Let’s say you’ve resolved to eat healthier in the New Year, but find yourself tripped up over and over again by your unconquerable yen for food that’s rich and delicious. And let’s also say that one of your favourite dishes is mashed potatoes.
The classic New Year’s libation is champagne, but what to eat is a matter of broader choice. This year why not make it a tapas party a feast of various little bites? And, if indeed that’s how you choose to roll, one of those dishes should be these crispy baked potatoes with a garlicky red pepper mayo sauce.
Want to serve a fancy roast for Christmas dinner without breaking the bank? Try a petite beef filet. Cut from the shoulder, long and thin, and weighing between 8-10 ounces, the petite filet looks like a mini tenderloin of beef one of the priciest and most popular of roasts. But it’s much less expensive and more flavourful than the tenderloin. And tender, too.
If, like me, you’re a fan of dark chocolate peppermint bark at Christmastime, you’re going to love these cookies. Your friends and family will, too. But you’ll have to plan ahead because the batter is so soft it needs to chill overnight before scooping.
”Ants in a Tree” is the English translation of the Chinese name for this classic recipe. Built of spicy pork, bean thread noodles (aka cellophane noodles) and scallions, it earned its name because it’s not so far-fetched for the finished dish to call that image to mind ‚Äî the noodles look like tree branches, the scallions like tree leaves and the little bits of ground pork like ants.
If you’re expecting overnight guests during the holiday season, you might want to stock up on the ingredients for this recipe. Doing so will allow you to throw together a knockout coffee cake for breakfast, a special treat that features a cream biscuit dough packed with intensely flavoured dried apricots, layered with almond paste and glazed with apricot jam.
With the exception of ooey-gooey potato concoctions, side dishes rarely get any respect. Most of us devote our love and attention to the protein in the centre of the plate and then throw together some kind of vegetable and/or starch as an afterthought. Here, however, is a pilaf fully capable of stealing the limelight from the usual star of the show.
Digging into the Thanksgiving Day feast is a joy, but preparing it takes work. This Green Salad with Pear Dressing is a simple but elegant first course, and it will take some of the stress out of the gig. And bonus! it’s lighter than the usual holiday recipe. How did we do it? By swapping out some of the oil in favour of a very flavourful pear puree.
The side dishes on our annual Thanksgiving menu almost always include mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. This year I decided to change up the routine by combining the two, adding a little cream and topping off the hybrid with some crunch. It’s heartier that way and tastier, too.
On Thanksgiving Day, why not follow presidential custom and grant your turkey a pardon? Sure, the big bird has always been at the centre of the traditional feast, but cooking it is almost always a headache.
