Christmas Dinner in Proper Fashion

Sorry about the delay in adding this, but it has been a long time since I had the time to return to these pages. Personally my favorite thing about the holidays is the food. Most of us use the occasion to prepare and enjoy classic foods that are special to us. I used the holiday as an opportunity to prepare a classic 5 course meal. I have provided the recipes to the dishes that turned out especially well.

Creamy Mussel and Leek Soup

I had not worked much with mussels, but had always enjoyed the flavor, so I decided to use them in a soup for the third course of my Christmas dinner. This soup is quick and simple, but boasts a creamy texture and rich flavors. The acid of the lemon and dry wine balances the richness of the cream while the mushrooms and sea salt add an earthiness to the soup.

You will need:

1 dozen medium sized mussels
2 stalks of leek, cleaned and coarsely cut
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
¾ shitake or oyster mushrooms
1 lemon
3 cups dry white wine ( I used a dry white Bordeaux )
2 cups cream
Bay leaves
Black pepper
Sea Salt

• In a large stock pot (about 6 quarts or larger) combine 1 ½ cups white wine and 1 ½ cups water along with the juice of half a lemon, 2 bay leaves, and about 1 teaspoon sea salt.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the mussels. Simmer until the mussels begin to open, and then remove from the solution.
• Add leek, potatoes, mushrooms, the remaining wine, and cream to the mixture along with black pepper and the juice of the other half of the lemon.
• Simmer mixture until potatoes become tender, adding additional water if the soup is becoming too thick.
• Return mussels to soup and simmer for 5 more minutes or until mussels are fully open.
• Serve in shallow bowls.

Holiday Dressing with Cranberries and Morel Mushrooms

What would Christmas dinner be with out dressing? I mixed up a festive holiday dressing with cranberries, morel mushrooms, and pecans that was superb compliment to the main course, duck a l’orange.

You will need:

4 cups bread crumbs
1 can chicken broth
1lb ground turkey
1 cup morel mushrooms, dried work well
¼ finely chopped onion
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 table spoons of butter, melted
Thyme and sage, fresh is nice but dried will work
Salt and pepper

• In a large frying pan brown the ground turkey along with the chopped onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, chicken broth, turkey, mushrooms, cranberries, chopped pecans, and butter. Add thyme and sage to taste. Mix well so that all the liquids are evenly worked into the mixture.
• Put the mixture into an oven safe baking pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350˚ for 1 hour.

Duck a L’orange

The main course of my Christmas dinner was roast duck with orange sauce. Personally I enjoy duck for its game qualities and richness. The sweetness and spiciness of the orange sauce complimented the richness of the duck well. The sauce can be prepared ahead of time to make it easier to manage the staging of courses.

Orange Sauce:

On the most basic level the orange sauce is a basic simple syrup that has been infused with herbs and spices. Note the secret ingredient, Cointreau, a dry triple sec made in France from pressed orange peels. Other triple sec is made sweet, adding unwanted sugars and syrups to the sauce. The dryness of the triple sec helps to keep everything in balance.

You will need:

The juice of 2-3 oranges, about 1 ½ cups
½ cup water
1/2 cup Cointreau
2 cups sugar
Fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs
Red pepper
Paprika
Salt

• In a sauce pan combine orange juice, water, and sugar. Along with the rosemary and thyme and spices. Heat on low, stirring continuously until the ingredients form a solution. Continue to reduce until the mixture begins to thicken.
• Once the mixtures starts to thicken strain to remove the rosemary and thyme.
• Add the Cointreau and heat again until it returns to the desired thickness.
• Serve hot with the duck.
• WARNING, sugar can burn, do not boil and stir continuously to prevent scorching.

Roast Duck:

The duck is easy to prepare and is similar to other basic whole poultry preparations.

You will need:
1 whole duckling, thawed and rinsed
1 orange
Thyme and rosemary sprigs
Olive oil
Black pepper
Paprika

• Rinse and dry duckling. Rub with oil, pepper and paprika.
• Cut the orange in half around the equator. Save half, slice the other.
• Place several sprigs of thyme and rosemary inside the duck along with the half of orange.
• Place the duck in a roasting pan and cover with sliced oranges and addition sprigs of thyme and rosemary.
• Roast at 350 for about 2 hours, or according to the instructions provided.
• Let the duck rest for 5 min before carving.