A Little Holiday Dinner

A weekend trip to Ellicottville during American Thanksgiving put us in the mood for a holiday style dinner even though there were only 5 of us around the table.  Our family gatherings during the holidays usually involve 25-50 people, so this was a bit of a reset, but we incorporated a lot of the traditional favourites and it was a piece of cake to put together.  The menu was as follows:

Spring Mix with Honey Pecan, Apples and Cheddar*

Turkey Breast Stuffed with Brie Cheese, Apple Butter, Sage and Proscuitto*

Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes

Pan fried Brussels Sprouts

Gingerbread Pudding Cake*

*see recipes below

Spring Mix with Honey Pecans, Apples and Cheddar

                                                                                                                      5 cups spring mix

1 apple, sliced

4 ounces extra old cheddar, cut into small cubes

For the honey pecans:

2 cups pecan halves

¼ cup honey

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup water

For the vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons ginger honey flavoured white balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

                                                                                                                      Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Honey Pecans:  Preheat oven to 350°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine honey, sugar, salt and water in a medium saucepan. Add pecans and cook until the mixture is almost dry and totally covering the nuts.  Spread the pecans on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.  Let cool and break apart.  This will make more than you need for this salad, but they can be stored in a tightly sealed glass jar for several weeks.

For the vinaigrette:  Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar and shake well until combined.

Toss the greens, apples and vinaigrette together and place them on individual plates.   Garnish with the cheese and a few nuts on each plate.

Turkey Breast Stuffed with Brie Cheese, Apple Butter, Sage and Proscuitto

1 whole turkey breast, boned and butterflied, skin-on

4 ounces brie cheese, rind removed and sliced (this is easier to do when the cheese is well-chilled)

2 tablespoons apple butter

¼ cup chopped fresh sage

6-8 slices prosciutto

Lay the turkey breast on a cutting board, skin side down.  Place the cheese inside the “pockets” where the bones have been removed.  Drizzle with some apple butter and sprinkle with sage.  Lay 2 slices of prosciutto overtop to seal in the gooey goodness, and fold the two sides of the breast together.  Where the turkey skin does not meet, lay the remaining slices of prosciutto.  Slide butcher twine underneath and tie the breast together in several places width-wise and length-wise. 

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH for 10 minutes, then reduce the outside burners to LOW and turn off the centre burner.  Place the turkey in the middle of the upper rack.  Close the lid, and cook for 1 hour, turning over halfway through.  Move the turkey to the lower grids,  continue to grill and turn every 10-15 minutes until crisp all over and cooked through.  Be sure to use a meat thermometer, and cook to an internal temperature of  165°F.  Remove from the grill, and wrap with foil to rest for 10-15 minutes.  Slice thickly and serve with Cranberry Sauce.

Gingerbread Pudding Cake

We first had this delicious Bon Appetit recipe at our friend Mary Ann’s house during a Christmas lunch.  It is best served warm with a dollop of whipped cream.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon clove

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons beaten eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups hot water

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 large ramekins and place them on a cookie sheet. Whisk flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt in medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in egg. Stir molasses and 1/2 cup water in a 1 cup glass measuring cup.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, butter mixture and molasses mixture together beating to blend. Repeat until all seperate mixtures are now one and transfer to prepared dishes. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.

Stir 1 1/2 cups hot water and melted butter in 2 cup glass measuring cup. Carefully pour over top of batter (don't worry, there will be lots of liquid on the top)., dividing it between all the ramekins.  Bake until gingerbread is cracked on top, about 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.