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.