Christmas number two: Christmas Eve at my In-Laws at their house. Christmas number three: Christmas Day with my dad and stepmom at my house.
Christmas Eve dinner is kind of set. It's basically been the same since long before I came around. And my family has traditions that I would shit bricks if someone tried to mess with, so I keep my mouth shut. Besides, it's good food, and I'm happy to not have to contribute. I love cooking, and usually I get cranky if I'm not asked to bring something (or if I'm just asked to bring salad. Or worse, fruit. I'll bring salad AND fruit, but let me bring something I cooked, too.) But Christmas is stressful, and I'm usually rushing around the day before Christmas (and Christmas Eve... and the day after) trying to get some last minute gift finished, so I'm happy to sit one out.
However, Jeff's mom did give me a great opportunity. She and I share an Oberweis account (a local dairy that delivers milk, yogurt, etc). She let me know that she was disappointed that they didn't offer any Christmas-y ice cream. I love, love, LOVE making ice cream... so here we go!
Two out of three of my ice creams were perfect. The third was delicious, but ugly.
The thing about ice cream is you can't try too hard. It's not like pasta; you can't throw everything in it and expect it to work out somehow. I've found that simpler is generally better... and that's where I went wrong.
My ice cream flavors are (starting at the top): Candy Cane Hot Fudge, Egg Nog, and Cranberry.
They all tasted delicious, and in the picture above you can't really tell that anything is wrong, but the candy cane was not what I wanted it to be. For some reason, I thought that if I drizzled hot fudge into the ice cream while it was at the end of it's freezing process, it would swirl streaks of hot fudge in.
Not so much. Really, it just turned the ice cream unevenly chocolaty, and left clumps of hot fudge at the bottom of the ice cream container. Blah. Next time I'll save the hot fudge for topping the ice cream when I'm ready to eat it.
The egg nog was absolutely perfect. The best thing ever. Egg nog is so creamy, and is quite possibly my favorite beverage in the whole world. (I actually bought a few extra quarts from Oberweis and stuck them in my freezer so I can enjoy them all year round. Egg nog ice cream in the summer might be perfect. With a brandy old fashioned on a hot summer night... mmmm.... drool).
The cranberry was good. It was cranberry ice cream. Nothing new or exciting, but good. Don't be afraid of the large quantities of booze in the cranberries. It actually is really important, because it keeps the cranberries from turning into little frozen rocks inside the ice cream. They become more of a cranberry slush. I used honey, and I didn't use a lot of it, so my cranberries were very tart. I like that, but you could use more sugar if you prefer sweetness throughout... or if you have someone elses kids that you want to sugar up!
Christmas day - dinner at my house - was the absolute opposite of Christmas Eve. Everything was on me. But I knew that I would be heading over to my Grandparents' house earlier in the day, and I didn't want to stress. So I picked dishes that could be made in advance and baked with minimal effort while I finished cleaning the house. The meal was warm, and filling, and made me want to take a great big nap. I think it would be perfect for any winter dinner party, and I personally thought it was impressive, too, which is always a plus! Fancy and Easy. Just like me. Wait, what?
This was a heavy meal, though. I did cheat, and made a salad full of non-local veggies (local greens, radishes, and mushrooms, but also some non-local tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers) and I was glad I did. Without something light and green and crispy, I could easily see this meal giving someone the meat and cheese sweats.
The potatoes, I thought, were a little liquid-y for my taste. Okay, they were a lot liquidy. I think I would skip all of the half and half in the recipe, and maybe use 1/4 cup of sour cream. I'm writing the recipe as I found it on Epicurious, and as I cooked it this time around, but you might want to make that change if you're trying it out.
One note: I have been doing a LOT of cooking with Oregano. That's because I moved a large pot of oregano into the house and am growing it in a window. I don't generally see oregano in a herb window box and I don't know why. It's a weed, and will grow anywhere.
Christmas Day Dinner: Braised Lamb Shoulder with Figs and Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
For the Lamb:
(recipe modified from William Sonoma)
Pat the lamb dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the lamb in the flour, shaking off the excess.
In a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm 4 tsp. of the olive oil. Add the meat and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a platter. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, garlic and lemon peel to the pan along with the remaining 1 tsp. oil, if needed. Cook, stirring frequently to incorporate some of the browned bits, until the onion starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the spices and saute until fragrant - about 1 minute more.
Lay the meat on the onion mixture and add the wine, stock and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/4 hours, adding the figs during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Transfer the meat and figs to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Skim the fat from the sauce. Set the pot over low heat and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, flavorful and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
Discard the strings from the lamb, slice the meat across the grain and arrange the slices on the platter, surrounded by the figs. (Reserve the bone to use in a stock later). Spoon the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with the oregano. Serves 6 or more.
For the potatoes:
Christmas Eve: A Trio of Christmas Ice Creams
The trick to ice cream is to have everything ready ahead of time. Especially your bowl full of ice. Everything moves really fast, and you don't want to fall behind because letting the custard sit without cooling it will ruin it.
Yes, all of the directions here are exactly the same. That's how you make ice cream!
Candy Cane Ice Cream
In a heavy saucepan, combine the half and half and remaining one cup of cream. Add the peppermint. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan: about 5 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Turn the stand mixer on low, and with the whisk running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 6 minutes. DO NOT let the custard boil.
Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl nested into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk constantly until the custard is cooled. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the custard, and refrigerate at least three hours - preferably overnight.
When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, do so according to your ice cream maker's directions. When the ice cream is almost set, add in the candy cane and let the ice cream maker incorporate it throughout the ice cream.
Freeze until firm.
Egg Nog Ice Cream
In a heavy saucepan, combine the egg nog and remaining one cup of cream. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan: about 5 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Turn the stand mixer on low, and with the whisk running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 6 minutes. DO NOT let the custard boil.
Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl nested into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk constantly until the custard is cooled. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the custard, and refrigerate at least three hours - preferably overnight.
When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, do so according to your ice cream maker's directions.
Freeze until firm.
Cranberry Ice Cream
For the cranberries:
Strain out any liquid before adding cranberries to the ice cream.
In a heavy saucepan, combine the half and half and remaining one cup of cream. Add the vanilla. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan: about 5 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Turn the stand mixer on low, and with the whisk running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 6 minutes. DO NOT let the custard boil.
Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl nested into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk constantly until the custard is cooled. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the custard, and refrigerate at least three hours - preferably overnight.
When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, add the drained cranberries and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.
Freeze until firm.
Christmas Eve dinner is kind of set. It's basically been the same since long before I came around. And my family has traditions that I would shit bricks if someone tried to mess with, so I keep my mouth shut. Besides, it's good food, and I'm happy to not have to contribute. I love cooking, and usually I get cranky if I'm not asked to bring something (or if I'm just asked to bring salad. Or worse, fruit. I'll bring salad AND fruit, but let me bring something I cooked, too.) But Christmas is stressful, and I'm usually rushing around the day before Christmas (and Christmas Eve... and the day after) trying to get some last minute gift finished, so I'm happy to sit one out.
However, Jeff's mom did give me a great opportunity. She and I share an Oberweis account (a local dairy that delivers milk, yogurt, etc). She let me know that she was disappointed that they didn't offer any Christmas-y ice cream. I love, love, LOVE making ice cream... so here we go!
Two out of three of my ice creams were perfect. The third was delicious, but ugly.
The thing about ice cream is you can't try too hard. It's not like pasta; you can't throw everything in it and expect it to work out somehow. I've found that simpler is generally better... and that's where I went wrong.
They all tasted delicious, and in the picture above you can't really tell that anything is wrong, but the candy cane was not what I wanted it to be. For some reason, I thought that if I drizzled hot fudge into the ice cream while it was at the end of it's freezing process, it would swirl streaks of hot fudge in.
Not so much. Really, it just turned the ice cream unevenly chocolaty, and left clumps of hot fudge at the bottom of the ice cream container. Blah. Next time I'll save the hot fudge for topping the ice cream when I'm ready to eat it.
The egg nog was absolutely perfect. The best thing ever. Egg nog is so creamy, and is quite possibly my favorite beverage in the whole world. (I actually bought a few extra quarts from Oberweis and stuck them in my freezer so I can enjoy them all year round. Egg nog ice cream in the summer might be perfect. With a brandy old fashioned on a hot summer night... mmmm.... drool).
The cranberry was good. It was cranberry ice cream. Nothing new or exciting, but good. Don't be afraid of the large quantities of booze in the cranberries. It actually is really important, because it keeps the cranberries from turning into little frozen rocks inside the ice cream. They become more of a cranberry slush. I used honey, and I didn't use a lot of it, so my cranberries were very tart. I like that, but you could use more sugar if you prefer sweetness throughout... or if you have someone elses kids that you want to sugar up!
Christmas day - dinner at my house - was the absolute opposite of Christmas Eve. Everything was on me. But I knew that I would be heading over to my Grandparents' house earlier in the day, and I didn't want to stress. So I picked dishes that could be made in advance and baked with minimal effort while I finished cleaning the house. The meal was warm, and filling, and made me want to take a great big nap. I think it would be perfect for any winter dinner party, and I personally thought it was impressive, too, which is always a plus! Fancy and Easy. Just like me. Wait, what?
This was a heavy meal, though. I did cheat, and made a salad full of non-local veggies (local greens, radishes, and mushrooms, but also some non-local tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers) and I was glad I did. Without something light and green and crispy, I could easily see this meal giving someone the meat and cheese sweats.
The potatoes, I thought, were a little liquid-y for my taste. Okay, they were a lot liquidy. I think I would skip all of the half and half in the recipe, and maybe use 1/4 cup of sour cream. I'm writing the recipe as I found it on Epicurious, and as I cooked it this time around, but you might want to make that change if you're trying it out.
One note: I have been doing a LOT of cooking with Oregano. That's because I moved a large pot of oregano into the house and am growing it in a window. I don't generally see oregano in a herb window box and I don't know why. It's a weed, and will grow anywhere.
Christmas Day Dinner: Braised Lamb Shoulder with Figs and Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
For the Lamb:(recipe modified from William Sonoma)
- 1 bone-in lamb shoulder, 4 to 4 1/2 lb.,
rolled and tied, - Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- 4 to 5 tsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife
- 1/2-inch-wide strips of peel from 1 lemon
(with no bitter white pith) - 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 Tbs. tomato paste
- 8 oz. total dried figs, hard stems
trimmed, figs halved or quartered - 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
Pat the lamb dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the lamb in the flour, shaking off the excess.
In a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm 4 tsp. of the olive oil. Add the meat and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a platter. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, garlic and lemon peel to the pan along with the remaining 1 tsp. oil, if needed. Cook, stirring frequently to incorporate some of the browned bits, until the onion starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the spices and saute until fragrant - about 1 minute more.
Lay the meat on the onion mixture and add the wine, stock and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/4 hours, adding the figs during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Transfer the meat and figs to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Skim the fat from the sauce. Set the pot over low heat and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, flavorful and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
Discard the strings from the lamb, slice the meat across the grain and arrange the slices on the platter, surrounded by the figs. (Reserve the bone to use in a stock later). Spoon the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with the oregano. Serves 6 or more.
For the potatoes:- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (about 5 oz)
- 2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 ground nutmeg
- 1 cup grated white goat cheddar
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Christmas Eve: A Trio of Christmas Ice Creams
The trick to ice cream is to have everything ready ahead of time. Especially your bowl full of ice. Everything moves really fast, and you don't want to fall behind because letting the custard sit without cooling it will ruin it.
Yes, all of the directions here are exactly the same. That's how you make ice cream!
Candy Cane Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/8 cup crushed candy canes
In a heavy saucepan, combine the half and half and remaining one cup of cream. Add the peppermint. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan: about 5 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Turn the stand mixer on low, and with the whisk running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 6 minutes. DO NOT let the custard boil.
Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl nested into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk constantly until the custard is cooled. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the custard, and refrigerate at least three hours - preferably overnight.
When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, do so according to your ice cream maker's directions. When the ice cream is almost set, add in the candy cane and let the ice cream maker incorporate it throughout the ice cream.
Freeze until firm.
Egg Nog Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 Egg Nog
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
In a heavy saucepan, combine the egg nog and remaining one cup of cream. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan: about 5 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Turn the stand mixer on low, and with the whisk running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 6 minutes. DO NOT let the custard boil.
Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl nested into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk constantly until the custard is cooled. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the custard, and refrigerate at least three hours - preferably overnight.
When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, do so according to your ice cream maker's directions.
Freeze until firm.
Cranberry Ice Cream
For the cranberries:
- 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup honey
Strain out any liquid before adding cranberries to the ice cream.
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Cranberries from above
In a heavy saucepan, combine the half and half and remaining one cup of cream. Add the vanilla. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan: about 5 minutes.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Turn the stand mixer on low, and with the whisk running, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 6 minutes. DO NOT let the custard boil.
Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl nested into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Whisk constantly until the custard is cooled. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the custard, and refrigerate at least three hours - preferably overnight.
When you are ready to freeze the ice cream, add the drained cranberries and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.
Freeze until firm.
