Editorโs note: Find more tips for savoring the season in the full feature story.
Since food takes a starring role at holiday gatherings, we asked area chefs to share their favorite crowd-pleasing dishes. If youโre going to whip up the entire meal or contribute one item, consider bringing some of these chef-approved suggestions to the table.
Beef Bourguignonย (pictured above)
By Katy and Hubert Mussat, co-owners, Farmer and Frenchman
โHubertโs mother (who had Italian heritage but was French born) inspired our beef bourguignon recipe that is used in the restaurant. It is a crowd pleaser, with a decadent flavor that brings up images of family-style dinners. Serving from a large china platter onto expectant guestsโ plates makes the dish communal and hearty and perfect for the holiday season. Julia Childโs method, explained in the recipe, is similar to the one Hubertโs mother showed us โ she didnโt give us written directions, we just had to watch her do it to learn the technique. One thing weโve learned is that short ribs hold the flavors the best, and that it must use a light red wine, like pinot noir. A bolder red wine will create a bitterness to the dish.โ โ Katy Mussat
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces bacon, roughly chopped
3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed of fat, or short ribs
1 large carrot, sliced a half-inch thick
1 large white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 pinch coarse salt
1 pinch ground pepper
2 tablespoons flour
12 small pearl onions (optional)
3 cups red wine (recommend: Pinot Noir)
2-3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 beef bouillon cube, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped and divided
2 bay leaves
1 pound fresh, small white or brown mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
In a large pan or skillet, sautรฉ the bacon over medium heat in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker bowl.
Pat dry beef with a paper towel, then sear in batches until browned on all sides in the oil/bacon fat. Transfer to a slow cooker bowl with the bacon and add in the onions (both types) and carrots. Season with a half teaspoon of coarse salt and a quarter teaspoon of ground pepper, tossing well to combine. Pour the red wine into the pan or skillet and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes, then whisk in the flour until free from lumps. Allow to reduce and thicken slightly, then pour it into the slow cooker along with 2 cups of stock, tomato paste, garlic, bullion, and herbs.
Mix well to combine all the ingredients. Cook on high heat for 6 hours or low for 8 hours, or until beef is falling apart and tender.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, prepare your mushrooms: Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add to the beef bourguignon, mixing it through the sauce before serving.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.
Fried Chicken
By Kathy Holzmeyer*, co-owner, The Log Inn
โOur family has grown up on grandmaโs fried chicken every Sunday. Chicken just makes everybody happy. The way we serve our chicken is family style on big platters, and we share the food together with all our sides. All the dishes are passed around โ everyone, of course, grabbing for those precious fried chicken pieces.โ
*Did not provide recipe
Cauliflower Cheese Gratin
By Charisa Perkins, head chef and general manager, Copper House
โMy mom and I found this dish about a decade ago and have tweaked it over the years. It has now become a staple side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our family was always serving the same side dishes at holidays. I wanted to add something richer in flavor. The cauliflower really acts as a carrier for all the cheeses. It is a simple dish to put together but has a lot of flavor. Itโs hard to go wrong with a lot of cheese and cream. Because of that, it very rarely has any leftovers because everyone loves it so much.โ
Ingredients (makes 12 servings)
2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets
5 cups heavy cream
1 pound white cheddar cheese, shredded
4 cups parmesan and asiago cheese blend
14 ounces goat cheese crumbles
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon granulated garlic
chopped parsley and chives to garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Layer the first eight ingredients into a large roasting pan. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until cream is set and the top is browned. Once the gratin is set, pull it from the oven and let it cool on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Green Beans with Spiced Candied Walnuts
By Doug Rennie, co-owner, Just Rennieโs Catering
โThis is a wonderful side. The fresh crisp French green beans, with the flavor and texture of the sun-dried tomatoes and the spiced candied walnuts, plus hints of crumbled bleu cheese, pair with tenderloin of beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. It is a very festive dish because of the appearance and texture.โ
Ingredients
1 pound walnuts
1 ounce olive oil to coat
1.5 teaspoons chili powder
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white, beaten
Instructions
For the spiced candied walnuts
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Combine all ingredients and place on a sheet tray with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. After 20 minutes of baking, toss the walnuts on the pan and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and let dry.
For the green beans
Cook green beans until desired doneness, then strain and rinse with cold water to cool. Toss with an Italian dressing, then toss with sun-dried tomatoes and spiced candied walnuts. Top with crumbled bleu cheese (optional cheese: feta).
Seafood Ramen
By Marvin Abadicio*, executive chef, Domo Japanese Hibachi Grill, Sushi and Ramen
โWhat really stands out about this ramen dish is the quality of seafood and mixed vegetables โ it is so fresh and cooked to perfection. It has a delicious savory taste, and the flavor is incredibly well-balanced with a complex spice blend, such as pepper flakes, chili powder, oyster sauce, soy sauce, paprika, sake, mirin, and dashi broth.โ
*Did not provide recipe
Wassail (Mulled Cider)
By Scott Schymik, owner, and Reid Small, general manager, Sauced
โThe word โwassailโ comes from the Old Norse saying โves heillโ which meant โbe in good healthโ or โgood fortune.โ Wassailing was a celebration full of singing, dancing, and drinking (typically in an apple orchard) to ensure a plentiful harvest. Over the years, it became a beloved holiday libation that was consumed to bring good fortune in the coming year. I personally enjoy wassail because it just tastes like Christ- mas. That, coupled with the Old World meaning behind it, just makes for a lovely, comforting libation to enjoy with family and friends.โ โ Reid Small
Ingredients (scaled down from the batch Small typically makes)
1 gallon apple cider
zest of two oranges
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup cranberry juice
2 tablespoon cardamom
2 tablespoon cloves
3 star anise
1/4 cup allspice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
Cap full of vanilla extract
Instructions
Small says the spices are usually added when heโs making the cider base, so premade cider might alter the flavor.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes until fragrant. Alcohol can be added after simmering, like a salted caramel whiskey.
Bourbon Bread Pudding
By Katy and Hubert Mussat, co-owners, Farmer and Frenchman
โOur familyโs Christmas dinner featured bourbon heavily, but not for drinking โ for cooking desserts! Famed bourbon balls, fudge, and candies were a fixture. I never learned the candy-making, but I did learn my momโs bourbon bread pudding, which knocked the socks off of my new French in-laws at our first Christmas dinner together.โ โ Katy Mussat
Ingredients
For Bread
1 unsalted butter, for the baking pan
1-pound loaf brioche bread, thickly sliced and torn into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs, plus 5 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
For Bourbon Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 shots of bourbon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
Make the bread pudding by greasing a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Place bread in the prepared pan. Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger in a bowl; pour over the bread. Let rest, pressing the bread down occasionally, for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325ยฐF. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 35-40 minutes. (If you like it a bit darker, increase oven to broil and cook until brown, about 1-2 minutes.) Transfer to a wire rack and cool 15-30 minutes.
Make the sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, salt, and 1/3 cup cream, stirring until smooth. Simmer, without stirring, until the sugar melts and the mixture looks like caramel sauce, about 4-5 minutes (reduce heat slightly if it starts to darken too quickly). Remove from heat and carefully stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and remaining 1/3 cup cream.
Serve the bread pudding warm topped with sauce and whipped cream.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
By Doug Rennie, co-owner, Just Rennieโs Catering
โThis is so special and festive because of the pumpkin pie spice, and the creaminess of the cheesecake makes this a special family favorite dessert during the holiday season. You will be the star of the show!โ
Ingredients
For the Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the Cheesecake
32 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
ยผ cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chill Time 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with foil. Spray the inside lightly with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Press onto bottom and 1 inch side of prepared pan. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add in eggs, pumpkin, and heavy cream and mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and pumpkin spice and mix until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared crust. Place pan into a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake at 60 minutes โ the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, crack the oven door, turn off the heat, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour.
Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Garnish with whipped cream.
