Five Classic Holiday Recipes that Go Way Back

Although most people would not care to admit it, the best part about holidays is the mouthwatering meals. This is usually the time most people look for tantalizing recipes to prepare for their families. Fortunately, these are abundant and you don’t need to have Gordon Ramsay’s cooking skills to assemble a decent meal. The quandary is that most of our traditional recipes have disappeared with time. Remember that good ol’ fashioned turkey your grandma used to prepare on Thanksgiving Day? Well, you can revive it together with most of the other classic holiday delicacies. Here are five classic holiday recipes that go way back.

Individual Beef Wellington

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon of pepper
• 2 beef tenderloin steaks
• 2 tablespoons of deli or liver pate or canned mushroom pate
• ¾ cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped shallot or onion
• ¼ teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed
• 2 tablespoons of margarine or butter, softened
• 1 ½ teaspoons of snipped parsley
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of dried marjoram, crushed
• ½ 17 ounce package of frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 beaten egg white
• 1/3 cup of dry red wine
• ½ teaspoon of instant beef bouillon granules
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Stir together the marjoram, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and then rub the mixture over the steaks on all sides. Divide the thawed pastry into two portions and coat one side of both steaks with one tablespoon pate. Place individual steaks at the center of each ration of thawed pastry, with the pate side down. Wrap the meat and trim off excess pastry, then seal the ends.

Place the pastry-wrapped meat in a greased baking pan, with the seam sides down. Brush the beaten egg white around the pastry. If desired, roll the trimmings again to make cutouts, and then place them on the pastry-wrapped meat. Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is golden, about fifteen minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the meat to test doneness.

Meanwhile, combine the dry red wine, water, crushed dried thyme, instant beef bouillon granules, finely chopped onion or shallot, and one bay leaf in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer until the mixture is condensed to ¾ cup, about five to seven minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Whisk together the all-purpose flour and softened butter or margarine, and then add the batter to the wine mixture. Cook while stirring until thick and bubbly. Continue cooking for one more minute before stirring in the snipped parsley. Serve with the pastry-wrapped meat.

Servings: 2

Roast chicken with creme fraiche, new potatoes and watercress

Ingredients

• 200g creme fraiche
• 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 100g watercress
• 1 teaspoons of mustard (optional)
• 1 large chicken, about 1.5kg
• 1/2 lemon
• 500g new potatoes
• Salt & freshly-ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Add salt and pepper to the inside of the chicken to season, followed by the crème fraiche. Plug the lemon half into the rear of the chicken and rub some of the oil around the chicken. Season and then transfer into a roasting tin, breast side up. Coat the potatoes with the remaining oil and arrange around the chicken. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, choose the largest stems from the watercress and transfer into a large bowl. Fill with cold water, press the watercress into the bottom and put the bowl in the refrigerator. This will allow the clean watercress to float over the top while the dirt sinks into the bottom. Remove the chicken from the oven, extract the crème fraiche and pour over the potatoes. Place the chicken on a board, upside down, and set aside for ten minutes to allow the juices to flow back into the chicken breast.

Bring the tin with the potatoes to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Drain the watercress from the bowl. Serve the chicken/potatoes in a larger platter and then scatter the watercress over the top. Spice with a spoonful of mustard and enjoy!

Servings: 6

Peanut Brittle

Ingredients

• 1 cup of light-colored corn syrup
• ¼ cup of butter (no substitutes)
• 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda, sifted
• 2 cups of sugar
• ½ cup of water
• 2 ½ cups of raw peanuts

Directions

Line 2 large baking sheets with foil, and brush with butter. Place aside. Combine butter, water, corn syrup, and sugar in a large 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium high heat, stirring, until the mixture boils. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan, and then reduce the heat to medium low. Continue boiling until thermometer reads 275 degrees F, approximately half an hour. Mix in the nuts, and continue cooking for about twenty more minutes or until thermometer reads 295 degrees F. Remove from heat, and lift out the thermometer. Sprinkle the mixture with baking soda, stirring constantly, and then transfer onto the prepared baking sheets. Allow to cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Servings: 72 (2 ¼ pounds)

Sugar-Free Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon of ground mace
• 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 7-1/4 teaspoon of 24 packets Equal® or Equal Measure®
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2-1/2 cups of mashed cooked sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon of margarine, softened
• 3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 unbaked pie shells
• 1 12-ounce can of evaporated skim milk or evaporated milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, margarine, Equal, eggs, vanilla, sweet potatoes, and salt in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Process on medium speed until soft, and then gently add the milk. Process until thoroughly mixed before pouring into unbaked pie shells. Bake until set, about one hour. Set aside to cool and serve.

Servings: 16

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of light butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• Salt & freshly ground pepper
• 6 – 8 pounds offresh turkey breast, bone in
• 1 teaspoon of dried sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• Olive oil or Vegetable oil spray

Directions

Using fingertips, gently loosen the skin on both sides of the upper part of the turkey breast to create a “pocket” between the meat and the skin. Using a fork, mix the garlic, herbs, butter, salt and pepper, and then split the mixture into two using fingertips. Gently insert half of the mixture into the chicken breasts’ skin. Spray the vegetable spray around the exterior of the breasts and add salt and pepper into the cavity area to taste. Transfer into a rack of a shallow roasting pan, cavity side down, and roast for one hour in a preheated 400 degrees F oven. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and continue roasting until turkey breast turns golden brown. Set aside for fifteen minutes and then serve.

Servings: 8 to 10