Christmas Eve Recipes

Since tomorrow is Christmas, I'll keep this short (but still the six recipes). Enjoy!

Note: I'm also posting Diabetic Thursday recipes today, with no posts tomorrow. Next week, I'll be back to posting five days a week.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE – SLIMMED

This comes from The Food Network. It starts off, “Our slimmed down version of this classic offers the creamy mushroom flavor, the sweet tang of onions, and the crunch you expect from Green Bean Casserole, with 60 percent less calories and 80 percent less fat.” Total Time: 1 hr 5 min; Prep: 45 min; Cook: 20 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Intermediate

To read more online, go to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/green-bean-casserole-slimmed-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 to 4 medium shallots, in their skins

Kosher salt, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons

1 pound fresh green beans, stemmed, and halved crosswise

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups mushroom, vegetable, or chicken broth (see Cook's Note)

3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable cooking spray

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the shallots (in their skins) on a small baking dish, roast until soft, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, skin and coarsely chop the shallots. Set aside.

Bring a medium-large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add kosher salt, to taste. Add the green beans, and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse with cold water. Transfer the beans to a large bowl.

In the same saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with 1 teaspoon salt, cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the beans.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the shallots, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir to combine evenly.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the pan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of thyme to bread crumbs and scatter over the vegetables. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the crumbs brown, about 20 minutes.

Cook's Note: There has been an explosion of prepared broths on the market. We particularly like the mushroom broth in the aseptic packaging. However, for this recipe, make sure you don't use an Asian-style mushroom broth. If you can't find mushroom, a vegetable or chicken broth is a suitable substitute.

Tips: When sauteing mushrooms, salt them right away--they will release moisture and you can use less oil - 1 cup fresh bread crumbs has less calories than 1 cup dried - Roasting whole shallots is an excellent way to cook them using absolutely no fat.

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH BACON

This yummy dish comes from The Baker Chick. Yields 6 – 8 servings. (Hint: If you haven't already signed up for her newsletter, I highly recommend doing so!)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 slices of bacon, chopped

4 cups of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar plus a little more for topping

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

pinch of fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy and browned. Set aside on some paper towel.

Heat a large pot of salted water on high until boiling. Add the cauliflower and cook for 2/3 minutes or until about half-way soft. Drain and set aside.

Wipe out the same pot and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour constantly until golden. Stir in the milk and stir constantly until thick and creamy. Stir in the cheese and salt & pepper to taste.

Add the cauliflower and bacon to the cheese mixture and toss to combine. Pour into an 8x8 or similarly-sized baking dish and top with panko and a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Run the broiler for a couple minutes if desired to make the top even more browned.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

APPLE & BING CHERRY GALETTE

This comes from Seattle's Macrina Bakery. I have a feeling that if I ever did a road trip, I'd probably gain 5 pounds here! The recipes starts off, “I have fond memories of the first time we made this dessert. My friend Kay Simon, wine maker and co-owner of Washington's Chinook Winery, had stopped by the café with some bottles of Merlot that we'd ordered. She also brought along a surprise gift - five pounds of sweet, sun-ripened cherries from her neighbor's farm in Prosser, Washington. We popped a few into our mouths and started daydreaming of all the wonderful pastries we could make with the fruit. The end result was one of my favorite desserts.” Serves 8 to 10

Ingredietns:

6 Granny Smith apples

1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups fresh Bing cherries, stemmed and pitted

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 recipe Flaky Pie Dough, chilled (recipe follows)

Egg wash made with 1 egg and
1 teaspoon water

2 tablespoons coarse raw sugar

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Peel and core apples and cut into 1/2-inch slices (approximately 12 slices per apple). Place apple slices and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon and toss until slices are evenly coated. Spread apples into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and dot with pieces of butter. Roast on center rack of oven for 15 minutes to release some of the juices and intensify the flavors. Set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 385°F.

In a large bowl, combine cooled apples, cherries and vanilla extract. Mix gently with a wooden spoon and set aside.

Coat your hands with flour and shape the chilled piece of dough into a ball. Working on a floured surface, flatten the ball slightly and roll it into a 14-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Gently transfer rolled dough onto a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Pile fruit onto center of the dough, leaving excess liquid in the bowl, and spread to cover about 8 inches, leaving a 3-inch border of dough around the filling. Lift border on top of the filling, tucking and folding the dough to create a gathered or pleated finish. Lift each of the folds up and brush underneath with egg wash to seal the crust. Brush all exposed dough with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse raw sugar. Chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Place tart on center rack of oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake for 40 minutes more or until crust is golden brown. If the apples start to burn before the crust is ready, cover them with a small piece of aluminum foil. Let cool on the baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

FLAKEY PIE DOUGH

Makes enough dough for 2 double-crusted (9-inch) pies, or 2 (10-inch) rustic galettes or tarts.

5 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 - inch pieces

1 3/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, chilled

1 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and toss together. Add butter and cut it into the flour until the texture is coarse and crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter or your fingers, but I like to use 2 forks. Break up the shortening and add it in small pieces. Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until the water is incorporated and the dough sticks together when pinched. This dough will be quite sticky, so dust your hands with flour before handling it. Pull dough from bowl onto a lightly floured work surface (chilled marble is ideal) and pat it into a block. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using. Since this recipe makes enough dough for 2 pies or tarts, I recommend cutting it in half before chilling.

Flakey Pie Dough will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and for up to 1 month in the freezer. If you freeze half or all of the dough, it’s a good idea to double wrap it. Frozen dough needs to be fully defrosted before it’s used, and my preferred method is to transfer the dough to the refrigerator 1 day before I plan on baking with it. The dough can also be defrosted at room temperature, but it needs to be re-chilled in the refrigerator for 1 hour prior to using.

EGGNOG CAKE

Not sure where this came from, but I think my daughter may have sent it one year. Serves 12

1 18.25-ounce pudding added yellow cake mix, and oil and eggs called for on package

1 teaspoon nutmeg

EggNog, substituted for water (according to package directions)

EggNog Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to recommended temperature on cake mix package. Spray sides & bottom with vegetable cooking spray, or grease with butter or margarine. Combine dry cake mix with required oil, eggs & nutmeg, Omit water adding the same amount of EggNog in its place. Mix & bake accor-ding to package instructions. Cool. Top with EggNog Glaze.

EGGNOG GLAZE

2 Cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 teaspoons EggNog

In medium bowl combine all ingredients, adding enough EggNog for desired consistency. Makes 1 1/2 Cups.