Christmas garland all across our living room windows - Queen sago palm fronds and ironwood (Australian pine) branches, tiny clear lights, red Chinese paper lanterns and Chinese jade coin pendants woven into hanging deorations with red slik cord
The house is almost ready...just a few little details to be ready....
Following our Cuban tradition, our main Christmas dinner is served on Christmas Eve....or Noche Buena....but this year I will not be preparing a traditional Cuban Noche Buena menu of roasted pork, rice and black beans with all the usual side dishes.
Our Christmas Eve Dinner Menu
Salad:
Our Own Garden Mixed Greens
Goat Cheese with Toasted Chopped Macadamia Nuts
Liliko'i (passion fruit) Vinaigrette
Soup:
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Cream
Entrée:
Individual Beef Wellington - With Mini Pate (on the side)
Side:
Roasted Miniature Butternut Squash -With homemade Cranberry Sauce
Side:
Giuliano's Green Beans - With Macnuts and Cream
Dessert:
Tres Leches Cake served in balloon wine glasses
The kitchen is sparkling clean waiting for me to start my cooking marathon, so it will not stay clean much longer........
Quite a bit of prepping work will be done today so tomorrow won't be so hectic....
I'm baking the cake and mixing the milk syrup for the Tres Leches (three milks) cake dessert - the meringue topping will be made tomorrow
Today I'm also cooking the cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries
I'm making the roasted red bell pepper soup to have it out of the way and will just have to reheat tomorrow.
For the indiviual Beef Wellingtons, I'm making the pate and also making the duxelle of mushrooms and shallots - tomorrow, about an hour or so before dinner I will sear the tenderloin pieces, add the duxelle and then wrap in the puff pastry then pop in the oven to finish. Since Anthony doesn't care for the pate on the beef, I will serve the pate, molded in tiny loaf pans, on the side.
I will share the recipes later if anyone wants them.
Wishing everyone a Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
(Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)
Sonia
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Comments: 23
Terry the salad is delicious and the dressing is wonderful. I made it a few weeks ago to give as gifts from my kitchen, and of course, made enough to have some for us!
I apologize for not being around much lately, but I have been quite busy with a lot of stuff going on.....besides the holidays!
Thank you for sharing your menu with us. It all sounds delicious.
I love goat cheese. Could you possibly share your recipe here re: Toasted Topped Macadamia Nuts. Sounds wonderful!
For toasting nuts and seeds:
It is better to use unsalted nuts for most recipes. If you would like to get more taste out of the nuts the best way is to toast them.
The easiest way to toast any kind of nuts or seeds (sesame, etc) is using a very dry, heavy skillet (I prefer a well seasoned, cast iron skillet) and place on the stove at medium-high heat.
Macadamia nuts are round, large and hard. They are best for cooking or baking when chopped into smaller pieces. A food processor is great for this and chop by pulsing as many times as you think is needed to get the size chopped nut you want. If you whirl it the nuts will turn to a meal or butter. So be careful to pulse.
Place the nuts or seeds to be toasted in the skillet after the skillet is hot, and then stir constantly until they start showing a nice toasty color. You have to be vigilant, as it doesn't take much for them to burn.
I usually do the macnuts in several batches when I first get them and store in zip-lock bags and freeze to use as needed.
I don't have any other cast iron pots or pans.........but would love to have a cast iron Dutch oven...
You are so far ahead of me it's pathetic ( me, I mean). I finally finished the wrapping and now, oh no, the house needs cleaning. Off I go..........
My family also has Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. This year:
Prosciutto Gougeres
Standing Rib Roast
Herbed Yorkshire Pudding
Rutabaga with Horseradish, Maple Syrup, and Bourbon
Pear Salad
Cranberry Relish
Bread Pudding
Bourbon Cake
Ham
Roasted Fingerling Potatos, Yams with Fresh Rosemary and Fresh Garlic
Fried Rice (Vietnamese style with shrimp and crab)
Wild Rice with Black Beans
Vegetable Dish (don't know what kind, a DIL is bringing it)
Fruit Plate
Fresh Spinach Salad with blueberries and mandarin oranges
Rolls
Homemade Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice Cream (I'll make the day before)
The soup sounds great too!
Kevin, that sounds like an amazing menu. I'm intrigued with the rutabaga, horseradish, maple syrup and bourbon dish!!! Wow....I would have never thought of the combination. Later, after all the holidays are over, I would love the recipe.
Thank you, Travis and Lynn! I hope it all tastes as good as it sounds!
Mary, your menu also sounds delicious! Isn't fun to combine traditional foods from other places? Sometime I would love the recipe for the Vietnamese fried rice...no rush, though!
Marsha, I will post the recipe after Christmas. I'm using a combination of two different recipes.
Thanks, Clicker! I will report afterwards when post the recipes and pictures
I am absolutely beat right now....but I got a lot done today. At the last minute ended up having to run to town again....and I had sworn I would not be back until the 26th!!!! I thought I had a main ingredient (the chicken livers for making the pate), but apparently used it for the Thanksgiving dinner party....when I got to the store, they had only ONE package left......I felt so lucky!!!
So, the pate and duxelles are done, the soup is made, the chopepd macnuts are toasted, the tenderloins are seared, the cake made and the green beans are ready! They are served cold, so don't even have to heat those.
Now to sit and enjoy dinner and then early bed........!
You are invited to a meal...any meal...if you make it to Hawaii!
Just let me know and I'll get a group together and we will do it up right! LOL
I will post pictures and recipes soon
May your New Year's be wonderful!
I will try to put together all of my Christmas posts in one place to make it easier... Maybe sometime later today.