Kick butt menus for the holidays..don't be shy

[southerncook]

I'd like to see what exactly you'd want to do with the holidays if you had total control and a lot of money. from decor to food, table linens to wine. let me have it, please. 2 mains, 6 sides, 4 salads,6 desserts....min.

[SizzlininIN]

hmmmmmmmmm....total control and a lot of money.........pay someone else to do it for me :)

[kitchenelf]

I'll post my resonse tomorrow 'cause I know exactly what I'd do - and it would start out with a kitchen remodel :P

[southerncook]

can you tell I'm spending someone else's money next week???

[choclatechef]

We always had a great vegetable relish tray with various dips, devilled eggs, and a fantastic cheese tray would be my appetizers.

For the meat, I would choose one of the many wonderful types of turkey [depending on your preferences - smoked, roasted, or fried] for tradition's sake. Then I would have a baked ham or a standing rib roast.

As far as sides are concerned, I like my own version of garlic mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, whole green beans [either romano or tender slender ones], creamed tiny onions, collard greens, scalloped oysters, cranberry sauce, and of course cornbread stuffing.

Cole slaw, a fruit salad, carrot and raisin salad, and a simple mesulan salad with your choice of dressing would be good.

I always like home made rolls of some sort, cornbread or garlic bread, and lots of butter.

For dessert I like my two crust sweet potato pies, pecan, and pumpkin pies. A great cake of some sort would be good -- I love a good carrot cake and/or a wonderful pina colada or rum cake.

I will leave the choice of beverages to you. Wines are not my thing [except home made wines].


As far as decorations are concerned, I like antique lace tablecloths with a colored undercloth. A big basket of fall fruits artfully mixed with fall flowers or leaves would be pretty. Of course bring out the good crystal, silver, and china; and you must have candles.

[southerncook]

beautiful choc. chef...how do you do those 2 crust pies? same filling as the traditional ones and covered, or do you have to tweak the filling to compensate?

[choclatechef]

You boil the sweet potatoes almost tender, peel them, and slice them.

You put them in the crust, and season like a apple pie, with cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar to taste, a drop or so of vanilla, a little butter, sprinkle with flour, and add a little water. Put the top crust on, as usual.

When the to crust is ready, you brush on a little evaporated milk [or you could use egg whites or egg yolk] to add color to the crust. Bake at 350 til the pie is golden.

[Bangbang]

I would just head for the Casino.

[Bangbang]

OK....Ok.......I would skip the turkey and make Prime Rib instead. I have done this a few times without any complaints.

Pecan Pie
Mincemeat Tarts
Yorkshire Pudding
Whole Dried Peas
Baked Apples
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Stuffing
Rolls
Sweet Potatoes
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Caeser Salad

[marmalady]

Over the top, huh? This is a dinner I did for DH's boss in NYC and a party of 8 - It's got to be the most 'blue sky' thing I ever did, and boy did I have fun!



DINNER MENU

~Hors D’Oeuvres~

Assorted puff pastry cheese straws and palmiers

Celery barquettes with Stilton cheese and toasted walnuts

Asparagus tips with lemon tarragon aioli in phyllo cups

Shrimp Cocktail with vodka/cilantro cocktail sauce on endive spears

Bourbon cured salmon on black bread with chive cream cheese or green peppercorn mustard

~Appetizer~

Seared ‘everything’ tuna, with wasabi aioli, served on a bed of mizuna dressed with soy-ginger sauce

~Salad~

Baby arugula with shaved asiago, toasted walnuts, and pears, with a vanilla-pear vinaigrette

~Main Course~

Pepper-crusted tenderloin with Jack Daniels Hunter’s sauce

Grilled free-range Cornish Game Hens with maple bourbon glaze (2)

Roasted shallot confit

Horseradish-chive mashed potatoes

Roasted garlic-rosemary potatoes (1)

Assorted organic steamed baby vegetables, with shallot/herb butter or margarine

Assorted fresh baked rolls and butter

~Dessert~

Lemon apricot tart, with an apricot brandy drizzle

Lemon sorbet

Assorted black-tie truffle platter

[mish]

Here's a link for some ideas. Williams-Sonoma is one of my favorites. While you're at the site, take a peek at the Christmas Dinner too. Hope you enjoy.

http://content2.williams-sonoma.com/...x.cfm?type=ent

[southerncook]

Originally Posted by mish

Here's a link for some ideas. Williams-Sonoma is one of my favorites. While you're at the site, take a peek at the Christmas Dinner too. Hope you enjoy.

http://content2.williams-sonoma.com/...x.cfm?type=ent

I too love Williams-sonoma...you don't even have to buy their cookbooks anymore, they're mostly on line! Thanks for the picture...I'm gonna print it and hang it on the front door...let everyone know what's for dinner!!!. Bet I make them check out the turkeys, huh?

[southerncook]

Originally Posted by marmalady

Over the top, huh? This is a dinner I did for DH's boss in NYC and a party of 8 - It's got to be the most 'blue sky' thing I ever did, and boy did I have fun!



DINNER MENU

~Hors D’Oeuvres~

Assorted puff pastry cheese straws and palmiers

Celery barquettes with Stilton cheese and toasted walnuts

Asparagus tips with lemon tarragon aioli in phyllo cups

Shrimp Cocktail with vodka/cilantro cocktail sauce on endive spears

Bourbon cured salmon on black bread with chive cream cheese or green peppercorn mustard

~Appetizer~

Seared ‘everything’ tuna, with wasabi aioli, served on a bed of mizuna dressed with soy-ginger sauce

~Salad~

Baby arugula with shaved asiago, toasted walnuts, and pears, with a vanilla-pear vinaigrette

~Main Course~

Pepper-crusted tenderloin with Jack Daniels Hunter’s sauce

Grilled free-range Cornish Game Hens with maple bourbon glaze (2)

Roasted shallot confit

Horseradish-chive mashed potatoes

Roasted garlic-rosemary potatoes (1)

Assorted organic steamed baby vegetables, with shallot/herb butter or margarine

Assorted fresh baked rolls and butter

~Dessert~

Lemon apricot tart, with an apricot brandy drizzle

Lemon sorbet

Assorted black-tie truffle platter

Marm..are you doing any of this next week? How do you roast the organic veggies, all at once? drizzeled w/evoo??? and the confit. Thanks for the ideas, I'm only making cheese straws (to go with the drinks) for teasers, don't want anyone to get too much before the main event. May do a crawfish bisque for a starter, and serve the sides w/the ham/turkey. thanks.

[marmalady]

Hi, Southerncook -

The baby veggies were steamed, not roasted. The potatoes were tossed with a mixture of s/p, chopped rosemary and minced garlic, then roasted on a sheet pan at 450 til the edges were brown and crispy - this can be done a day in advance and reheated in the oven.

The shallot confit was peeled shallots in a buttered casserole dish, with EVOO, fresh thyme sprigs, s/p, and a little balsamic, roasted at 450 til they were soft and the tops were a pretty brown.

These folks took their time with the dinner, about 1 1/2 hours for the hodos with drinks, then they sat down at table, and it was about 2 - 2 1/2 hours before they finished, so the meal was pretty spread out!

I really did have a blast doing it!

[masteraznchefjr]

Hmmm i was thinking of having some turkey of course asian style. soy sauce, a little black vinegar, some sugar, and garlic. and let it sit in the turkey. then you roast. Add some stuffing. Ill have mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and some shrimp cocktails. rice will be served. dessert will be a cheesecake possibly strawbeery cheesecake. and of course a pie.

[kitchenelf]

That sounds good masterchef - I like to do a mixture of dark soy sauce, water, star anise, rock candy, ginger, spring onion, sherry, garlic, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Also keep some matchstick cut giinger and spring onion in the cavity.

I like to put this mixture in a wok and cook a whole chicken on it's side basting for about 30 minutes, flip it over, baste the other side for about 30 minutes (3# chicken) - it's is deeeeeeelish.

[Psiguyy]

I'd buy out the dining room at the Ritz Carlton and invite all my family and friends.