Christmas
1676 recipes found
Pesto Pizza Crostini
Admittedly a bit plebian, this creation was borne from a long-ago 1980s (!) evening that featured too many cocktails...followed by the return home to an almost-empty fridge. Comfort food: salty, creamy, savory, crunchy. No regrets the next morning.
Green and Red Endive Boats
Last year was my first Christmas away from home. At the time, my boyfriend was still living in France, while I was in graduate school in New York--not an ideal situation, let me tell you. Since he had visited me here over the summer, I was making the trek there for the holidays. We spent a week with his family in La Rochelle, a sea-side town famed for its oysters. Christmas day dawned bright and cold and with picnic baskets in tow, the whole family walked the short distance to the beach. Out came Champagne, boudin blanc and chevre and lardon toasts. There were also slivers of crisp endive, which my boyfriend's mother (an excellent cook) had topped with creamy Roquefort. I thought the slightly bitter endive made great vessels for party food, and when I got home, I started playing around with my own ideas. A week later, my boyfriend got word that he would be transfered to New York. We will return to France together for Christmas this year, where I hope to come home with at least one new recipe!
Vanilla Bean Applesauce
A simple applesauce gussied up with vanilla beans. This apple sauce can be canned using a water bath canner, but it never lasts that long in my house! It does make a really great gift and my in-laws request as soon as fall hits. It can easily be doubled, just make sure to use a very large, wide pan.
Marie's Roasted Almonds
For as long as I can remember, my mom has been making the most beautiful pan roasted almonds at Thanksgiving and Christmas. They sit in a beautiful bowl during cocktail hour and before you know it, you've eaten a few too many handfuls. These do take a bit of effort for roasted nuts, but the results are well worth it. I like them served a bit warm.
Mini Garden Mint and Berry Pavlovas
To the uninitiated North Americans, the pavlova's closest relative would be the meringue ...but with a soft yet chewy centre that melts in your mouth. This is a recipe that has been passed through the generations of Australasians yet one we still argue as to the origins. Whip out a pavlova at a mixed Antipodean event and there is bound to be a lengthy discussion about its birthrights.
Honey & Goat Cheese Stuffed Grapes
I love goat cheese and I love grapes, so a few years ago I decided to combine them in a fun and tasty way to make an appetizer. They are now "expected" especially by my girlfriends at most get togethers. They take a little work up front byt they can be made ahead of time and they just explode with flavor! Enjoy!!
Prosciutto Crudo Bites Of Love
Honey Bear Hot Cider
Community Food and Juice in Morningside Heights sells The Barnard Bear, a seasonal drink featuring hot apple cider, lemon juice, fresh mint, and honey. An inspired take on hot apple cider! It tastes clean and a little medicinal. I changed the name to be more descriptive. For some reason it reminds me of the honey bear dispenser I longed for in my childhood. We were on a budget and always bought the five pound plain jar. This would also be good with pear cider and ?maybe rosemary.
Oranges with Pistachios and Honey Mascarpone
This recipe was inspired by a recipe I once had with pistachios atop oranges that had a caramel glaze. I kept the oranges and pistachios and added honey with mascarpone. Simple and delicious!
Russ Parsons' Dry-Brined Turkey (aka The Judy Bird)
This easy dry-brine turkey recipe (AKA Judy Bird Dry Brine) comes out perfectly juicy & crisp, with none of the sponginess that you get with wet-brined birds.
Abuelito's Super-Special Punch
I promise, this Special Punch recipe will make you very popular with kids of all ages. For an adult version, try adding a hint of rum. Cheers!
Isabelle's Cognac Punch
This recipe comes from my boyfriend's mother, Isabelle. I originally asked for her spiced wine recipe for this contest, which I tried last Christmas, ladled from a pot heated over the wood-burning fireplace in their family room. She told me that she didn't really have a written recipe for her spiced wine; it was just a little of this and a little of that, but offered me her Cognac Punch instead. Since she comes from Cognac, it feels extra authentic. This punch would be great for any holiday party, because it looks and tastes so festive!
Cranberry Apple Sparkling Punch
This punch is very easy to assemble, and can be enhanced with a nice cranberry or apple sorbet if you want to make it very festive. I highly recommend Jeni Bauer's Cranberry Royale Sorbet from her book, JENI'S SPLENDID ICE CREAM AT HOME.
Cranberry Sauce with Rosemary and Pear Brandy
I have made a cranberry sauce with rosemary from Fine Cooking for years. Today, with a batch of fresh, local cranberries, I decided to change up the recipe to include pear brandy, although I suspect apple brandy would taste just as good. I used lemon zest to brighten up the sauce, and I am happy with the brightness and fresh taste. Hope you agree!
Blood Orange and Ginger Punch (Cocktail)
Blood Orange juice & Ginger ale are paired with lime and, for the adult version, liquor, vodke or rum, to create this wonderful Cocktail recipe. Cheers!
Apple Rye Moonshine Punch
This recipe is fall in a tumbler. Rye Moonshine gets your blood running hot, two kinds of Apple cider sweeten & spice it up, and bitters give it depth. Cheers!
Spiced Warm Holiday Punch
Jane Grigson's Quince Candies
Ever since I read "Good Things" by Jane Grigson I have wanted to cook all kinds of quince recipes. She wrote the book in quirky chapters, with one for Meat Pies, and of course, one for Apples and Quince. This recipe, adapted from her recipe for Membrilo, is similar to a fruit jelly but easier to make. Her recipes are somewhat elliptical and I have tried to add more detail about how to cook the fruit and get the candy to the right texture. We make it to give as a gift at Christmas time and to eat after the big holiday meals. The cornelian color is beautiful, and because the fruit starts a dull cream, it's like alchemy to see it change as it cooks. I have never seen a flowering quince, but they also sound exotically beautiful. She describes them as "the most beautiful of the blossoms of spring, the quince's soft pink globes, with their falling ruff of silver green leaves" (from Good Things by Jane Grigson). The paste can be flavored with cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and grated lemon or orange rind, but I like it best plain, with any flavoring added after the paste is cooked by using a flavored sugar, like vanilla sugar. Plain is nice, too, if you don't have vanilla. You can also swaddle them in powdered sugar.
Sossie Beile's Little Cherry Crumb Bars
Heavenly! That's the first thing that comes to mind when you try this Recipe With Cherry Preserves. Light & not very sweet, perfect with a cup of afternoon tea.
Pine Nut Brittle with Rosemary
Pine nuts and rosemary are two flavors that scream "holidays" to me. It's probably the closest you can get to eating the Christmas tree without getting tinsel in your teeth. So I decided to combine them here with another Christmas classic that dentists love to hate: brittle. Enjoy!
Chocolate Toffee Bark
My sister Karen whips up a huge variety of chocolate barks every year for Christmas. It's fast and fabulous, and ripe for experimentation. She's letting me share this recipe for the contest, and you can read more at http://threecleversisters.com/2009/12/16/chocolate-toffee-bark/
Crunchy Burnt Sugar Snowball Cookies
This recipe is similar to the Christmas tea cookies rolled into powdered sugar that are called by some Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cookies, etc. But the stand-apart quality of these cookies lies in an unusual baking method that imparts a burnt sugar flavor to the cookies and makes them divinely crunchy! I make them mostly during the Christmas season although my very finicky 18 year old could eat them all year round. Each bite is so DELICIOUS in a buttery, crunchy, candy-licious way. Watch out for the powdered sugar that may fall all over you. O)
White Chocolate Holiday Bark
I now make chocolate bark the Ina Garten way - by melting the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments. It's easy and makes the job seem effortless. This is a great recipe to make with kids. They can participate in every step of the process. I stuck to a red and green theme for this batch, with a few recommendations for other healthy red/green toppings. As the holidays approach, I am looking for easy treats to assemble and this bark fits the bill! This is great to serve along with some ice cream or fruit. And it makes a great food gift.
Garlicky Pimento Pepper Spread
This pimento pepper recipe came from the need to try to adapt the classic roasted red pepper. Just throw them on the baking sheet, pull them out, and puree!