Tag: Holiday Recipes

Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce

Another great version…

12 ounces fresh cranberries
1½ cups apple cider
½ cup orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 large cinnamon stick
3 cloves
¾ cup maple syrup
1 large honey crisp apple, cut into ½ inch pieces

In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, apple cider, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon stick and the cloves. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes or till the berries begin to break down. Add the maple syrup and cook on medium high or till the sauce begins to thicken and the berries have disintegrated. Add the cut up apple and cook for another 5 minutes. Let cool. This can be frozen till the day before Thanksgiving. Thaw it in the fridge. Good for 6-8 people.

Cardamom Saffron Panna Cotta

This is a good dessert for Diwali- the cardamom and saffron come through loud and clear!

1 ½ cups whole milk
3 teaspoons powdered gelatin
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
5 cardamom pods
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
¼ teaspoon salt
Eight 4 ounce ramekins

Pistachio Topping

¼ cup pistachios
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar

In a small saucepan heat the cream, sugar and salt until steaming hot (not boiling), stirring from time to time. Add the cardamom pods and saffron. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Meanwhile pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Add the milk and gelatin to the cream and reheat to steam, stirring well to dissolve gelatin (make sure not to boil). Strain the mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate overnight.

Grind the pistachios, salt and brown sugar in a grinder.

Top the panna cottas with ground pistachio mixture and serve.

Indian Style Latkes

Here is my take on potato latkes… !

2 large russet potatoes (about 3 cups)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 green onions, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 serrano chile, minced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2-3 tablespoons chickpea flour (all-purpose flour will be fine)
½ cup extra light olive oil heated to about 200 degrees.

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Place a small lined cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Line a large mixing bowl with a cheese cloth. Grate the potatoes in the cloth and squeeze all the liquid out and put back into the bowl. Add the shallots, green onions, ginger, chile, cilantro, egg, salt and the coriander powder. Slowly add the flour, mix well until the mixture is thick.
Scoop the mixture with a ¼ cup measure. Place it gently in the hot oil and flatten it with the back of the cup measure. Cook on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes on both sides or till golden brown. Take out on a platter lined with paper towels, drain well and place in the oven to keep hot.
Serve with cilantro cream or apple chutney.

Makes 9-10 medium sized latkes.

Cilantro Cream

½ cup low-fat sour cream
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
2 teaspoons salt or to taste

In a blender, add the sour cream, cilantro, lime-juice and salt. Blend till smooth- you may need to add a couple teaspoons of water to start the blending process. Take out in a small bowl and serve with the latkes.

Apple Chutney

One large honey crisp apple, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ cup apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
Salt

In a small saucepan, add the apple, cider, vinegar, sugar, cloves, ginger, cayenne pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the apples till they are soft and the liquid is half the amount- about 10 minutes. Smash the apples with the back of a ladle and mix with the thickened liquid. Cook for another 5 minutes and take out in a bowl and serve with the latkes.

Manchego Smoked Paprika Mashed Potatoes

4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small squares
Salt
3 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons butter
¾ to 1 cup half and half
2 cups shredded Manchego cheese, grated
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pepper
½ cup green onion, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped

Add the cut potatoes to a deep pot and cover with water. Add at least 2 tablespoons salt and the garlic cloves. Place a lid on the potatoes and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and garlic and put them through a food mill and add back to the hot pot. Add butter, half and half and smoked paprika. Check for seasonings, add pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool all the way. Add the grated cheese and mix well. At this point, the potatoes can be refrigerated and made at least a day in advance. Once ready to bake, take out of fridge at least 30 minutes in advance. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or till heated through. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.

Apple Galette

I baked this delicious dessert using the Food and Wine recipe by Jacques Pepin. It’s an incredible recipe and everyone loved it. I did tweak it a bit- I added the heavy cream and turbinado sugar. I also used an amazing apple pie spice from raw spice bar. This apple pie spice mix is delicious, it included green cardamom, grains of paradise and rosemary. The flavor was incredible- I would highly recommend this spice store online.

Pastry

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup ice water

In a food processor, combine the flour with the sugar, salt and butter and process for 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until pastry just begins to come together and forms a ball- about 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer the pastry to a work surface, form into a disk and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

3 large golden delicious apples
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons apple pie spices
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Peel, halve and core the apples and slice them crosswise ¼ inch thick. Set aside the larger center slices and coarsely chop the end slices and any broken ones- about half of the slices should be chopped. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and apple pie spices.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface roll out the pastry to a 12-inch round circle and transfer to a large lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread the chopped apples over the pastry to within 1 inch of the edge. Drizzle the honey over the chopped apples. Decoratively arrange the apples slices on top in concentric circles or in slightly overlapping rows. Sprinkle the spiced sugar evenly over the apples and dot with pieces of butter. Fold the pastry edge up and over the apples to create a 1-inch border. Spread the heavy cream over the folded pastry with a pastry brush evenly. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the cream.

Bake the galette for about 50 minutes or till the pastry is nice browned and crisp and the apples are tender. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the galette cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
½ cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whip the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract till stiff peaks are formed. Refrigerate till serving with the galette.

Apple Cardamom Trifle

I thought I would do a bunch of desserts for the upcoming holidays.. this is one of my favorites…

Apple Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large apples, Pink Lady and Honey Crisp, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods, seeds taken out and crushed
½ cup sugar
½ cup apple cider
Juice of half a lemon

Place the butter in a large frying pan. Add the apple pieces, cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds and sugar. Stir constantly until the butter melts on a medium heat. Add the cider and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover with lid for ten minutes or till the apple pieces are soft but not mushy. Bring to room temperature and refrigerate. Take out of fridge a few hours before assembling. Divide into two portions.

Vanilla Custard (Gale Gand Recipe)

2 cups 2% milk
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Removed from and heat and stir in butter. Transfer to a storage bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to eliminate skin forming. Refrigerate overnight. Divide into two portions.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

8 oz Mascarpone cheese
1 cup whipped cream
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons powdered cinnamon

Whip the mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, sugar and cinnamon till stiff peaks form.

One pound cake, sliced, divided into two layers
One trifle bowl

Assemble the trifle by starting with a layer of pound cake at the bottom. Cover with one portion of the apples and then the custard. Repeat the process one more time and top with cinnamon whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours before serving.

Filet Mignon with Cilantro Lime Sauce

4 filets
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Drizzle the olive oil on the steaks and sprinkle the salt and pepper. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

Sauce

Juice of 2 limes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
1 cup fresh cilantro

Transfer all the ingredients to a blender. Blend well, taste for seasonings and transfer to a bowl. Keep aside.

Cook the steak as desired and serve the sauce on top.

Serve with oven fries and mango salsa.

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