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 It's
that special time of year again when we gather with family
and friends to feast on treasured family recipes and favorite
dishes. Above the many side dishes, salads, soups and desserts
that will adorn your table, the star of that Christmas parade
will be your main entree.
Through the years, we have prepared many
different Christmas entrees. Many because we continually experiment
with new and different recipes and many because we often get
the irresistible urge to break free of tradition. Breaking
free of tradition and letting your cooking creativity flow
over the holidays can have both positive and negative results.
We have found that many people (mostly our relatives) can
become quite uncomfortable with the wanton tampering of traditional
holiday menu items. Case in point:
One glorious year I decided that instead
of the traditional Christmas fare, I would prepare Peking
Duck. Now, in Chinese culture, Peking Duck is a very special
meal. It takes days to prepare properly and is absolutely
delicious. All the proper credentials for a fabulous holiday
feast, right? Wrong. Although I must say that my Peking Duck
was overall superb, my opinion was not shared by many of my
family members. Peking Duck is served by shredding the duck
and eating it wrapped in a lovely crepe doloped with gf hoisin
sauce and thinly sliced fresh vegetables. My youngest brother
was clearly not pleased. The rest of my family politely smiled
and quietly consumed their "duck tacos". That day I learned
an important lesson which can be interpreted in a couple of
ways: 'Don't mess with Christmas dinner', or 'When preparing
Christmas dinner remember that guests prefer to cut the entree
with a knife and eat it as a taco' or finally, 'If you must
jump off the creative cooking ledge, be sure to invite guests
who are a little out there too'.
As I stated in the beginning of this article,
cooking creatively for the holidays can have both positive
and negative results. Over the years we have prepared devine
holiday entrees that even the most critical guest will rave
about. (They all must be eaten with knife and fork). This
year we'd like to share a few of our, and our guest's, favorites;
Prime
Rib w/Roasted Garlic Wine Sauce
Crown
Roast of Pork
Braised
Duck with Cranberries and Madeira Sauce
Each of these recipes requires prep time
and each is well worth the effort. We can assure you with
confidence that if you choose any of these show-stopping recipes
for your holiday meal, it will truly be the shining star of
your and your guest's holiday feast.
Happy Holidays,
-Glutenfreeda
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