Christmas Dinner Menu from Breakfast to Dessert

This Christmas I became a grown-up. Yes, I stopped believing in Santa a long time ago (except when I still watch Miracle on 34th Street), but this was the first holiday meal that I hosted for my family at my place. It may be because my mother always does such an amazing job not only with the cooking, but being such a warm, loving host that we've never wanted to change it. It may also be because I live in a studio apartment that may total 300 square feet if we count the fire escape. But this year it was time for a new generation in my family to step up to the plate. And I've learned that it's not about how much space or square footage you have, it's about who you have in your life to share it with. Even in our small home, we still made quite a feast and enjoyed each other and the meal, creating lasting memories.

Here was our Christmas Dinner Menu: 

Smoked Ham with a Madeira Glaze

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Raviolis, Brown Sugar and Black Truffle Oil Sauce

Arugula, Gorgonzola, Candied Pecans and Tomatoes with Balsamic 

I got the ham from Ottomanelli and Sons Meat Market in the West Village on Bleecker Street. These gentlemen have a first class butcher shop. Even amongst the chaos and craziness of the holidays you will still get friendly, helpful service, let alone as always their quality meats. The reason I chose ham was my small oven is lacking for roasting or baking; it pretty much only broils on top and bottom. So the ham was already cooked, it was just a matter of heating it and basting it to give it flavor. They also provided a wonderful recipe for a glaze, that my brother and I slightly improvised.

Inside the Old-School Meat Market

Long line around the corner to the butcher shop

Mission Accomplished: Day of Food Shopping 

We put the ham in a 3" inch deep roasting pan, and added 1/2cup of Madeira wine and some water. We then poured some more Madeira wine on top of the ham in addition to a little olive oil, and rubbed some butter and brown sugar on it. We put that in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, to prepare the glaze, we mixed 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard (we used Grey Poupon) with a cup of brown sugar and since I had some apricot preserves I added a 1/4 cup (even orange marmalade would have been nice). We continued to mix the glaze adding some more Madeira wine to bring it to the right consistency. We took the ham out and poked some clove spikes all around it with some juniper berries, and basted the ham with some of the glaze. We cooked it on 375 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, consistently basting it.

Since I couldn't use my oven to prepare anything else, I opted for fresh raviolis. I chose two: wild mushroom and aged goat cheese. On the same block as Ottomanelli's is a wonderful Cheese and Italian Specialty Shop called Murray's Cheese. They have quite an assortment of pastas, chocolates, cheese, olives, bread, spreads — it's wonderful! I also learned that they offer classes for cheese learning and gift making. Since we've now eaten the raviolis I would highly recommend the circle raviolis stuffed with mushroom, but would pass on the square raviolis. The goat cheese ravs let the stuffing out when put in the boiling water (my brother chef told me it was because they were prepared without enough flour). I also got some black truffle oil from Murray's which we used in the sauce for the raviolis.

Thankfully my brother took over for the sauce and prepared it with butter, Madeira wine, brown sugar, pomegranate berries and thyme (I believe he also added a little flour to it as he was sauteing it to thicken the sauce). When the sauce was finished, he tossed the raviolis in it, he then added the truffle oil on top to bring out the flavor... DELICIOUS!

As a starter we had an arugula salad with amazing Gorgonzola cheese from Murray's called Gorgonzola Mountain from Italy. First I toasted the pecans in a hot saute pan and added brown sugar, hence candied pecans (super easy and smells great). Other than some sweet cherry tomatoes, the dressing was just olive oil, balsamic, salt and a pinch of pepper since arugula already has a peppery quality to it.

Lastly were the Brussels sprouts that we would have preferred to 

roast, but due to our oven dilemma we decided to pan saute. My brother got a hot pan with some olive oil and butter, salted and peppered the Brussels sprouts after cutting them in half and put them in the pan for about 10 minutes, letting them get nice and crispy on the outside.   

Happy Camper

One of the best parts to the meal was the Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, courtesy of mom, aka Val. We have now been spoiled by my mother that for any holidays or special events we are enjoying her favorite wine -- and Caymus sure does know how to put the "special" into something. 

Dessert:

Homemade Greek Christmas Cookies, Courtesy of my Yiayia Golfo: Melomakarona & Kourambiedas 

Edible Fruit Arrangement

Variety of Small Cheesecakes

Worst Yule Log EVER (Bought from Zaro's in Grand Central Station) 

I will only write something negative if it warrants the review, only as a means to prevent others from having to experience it. I wouldn't feel right not to mention how disgusting the yule log from Zaro's was in Grand Central Station. It was hard to believe that something so beautiful, coming from such an established bakery could be so horrible. I had purchased Christmas Cookies from Zaro's and they were delicious, so I couldn't believe the yule log was so bad. There was no buttercream to it whatsoever, even though it was advertised that way.                     

                                                                                 All you tasted was sugar and wafer -- no cake and certainly no nice textured frosting. Thankfully I had other desserts which came to our rescue. 

Breakfast:

Rustichella d'Abruzzo Panettone

Amarena Cherries 

Cheese Charcuterie

Pillsbury Croisants (Just had to!)

Scrambled Eggs & Salami

Fresh Fruit

Most of my breakfast also came from Murray's. The panettone was so moist and sweet, such a delicious fruit bread that went perfectly for breakfast. I'm glad I took the advice of the sales person and bought the Amarena cherries which only come out once a year, and are now completely sold out. The Amarena cherries are in a syrupy consistency that can be eaten as is, or spread on bread. They went well with the variety of cheeses and panettone. Out of all the cheeses my favorite was the Hudson Red from Twin Maple Farm (rich and semi-soft). I also had a wonderful sharp Cheddar that paired well called Prairie Breeze.

My advice is try to get as much done and prepared in advance so you can enjoy the company you are eating with and the time shared together. I specifically chose the menu that I did because overall it wasn't too time consuming or stressful, while offering such nice festive flavors. By the end of my 2+ years living in our tiny studio, I will have some of the greatest memories -- which goes to show that it isn't about the space or stuff you have, but what you make of it. Thank you to my family for making this Christmas so special. I hope everyone had a magical and blessed holiday. Here's to a Happy and Healthy 2013!

    

Quick, Easy, Affordable Christmas Flowers

 A quick post on inexpensive floral arrangements for Christmas. Since this is the first Christmas I will be hosting in NYC I have been running around to get all the details taken care of. Of course for us that means number one, FOOD & DRINK, and then in a close second, flowers.

This was a pre-Christmas celebration with our uncle and aunt who came into town for the night. We did dinner out at Good in the West Village, and as usual it was fantastic. Good is a great local spot that never fails and is always consistently... well... Good :) On a side note but worth mentioning, the happy hour at Good is great. Bar bites are a few dollars for happy hour between 6-8PM, and all their scrumptious cocktails which are premium liquors are half price, meanwhile the wine and beer are somewhere around $3-5.

After Good, we came back to our place to do an early Christmas! What fun, Christmas squared! Presents, pie, spiked egg nog, stalkings twice, and even D.C.'s Christmas Spectacular on TV. But the point of this blog was to share a centerpiece idea I came up with.

White roses, berries & Christmas Greens

Firstly, I wanted something that would last the whole weekend onto Christmas. Many of us are having holiday get togethers throughout the weekend onto the actual day on Tuesday, so I wanted something that wouldn't wilt and would look fresh. I also wanted to make it myself, keep it inexpensive and something short that I could use on the dinner table on Christmas Day (there is nothing worst than tall flowers on a dinner table blocking views and making cross table dialogue difficult).

Since I knew my linens had holiday plaid and would be colorful, I wanted something simple and festive for the flowers, hence the white roses. Initially I wanted to keep it monochromatic with just white roses, but then I came up with this quick and easy way to make the centerpieces multidimensional while also adding some holiday cheer.  What's great about this is you can use glassware you may already have instead of fancy vases. I personally used a margarita glass and round wine glass, that way there was different heights and shapes involved.

What's Needed:

• Dozen Roses (I chose white, but red would work as well)
• Holiday Mix Greens (Balsam Fir, Holly, etc.)
• Red Berries
• Glassware that can be used as vases

Dessert Setting. Pecan Pie from Amy's Breads in Chelsea Market
and Lenox Holiday Setting which is proudly made in America

First I cut the roses to know how many were needed for both arrangements and to what height. Then I cut the greens to fit into the vases and make sure the stems were cut off so you only saw greenery. I added water first, and then arranged the greens sideways in each vase. That way the bottom of the vase that you normally would only see stems, now appeared to have floating holiday greenery.

The trick to keeping the berries in place and not all floating to the top is to purposefully place them in the greens so they stay in place. I took some berries off the stem and had them individually placed among the floating greens, while I also took some small branches of berries and placed them in the floating greens. The flowers were purchased from my local bodega.

What I really like about these arrangements is you can make as many as needed for whatever size table you have, and to whatever height and shape preference for the vases. Whether it is two or ten, the motif would look chic and festive on any size table. On the picture below you can somewhat see the height dimension. Plus, while mixing the centerpieces with candlelight on the table it adds another dimension as if there is candlelight glowing in the vases.

Living in Manhattan the total cost for the dozen of roses and greenery was $25, but elsewhere I imagine it could be even less. I already had the glassware for vases which made it easy as well. Plus I had plenty of left over greenery and even a few roses, so I continued a similar theme for the rest of the rooms which in my situation isn't many (bathroom and windowsill, we're talking a studio apt).

I was also quite excited for the first part of my holiday hosting because I got to use my new and first ever China. For the holidays my mom got us the classic Holiday Lenox Dinnerware. It's American designed and MADE In the USA (go Lenox). So excited for my dinner setting for Tuesday, the 25th.

On a parting note, other than a decadent pecan pie from Amy's Breads in Chelsea Market, which was phenomenal, the overpriced egg nog was soooooo well worth it I am going to buy another pint tomorrow. For $10, you can get such delicious egg nog it tastes homemade except it isn't, other than coming from the local, organic farm called Ronnybrook. If you don't buy much this year, you need to buy this egg nog... It was even voted "Best Thing I've Ever Had" from Food Network. So convenient, the local Duane Read Pharmacy sells it.

I will be posting a Christmas Dinner post going over the menu, but just early inspiration for the flowers which truly sets the tone. Merry Christmas and God Bless!

My husband Charles with our Aunt Jaci and Uncle Larry! Love you guys & thanks for a fantastic early Christmas

Culinary Masters... Les Amis d'Escoffier Society

First Escoffier Dinner I attended    
at Union Station in Worcester, 2009 

Myself, Brother Christos & Mother Valerie James

Lucky for me I am surrounded by chefs and foodies in my family, so not only do I get to enjoy amazing holiday meals and be the guinea pig for delicious new recipes, but I get to accompany them to their fabulous culinary escapades. One of these in particular has become an annual event in our family for the past fours years, where we not only get to feast on a superb five-course meal, but it is all in celebration of the cuisine and talent behind preparing it. It began with my mother who was inducted into the renowned Les Amis d'Escoffier Society five years ago, think Skull and Bones of the culinary world (not exactly but exclusive and full of rich food tradition and history). Since then we have been her faithful followers to these decadent dinners that get hosted by a different New England member restaurateur each year. Last year my brother was also inducted into the New England Chapter of Les Amis d'Escoffier, and we were so pleased to ring in the new honoree at The Castle Restaurant in Leicester, where he also apprenticed in the kitchen under owner and Chef de Cuisine Stanley Nicas.

My brother Christos James Inducted 2011  
at The Castle Restaurant with Stanley Nicas

I was so grateful to recently sit with Dr. Stanley J. Nicas who is the National Chapter Chairman of Les Amis d'Escoffier and his son James S. Nicas, the New England Chapter President, to discuss the rich history behind the society, and learn even more about their family-run, fine dining establishment from 1950, The Castle Restaurant.

First I must state for the record that the art of conversation is alive and well when sitting with Dr. Nicas. It was fascinating hearing an insider's view on working with some of the culinary greats of the past century, let alone his own fantastic adventures from serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II surviving a kamikaze attack to his aircraft carrier the USS Bunker Hill, to arriving in New Port, RI learning under the renowned Chef Joseph Donon at the Breakers, to eventually building his own fine dining restaurant and teaching every summer at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park.

Awards & photos at The Castle. Escoffier
in the center oval frame.

Stanley not only colorfully explained how Les Amis d'Escoffier Society originated, but well beyond the dullness of Wikipedia, Stanley enlightened me to the ways of chefs and their incestuous world of mentorship. Stanley relayed wonderful details that only he could know since his mentor was Donon himself, and Donon's mentor was the legendary Auguste Escoffier.

Julia Child inducted into Les Amis d'Escoffier
Society at The Castle Restaurant by Stanley Nicas

Since 1936, a year after Escoffier's death, Donon founded the epicurean society with 23 other members hosting a dinner at The Waldorf-Astoria to honor his mentor and preserve culinary traditions from the master, who was considered the "best chef in the world." More than seventy years later there are now several Chapters across the U.S. and international chapters. From the early 50s Stanley has served as the national and international president. Stanley inducted the late Julia Child into the group in the early 70s, and five months prior to Donon's death in 1981, Stanley honored his mentor at an Escoffier dinner at the Castle.

Ceremony inducting new honorees 

At the beginning of every dinner a formal ceremony takes place inducting the year's honorees. The master of ceremonies hits a frying pan with a spoon before presenting a gold medallion to each honoree. The kitchen utensils used in the ceremony signify the tools a chef uses in the kitchen. A traditional saying in French is uttered, which is basically inviting the named person as the rank of commander into the society, as each person shares equal rank in the society.

At each dinner what I usually take away from it other than a few extra pounds and gluttonous ecstasy, is the gathering of food professionals and enthusiasts alike, to enjoy the art of fine dining and each other's company. On the back of every menu states the dinner rules including that men must have the napkin tucked under the collar and,                                                  "Since the Society is dedicated to the art of good living only, it is forbidden under threat of expulsion, to speak of personal affairs, of one's own work or specialty and more particularly to attempt to use the Society as a means of making business contacts."  

Escoffier Society Dinner 2012
Sonoma Restaurant

                                                                    The dinner is intended to perpetuate the art of gourmet cuisine. To enthuse a passion for the craftsmanship of cooking. And beyond all the esteem of creating masterpieces, is to highlight what every meal is really intended to do, whether it is roast chicken or chateaubriand, to bring people together. What is most inspiring about Stanley Nicas is not only his passion for cooking which is seen in all of his years of expertise including these years while he remains dedicated to his legacy at the Castle, but also his commitment to keeping the traditions alive by passing them onto younger generations. Whether it is through his deep involvement and work with the Distinguished Visiting Chef Program at Johnson and Wales demonstrating cooking techniques in front of students with the likes of Emeril Lagasse to Barbara Lynch or having hundreds of apprentices walk through the doors of the Castle to harness their craft. Here's to keeping good cuisine going strong...        Bon Appetit!

Brother Christos James & Husband Charles Moschos

Below is the menu from the most recent Escoffier Society Dinner at Sonoma Restaurant

 in Princeton, MA. A second part to the blog will follow on wine pairings and a discussion with Wine Expert and Sommelier James Nicas.

Ahi Tuna Poke (unfortunately I couldn't control
myself before taking the photo)

"Steak and Eggs" Kobe Beef with Quail Egg

Intermezzo of melon & balsamic 

Cherry Laquered Bone in Pork Belly

Triple Creme Brie

Stuffed Crab Apple with Caramel Rollo Ice Cream

Remnants from Hurricane Sandy

8th Ave. & 14th Street Apartment/Doll House

Yes, Sandy caused havoc on the East Coast with serious physical repercussions causing destitution -- but it also had mental side-effects. Out of all the places in the world where one would notice how consumed we are by media, gadgets, Internet, noise, lights, everything that distracts us and takes up our time, there is no better place to feel that loss than when it is all no longer available in the city that doesn’t sleep. Sandy stopped by briefly, yet rocked our world, not just with destruction and an increasing death toll, but knocking us off our figurative feet. When the lights go off in New York City, you don’t just light a candle and read a book, you go through withdrawal.  So many interactions and buzzing all around, all the time, that it creates a constant channel of noise. So when the lights turn off and the streets become empty, how do you turn down the noise that still exists in our heads?

Starbucks Midtown. People using Internet
& Charging Phones/Laptops

 For my husband and I in our studio apartment in the West Village where we had no power for five days, it started with a game of Scrabble. Considering we couldn't google for correct word spelling or definitions to make sure it was an actual word, (note to self: buy a dictionary) the game didn't last too long. We used up what was left of the iPad battery playing album after album of Miles Davis that night and crashed early. The next day he trekked to work enduring a 2-hour commute rather than his normal 20 minute ride, since there was no Subway and no buses going uptown. Meanwhile, I walked twenty blocks to the first open Starbucks in Midtown to bunker down and get some work done. Strangers took turns sharing outlets to charge their cell phones and laptops. 

By the second night with no power, we started to enjoy the romanticism of our little apartment completely aglow from candlelight. We each read and then had good conversation that didn't get interrupted by calls, or distracted by one of us being online or the other watching television. It was only him and I speaking and listening to one another -- what a difference it made. I decided when the day comes for a second home I want it to be a mountain cabin with no power! It forces you to look within: reading, writing, contemplating, resting, being at peace. 

Until than, still here in Manhattan, the city felt like we were out in the woods. Our neighborhood was still pitch black by nightfall with no lights other than a few people walking the streets with flashlights. By 8 O'clock in the evening it felt like it was 11. We were so used to looking out our windows to see lit stores, music blasting from the bar downstairs, cars whizzing by and flocks of people walking the streets -- but there was none of that now. We had noticed earlier that afternoon there was one local restaurant with a generator, so we decided to venture out for dinner that night.

Barraca is fairly new to the West Village so we were happy to try the Spanish Tapas restaurant regardless that it was the only place open. Although they had a generator, the lights were very low and fading in and out. So it was lit with candles everywhere, and we felt like we were in a speakeasy. Even though it felt like most people in our neighborhood left when the power went out, this restaurant was still crowded. We ordered two drinks at the bar while we waited for a table. 

The HIGOS & VODKA and TOMILLO & WHISKEYcocktails were just what we needed -- absolutely delicious!!! The vodka cocktail is made with: fig infused vodka, manzanilla sherry, spiced fig syrup with a smoked paprika rim. The Whiskey cocktail had Four Roses bourbon, thyme honey syrup, and Pedro Ximenez sherry.

Thankfully we didn't have to wait long for our table. Although they had a limited storm menu, there were plenty of mouthwatering items to choose from (and most from their actual menu). Rather than do entrees, we ended up ordering several tapas. We started with the Ham Croquetas (Jarrete De Ternera) and Mixed salad with roasted pears, valdeon cheese, caramelized walnuts and quince paste. I know croquetas are croquetas, but these were REALLY REALLY good! The Spanish ham was perfect with the creamy cheese, and they weren't deeply breaded or fried.  

We then moved onto the Veal Shank with onion compote, creme of cabrales cheese and dried apricots. The veal was a nice hearty and earthy choice for the season. It was served with warm bread that was perfect for layering the shredded veal on top. I would definitely order the veal shank again. Lastly we had Mollete de Cordero, mollete bread sandwich with pulled lamb, manchego cheese and piquillo ali-oli, and Patatas Bravioli, which are crispy potatoes with brava sauce and ali-oli. I'm not big into potatoes in general, but these were overall pretty good. I would have liked them to be more crispy but the ali-oli was delicious. The lamb sliders were clever with the cheese stuffed into the bread. I suppose I would say the menu in general was clever, and definitely creative. Barraca wasn't your average Spanish restaurant, it offered a nice spin to tapas. It also felt good to be wonderfully satisfied after tapas, usually you have to over-order and get too full, or you don't order enough and are still hungry. We were served the right amount of food, and the prices were very reasonable. 

We finished the night with two glasses of Sangria. I chose one of the sweeter options, SANGRIA CANARIAS, Viura white wine, Don Q Coco rum, lemongrass, cucumber juice, pineapple juice and Charles had the SANGRIA COMPOSTELA, Albarino white wine, sake, apple-rosemary purée, lemongrass.                                                                 

What I particularly liked about Barraca was the laid-back ambiance. There was no pretense, servers weren't snobby or stand-offish, and unlike other West Village hosts who don't realize their job description means hospitable, here they were friendly and attentive. Although we were braving the storm outside, with the delicious meal, cocktails and wonderful service from Barraca, we felt absolutely warm and cocooned from it all in our local Spanish Cave. 

Charging Station at Bonsignour Cafe

The next evening we saw that our local cafe, Bonsignour on the corner of Jane and 8th Ave. was having a community barbecue. It looked like they took on the cost to buy a generator, and created their own charging station outside for all of us neighbors to congregate to. Most generously, Bonsignour grilled burgers and provided veggies and chips for everyone. We sat and listened to transistor radios playing the evening news. I had met neighbors I had never seen before and everyone was in jovial spirits even though we still didn't have hot water or electricity. What a sense of community! 

Block Party to beat Hurricane Sandy! Thanks to Bonsignour

Maybe that has been one of the biggest shifts from Hurricane Sandy -- people took the time to stop and look, even say hello. You can walk down a busy avenue with tens of thousands of people and never share a word, everyone on a mission rushing to their destination. Bump into someone on the bus and no “excuse me” is offered. Ride a full subway car yet it's nearly silent because people have their headphones on, eyes down staring at their smartphones in a zombie like state. No one even notices the other person.  At least for a few days Downtown, albeit brief considering the lights are back on, we got a chance to get off auto-pilot and connect with people. It seems that food has that power, only needing a few people to share it with to fully enjoy together.