Tag Archives: Christmas

Blood Orange Showcase: Sicilian Christmas Salad

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The following is the unedited copy of our column from the December 26, 2012 edition of The Forum. Our column appears every Wednesday in the SheSays section.

We celebrate Christmas Eve with my family and extended family from my mother’s side. Our tradition has always been to feature a large buffet of holiday appetizers, showcasing family favorites which often include pickled herring, lefse, clam dip, crackers, cheese, olives, smoked oysters, chips, and onion dip. And of course, the famous Green Jello Christmas Wreath.

When my Uncle, Tom Hance, joined the family back in 1982, he brought his family’s tradition of Christmas Ribs to our holiday buffet. This shift in tradition was met with some skepticism, but the ribs were so good that everyone decided they were a welcome addition to the menu. Tom passed away in April 2007, but his daughters have continued to make the Word’s Best Ribs for us ever since.

For the past six or seven years, Tony, Gio and I have hosted Christmas Eve at our home. During the first couple years, we made very few, if any, changes to the menu. However, as Gio grew beyond the baby stage, Tony and I wanted to bring some Italian flair to our Christmas Eve buffet, something that would reflect his heritage. We wanted to create a dish that our guests would look forward to year after year, just like Tom’s Ribs, or the Famous Green Jello Christmas Wreath. But what would we serve?

After studying what’s in season this time of year, we decided that our signature dish would be a salad. We took particular inspiration from the arrival of blood oranges in our local grocery stores, and wanted to make them the star of our recipe. I had never eaten a blood orange before, but Tony was very familiar with this special fruit. Blood oranges are commonly grown in Sicily, and Tony’s Uncle Pepe even grows them in his orange groves near Rosolini.

To make this dish truly Sicilian, Tony suggested adding fennel, mint and olives to the recipe, and our Sicilian Christmas Salad was born. It’s been a favorite on our holiday buffet ever since.

“I love this salad,” Tony says, “because it showcases what’s in season: the citrus and fennel, which are just so Sicilian together, and the mint, which is also common in Sicilian cooking and adds some holiday flavor. It just sings.”

The blood oranges are dynamic in this salad, not only for their beautiful crimson color, but also because of their unique flavor. With terrific bursts of citrus, a blood orange is typically sweeter than other oranges, and even offers notes of raspberry.

The slightly sweet, anise flavor of the fennel is a perfect compliment to this fruit, and its white color provides a nice contrast to the crimson and orange on the platter.

To make this salad, we use both Blood and Navel oranges. On a large platter, place a layer of oranges over the entire surface, alternating between red and orange slices and overlapping each other. Next, evenly distribute the sliced fennel and red onion around the oranges, then do the same with the mint. Randomly place green olives around the salad, season with salt and pepper, and complete by drizzling the salad with the very best extra virgin olive oil you can find. Serve and enjoy.

For the recipe, click here: Sicilian Christmas/Winter Salad Recipe

I Lied…

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I have to confess…I lied. In my earlier blog post/homage to Ina Garten’s Coconut Macaroons titled “The Perfect Cookie,” I wrote that I hardly dared to deviate from Ina’s perfect recipe. And this was true when I wrote it. But, as I was baking into the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, I did just that.

You have to understand–this is something I rarely do, and the main reason why I prefer baking over cooking. With baking, if you have a good recipe, buy the best-quality ingredients and follow the instructions to the letter, you’re nearly guaranteed to get a good result.

I had already started down the path toward deviance with a batch of Chocolate Mint Buttermilk Brownies. Buttermilk Brownies are a staple in my baking repertoire, but I wanted to make them extra special for our 12th Anniversary Celebration at Sarello’s. So, I added some peppermint extract to the frosting, and was planning to sprinkle the top with crushed candy canes.

I was waiting for them to finish baking when I realized I still had half a bag of coconut in pantry just waiting to be used. I decided to make a quick half-batch of macaroons which could bake while I cleaned up the kitchen.

But, instead of following the recipe as I usually do, I decided to experiment, again. I don’t know what came over me to cause such reckless abandon to my baking protocol, but it was way past my bedtime and I’d been baking for hours already. My guard was down, and I needed a reason to stay up to clean the kitchen instead of heading to bed.

So, I went to my pantry and took out the cocoa powder. I added one tablespoon to the coconut mixture before folding in the egg whites, and prepared 25 cookies for baking. After I popped them in the oven, I waited with bated breath to see how they turned out. What if I’d ruined Ina’s perfect recipe? Worse yet, what if Ina found out?

25-30 minutes later, I was pleased to see that my “daring” addition of cocoa powder had not altered the outcome of this perfect cookie. And when I had my focus group test them in the morning, they received two thumbs up.

On Friday, I followed up my experiment by baking a full batch of Chocolate Macaroons, and this time I added one and a half tablespoons. Again, they turned out beautifully, but I think I might bump the cocoa powder up to two tablespoons the next time I experiment. Just to see what happens.

Are you a protocol baker, or a renegade in the kitchen? I’ve always thought of myself as the former, but I enjoyed my little excursion into the unknown more than I expected. I may have to reconsider the label. It might just be time to get a little crazy in the kitchen.

Happy Baking!

Click the link for the recipe to Ina Garten’s Coconut Macaroons.

 

The Perfect Cookie

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Last night, Friday, was the start of our 12th Anniversary Celebration at Sarello’s, and the launch of our Sarello’s Twelve Days of Christmas. For the next twelve business days, we will have special events and promotions to say thank you to all who have supported Sarello’s for the past twelve years. We’ll have door prizes, special drinks, mystery $12 deals, and more. And every day we’ll feature a holiday treat at the bar, to be enjoyed by all. You’re welcome to join our celebration.

Tonight’s holiday treat is going to be Baby Macaroons. Without a doubt, my favorite culinary icon (other than The Lost Italian) is Ina Garten. I love her TV show, The Barefoot Contessa, and I’ve tried many recipes from her vast empire of cookbooks. Her recipes aren’t complicated – they are detailed but have few ingredients, and rarely involve fancy cooking techniques. And they always turn out as expected. Since I am not the trained chef in our family, I appreciate the simple approach Ina takes toward food and I will forever be a fan of the Barefoot Contessa.

Baking is a passion of mine, and for the past seven years I have included Ina’s recipe for Coconut Macaroons in my Christmas repertoire. These foolproof cookies win rave reviews whenever I serve them. They are a perennial favorite in our home and, between Tony and Giovanni, I can hardly bake them fast enough.

The macaroons turn out perfectly every time, and can be made in a variety of sizes. When I tell people how easy they are to make (there are only 5 ingredients in this recipe), they roll their eyes as if to say, “I could never make them turn out like this.”

But, if you follow this simple recipe, you can, and will, have success – I promise. Ina’s recipe suggests using a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, but in recent years I’ve turned to using a 1-inch scoop which results in cookies that are just a little bigger than bite-size. For tonight I’ve borrowed some scoops from Sarello’s to make even smaller cookies, perfectly sized to pop right into your mouth.

Sometimes I sprinkle them with a light dusting of colored sugar for the holidays, or drizzle them with melted chocolate. But that’s about as far as I dare to deviate from her perfect recipe. For tonight, I’ll remain a purist and let the Macaroons speak for themselves.

I love to package the macaroons in clear treat bags tied with Christmas ribbons, or in pretty gift boxes with holiday cellophane to give to friends and teachers throughout the season. People are delighted to receive something homemade, and even more pleased when they taste the macaroons. So take the plunge and jazz up your holiday baking with Ina Garten’s Coconut Macaroons. And when they turn out (which they will), be sure to add one of Ina’s beautiful cookbooks to your collection. Click on the link below to view just the recipe.

Ina Garten’s Coconut Macaroons

Makes: 24 to 36 cookies

Ingredients:
14 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 extra-large egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the egg whites and salt on high speed, until they form medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the batter onto the sheet using a 1 ¾-inch ice cream scoop; for smaller cookies use a 1-inch scoop or a teaspoon to drop batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve

 

Al Secolo! Prosecco & Blackened Sirloin

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This is the full content of our column which appeared in the Wednesday, December 5, 2012 edition of The Forum.

We are in the throes of the holidays, and that means the high season of entertaining has begun. This week, we’re focusing on the cocktail party with some great ideas to spice up your special event.

“When you’re planning a cocktail party, I keep things simple and fun to ensure the food and beverage will be a success,” Tony says. “But where do you start? Try to find recipes that can be prepared in advance, so that you’re not doing too much right before the party. And serve something new as a signature beverage – guests love this and it’s a great way to get the conversation flowing.”

It never hurts to have a story to share, too, so we’re going to take you on a little trip to Italy first to get things started.

“Al Secolo!” This is a common cheer to be heard among Sicilian Italians, and means something along the lines of “to the century” or may you “live for a century.” It is usually exclaimed as a toast, with glasses raised in celebration to commemorate a special event.

 For my husband, Tony, his  fondest memories of this expression take him back to hot summers in Sicily, where he spent several months during his youth visiting his extended family in the small town of Rosolini. Each visit would end with a grand feast, attended by family and friends, and the glasses would be raised (many times) throughout the evening with impassioned cries of “Al Secolo!”

Today, Tony continues this tradition both in our home and at Sarello’s, but presents the toast at the start of each evening, rather than at the end.

“When I’m hosting an event, whether it’s a cooking class or dinner party, I always acknowledge my guests with a toast at the start of the evening. A toast is special, a way to thank your guests for coming, to say, I’m so glad you’re here with me. The first thing I do when my guests arrive is greet them with a glass of Prosecco and teach them my family’s toast.”

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling white wine from the region of Veneto. Its classic flavor carries notes of citrus, almonds, honey, melon and pear, and you can find a nice variety to choose from in our local liquor stores. Clean and crisp with small bubbles, Prosecco varies from slightly dry to dry, and is always well-received.

“Prosecco is a friendly wine – not too big, not too small, it’s just right. Festive, fun and affordable, Prosecco  can be enjoyed during any part of a meal. But, I love to serve it at the beginning. “

This makes it the perfect choice to serve with our featured food recipe, Blackened Sirloin with Horseradish Cream Sauce.

“I love this dish as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvres because it’s guaranteed to be a success with your guests – nearly everyone loves beef. And, it’s a great way to add some heartiness to the traditional cocktail fare.”

The secret to this recipe is in how you cook, and slice, the meat.

“Coating the steak with freshly ground pepper and searing it before roasting help create a blackened effect,” Tony says. “I cook the sirloin to a perfect medium rare, and then cut the steak as thin as possible – the thinner, the better. The medium-rare temperature preserves the flavor of the sirloin, and the thin slices help ensure that every bite is tender.”

This recipe can be made up to two days in advance

We serve our Blackened Sirloin with homemade Horseradish Cream Sauce, which can also be prepared ahead of time.  This simple, yet amazingly delicious, condiment is always a crowd-pleaser and Tony often jokes that I serve beef only as an excuse to enjoy the horseradish cream sauce.

To serve, place the sliced sirloin on a platter and garnish with thinly sliced red onions and capers. Serve the horseradish sauce on the side. Click on the link below for the recipe.

Blackened Sirloin with Horseradish Cream Sauce