Confetti Corn

Confetti Corn

I’m kinda obsessed with corn at the moment…I think I have had corn with dinner three times this past week. It’s so good right now.

By far my favorite is corn on the cob, but sometimes you gotta branch out and do something different. I have posted my Corn Pie before, and I highly recommend you try that now, when the local corn is like sugar.

There are many good corn salads, but I love this corn side dish from the Barefoot Contessa that my sister made the other night. (I think I had four servings.) I definitely want to try it using a poblano pepper instead of a bell pepper, or maybe even a jalapeño—I would swap some green onion or cilantro for the basil in that case.

Whatever you do, serve Confetti Corn alongside a juicy rib eye for a satisfying summer meal.

Confetti Corn
Adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, on Food Network.
Serves 6 Read more…

Pommes Dauphinoise (Potatoes au Gratin)

Joyeaux Noel

This Christmas my sister and her family are off gallivanting around Europe. They packed their bags, and left the rest of us back here to enjoy our usual holiday routine without them. (No. I’m not the least bit jealous!) For fun this year, since she will be in Paris for Christmas Eve, those of us left behind will enjoy a traditional Parisian Christmas Eve dinner.

There’s just one problem…

There are many fantastic cuisines around the world with their specific techniques and ingredients, and for centuries French cuisine has been considered the best of the best. If you can master classic French technique and flavor you can cook anything. (Thank you, Julia). So, imagine my surprise as I started looking through my French cookbooks and searching online, I came to realize—that for all their gastronomic sophistication, The French, when it comes to Christmas, are kinda boring.

Sure there is the Bûche de Noël and the rather ambitious Croquembouche but beyond that there really isn’t much that says “This is what we eat for a Joyeaux Noël”. To be fair, in Provence they do have the Gros Souper, which is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve but frankly I am not a fan of salt cod—and though Ratatouille is super good it just doesn’t seem festive enough.

After much deliberation, I decided to go traditional Bistro for dinner on Thursday. The menu is as follows: fresh made Country Pâté with assorted French cheese for appetizers, Arugula Salad with Pears, Gorgonzola and Bacon, Roast Filet de Bœuf, Sautéed Haricots Verts (green beans), Pommes Dauphinoise and, of course, French wine…

I did break with the traditional French in that we will be having the cheese and salad first instead of after the main meal. Honestly, it’s just easier that way, and I have enough stress to deal with ’cause Christmas dinner is Paella…Olé!

No matter how you choose to celebrate (eat your way through) your holiday, I wish you all good health and happiness this holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

Pommes Dauphinoise (Potatoes au Gratin)
Serves 6
Read more…

Sticky Toffee Gingerbread

Ginger Fix
I have had gingerbread on the brain. I blame my sister because while I will be here braving the crowds to finish up my holiday shopping, she will be in London for a storybook, Charles Dickens Christmas adventure with her family and the queen. Gee, how awful for her.

Ginger is a major player for my family during the holidays. Most of the holiday treats of my childhood contained some sort of ginger…ginger cookies, gingerbread men and of course, good old-fashioned gingerbread. It’s definitely a Scandinavian addiction, and for me, it’s not the holidays without it.

I have tasted some good gingerbread over the years, but if I had to choose one recipe to make a classic gingerbread it would be this one. Though, I don’t serve it the way you would expect. I go rogue and serve my gingerbread with the same sauce I use for my Sticky Toffee Pudding. Is it over the top? Perhaps. But it is appropriate for the holidays—if you can’t over-indulge at the holidays then when can you?

Try using Blackstrap molasses instead of regular. It gives it a dark chocolate-like intensity that is delicious. You can also bake this in individual ramekins, or even muffin tins for a more elegant presentation—just be certain to adjust the cooking time.

Sticky Toffee Gingerbread

Gingerbread
Serves 12
This portion of the recipe is adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook

Barley and Pine Nut Pilaf

Family Favorites
We have our cookbook club dinner this weekend—with a twist. Normally, our dinners end with a discussion to decide which book we will cook from next month. Last time, my son threw out a great idea that is perfect for the holiday season. Instead of cooking from a book, he suggested that we all make our favorite family recipes. (Not bad for an 11 year old!) So that’s what we’re doing.

Between my sister and I, there are a number of options…but there are really only a handful of true family favorites that we all make. We did a little Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who gets to cook what.

Check out these earlier posts for a number of our family favorites like: Ebleskiver, Carrot Soufflé, Gam’s Gingie Cookies (Sweedish Ginger Cookies) and Hot Cheesy Things. All will be represented at this dinner. There is one more that my sister will prepare, and I am shocked that I haven’t written about it before—because it is such a Larson family tradition.

We have this Barley Pine Nut Pilaf every Christmas. In fact, it is so identifiable with Christmas Dinner that we (almost) never eat it during the rest of the year. The dish pairs well with any roasted meats or poultry as well as the Carrot Soufflé. The cookbook even suggests using it as a stuffing for game hens, though I have never tried it.

The recipe was originally published in the 1980 Edition of the Junior League of Palo Alto Private Collection Cookbook, which (as far as I know) is no longer in print. This is too bad because it has some great recipes. If you are lucky, you can find a few stray copies with a quick web search.

Barley and Pine Nut Pilaf
Serves 6 Read more…