins, bake in the oven for 30 minutes. For jumbo muffins, bake for 50 minutes. (Use a toothpick to identify whether it’s cooked.)
While baking, make the glaze. In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, melted butter, nutmeg, rum and eggnog, and mix to a thick texture. When muffins come out of the oven, add the glaze with a brush while they are hot. Sprinkle with colored, seasonal sprinkles.
