Holiday Pleasures
December has always been to me a
magical month because of the holidays. It has become more difficult each year
to keep the visual and auditory blinders until December 1st, in
order to avoid the ever expanding commercial ‘holiday overload’. But the effort allows one to really
appreciate the season. The music, a child’s wide-eyed anticipation and the
lights to cheer the encroaching early dark, all evoke our feelings and memories
of seasons past.
This brings us to food. We remember
the fragrance of those special treats we enjoyed as children. We gravitate to
cookbooks and the kitchen to prepare gifts for the family and friends and plan
a celebratory dinner or gathering, whether it is for a crowd or just two
special people. Here is a selection of a few of my favorites through the years,
to tease the palate.
An elegant appetizer is never amiss
before any gathering, whether at your house or as something to bring to a
party. This stuffed mushroom recipe has seen a lot of use throughout the years
and is especially welcome, since it can be prepared ahead of time and just
popped in the oven, before serving.
Cheese Stuffed
Mushrooms
Wipe clean and trim 8 oz fresh large
Crimini or white mushrooms. Remove stems, chop and set aside. Place mushroom
caps stem-side up on a large baking sheet, put a small dab of butter in each
stemmed depression, broil for 3-4 minutes and set aside to cool. In a small
skillet melt 1 tblsp. olive oil and sauté 1 tblsp, finely chopped onion with
the chopped mushroom stems for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup
finely chopped salami, ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tblsp. sour cream
and 1 tblsp. catsup. Mix thoroughly, stuff in mushroom crowns, sprinkle with
fine bread crumbs, place in an ovenproof dish and refrigerate until baking.
When ready to serve, bake at 425 degrees for 6-8 minutes until hot.
This next recipe for Swedish Glőgg
originally came from the “New York Times Cookbook” by Craig Clairborne. With
small modifications it has traveled with me from Pennsylvania, to Reno Nevada,
Arizona and finally Maine. Each year I take out my green enameled pot to
concoct this delightful brew. It is the
ultimate potently fragrant Christmas drink for an evening with snow and bitter
cold outdoors, but it worked well even in Arizona with open windows on a
‘not-so-cold’ night.
Swedish Glőgg
3 days before use: pour ¾ cups water in a 4 quart enameled or stainless
steel pot with a lid. Assemble: 4 cardamom seeds, 1 star anise, 8 whole cloves,
2 tblsp. grated orange rind, tie in a piece of cheesecloth and simmer covered
in boiling water for 10 minutes. Add 1/3 cup blanched almonds, ½ cup seedless
raisins, ½ cup dried apricots, ¾ cups prunes. Add enough water to barely cover
the fruit, bring to boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add 1 bottle red
Bordeaux wine, 1 bottle ruby Port, 1 ¾ cups brandy and 3 tblsp. sugar. Bring to
boil, remove immediately from heat and cover. Store in a cool place (not
refrigerator) until needed, then remove the spice bag, heat to below simmer and
serve in mugs. Be careful inhaling the first whiff of this potent beverage.
Holiday invitations to gatherings with
family and friends are wonderful, except there is always the morning after for
the host and/or hostess. A “ready-made-breakfast” makes a much-appreciated
host/hostess gift. Scones make a wonderful and easy gift for this purpose.
Apricot-ginger-pecan scones are my favorites, but for a true
“ready-made-breakfast” these hearty-oatmeal-breakfast scones can’t be beat.
Oatmeal-Bacon-Cheese
Scones
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Crisp 3
thick slices of bacon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Sift together in
a food processor: 1 2/3 cups flour, 1 tblsp. baking powder, ¾ tsp. baking soda,
½ tsp. salt, 1 1/3 cup old fashioned oats and pulse 15 times. Add ¾ cup cold
unsalted butter cut in tblsp. size pieces and pulse until mix has pea sized
lumps and all the butter is distributed. Remove mixture to a large bowl and
toss with the crumbled bacon and ½ cup grated sharp Cheddar of Asiago cheese.
Pour 2/3 cup shaken buttermilk in a depression of the mix, stirring with a fork
to barely form the dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead 6 times.
Divide the dough in half and flatten with your hand on a parchment lined large
pan as two 6 inch discs. Cut each round in 6 pieces, slightly separating the
wedges. Brush with extra buttermilk and bake at 425 degrees for 17 minutes.
Serve with additional butter. Can be kept in an airtight container until next
morning and reheated in a microwave for about 30 seconds.
The pleasures of our Holiday Season
are many, but best are the joy, the peace and connections with people we love.
(I. Winicov
Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and
Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website:
www.winicov-harrington.com)
