Georg and I had such a nice Christmas eve celebration this year. It was just the two of us but still very special. Above's a picture of the Orange-Cranberry Cornmeal cake that's been making the internet rounds this holiday season....here's a link to the
recipe. I didn't have a springform pan and didn't have the fortitude to go shopping on foot for one on Christmas eve in the cold, so I used a regular 9 1/2 x 13" pan...it worked fine.
Here's our beautiful Christmas centerpiece I got from work...it matched our table cloth and really got me in the mood for the holidays!
We went to so much effort to get this tree...they don't really sell fresh trees downtown so we pretty much had to drive around in our rental car we still had from our winter trip in the outskirts of downtown until we saw a vendor. Once there, it was so cold outside we nearly froze picking one out and paying for it. Then, after shoving it in the car, feet nearly numb, we had to pick out all the decorations and sneak it into our apartment since fresh trees are considered a fire hazard and not really allowed. The next day, on Christmas eve, after we had returned the rental car, Georg had to venture out on foot and find Christmas lights since we didn't buy enough the night before. What a hassle...it was nice having it though, it wouldn't really have been Christmas for us otherwise.
The Christmas table
Roasted trout and potatoes...a traditional Christmas eve meal for Georg. It's also a tradition I appreciate--trout take 30 or 40 minutes to cook as opposed to all day for a turkey or ham. I stuffed the trout with lemon slices and herbs and laid them atop some potatoes that had already been dressed in olive oil and salt. Pouring a little extra olive oil over the fish before going in the oven helps the skin get crisp, and the lemons inside keep the meat moist. Getting fresh fish is important; I asked to smell it before I bought it and it should smell like nothing, not a nasty, fishy mess.
Kale soup with hot pancetta and apples...not a beautiful soup, but so good. We topped it with plain yogurt but you could use heavy cream or mascarpone cheese. Really simple to make, too, I just rendered the fat from the pancetta, sauteed the kale in that, added a chopped apple and a quart of chicken stock, boiled for a bit, and then blended it with my immersion blender.
A salad of spinach, oranges, smoked almonds, and aged goat cheese dressed with pomegranate balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil.
Mushroom custards...another relatively easy dish. I chopped oyster, shittake, and cremini mushrooms and sauteed them with butter, parsley, and thyme. After dividing the mushroom mixture among ramekins, you add a cup of heavy cream mixed with egg, salt, and pepper and pour over, baking at 350 degrees in a water bath until set.
We had such a nice Christmas eve. It was very romantic just the two of us and we loved the gifts we received from each other as well as other members of our family.
Georg and I had such a nice Christmas eve celebration this year. It was just the two of us but still very special. Above's a picture of the Orange-Cranberry Cornmeal cake that's been making the internet rounds this holiday season....here's a link to the recipe. I didn't have a springform pan and didn't have the fortitude to go shopping on foot for one on Christmas eve in the cold, so I used a regular 9 1/2 x 13" pan...it worked fine.
Here's our beautiful Christmas centerpiece I got from work...it matched our table cloth and really got me in the mood for the holidays!
We went to so much effort to get this tree...they don't really sell fresh trees downtown so we pretty much had to drive around in our rental car we still had from our winter trip in the outskirts of downtown until we saw a vendor. Once there, it was so cold outside we nearly froze picking one out and paying for it. Then, after shoving it in the car, feet nearly numb, we had to pick out all the decorations and sneak it into our apartment since fresh trees are considered a fire hazard and not really allowed. The next day, on Christmas eve, after we had returned the rental car, Georg had to venture out on foot and find Christmas lights since we didn't buy enough the night before. What a hassle...it was nice having it though, it wouldn't really have been Christmas for us otherwise.
The Christmas table
Roasted trout and potatoes...a traditional Christmas eve meal for Georg. It's also a tradition I appreciate--trout take 30 or 40 minutes to cook as opposed to all day for a turkey or ham. I stuffed the trout with lemon slices and herbs and laid them atop some potatoes that had already been dressed in olive oil and salt. Pouring a little extra olive oil over the fish before going in the oven helps the skin get crisp, and the lemons inside keep the meat moist. Getting fresh fish is important; I asked to smell it before I bought it and it should smell like nothing, not a nasty, fishy mess.
Kale soup with hot pancetta and apples...not a beautiful soup, but so good. We topped it with plain yogurt but you could use heavy cream or mascarpone cheese. Really simple to make, too, I just rendered the fat from the pancetta, sauteed the kale in that, added a chopped apple and a quart of chicken stock, boiled for a bit, and then blended it with my immersion blender.
A salad of spinach, oranges, smoked almonds, and aged goat cheese dressed with pomegranate balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil.
Mushroom custards...another relatively easy dish. I chopped oyster, shittake, and cremini mushrooms and sauteed them with butter, parsley, and thyme. After dividing the mushroom mixture among ramekins, you add a cup of heavy cream mixed with egg, salt, and pepper and pour over, baking at 350 degrees in a water bath until set.
We had such a nice Christmas eve. It was very romantic just the two of us and we loved the gifts we received from each other as well as other members of our family.
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