Ten Inexpensive Christmas Gifts from Your Kitchen

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There is nothing more welcomed during the holidays than home cooked gifts.  If you have a signature cookie recipe or appetizer  make it to bring as a hostess gift or place under the tree for unexpected guest. If you really like the person, place a card with the recipe attached!  I try to concentrate on things that I know will be appreciated at a time when all of us have so much entertaining to do and so little time to do it. 

You will remember that this summer, when the strawberries were in season and on sale, I suggested you get started making jam so you would have a few gifts out of the way.  Well, if you didn't, there is still time this week!  Below, I have given you a choice of a few things that would be very welcomed at this time of the year.  There are cocktail recipes, bread to enjoy for breakfast on Christmas Day and even something simple like pasta sauce for the home you are visiting and the hostess who is going through all the trouble of entertaining you this year!  At least she wont have to make dinner one night.  If you want to go all the way, get a wicker basket and include a box of premium spaghetti, real Parmiggiano Reggiano a baguette and a nice Chianti.

 Beautiful containers can be purchased for a reasonable price at Marshalls, Target and other discount stores.  Going the extra mile will make anything extra special. Just think Martha Stewart in the wrapping department.

Most of the recipes are in this blog or the sister blog My Kitchen By The Lake.  There are a couple that have links to websites or blogs I like.

Here's a few suggestions:

Spiced Pecans - Wonderful with cocktails

Chicken Liver Mousse - Keeps for at least a week in refrigerator

Kentucky Beer Cheese - Great to have in the fridge

Fresh Strawberry Preserves -  Summer in December!

Candied Orange Rinds - Wonderful alone or with espresso.  Great directions on this site!

Tomato and Basil Sauce - Who wouldn't appreciate this!

Pumpkin Bread - Afternoon tea for the unexpected guest.  Freezes beautifully

Amaretti Cookies - Hard to find anywhere but NYC!

Goat Cheese Log - Leftovers make great addition to an omelette

Individual Pound Cakes - For breakfast, tea or dessert

Photo above:  Martha Stewart.com

Photo Carolyne Roehm

Chicken Liver Mousse

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One of my favorite things to eat during the holidays is French pate...any kind, chicken, goose or duck liver will do!  With the outrageous prices in US dollars for imported goods, I think it is best to make our own this Christmas. 

I have been making this recipe for the last few years.  It is not only delicious and economical,  but also quick and easy to make.  Serve with a chilled Sauternes.  If you want to give it as a present, wrap the ramekin in cellophane tied with a ribbon.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken livers

1/2 pound plus 4 TBS butter, melted

1 egg

2 tsp salt

Pinch of quatre-epices (equal parts nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon)

Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

2 TBS Cognac

1 baguette


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Brush 6 4-oz ramekins with the 4 TBS melted butter.

3. Process the chicken livers, egg, salt, quatre-epices, pepper, and Cognac in a food processor until fully combines, about 20 seconds. 

4. With the food processor still running, slowly add the 1/2 pound of melted butter. Blend for 15 seconds.

5. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, filling 3/4 of the way.

5. Set the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the baking dish with water to half the height of the ramekins.

6. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let the ramekins cool, and refrigerate until needed.  Run a warm knife around the inner corner of each ramekin, cover with a plate, and then invert.  Serve chilled with baguette toasts.

7. Let the ramekins cool, and then refrigerate until needed.

8. Run a warm knife around the edge of each ramekin, cover with a plate, and invert.

9. Serve chilled with baguette toasts.

Christmas Cookies... Lemon Bars!

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A good lemon bar recipe is great to have on hand all year round.  They are great and refreshing in the summer and they also make a nice addition to the dessert table around Christmas time.  Unfortunately, up to recently, I have had a love/ hate relationship with lemon bars. I love to eat them but I hate to bake them!. They either come out too gooey or they fall apart when I cut them. Either the crust is too thin or too thick. They are either too lemony or not lemony enough. I have read at least ten recipes to try out and finally, a few months ago I decided to start with Ina Garten's and take it from there. At least I knew her crusts were great!

One of the comments I had read about her bars was that they were a bit too tart so that was something to watch out for. Also mentioned was the fact that they were a bit too runny when you cut them. This was solved easily..wait, wait wait. We always tend to dig in too early without letting things cool down enough. That happens to me with brownies..but who can wait! My solution was to stick them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes AFTER they had cooled down. I also cut back on the tartness by putting in a little less lemon juice than called for. ..3/4 C vs. 1 Cup. That would also make them easier to cut. All in all, I was very pleased..and I think you will be too.

Lemon bars are great to serve for dessert at lunch, tea and just about any time I can think of! Just pass them around in a beautiful tray with nice napkins and forget the plates!  They are also a nice addition to your list for Christmas cookies!

Yield : 20 bars or large squares

Ingredients


For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Better yet, when they are cooled, stick in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. They will be easier to cut.

Cut into bars or squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans

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 Lamb shanks, white beans, tomatoes and red wine are an ideal union for a hearty autumn dinner. You
can substitute the same amount of veal shanks for the lamb shanks if you like.  If you are cooking the same day you are serving them, start in the morning so the beans have plenty of time to soak and the final dish plenty of time to rest before serving.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups dried small white, white kidney or cannellini beans

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

6 lamb shanks, each 1/2 to 3/4 lb.

1 yellow onion, finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups dry red wine such as Côtes-du-Rhône, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)

3 Tbs. tomato paste

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Tbs. shredded lemon zest

2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Pick over the beans and discard any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans, place in a bowl and add water to cover generously. Let stand for about 3 hours.

Drain the beans and place in a saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until nearly tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a deep, heavy stock pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the lamb shanks and brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the shanks to a plate. Add the onion, celery and carrots to the pan and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and lamb shanks. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the shanks can be easily pierced with a skewer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Add the beans, stir well, cover and simmer gently until the lamb begins to fall from the bone and the beans are tender, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest and parsley. Transfer the lamb shanks and beans to individual plates and garnish with the lemon zest-parsley mixture. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Series, Autumn, by Joanne Weir (Time-Life Books, 1997).

Churros With Hot Chocolate Dipping Sauce

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When I lived in Miami, I was lucky to have access to churros whenever I wanted them.  Now that I'm living in another state where the Spanish population is not as dominant,  it's a different story.  Here I have a lovely fireplace, tons of cold weather and no churros.  I guess  "You Can't Always Get What You Want....!"

Churros are not really that hard to make, just messy and, of course, there's all that frying.  It's okay to eat fried food if you are not doing the frying.  You just don't think about it, at least, I don't. It's another story to eat fried food when you are doing the frying and watching all the fat grams dancing in front of your eyes.  But don't let that deter you or you will be missing one of the greatest snacks ever invented!

 Finally tonight I bit the bullet and had my chocolate with churros from the most authentic source I could find... The Chocolateria San Ginez right in the heart of Madrid.

The Chocolatería San Ginés is a café in central Madrid popular with tourists and madrileños alike. It has served principally chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros) since 1894. Coffee and cakes are also available. The interior is decorated with mirrors and green wood panels, green velvet seats and marble tables. The hot chocolate is served in Spanish style - thick, dark and strong - and the churros - deep fried batter, similar to a light, crispy, linear doughnut, cut to length by the waitresses - are served hot and freshly cooked, ready for dunking.

Now, I have discovered something I really like...something that is new, at least to me.  I have always had churros either alone or with a nice cup of hot chocolate.  In this recipe, the chocolate is really a dipping sauce, something which makes it less filling, if only in our imagination. I have had it this way for dessert at a great restaurant in Miami called Sra. Martinez.  I was sold on the first bite!  Hope you enjoy them in these cold nights and perhaps make some for Santa on Christmas Eve.  I know he'll enjoy it!

Ingredients

Churros:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Chocolate for dunking:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups milk

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

Directions

To make the churro dough: Combine 1 cup of water with the butter or margarine and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Reduce the heat to low and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove the dough from the heat and, while stirring constantly, gradually beat the eggs into the dough.

To make the chocolate for dunking: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1 cup of milk and reserve. Combine the chocolate with the remaining cup of milk in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, melt the chocolate over medium-low heat. Whisk the sugar and the dissolved cornstarch into the melted chocolate mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is thickened, about 5 minutes. (Add extra cornstarch if it doesn't start to thicken after 5 minutes.) Remove the pan from the heat and whisk until smooth then reserve in a warm place.

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy, high-sided pot over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 360 degrees F. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon* on a plate and reserve.

Meanwhile, spoon the churro dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. Squeeze a 4- inch strip of dough into the hot oil. Repeat, frying 3 or 4 strips at a time. Fry the churros, turning them once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked churros to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

When the churros are just cool enough to handle, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar* (in Spain churros are simply rolled in sugar.)

Pour the chocolate into individual bowls or cups. Serve the warm churros with the chocolate dip.

The Four Seasons' Chicken And Shrimp Curry

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I can't say enough about this curry.  Words or pictures cannot fully convey the magnificent taste, aroma and texture of this dish.  Obviously, I wouldn't expect any less of The Four Seasons, but frankly, this recipe just blew me away.  It is an elegant yet authentic curry, one you can count on.  I am sorry the photo is a bit blurry.  To tell the truth, I was so anxious and excited to try it my hands were shaky and every picture turned out blurred.  After the third try, I just couldn't be bothered...all I wanted to do was sit down and eat the whole plate!

I adore curries, but Indian cuisine is not one I grew up with so naturally I am always looking for authenticity more than anything else .  When I started testing curry recipes awhile back somehow they never had the taste I was used to.  It wasn't until I came upon Madhur Jaffrey's book on curries that I realized I was thinking of the British version of the dish,  the one they call  Chicken Tikka Masala .  This recipe, on the other hand is halfway between the English sahib's cream curry and the true curries of the East.  Just what I was looking for!

Curry (IPA:/ˈkʌri/) is a generic description used throughout European and American culture to describe a general variety of spiced dishes  best known in Indian cuisines, especially South Asian cuisine. Curry is a generic term, and although there is no one specific attribute that marks a dish as "curry", some distinctive spices used in many, though certainly not all, curry dishes include turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and red pepper. The word curry is an anglicised version of the Tamil word kari. It is usually understood to mean "gravy" or "sauce", rather than "spices".  In most South Indian languages, the word literally means 'side-dish', which can be eaten along with a main dish like rice or bread.(Wikipedia)

Curry's popularity in recent decades has spread outward from the Indian subcontinent to figure prominently in international cuisine. Consequently, each culture has adopted spices in their indigenous cooking  to suit their own unique tastes and cultural sensibilities. Curry can therefore be called a pan-Asian or global phenomenon, with immense popularity in Thai, British and Japanese cuisines.  Just this past week, Europe celebrated National Curry Week, something I found out just as I was finishing this post.  Talk about coincidences...

The popularity of curry among the general public was enhanced by the invention of "Coronation Chicken" to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Curry sauce (or curry gravy) is a British use of curry as a condiment, usually served warm with traditional British fast food dishes such as chips. Curry sauce occasionally would include sultanas.  According to legend, one 19th century attempt at curry resulted in the invention of Worcestershire sauce.  In 2001, Robin Cook proclaimed Chicken Tikka Masala Britain's National Dish.

One of the things I like about this recipe is that the heat does not overwhelm the rest of the spices.  I have always believed that a dish that is too hot is just an excuse for a bad recipe.  Let's face it, how can you possible taste the rest of the ingredients when you are worried about putting out the heat in your belly!.  This has enough to notice but not overwhelm.  It is perfectly balanced so as not to offend anyone at the table.  Also the mix of chicken and shrimp is a delight and every bite leaves a  a different sensation in the palate.  Nothing like the unexpected.  Although you could make this all shrimp or all chicken, I wouldn't.   The mix of the two is one of the things that makes this dish different... don't change it.

The "boys" or condiments are my contribution.  They are what I like with my curry. The restaurant accompanies it with marinated fruits consisting of pineapple, kiwi etc., which although creative, is unnecessary for the full enjoyment of this dish.  Just accompany with raisins, chutney (I used Major Greys) and slivered or blanched almonds... perhaps coconut flakes.  Notice that the main curry sauce has no sugar.  The sweetness comes in the condiments, something I like because it gives us the opportunity to adapt it to our taste.

I have tweaked the procedure of cooking this dish a little to eliminate a few pots and pans.  Let's face it, we just don't have as many sous chefs or dishwashers in our kitchens as the Four Seasons does.  In the end it wont make a difference and it will make your life a lot easier. 

This is the kind of recipe you want to serve at a small dinner party for 8 or if you are having a couple of tables for a sit down dinner of 12 or sixteen.  You can easily double it and also make it the day before.  Accompany with white or jasmine rice and a simple salad.  It's a wonderful and festive main course to have on hand for the holidays. 

Ingredients

1 Tb olive oil
1 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted in a dry skillet for 5 minutes
1/2 tsp white peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 TB curry powder'1 tsp chopped fresh ginger'1/2 clove of garlic
1/8 whole nutmeg
2 tsps. kosher salt
1 quart chicken stock'1 cup dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream
4 TB unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup clarified butter
4 8oz. whole boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1 1/2 by 1/4 inch chunks
1 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

The "boys"

Raisins
Slivered Almonds
Major Greys' Chutney
Coconut flakes

Procedure

In a skillet heat the oil.When hot add the coriander seeds, white peppercorns, cloves, red pepper flakes and cumin seeds.  Stir to avoid burning, then add curry powder, tossing to blend.  Place in a spice mill or coffee grinder with the ginger, garlic, nutmeg and salt.  Grind to a powder, set aside.

In a deep saucepan boil and reduce stock and wine together, to 2 cups.  In a separate pan reduce cream to 1 cup.

In a clean pan melt the butter, add flour and cook stirring 2 minutes.  Mix in prepared curry mixture, add the reduced stock and cream.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring.  When sauce is thick and smooth, strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.

Melt 2 TB butter in a large skillet and saute chicken, tossing until seared on all sides.  Remove to a plate.  Heat another 2 TB butter and saute shrimp for 1 minute.  Return chicken to skillet and saute together for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring.  Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and chicken mixture, bring to a boil, stirring and serve at once with rice.  Place chutney, slivered almonds, raisins,  and coconut in individual dishes and add your favorites on top of the curry.

Note: This recipe is dedicated to my Westie friends Snowy and Vivi Jr. and their Moms who give me so much laughter and happiness, day in and day out.  I hope you enjoy it.

The Four Seasons Restaurant - New York City

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The Four Seasons is one of the most fascinating, elegant and spectacular restaurants in the world.  Its sumptuous decor, its breathtaking innovations, its remarkable originality have all combined to make it an institution, a unique restaurant where the clientele includes heads of state, celebrities in all of the arts, men and women of achievement, and where the food is admired by gourmets, critics and fellow restaurateurs all over the world. Behind that institution lies a philosophy of food--a concept of freshness, of originality of simplicity and seasonal variation.

It began as a dream in several minds, including the architect Phillip Johnson, the owners of the Seagram Building where it resides, and Joe Baum, the pivotal personality of an organization called Restaurant Associates.  The dream, in short, was of a restaurant of peerless magnificence for New Yorkers, a restaurant whose food was splendid and whose very ambiance mirrored the seasons of the year.

Whether one dines or lunches in the Bar Room, where simple broiled food takes a seat of honor, or in the Pool Room where the menu is much more involved and its presentation much more spectacular, there is the comfort of knowing that the food being served has been prepared with great relish and eaten with true appreciation by a large discerning clientele,  including me!

The Bar Room

The first time I dined at the Four Seasons was in the early 60's while at boarding school.  An old uncle invited my parents and me during Spring break and we ate in the Pool Room.  All I can remember was the beauty of the decor.  You have to remember that when it first opened, the Four Seasons was not only innovative but also revolutionary.  It was Spring and darn it if they didn't have dogwoods or cherry blossoms in bloom all over the room! 

Throughout the years I dined or lunched several times, mainly in the Pool Room, and visited the bar on numerous occasions to meet colleagues and friends.  I was lucky my office at the time was only a couple of blocks away.  It is a lunch with my Mother, however, that is the most memorable of all the occasions I visited the restaurant.  We were cutting through 53rd Street after a doctors appointment, and we were hungry and tired.   When I saw where we were, I steered her right through the door and up the stairs without giving her a chance to say no.  It was pretty late in the lunch service, just a few tables of stragglers remained in the Bar Room and Pool Room, but we were taken to a table and served as if we were the queens of New York.  That is class. No rush, no sly glances, absolutely perfect crab cakes, Bloody Marys, espresso and petit fours.  We left around 4 p.m.sleepy and happy, each with a box of petit fours, a gift from the Four Seasons.  Since that day,  every time we eat crab cakes, we look at each other and smile...good, but not as good as The Four Seasons!

The Pool Room in Spring

The Pool Room in Summer

The Bar

There is much to tell about the Four Seasons, too many stories, too many fabulous dishes that I can't possibly cover in one post; but I wanted to give you some background behind the recipe that is coming up next, Chicken and Shrimp Curry, created by Chef Seppi Renggli, the restaurant's first chef.

To read more about The Four Seasons, I have included  a wonderful article in New York Magazine's November 1986 issue, pg. 42. 

When the Four Seasons first opened in 1959, it was top of the line, the first of the new breed of restaurants to succeed the legendary Pavillon.  Today, it is one of many fine restaurants in the city, where the food is not necessarily the best, but where you will find a glimpse of everything that makes a legendary restaurant great... and if you peek into the Grill Room, you will see many of the people whose minds, power and drive run some of this country's greatest enterprises.