Christmas Traditions

Next year, this crew will expand again, with the addition of twins- Congratulations Jordan and Charu!

 When it comes to the Christmas season, there are not a lot of new recipes being developed in our households. Each of our homes swell to accommodate our 4 children, their spouses, friends and various other special guests. We look so forward to this time, that we try to make things as easy on ourselves as possible, by making those tried and true dishes that we know are favorites, and that feed the masses.

 A great example is the smoked salmon, that we prepare every Christmas Eve. This is a great dish to add to a menu, as it can be eaten as a main course, a side dish with breakfast on Christmas morning, or as an appetizer. We saved a bit for ourselves for our boxing Day dinner - we ate it in a healthy green salad, then escaped a household full of 20-somethings as they launched into their annual Boxing Day bash at our place.

Boxing Day starts with our traditional road hockey game. This year, Jackie was the only girl on the rink - what is that all about? Next year, we have to get a better turnout!
The Boxing Day party for the younger crowd usually involves a menu that includes everything in the refrigerator and more. We had marinated 5 pork tenderloins in a teriyaki style marinade, just to get them started.  Then we headed out to a movie and they kicked into high gear with their preparations.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

5 pork tenderloins

Marinade:

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp sirachi sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground ginger

 

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small mixing bowl.  Place  tenderloins in a glass dish or a resealable plastic bag.  Pour marinade ingredients over the pork, and cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH.  Clean with a wire brush, and brush or spray them with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. 

Meanwhile, remove tenderloins from the marinade, and pat dry with a paper towel.  Brush or spray very lightly with vegetable oil.  Reserve the marinade for brushing over the meat during the initial cooking stages.

Reduce barbecue temperature to MEDIUM, and place the pork on the grill on the diagonal.  Close the lid and cook for 8 minutes. 

Brush reserved marinade over the meat, then turn by 1/3, brush it again, and close the lid for another 7 minutes.  Brush the meat once more, turn by the final 1/3, close the lid and turn off the barbecue.  Let stand inside the grill for 6 minutes.  Remove to a carving board, cover with foil and a kitchen towel, and let stand another 5-10 minutes to reabsorb juices.  Carve into thick slices on the diagonal.

 Tara made a wonderful beet dish that everyone raved about. She roasted the beets, sauteed the stems and steamed the greens. This was served tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Sounds divine! We are going to try to duplicate the recipe this week.

A great time was had by all, but it looks like some practice needs to be done with the new camera!!!

Almost Christmas!

For those of us living in Southwestern Ontario, this Christmas week will be remembered for the havoc of the ice storm.  It has been both beautiful and terrible, but we are very grateful that our families will be able to be together.  At the same time we are mindful of all the people whose travel plans have been interrupted, or who have been without power for an extended period. 

On Friday, just as the freezing ran began, we carved out a few hours for some Christmas cheer over lunch with Bev and Mary Ann.  The simple menu was largely make-ahead, so we could just enjoy the time together. 

 

Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflés

Serves 8

2 cups milk

2 fresh bay leaves

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

100g goat cheese

2/3 cup finely grated parmesan

6 egg yolks

5 egg whites

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease eight 200ml-capacity ovenproof ramekins. Combine the milk and bay leaves in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until mixture bubbles. The mixture will be very thick.  Gradually add hot milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring constantly until well combined. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Add goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of parmesan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Add the egg yolks to the cheese mixture, one at a time, whisking well between each addition. Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Use a metal spoon to add half the egg whites to the cheese mixture and gently fold until just combined. Add remaining egg whites and fold to combine.

Spoon the mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven and roasting pan and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Run a knife around the inside edge of each mold to loosen soufflés, then turn them out on to the tray. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for up to one day.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.  Spoon 1 tablespoon of cream over each soufflé and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Grilled Pear, Hazelnut and Arugula salad

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 ripe, firm medium pears, cored, peeled and cut into 12 wedges.

More olive oil for the pears

arugula

To make the pear and rocket salad, spread the hazelnuts over an oven tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Place hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins. Coarsely chop.

Combine the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and olive oil in a mason jar and shake well.  Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM LOW.  Brush the pear wedges with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking.  Grill for about 10 minutes, or until slightly browned and just tender.  Combine the hazelnuts and arugula in a bowl, then drizzle with as much of the dressing as desired, leaving some to drizzle over the pears. Gently toss until just combined.

Arrange the soufflés and salad on the serving dishes.  Arrange the pears on top of the arugula, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

We served the Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflés with Tomato Chili Jam. 

Since the kids started arriving home, some of them have been coming together to work on a Gingerbread Hogwarts.  Here is a sneak peak of their creation, which will likely be finished on Christmas Eve.

 

Hagrid's Cabin in the woods is Charlie and Tim's project

Seventh Annual Bake and Booze

Some of us dread it, and some of us wait in joyful anticipation for months. No matter what you think of it, you can't stop it ( take a lesson from the Grinch and his experiences with Christmas in Who-ville!). You guessed it, The Walkers celebrated our annual Bake and Booze last week!! We talked, baked, knitted, laughed, drank....... anything goes....there are very few rules at Bake and Booze!

 First thing... Margaritas!

We kicked off the evening with a pitcher of Prickly Pear Margaritas.

Second thing, dinner......
This tummy warming Sausage and Kale Soup is a complete meal. We served it with crusty bread and salad.

Sausage and Kale Soup

1 lb hot Italian Sausage meat
2 tbsp canola oil
½ cup red wine
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 large stalks celery, cleaned and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can San Marzano tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2  tbsp herbes de provence
4-6 cups chicken stock
½ cup orzo
2 cups kale, trim stem and chop coarsely
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
½ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
 ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

If you are not able to find bulk sausage meat, simply buy sausages and remove the meat from the casings. In a large sauté pan, fry the crumbled sausage meat on MEDIUM  until brown and slightly crispy. De-glaze the pan with red wine, or a bit of water and remove meat and liquid, setting aside in a large bowl until later.

In a large dutch oven, heat the canola oil on MEDIUM, and add the onions, celery and carrots.  Cook until the vegetables are almost tender.  Add the garlic, bay leaves and herbes de provence and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute.  Meanwhile, gently remove the tomatoes from the can and chop coarsely, preserving as much of the tomato juice as possible. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato juice to the soup. Add chicken stock, cooked sausage meat and the cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 30-40 minutes. This can all be done ahead of time and set aside until closer to meal-time. When ready to finish, bring to a boil and add orzo and chopped kale. Reduce heat to MEDIUM LOW and cook for 10 minutes. Serve in large bowls, garnished with parmigiano reggiano cheese and chopped basil.

Radicchio with Figs and Ginger Vinaigrette

1 radicchio lettuce

1 curly endive , or mixed greens

3 oranges

½ slice red onion, thinly sliced into rings

8 small green figs, quartered, or dried black mission figs                                   

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons very finely chopped candied ginger

seeds from 1 pomegranate, optional

Wash lettuce leaves and drain well. Tear into bite sized pieces and toss in salad bowl.

Whisk the oil, vinegar, cinnamon, orange juice and ginger together. Season to taste and pour over the salad, tossing lightly.

Peel and segment the oranges. Add to salad leaves with onion and figs.

If using pomegranate, scatter the seeds over the salad and serve.

Everyone pitched in to help Terry roll her Date Balls in shredded coconut.  A very messy job!

Lynn's Sandy Morrice's 100 year old recipe for Oatmeal Cookies is another favourite.

Kris made her delicious Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Deb’s Coconut Nests

1 ¼ cups sifted flour

¼ tsp salt

½ cup butter, at room temperature

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg yolk

1 egg white

Shredded coconut

Thick jelly

or jam

Sift flour 3 times with salt. Cream butter, then blend in sugar. Add beaten egg yolk. Mix in dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time. Roll dough into small balls, then dip into slightly beaten egg white, then roll in coconut. Place on greased cookie sheet, or on parchment. Indent in middle with thimble. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. **After 5 minutes of baking, indent middle again.** Fill centre with jelly or jam when on cooling rack.

Makes about 18 cookies.

Andrea is the artist of the group!

These sugar cookies were made with the same recipe as the Wedding Sugar Cookies

Barb's Ice Box Cookies

2/3 cup butter                                     

1 cup brown sugar                             

1 tsp vanilla                                         

1 egg     

2 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup chopped red and green glace cherries                                         

Cream butter; gradually add brown sugar and cream well. Add egg, vanilla, and beat well. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in a separate bowl, then stir into batter. Add chopped cherries.  Shape dough into 2 long rolls, about 2” in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and chill until firm (about 2 hours). Slice thinly; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes approximately 2  1/2 dozen.

Winter Comforts

It is a busy time of year, getting ready for our families to start gathering for the Christmas holidays. We love it!  Yet, we have learned over the years not to forget to enjoy the moment.  We both found ourselves with some time to slow down this weekend and prepared some healthful and easy meals --- in times like this, we like to prepare food from our “go- to” repertoire. 

An unexpectedly quiet weekend meant Ted and Andrea could slip away to Ellicottville for a restorative few days of hiking, reading and knitting by the fire, and of course grilling!  We stopped at our favourite American grocery store, Wegmans, and selected a succulent rack of lamb, as well as some fresh vegetables to grill.  Thanks to  Broil King's The Perfect Savoury Mediterranean Rub, the meat and vegetables were a snap to prepare.  That left plenty of time to devote to the Better Than Sex Risotto. 

Quick Rack of Lamb

1 rack of lamb for 2-3 people
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Broil King Perfect Savoury Mediterranean Rub

Brush the lamb with olive oil, and sprinkle the rub over all sides of the meat.  Let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour.  Meanwhile, preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH for 10 minutes.  Clean the grids with a wire brush, then coat them with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.  Place the lamb on the grill, and cook for a total of about 25 minutes, following the guide for perfect grill marks.
Serve with mint or red pepper jelly. 


 Back in Waterloo, Mark and Kris were anxious to get their Christmas tree before the snow flew, so Mark, Jackie and Pepper headed out to the woods.  Each year, the trees seem to get bigger!!  
Meanwhile, Kris was trying to find some room in the freezer to accomodate some Christmas goodies.  We decided that it was time to smoke the duck legs that we had picked up at the market earlier in the fall. Here are 2 great meals that came out of that endeavour!! Check out this link for our instructions on smoking duck legs.

Here are the recipes for 2 great meals that came out of that endeavour!!

Lentils with bacon and dried cherries

1 can green lentils, rinsed and drained

4 slices smoked bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup red wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup dried cherries

Rinse and drain lentils, then set aside. Place bacon into a sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon and set it aside. Drain off bacon fat. Into the same pan, add olive oil, shallots and garlic. Saute gently until the shallots and garlic are translucent, approximately 6-7 minutes. Increase heat and deglaze pan with red wine. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add drained lentils, and heat for another 3-4 minutes until warm. Add dried cherries and garnish with parsley.

Thai red curry with crispy duck legs

6 smoked duck legs

1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, beaten
1” ginger, sliced into coins and smashed
1 tsp red curry paste
½ cup chicken or fish stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp fish sauce
garnish with thai basil

In a saucepot,  bring the coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, curry paste, stock and brown sugar to a simmer.   Simmer 30-45 minutes, until reduced by about 1/3.  Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and fish sauce. Strain well through a fine mesh strainer into a large saute pan. Add the smoked duck legs and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until flavours are blended. Serve with steamed brown basmati rice and steamed asian greens. Garnish with thai basil.