So I'm stuck at home this New Year's Eve, and though that in and of itself is not unusual for us country mice, the fact that I am stuck at home with a broken foot is somewhat unusual. No dancing for me, so I thought Ted and I might team up to cook something nice and ring in the new year, since I can only hobble around on crutches. We plan to braise some short ribs in red wine and that got me to thinking about other dishes I'd cooked this holiday season with some success and how I'd like to share them with you (besides, I've already started drinking - Happy New Year!). The success you see above is based on the absolute reliability of boxed cupcake mix (Funfetti!) and the whiskey crafting skill at the High West Distillery in Park City, Utah but not at the same time (well, yes, sometimes). High West's Silver Whiskey has been my drink of choice this holiday season, as a little whiskey & soda or as a Clementine Cocktail. I also got to thinking about what it means to be a cook who makes successful dishes now that I can't do it for a few weeks. But first we must rewind back to the beginning of fall, as everyone who cooks knows that 'holiday season' starts in October.
Another delightful entry in the "small baked goods" category manifested through Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread which I baked in muffin tins and sprinkled with unroasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). October rolls in and the urge to cook with pumpkin becomes overwhelmingly incessant. The husband doesn't like pumpkin-based products, but that rarely deters me. I cook every day of my life with rare exceptions and wash mountains of dishes in the process. We live in a place with no pizza delivery some 40 miles from the nearest fast food chain restaurant and though we do have a handful of local restaurants, they are jammed with tourists in the summer, closed in the winter or simply not feasible as a regular dinner (jacket and tie at the Ahwahnee Dining Room again?). So I cook and cook and sometimes it just has to be for me.
Flank steak and chile relleno
We spent two weeks of our fall in Mexico this year and though that is a whole other culinary story, we cooked up some flank steak that digresses beautifully during the holiday parade of standing rib roasts, roasted turkeys and cured hams. The flank steak was marinated with citrus juices and achiote paste based on a recipe found in an old special edition of Bon Appetit magazine called "The Soul of Mexico". Ted's mother keeps the magazine at the house in Mexico and I have never found another copy anywhere, ever, not even online. Guess I'll have to straight up steal it next visit. Anyway, the original recipe called for marinating pork in achiote and cooking with banana leaves. We used the marinade on beef without banana leaves and it's still righteous. Achiote paste is more of a southern Mexico cooking staple made from ground annatto seeds and sold in small cakes that combine with lime and orange juice to make a sassy meat marinade. I'm fairly certain you could use the marinade on anything and it would be delicious. You don't have to be in Mexico to buy achiote paste - see that mexgrocer.com link on the right hand side of this page?
As a cook, if you're not into Halloween treats, you focus all of your fall energy on the Superbowl of Meals: Thanksgiving Dinner. We shared our meal this year with friends who had just moved to California, so some native foods were in order. Luckily my Thanksgiving stuffing staple involves artichokes and I've been making it for many years, so I've got it down pat. Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing comes from Sunset magazine back in the day and it remains one of their most popular recipes. Sourdough bread is an art form in San Francisco, so this recipe really does represent Cali as best in show. I keep this recipe for leftover turkey: Vietnamese Style Turkey Subs which is just really, really good, but this year I also tried something a little whack: Turkey Flatbread with Cranberry Salsa which is basically a flatbread pizza with all the flavors of Thanksgiving and... jalapenos. If you're looking to mix it up after a week of turkey sandwiches, this is your recipe. After years of practice, I am the kind of cook that can take 5 pantry items and 30 minutes to whip up a dinner, make sauces from scratch and comment intelligently on braising vs. sous vide, but ultimately I just want to make something that tastes good, and to me that often involves a collision of cultures and flavors (sometimes to Ted's dismay). If you are not an adventurous eater, you may want to stick with turkey sandwiches, but I double dog dare you to give it a try!
Some days just require pizza no matter which holidays are looming. Though I cheat on the dough with pre-made bakery versions that I keep in the freezer, I can still present you with mouth-watering pizza goodness that will not give you cause to complain. The version above is standard style with homemade pizza sauce, but the pie we've had great success with this year comes from Tyler Florence: Grilled Pizza with Mozarella di Bufala. You cook the crust separately on the grill or under the broiler and then toss together the usual ingredients like a salad to spread on top of the cooked crust (no sauce, just fresh tomatoes) for a fresh delightful pizza pie. If you cheat with the dough like I do, you can kick this dinner out in no time flat.
Since I was scheduled for foot surgery on December 22nd, I knew the Christmas holiday was not going to involve any cooking from me. I bought Hershey's kisses and clementine oranges to make it festive, but I did prepare one holiday treat ahead of time because I couldn't resist. We bring home hot chocolate from Mexico every visit because I love Mexican hot chocolate though it is readily available in the States (see that mexgrocer.com link to the right?). Made by Nestle and Ibarra, the Mexican chocolate comes in rounds flavored with cinnamon where you break off a piece and cook it with milk (or in my case, almond milk) slowly over the stove. Delicious with Hot Damn! cinnamon schnapps, hot chocolate is also the basis for marshmallow treats and I've been seeing gourmet marshamllow treats all over the food world lately.
From familyfun.go.com 
From saveur.comEnter a rather newish cookbook, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Other Cooking Projects by Karen Solomon along with my desire to consume gourmet marshmallows and another holiday tradition was born: homemade marshmallows coated in sprinkles and cocoa!
Thanks to Karen's easy to use recipe, marshmallows are surprisingly easy to make and surprisingly delicious in their gourmet form. Coated in cocoa, the sticky sweetness was tempered. The recipe calls for coating variations like toasted coconut and powdered sugar, and the web recipes I browsed called for flavors like strawberry and lemon. Next summer, the s'mores will be divine! No more jet-puffed crap for us.
If you are a cook looking to add recipes for kitchen staples to your repertoire, I highly recommend Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and it's sister companion:
Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It and Other Kitchen Projects. The recipes are fun and provide concise instructions on how to easily make staples for your cooking projects. I made beef jerky this summer without undue agony for a fraction of the cost of the bagged stuff in the gas station. I hope you can use some of these recommendations in your culinary world, even if you ask someone else to do the cooking. I also wish you the happiest of new years. Don't sweat the Mayan end-of-the-world thing, just have fun!
Happy Birthday to my fifteen year old dog, Fleabag and Happy New Year to you!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 12:01PM 
Green Papaya Salad with Grilled Shrimp
Christy and JoeI'm fairly certain that all Chefs' Holiday dinners are excellent. After all, chefs from around the country descend on the Ahwahnee every winter to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to an appreciative audience about the joys of food and cooking. Though the dinner is not inexpensive, it's worth every penny and you can augment your experience by attending free cooking demonstrations (read: free food samples!) by the chefs designated for each holiday session. And did I mention that each dinner course is accompanied by carefully selected wines? Chef Rick did us a favor by choosing a crop of lovely California wines to savor with our seafood. After Papaya Salad, everyone at the table lost their minds over the Arctic Char. The cucumber/horseradish flavors sent the perfectly cooked fish over the moon as far as we were concerned. By the time the Alaskan Black Cod arrived and was promptly consumed, Ted exclaimed that this was the best meal he had ever eaten. When Ted says "best meal ever", he is of course referring to a subset of meals cooked outside of our home. But still, high praise indeed. No photo of the cod as I was halfway through when I realized I missed the photo op. Too busy eating. This also may have been my best meal ever as in addition to preferring seafood over just about anything, I like me some venison. And it should always be prepared like this with onions, mushroms and brussels sprouts - perfect!
Applewood Smoked Arctic Char
Venison with Pear ButterChef Rick's current venture is RM Seafood in Las Vegas and his efforts to endorse sustainable seafood purveyors for restaurants resulted in "Chef of the Year" status for 2010 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's influential Seafood Watch program. Accolades aside, the man has a way with preparing seafood that is a boon for the rest of us. We talked with Chef Rick after dinner and he shared how much he enjoyed hiking around Yosemite during his visit. I shared how fortunate I am in visiting Las Vegas next month where I would be enjoying this dinner all over again.
Michelle and Chef Rick Moonen
Brett and Ted
Did I mention there was a lot of wine?Junket Ratings:
