DECEMBER 2009 - PROGRESSIVE DINNER PARTY

Holidays with Brenda and Rudy

Catherine and George host dessert

Guests enjoyed chocolate eggnog, baked alaska and chocolate yule log

Buche de Noel and Baked Alaska

Literally, “Yule Log,” this is a traditional Christmas cake from France. Essentially, it is a sponge cake made in a jelly roll pan, filled with a fluffy filling such as mousse, meringue, or pastry cream, rolled up into a log. It may be a chocolate cake, or a white or yellow cake, and it may be a white filling, chocolate filling, or other flavor—there is lots of flexibility in how you might like to combine the elements. The ends are cut off at a slant and the cut ends are fixed to the log to look like cut branches. The whole is frosted with buttercream or other frosting, then the frosting is scumbled with a fork to resemble bark. Decorations are meringue mushrooms dusted with cocoa, fresh holiday greens, and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar at the last minute to look like snow. This recipe used a chocolate sponge cake recipe from a Martha Stewart magazine holiday baking issue; the filling is Italian meringue (stabilized by being made with hot sugar syrup beaten into the egg whites) flavored with bittersweet chocolate, and the frosting is more Italian meringue with chocolate and extra cocoa added to make it stiff enough to spread. Both filling and frosting are Julia Child recipes. If you would like the entire group of recipes, let me know.

Baked Alaska
Base: pound cake from a mix, baked in an 8” springform pan and split horizontally, or two 8” cake pans (freeze the unused half in each case for use another time).

Ice cream: Find a bowl with an 8”-wide top, spray very well with non-stick pan spray, line well with plastic wrap, and pack with two or three of your favorite varieties of ice cream, in successive layers. Cover and freeze til hard. Invert the ice cream onto the cake and put back in the freezer.

Meringue: Spread on, or pipe on with a large pastry bag and large star tip, Swiss meringue made with 8 egg whites (adjust the other ingredients from your recipe accordingly). Swiss meringue, like Italian meringue, is more stable than plain uncooked meringue, but unlike Italian meringue is not made with hot sugar syrup, rather the eggs and sugar are beaten in a double boiler over hot water until warm, then beaten to stiffness.

If making ahead, put the completed dessert in the freezer, it will keep for a few hours, perhaps longer.

When ready to serve, put broiler on 500 degrees and place Baked Alaska under it for a minute or two, until meringue begins to color. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup of brandy or cognac in the microwave until hot (30 seconds) and pour over Baked Alaska while touching with a match.

CHOCOLATE EGGNOG

Serves 12

2 Qts. Whole Milk, plus more if needed
1-1/4 cups sugar
½-tsp course salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved
4 cinnamon sticks
12 egg yolks
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
3 oz milk chocolate, melted
2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups brandy
Whole nutmeg for garnish


1. Heat milk, sugar, salt, vanilla seeds and pod, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot over med-heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture is heated through. Remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes.
2. Prepare an ice-water bath. Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until pale (about 2 minutes). Whisk 1 cup milk mixture into egg yolks in a slow, steady stream. Whisk egg yoke mixture into remaining milk mixture. Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixtures reaches 180F on instant read thermometer (about 6 minutes). DO NOT BOIL.
3. Remove pot from heat. Add melted bittersweet and milk chocolates, and stir until incorporated. Disregard vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks. Pour mixture into large bowl set in ice-water bath and let cool while stirring often.
4. Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Pour cooled eggnog into large serving bowl, and add brandy. (Add more milk, if necessary, to eggnog to reach desired consistency.) Top with whipped cream. Grate nutmeg on top and sprinkle with cocoa or cayenne pepper (sparingly) if desired.

Drink can be made a day in advance.

DEC 2009 PROGRESSIVE DINNER - APPETIZERS

(Kyle and John)

BRIE CHEESE WITH WALNUTS AND DRIED CRANBERRIES

GRILLED FRESH ASPARAGUS

SEAFOOD COCKTAIL
o Jumbo Prawns
o Fresh Dungeness Crab
o Radicchio and Red Leaf Lettuce
o Celery
o Red cocktail sauce

SOUTHWEST RICE BITES
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 24 appetizers

Stir together 1 1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice, 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, 1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup salsa, 1/4 cup sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and press equal amounts of rice mixture into each cup. Top with 1/3 cup crumbled tortilla chips and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Top with salsa, sour cream and cilantro leaves.

CREAMY ARTICHOKE STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 12 appetizers

12 large mushrooms (10 to 12 oz. total)
2 small green onions, chopped
2/3 cups artichoke parmesan dip
1/4 cup each: shredded and Parmesan cheese and crushed croutons

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a small baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Remove stems from mushrooms and chop; place caps in prepared dish.
2. Cook stems in a small skillet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add onion and cook for one minute more. Stir in dip, then spoon equal amounts into mushrooms. Top with cheese and crushed croutons; bake for 20 minutes