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Here are recipes I use to make my holiday cooking special. What are yours? [1]
['Daily Kos Staff']
Date: 2023-11-25
Here are some of mine, but please share yours!
What is your most special something special? The thing that you bring out to really signal that this is An Occasion … or that you are a damn good cook. The thing that your guests won’t have had before or that’s a little beyond what you would usually do, but that you can pull off reliably enough that you don’t risk total disaster. Or, alternatively, your shockingly easy crowd-pleaser, the thing people will flock to and rave about but that isn’t too hard to make enough of.
The holidays are here, and that means it’s cooking (and especially baking) season. From Thanksgiving through New Year’s, parties and special occasions are stacked up, while dark days and cold weather make it appealing to have something in the oven. The holidays are also a chance—at least in non-pandemic times—to show off a little bit and make something that will not just taste great but impress your family and friends—even if secretly, it’s not that hard to make.
This is not one I personally make, but throughout the holiday season, my mother-in-law makes one batch after another (because the batches always get eaten) of these “Barefoot Contessa” chipotle and rosemary roasted nuts. I do not particularly like rosemary as a general rule, but these are delightful.
If you want to open a holiday meal with a soup but leave plenty of room for the rest of the meal, this Paul Bertolli cauliflower soup is extraordinarily simple yet delicious. We often serve it in cups for sipping before people are seated.
My husband found a version of this scallop ceviche recipe somewhere years ago and has tweaked it enough that I can’t find a link to the original by googling the ingredients:
2 pounds large scallops (e.g., diver scallops), cut into small pieces Juice of 3 Meyer lemons and 2 limes Roughly 1.5 small red onions, finely diced Cherry or grape tomatoes, to taste, diced 1 jalapeño or Fresno chile pepper—add more or less to taste 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced 2 tablespoons mint, or more to taste 2 tablespoons basil, or more to tasteSalt and pepper, to taste Juice the lemons and limes, mix in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt (this will prevent the citrus from acquiring a slightly bitter tinge). Add scallops, tomatoes, apple, onions, and chilies. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Let sit for 30 minutes or so, then add mint and basil and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 10 minutes or so, then refrigerate or serve.
If you want a hearty yet elegant main dish that’s also easy and low-mess—as in, made in a single sheet pan—go with Melissa Clark’s roast chicken with chickpeas and baby kale.
My first rendition of the “America's Test Kitchen” French apple cake wasn’t quite as good as the bakery cake I was trying to copy, but it was close enough that I felt no shame and will be expecting perfection the second time out. Cake almost isn’t the right word for this—there’s also a strong custardy aspect. I also love a Julia Child clafoutis recipe made with apples, which is similar but quite a bit thinner. If you have a crowd, that one disappears almost immediately.
Two years ago, here’s what I listed. They’re all still spectacular:
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