Part 4 - Over the halfway mark! Yeah, there was a LOT of cooking and a LOT of happy bellies here during the holidays!
December 23
Christmas Eve Eve! We have a December 23 holiday dinner tradition with a special group of people who truly are family to us. The company is the best part, but the food is usually pretty good too!
You know when you walk in and see this Wreath Salad on the table, the evening is going to be festive and delicious. Chopped romaine, mandarin wedges, homemade candied nuts, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, and apple cider vinaigrette. The combination of colors, flavors and textures made this the perfect salad and I would make this again in a heartbeat! No one wanted to be the first to mess it up, but we quickly got over our hesitation!
We had a good salad, so it needed to be followed up with a good soup and on this particularly cold and windy winter night, it was the perfect time to make homemade French Onion Soup! I caramelized onions in butter, salt, and pepper over low heat until they were sweet and golden. I deglazed with some white wine, sprinkled on flour, and then and cooked for several minutes. I added beef stock, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper and let it simmer away.
Right before serving, I ladled into crocks, topped with baguette slices, gruyere cheese, and popped them under the broiler. Some parsley for color and they were ready to go! (There was none left!)
For the main course, I served roasted chicken, but my method was slightly unusual. Back in November, I posted about my Friendsgiving dinner where I roasted the turkey under a butter blanket. It was possibly the best turkey I have ever eaten, so I thought to myself, "Why can't I do this with a chicken?" Answer - You can! So here is my Butter Blanket Roasted Chicken and Vegetables.
To prepare, I salted and peppered the insides and outsides, and stuffed the chicken cavities with lemon, onion, garlic, and fresh thyme. I trussed the legs and placed the chickens over a bed of carrots, potatoes, onions, and more fresh thyme. I roasted them for about forty five minutes at 425 degrees.
The next step was to cover the chickens with a large piece of cheesecloth soaked in melted butter. Back into the oven, and I basted every fifteen minutes with the juices in the bottom of the roasting pan (which flavored the vegetables too).
I removed the cloth and popped them back into the oven for just a few more minutes to get more color, and then I covered and allowed them to rest.
Absolutely perfect! And I did not even have to make a side dish!
Dessert started like this...
...and if a pan of caramel does not activate your sweet tooth, I do not know what will! I added some flaky sea salt, and suddenly I was ready to assemble the Salted Caramel Ice Cream!I added the caramel to my ice cream base, chilled, and then it went into the ice cream maker.
Next up, the penultimate Part 5 which includes the "surprise" Christmas family dinner which, although unplanned, turned into an amazing feast! The story, pictures, and mouth watering details coming soon!
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