lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Dec 17, 2014 14:22:57 GMT -5
Christmas menus Breakfast Pumpkin waffles Bacon Eggnog scones Grapefruit sections Mimosas Lunch Assorted hot and cold appetizers (smoke salmon, crab dip, cheeses etc) craft beer Dinner Crab cocktail Prime rib Yorkshire pudding Potato casserole Fresh vegetable TBA and a '06 Cabernet we have been saving
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Dec 17, 2014 14:24:35 GMT -5
Good veggie dish even in winter: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/caponata-picnic-sandwiches-recipe.htmlI slice French or Italian bread into rounds and toast in the oven until browned then rub with a clove of raw garlic. You can put fresh mozzarella on the slice before piling on the caponata or just put the caponata straight on the rounds. It's seriously good and tangy goodness. One of my good friends was a vegetarian and this was her favorite dish. I love caponata! My niece does not eat cheese, but I can just leave that off. I bet even the picky teenagers would eat that, if I did not tell them what was in it. And best of all, it's a do-ahead item.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 15:05:52 GMT -5
I'm hosting dinner this year. I've done it in the past and I love it, but this year I'm drawing a complete blank on what to have. I know we'll do a ham. Likely scalloped potatoes since DH loves them and i never make them, and a fruit salad that I love. Other than that- I'm drawing a complete blank. It's my sisters birthday and she always wants cake. I don't want cake- I want pie- so we end up having both and no one eats the cake. The fact that it's her birthday always brings a new level of drama to the holidays. So what are you serving- I need ideas. You wouldn't be any chance be my sister, would you? We celebrate my birthday that day, too. If you are my sister, I'm OK with toll-house pie, instead of cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Dec 17, 2014 16:08:40 GMT -5
I'm hosting dinner this year. I've done it in the past and I love it, but this year I'm drawing a complete blank on what to have. I know we'll do a ham. Likely scalloped potatoes since DH loves them and i never make them, and a fruit salad that I love. Other than that- I'm drawing a complete blank. It's my sisters birthday and she always wants cake. I don't want cake- I want pie- so we end up having both and no one eats the cake. The fact that it's her birthday always brings a new level of drama to the holidays. So what are you serving- I need ideas. You wouldn't be any chance be my sister, would you? I don't think so. You sound way to rational to be my sister. She's a nutter.
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myrrh
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Post by myrrh on Dec 17, 2014 17:57:58 GMT -5
All of you sound so normal. In my family we usually do posole and sushi rolls. (I live in New Mexico and have Japanese heritage.) Or I guess I should say my mom makes it and we devour it. LOL
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Dec 17, 2014 18:29:33 GMT -5
Just had Hanukkah brunch: ♢ MIMOSAS ♢ Pumpkin pecan waffles ♢ Fresh fruit ♢ Fruit tart ♢ Oatmeal (vegan)
Nephew is having Christmas Eve: ♢ Chaipino (sp?) ♢ Salad & bread ♢ I'm bringing champagne / 4 kinds of dessert ♢ I'm also bringing my dinner bc I won't eat shellfish
Sis does Christmas morning based on eggs Florentine
Other sis does traditional Christmas dinner & will figure it out when she gets in from Italy on the 20th
(We have 3 religions: Jewish, Catholic, non-denominational)
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marvholly
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Post by marvholly on Dec 18, 2014 6:26:38 GMT -5
Well the weekly ads are out or at least posted. NONE of the entrees (turkey breast, ham steak, ribs) are on sale this week. What is a single person supposed to do? Whatever the hell you want. Splurge. It's Christmas.
My 'plan' is to splurge on a really nice steak or roast for New Years. Christmas was to be a cook once, eat at least twice meal.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Dec 18, 2014 10:06:25 GMT -5
We need to eat lightly on Christmas morning, because dinner is so heavy. Not sure what I will make. The weather will be cool, so either mocha coffee or hot cocoa for sure. Maybe cinnamon sugar toast, a childhood favorite of mine.
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nutty
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Post by nutty on Dec 18, 2014 10:47:32 GMT -5
Ham, ambrosia salad, mac n cheese, salad, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic biscuits, french silk pie and pumpkin pie.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Dec 18, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Prime rib
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Dec 18, 2014 20:11:38 GMT -5
Rare? Save the bones and roast them. They make a nice beef stock (with other beef bones) after roasting.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Dec 18, 2014 20:17:05 GMT -5
Probably medium. I don't like it rare.
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Sharon
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Post by Sharon on Dec 18, 2014 20:17:07 GMT -5
We are doing Thanksgiving part II. Turkey and all the trimmings. My grandfathers main requirement is that we have gravy. He is 101 years old and they very rarely serve gravy at the home. If they do have gravy they put it on the meat and not on mashed potatoes. I am more than happy to accommodate Grandpa. Last year we had ham but we had to do ham gravy and mashed potatoes instead of scalloped or au gratin potatoes.
Our main meal is Christmas Day around 1pm.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Dec 18, 2014 20:18:35 GMT -5
I don't have to eat it rare just because some food " expert" says I do. Lol
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 22:22:18 GMT -5
DH and I will do our usual Christmas Eve after the 5:30 mass - smoked fish, cheese, bread, wine (and wine, and wine.......) Christmas Day DH wants to do something a little different so it will be tamales of some sort, black beans with queso fresco and cilantro, and a lettuce, tomato, tomatillo and avocado salad. We are not big on sweets but DH will probably want some pecan pie from the local grocer and I'll splurge on candy from the neighborhood taqueria, probably the one made from squash and pumpkin seeds. Did I mention wine?
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ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ
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Post by ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ on Dec 18, 2014 22:34:54 GMT -5
I love the Prime Rib Roast idea as a change from the standard turkey for Christmas dinner. We've had it a couple of times.
Slow-roasted to a med-rare - and served with Au Jus (and other side dishes - mixed green salad to start - and baked potato, steamed and buttered baby carrots with parsley, or other stir-fried/seasoned veggies, warm buttery garlic bread, and a "Christmasy" mulled wine sorbet for dessert - or ice cream yule log.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2014 7:10:09 GMT -5
Well, we were having pizza (quit laughing), but now I guess we are having real food. My cousin sent us a gift package with a Harry & David turkey breast and ham in it. We don't exchange presents so it was both sweet and annoying of her to send it.
It is way too much meat for two people so I now have to change the menu. My family is going to be very disappointed because they were really looking forward to pizza.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Dec 19, 2014 10:40:52 GMT -5
You guys are making me hungry. Has anyone tried making beef Wellington? I've wanted to make it ever since I saw it in a MasterChef challenge, but I picked up one of those fancy, expensive cooking magazines which had it on the cover and WOW it looks complicated. There's like six pages of instructions. I'm still going to try it, but not on Christmas. swasat, do you have a recipe for that broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken? Sounds nommy.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Dec 19, 2014 10:55:35 GMT -5
Well, we were having pizza (quit laughing), but now I guess we are having real food. My cousin sent us a gift package with a Harry & David turkey breast and ham in it. We don't exchange presents so it was both sweet and annoying of her to send it.
It is way too much meat for two people so I now have to change the menu. My family is going to be very disappointed because they were really looking forward to pizza.
I'm one of 5 kids and we all live within 25 miles of the parents. 4 of us are married with kids. About 20-25 years ago, my older brother decreed that he would host the family the Sunday afternoon after Christmas at his house, I think mainly to put a stop to the Christmas Day demands on him and his family. He servers pizza and broasted chicken from his BIL's restaurant (his wife's sister's husband.) A couple of his kids worked there, their cousins worked there. And I think there's a discount involved. But mainly, we eat pizza. So go ahead and do pizza if that's what you want. Christmas dinner doesn't have to be super fancy. It just needs to make people happy. And yes, for those following along, my DH gets screwed at this Christmas meal too. There usually chips and salsa; fruit and veggies; pretzels and summer sausage. Some years we bring stuff for DH. Other years he's just eaten what's there after making sure he has a hearty lunch.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Dec 19, 2014 12:40:13 GMT -5
-Caprese salad or sandwiches to match the deli platter -cold salads - quinoa w/diced veggies and vinaigrette, potato, cole slaw, etc. -fruit platter the vegetarian won't eat this, but you can make meatballs and reheat them in a crock pot during your drive Mmmmmmm...caprese salad. The vegetarian can eat the tomatoes and the rest of us enjoy the cheese. Yum. And if I make fresh bread to go with it - oh, heck, the bread will probably never make it there. I'll eat it on the way. My brother loves prosciutto and melon, so that would be good on the fruit platter. I'll make a German potato salad, with bacon on the side, so the vegetarian can have it, too. And a vegan apple pie, from a recipe out of the Penzey's spice catalog (the dough uses coconut oil, instead of lard, butter or shortening). Nancy, I don't get why you can't use Crisco or something similar instead of the coconut oil. Crisco is vegetable oil and contains no animal fats. So it's a plant product, just like the coconut oil. I get the lard, butter, or schmaltz thing with vegans. But plants is plants, right? Or are some plants more planty than some other plants? Just a thought out of curiousity. If vegans won't eat anything that remotely comes from an animal, such as no dairy products, do vegans breast feed their babies? Or do they strictly feed soy or coconut milk?
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Dec 19, 2014 12:50:12 GMT -5
So the girls decided that they want to have tamales. They promised to help. I'm not going to hold my breath on that. But tamales do sound good. My mom said she is going to bring flautas. I'm gonna make some rice and refried beans. We will have desserts too.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Dec 19, 2014 12:50:14 GMT -5
Mmmmmmm...caprese salad. The vegetarian can eat the tomatoes and the rest of us enjoy the cheese. Yum. And if I make fresh bread to go with it - oh, heck, the bread will probably never make it there. I'll eat it on the way. My brother loves prosciutto and melon, so that would be good on the fruit platter. I'll make a German potato salad, with bacon on the side, so the vegetarian can have it, too. And a vegan apple pie, from a recipe out of the Penzey's spice catalog (the dough uses coconut oil, instead of lard, butter or shortening). Nancy, I don't get why you can't use Crisco or something similar instead of the coconut oil. Crisco is vegetable oil and contains no animal fats. So it's a plant product, just like the coconut oil. I get the lard, butter, or schmaltz thing with vegans. But plants is plants, right? Or are some plants more planty than some other plants? Just a thought out of curiousity. If vegans won't eat anything that remotely comes from an animal, such as no dairy products, do vegans breast feed their babies? Or do they strictly feed soy or coconut milk? She can use the Crisco, she just does not like it. I personally think Crisco shortening makes a dandy pie crust (OK, lard makes a better one), but the coconut oil is her thing, not mine. Vegan - wise, they both work. And I like your word "planty." As for vegans breast-feeding, I would not know personally, as my niece has no children. But yes, vegans and vegetarians do breastfeed. The breast milk is not considered a dairy product in that sense. They do have to take some additional precautions, but otherwise, no problem. There are a lot of food-related websites for vegans and vegetarians who are also new moms. Doesn't seem to be an issue.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Dec 19, 2014 15:56:03 GMT -5
Nancy, I don't get why you can't use Crisco or something similar instead of the coconut oil. Crisco is vegetable oil and contains no animal fats. So it's a plant product, just like the coconut oil. I get the lard, butter, or schmaltz thing with vegans. But plants is plants, right? Or are some plants more planty than some other plants? Just a thought out of curiousity. If vegans won't eat anything that remotely comes from an animal, such as no dairy products, do vegans breast feed their babies? Or do they strictly feed soy or coconut milk? She can use the Crisco, she just does not like it. I personally think Crisco shortening makes a dandy pie crust (OK, lard makes a better one), but the coconut oil is her thing, not mine. Vegan - wise, they both work. And I like your word "planty." As for vegans breast-feeding, I would not know personally, as my niece has no children. But yes, vegans and vegetarians do breastfeed. The breast milk is not considered a dairy product in that sense. They do have to take some additional precautions, but otherwise, no problem. There are a lot of food-related websites for vegans and vegetarians who are also new moms. Doesn't seem to be an issue. I just find some irony in the multiple standards that some folks seems to apply. And the drinking cow's milk and breast feeding is one of the interesting ones. Animal provided milk in both cases. I suppose that vegans claim that the cow can't agree to being milked, while Mom can agree to breast feed. However, I haven't run into anyone who asked a cow about her stand on being milked. Given how they beller when you're late to the barn, I'd guess that cows prefer being milked to not being milked.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Dec 19, 2014 16:03:03 GMT -5
So the girls decided that they want to have tamales. They promised to help. I'm not going to hold my breath on that. But tamales do sound good. My mom said she is going to bring flautas. I'm gonna make some rice and refried beans. We will have desserts too. Tamales ALWAYS sound good.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Dec 19, 2014 16:03:40 GMT -5
In some cases, the addition of animal milk for infants might be used as a precaution, particularly if the mother either cannot breastfeed, or doesn't have enough breast milk. But there are soy-based infant formulas as well. The stuff's not cheap, though: most of them seem to cost at least $1.25 per ounce, as compared to regular formula, which cost about 0.75 to $1.00 per ounce (note that my cost comparisons were done online, not in retail stores).
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Dec 19, 2014 16:06:15 GMT -5
She can use the Crisco, she just does not like it. I personally think Crisco shortening makes a dandy pie crust (OK, lard makes a better one), but the coconut oil is her thing, not mine. Vegan - wise, they both work. And I like your word "planty." As for vegans breast-feeding, I would not know personally, as my niece has no children. But yes, vegans and vegetarians do breastfeed. The breast milk is not considered a dairy product in that sense. They do have to take some additional precautions, but otherwise, no problem. There are a lot of food-related websites for vegans and vegetarians who are also new moms. Doesn't seem to be an issue. I just find some irony in the multiple standards that some folks seems to apply. And the drinking cow's milk and breast feeding is one of the interesting ones. Animal provided milk in both cases. I suppose that vegans claim that the cow can't agree to being milked, while Mom can agree to breast feed. However, I haven't run into anyone who asked a cow about her stand on being milked. Given how they beller when you're late to the barn, I'd guess that cows prefer being milked to not being milked. So do mommies when they miss feeding their baby. Rock hard, spouting boobies are not fun but are painful.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Dec 19, 2014 16:27:18 GMT -5
So the girls decided that they want to have tamales. They promised to help. I'm not going to hold my breath on that. But tamales do sound good. My mom said she is going to bring flautas. I'm gonna make some rice and refried beans. We will have desserts too. Tamales ALWAYS sound good. I think we should go eat with Andi
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Dec 19, 2014 16:28:46 GMT -5
So do mommies when they miss feeding their baby. Rock hard, spouting boobies are not fun but are painful.
Don't remind me. I'm still not sure why the baby's mouth and the milk don't have some kind of magnet mechanism that prevents it from falling out any other time. Seems like a pretty big design fail. And hey! Breastmilk is classified as a medical liquid. Maybe that's why it's vegan friendly
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Dec 19, 2014 16:51:06 GMT -5
No idea what our menu is yet. C normally likes to do a rib roast of some sort, but we won't have many people this year, so uncertain.
As someone whose birthday is 12/21, who used to have to share her party with someone whose birthday was 12/25, I think the OP is the one who needs to get over herself. Sure, all of you have birthdays near major holidays, but are any of the others ON the actual holiday EVERY YEAR? Is there usually gift giving? Is there usually a giant feast? ON the person's birthday?
Here's the thing, even if you share your birthday with Thanksgiving- it's not always on your birthday and no one else is getting gifts, and at least one person probably remembers to wish YOU happy birthday. Not so much with Christmas, and especially when you're an adult and Christmas is supposed to be all about the kids. You're supposed to give up any idea of it being a special day for you. No one else has to do that EVERY year.
How does it hurt you to take 5-10 minutes out of the day to actually say "Happy Birthday" to your sister, sing her a song, and let her blow out a candle? How does it hurt you to let 5-10 minutes be about her? The rest of you probably get at least a full hour of dinner out of your birthday. Give her a few minutes.
After my parents were divorced and I spent every other Christmas with my dad, my mom moved my family birthday celebration to Thanksgiving. I didn't care about having my own cake (I've always been an ice cream girl, which we had at Thanksgiving). Sure it was another major holiday, but the whole family was there, and I was the only one opening gifts. That worked pretty well.
As an adult, I asked C not to get me anything for my birthday. I instead get a wedding anniversary gift (in AUGUST, I get a gift NOT in December, in the summer even, it's like the coolest thing ever). And as for my birthday, I realized that if I wanted it celebrated, I needed to be responsible for that. So, I invite all my friends to our favorite Indian restaurant sometime around my birthday. (This year we're having lunch on Saturday, the day before.) Some of my friends will bring me gifts. Some won't even remember it's my birthday. BUT they will be there to see ME not for some other event, and we'll all spend a couple of hours hanging out, talking, having a good time, and I'll get some chai ice cream for desert.
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 19, 2014 16:51:10 GMT -5
You guys are making me hungry. Has anyone tried making beef Wellington? Yes. It's really, really yummy. Does take a bit of work, though. Not the end of the world, but it's different stuff over the course of a few days, so you need to read the whole recipe and make a plan before starting. Here's the one from Cook's Illustrated that I like:
Beef Wellington To update the notoriously difficult Beef Wellington recipe and ensure that we would wind up with tender, flavorful beef encased in earthy mushrooms, rich pâte, and a flaky pastry, we dry-aged and seared the right cut of beef, covered the meat with duxelles (finely chopped and sautéed mushrooms) and pâte, and then assembled and baked the Beef Wellington on the lowest rack of a very hot oven to prevent a soggy bottom crust. less
Serves 8 to 10
See timeline below. Ask the butcher to trim excess fat and silver skin from the Châteaubriand and to tie the roast at regular intervals with twine. Be sure to use a smooth-textured pâté, not a coarse country pâté. If you prefer to use store-bought pastry, look for the Dufour brand in the freezer section of better grocery stores. One 14-ounce package will be enough; defrost it in the refrigerator for 3 hours before using. Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry will not work because the size of the sheets is not suited to the recipe, and they cannot be rolled to the correct size. The stock base can--and should--be made in advance. But do not finish the sauce until the beef Wellington is in the oven.
Ingredients 1 beef tenderloin center-cut Châteaubriand, 3 to 4 pounds trimmed weight, about 12 inches long and 4 inches in diameter, trimmed and tied by butcher (see note) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons table salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 5 ounces fine pâté, mashed until smooth Unbleached all-purpose flour for dusting work surface 1 pound puff pastry, preferably homemade (see note) 1 large egg
Duxelles
1 pound button mushrooms, brushed of dirt and broken in rough pieces by hand 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 - 3 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 teaspoon Madeira (optional) 1 teaspoon table salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Red Wine Sauce
2 1/2 pounds beef oxtails, trimmed of excess fat 2 medium carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup) 2 medium ribs celery, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup) 4 small onions, chopped coarse (about 3 cups) 1 large head garlic, broken into cloves, unpeeled 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 bottle red wine (750ml) 4 - 6 large shallots, minced (about 1 cup) 1 bay leaf 10 sprigs fresh thyme 1 can low-sodium beef broth (14 1/2-ounces) 1 can low-sodium chicken broth (14 1/2-ounces) 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 6 parsley stems 1/4 cup ruby port 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into 4 pieces Salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Beef: Place roast on wire rack set above rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 48 hours.
2. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until very hot, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, rub tenderloin with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and lightly rub into meat.
3. Set tenderloin in hot skillet, curving it to fit if necessary, and sear on first side without moving, until well-browned, about 1 minute, pressing down on meat so that bottom of roast makes full contact with pan. Using tongs, rotate tenderloin and brown on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove from skillet and wrap hot tenderloin tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24.
4. Unwrap tenderloin and cut off and discard twine. Using small spatula, spread pâté over top and sides of tenderloin (see illustration 2); set aside.
5. Dust a large sheet of parchment paper with flour. Unwrap puff pastry and place on parchment; dust puff pastry lightly with flour and cover with second large sheet of parchment. Roll into 12 by 15-inch rectangle, mending cracks as you roll. Remove top sheet of parchment and with sharp knife trim two 1-inch bands off long side to form 10 by 15-inch rectangle; refrigerate bands on parchment-lined plate. (If dough is soft and sticky or tears easily, slide parchment with pastry onto baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.)
6. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water; set aside.
7. Remove plastic wrap from duxelles (see recipe below). Following illustration 3, invert duxelles onto puff pastry; peel off parchment. Following illustration 4, place tenderloin pâté-side down onto duxelles-covered dough. Brush edges of dough lightly with beaten egg. Following illustrations 5 and 6, incase tenderloin in dough, wrapping tightly. (There should be about 1-inch overlap forming seam; if overlap is excessive, trim with scissors.) Carefully invert dough-wrapped tenderloin onto prepared baking sheet and brush dough lightly with beaten egg; refrigerate, uncovered, 30 minutes.
8. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake Wellington until light golden brown, about 15 minutes, then arrange decorative ribbons on top. Continue to bake until deep golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers between 113 and 115 degrees for rare, about 15 minutes, or around 120 degrees for medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, transfer to carving platter, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Serve with sauce (see Red Wine Sauce for Beef Wellington, below).
Duxelles
1. Process half of mushrooms in food processor until chopped uniformly fine, about ten 1-second pulses, stopping to scrape down bowl after 5 pulses (mushrooms should not be ground so fine as to release liquid). Transfer chopped mushrooms to medium bowl and repeat to chop remaining mushrooms.
2. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat until foaming; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of liquid given off by mushrooms has evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes. Add cream, Madeira, salt, and pepper; cook until mixture is dry, about 3 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in thyme.
3. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; turn duxelles onto baking sheet and, with rubber spatula, spread into 8 by 10-inch rectangle of even thickness (see illustration 1). Cover flush with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 2 hours or up to 24.
Red Wine Sauce
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine oxtails, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in large flameproof roasting pan; spray lightly with cooking spray and toss to combine. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until beef and vegetables are well-browned, 40 to 50 minutes, adding tomato paste to roasting pan after 30 minutes.
2. While oxtails and vegetables roast, bring wine, shallots, bay leaf, and thyme to simmer over medium heat in heavy-bottomed 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven; reduce heat to low, and simmer slowly, uncovered, until reduced to about 11/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Set pot aside.
3. Place roasting pan over burner(s) set at high; add beef and chicken broths and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan with wooden spoon.
4. Transfer contents of roasting pan to stockpot with wine reduction. Add 7 cups water, peppercorns, and parsley stems, and bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until richly flavored and full-bodied, 3 to 4 hours. Strain broth into large glass measuring cup or container (you should have about 2 cups), discarding solids in strainer. Cool to room temperature; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
5. While beef Wellington bakes, skim hardened fat from surface of stock using soup spoon and discard. Transfer stock to small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Add port; set aside off heat.
6. While beef Wellington rests, return broth to simmer over medium heat and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and serve with beef Wellington.
Wellington Timeline
2 to 3 Days Before Serving:Dry-age the tenderloin. (This can be done 2 days before browning or 2 to 3 days before serving, depending on how long you intend to chill the browned tenderloin.)
Up to 2 Days Before Serving:Make the stock base for the sauce.
Up to 1 Day Before Serving:Make the duxelles.Brown the dry-aged tenderloin.
Day of Serving:Assemble and bake the Wellington.
While the Wellington Roasts and Rests:Complete the sauce.
Step-by-Step
Assembling Beef Wellington
1. Turn duxelles onto parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into 8 by 10-inch rectangle.
2. Cut off twine from seared roast and discard. Spread pâté evenly on top and sides of tenderloin.
3. Invert duxelles onto dough and peel back the parchment carefully.
4. Place tenderloin on dough bare- side-up, and brush dough edges with egg wash.
5. Lift dough edges up to encase tenderloin snugly, allowing for 1-inch overlap. Pinch seam to seal.
6. Turn dough corners up, as when wrapping a gift, and press to seal.
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