86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 21,2002 Holiday Pizzazz (Continued from Page B 2) with assorted fruit such as grapes, strawberries and dry red wine. HOLIDAY CHICKEN PRESENTS 1 pound skinned and boned chicken breast halves 'A teaspoon garlic salt 2 tablespoons butter 2 chopped shallots onion '/: small onion, minced 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced '/: (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons sherry 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese '/«teaspoon salt '/»teaspoon pepper 2 (17‘/j-ounce) packages frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed 12(1 ounce) Swiss cheese slices 12 (1 ounce) country ham slic es 1 egg white, lightly beaten 'A cup melted butter or marga rine 'A cup Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon poppy seeds 1 teaspoon lemon juice Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt. Cook in lightly greased non stick skillet over medium heat for seven to eight minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Re move from skillet; chop chicken, and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in non-stick skillet over medium heat: add shallots and onion, and saute three minutes. Add mush rooms, and saute for five min utes. Reduce heat to low; add cream cheese and milk, stirring until blended. Remove from heat; add chop ped chicken. Stir in sherry and next three ingredients. Unfold three pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface; cut into fourths. Roll onto 10-inch squares. Place cheese slice and ham slice in the center of each pastry square. Top with 'A cup chopped chicken mixture. Bring corners together over fdling, gently press ing to seal. Cut remaining pastry sheet onto thin strips; tie each bundle with pastry ribbon. Place on bak ing sheet; brush with egg white. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden. Whisk together melted butter and next three ingredients. Serve over pas try bundles. Makes 12 servings. Source: Southern Living November 2001 CREAMY SHRIMP-AND SCALLOPS CASSEROLE 16 frozen phyllo pastry sheets 2'/: pounds unpecled, medium size fresh shrimp 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed 5 tablespoons butter, divided 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound fresh bay scallops 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream 1 < cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 i cup all-purpose flour 2 cups half-and-half Vegetable cooking spray Cut phyllo sheets into 13x9 inch rectangles; reserve half the sheets, keeping covered with damp towel to prevent drying out. Stack remaining eight sheets in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish, lightly coating each sheet with vegetable cooking spray. Bake on lowest rack in 400-degree oven for five minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside. Peel shrimp, and devein, if de sired. Drain spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add garlic, and saute two min utes. Add shrimp and scallops; cook five minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream and next three ingredients until well blend ed. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach. Melt remaining ‘A cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking con stantly; cook, whisking con stantly, one minute. Gradually add 2 cups half-and-half; cook three minutes or until mixture is thickened. Spoon into prepared baking dish on top of baked phyl lo sheets. Stack remaining phyllo sheets, coating each sheet with cooking spray. Roll up, jellyroll fashion, starting at long end and cut into 'A inch slices. Unroll each piece and gently twist; arrange twists in a diamond pattern over casse role. Bake at 400 degrees for 14 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings. Source: Southern Living November 2001 CHOCOLATE KISS TARTS 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 'A cup butter or margarine, softened 1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour Filling: 24 Hershey’s Kisses, un wrapped Cut 24 three-inch circles of heavy-duty aluminum foil. (Try a coffee cup for a template). Combine cream cheese and butter in a small mixer bowl; blend in flour. Shape dough into 24 one-inch balls; press dough down on foil circles, covering each. With thumb and forefinger, turn up edges of dough at five points, forming a star. Place on a cookie sheet. Prepare filling; 1 egg 'A cup dark corn syrup 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon melted butter 'A teaspoon vanilla 1 A cup finely chopped pecans Beat egg until foamy; add corn syrup, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in pe cans. Spoon 1 teaspoon filling into each star. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; immedi ately top each tart with an un wrapped Kiss. Cool tarts com pletely Carefully temove foil. Makes 24 cookies. Source: "Hershey’s Chocolate Treasury” Golden Press, 1984 Experts Share Holiday Tips How do the pros do it? Create a fabulous holiday menu, an in credible table setting, a memora ble meal and enjoy it? Here’s how four entertaining experts do it (and you can, too!). • Remember Your Immediate Family Alicia Ross and Bever ly Mills, co-authors of Despera tion Entertaining (Workman, 2002), say they have realized that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be the most “desperate” time of year, given all of the extra activities added to an already hectic schedule. They have learned that it’s necessary to make a concerted effort to NUTTY CHOCOLATE PUFFS Filling: 2 3-ounce packages cream cheese (6 ounce), regular or reduced fat type 2 tablespoons sugar 2 A cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella) 'A cup heavy cream 'A cup chopped toasted hazel nuts or pecans Puffs: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1 cup water '/’ cup butter % teaspoon salt 4 eggs For Filling: In a medium mix ing bowl beat together cream cheese and 2 tablespoons sugar. Gradually beat in chocolate ha zelnut spread and heavy cream. Stir in nuts. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill. Can be made a day or two ahead. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a very large baking sheet or two smaller sheets. Set aside. For Puffs: Stir together 2 table spoons sugar, flour and cocoa; set aside. In a medium saucepan combine water, salt and butter. Bring to boiling. Add flour mix ture all at once, stirring vigorous ly. Cook and stir the mixture until the dough forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon until smooth after each addition. Drop by rounded teaspoons (the kind you eat with) into 24 mounds at least one inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. (A very small ice cream/muffin scoop works well. Bake for 25 minutes. Cut a slit into each puff to let steam out. Puffs should be firm and dry. Transfer to wire rack to cool. When you are done baking, turn off oven and return the puffs to oven with the door cracked to make sure the puffs are crisp. To hold puffs for later serving a day or two later, put into large zipper bag or tight cov ered container. To serve: cut the tops of the puffs and remove any soft dough from inside. Spoon cream cheese mixture into the puffs. They can be filled up to two hours before serving. Chill until serving time. Makes about 24 small puffs (fig ure 2 puffs per serving). Source: “Simple Perfect Holiday Baking 2002” Belter Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication have some special time, not only with friends and extended family, but also with their immediate families. Otherwise, the holidays would pass and they would miss connecting with those who live under the same roof! So they’ve created a new tradi tion a “fancy dinner for four” (they both have a husband and two children). Selecting this menu is just as important as what to fix for the big feast with aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. They choose a menu that’s a bit fancy, a bit out of the ordinary for family meals like a succulent steak topped with something spe cial like blue crab or a rich sauce. But, the meal must be easy, just like their book (where all recipes can be made in 20 minutes). • Enjoy Yourself Another bit of sage advice comes from B. Smith, the host of B. Smith With Style, a nationally syndicated television series. “I always host the kind of party I like going to,” Smith says. No matter what type of party you plan, the objectives remain the same to make your guests feel welcome with warm hospital ity and good food. And most im portant, your dinner or party should not feel “planned” no matter how much planning went into it. “It’s not just the guests who should be enjoying themselves; you should be having a good time, too,” Smith adds. • Celebrate with Special Foods For Betty Rosbottom, cook book author and regular contrib utor to Bon Apptit, the holidays would not be complete without celebrations. “Nothing gives me more plea sure than taking extra time to cook and then share special dish es with others. The food for these occasions must be or, both in pre sentation and flavor. Rosbottom says, “Stately standing rib roasts and beef tenderloin, garnished with spicy condiments and fresh vegetables, are among her favor ite choices for holiday main courses.” And one more thing, she al ways offers several rich and in dulgent desserts since no one counts calories during the holi days! • Savor Your Own Celebration Now, what about your own holiday celebrations? Big or small? Buffet or sit-down? Cas ual or fancy? That’s all up to you, but the bottom line is, be com fortable with whatever you de cide enjoy it! A roast is one of the easiest and most impressive special meal choices for the holidays. Just put it on a rack in the oven and cook! No turning, no basting, no peek ing! Versatile beef roasts can be prepared simply with salt and pepper as the seasoning or more elaborately (but easy!) as in this Horseradish-Crusted Beef Ribeye Roast. Just spread prepared horseradish over a ribeye roast and then coat it with a three-in gredient mixture of cracker crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese and thyme. Not only will it be de licious, but it will make a stun- Horseradish-Crusted Beef Ribeye Roast makes a delicious centerpiece for your holiday celebration. ning presentation for the holiday table or buffet. And for an easy make-ahead accompaniment that will add a very special touch to the menu, try Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding, accented with mush rooms, rosemary and Gruyre cheese. Assemble it the night be fore, refrigerate, then bake for an hour before serving time. Finish the menu with a favor ite salad and fresh vegetable. For the finale, choose from a tempting trifle, decadent choco late cake or cranberry sorbet with holiday cookies. And, most of all, enjoy the food, the occasion and the holi day season! HORSERADISH-CRUSTED BEEF RIBEYE ROAST 1 well-trimmed beef ribeye roast, small end (6 to 8 pounds) '/2cup prepared horseradish 37-40 butter-flavored crackers '/2cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, crushed Savory Mushroom Bread Pud ding (recipe follows): Heat oven to 350 F. Place roast, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Spread horseradish evenly over all surfaces of beef roast. Place crackers in food proces sor or blender container. Cover; process until fine crumbs form (about l-'/t cups). Combine cracker crumbs, cheese and thyme in small bowl. Press crumb mixture evenly onto roast over horseradish, generously covering all surfaces. Insert ovenproof meat thermo meter in roast so tip is centered in thickest part of beef, not rest ing in fat. Roast in 350 F oven 2 to 2-'/« hours for medium rare; 2-1/2 to 2-Mi hours for medium doneness. Remove roast when meat ther mometer registers 135 F for medi um rare; 150 F for medium. Transfer roast to carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about 10F to reach 145 F for medium rare; 160 F for medium.) Carve roast into slices. Serve with Savory Bread Pudding. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Nutrition information per serv ing ('/» of recipe): 540 calories; 57 g protein; 11 g carbohydrate; 28 g fat; 388 mg sodium; 158 mg cho lesterol; 9.2 mg niacin: 0.8 mg vi tamin B 6; 6.4 meg vitamin B 12; 6.2 mg iron; 13.6 mg zinc.