HOLIDAY BRUNCH RECIPES
Happy Holidays!
Creamy Chestnut Soup – Mary York
Serves 6
4 Tbs. butter
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
1 (24 oz.) bottle peeled cooked chestnuts, drained
1/3 cup crème fraiche
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbs. dry sherry, such as amontillado or more
In a 4 qt. saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and
garlic. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and lightly
browned, about 20 mins. Add 6 cups water, chestnuts, and salt; simmer over
medium-low heat until chestnuts are tender – 45 minutes.
Puree soup. Whisk in cream fraiche, black pepper and sherry. Season with more
salt to taste.
Serve hot
FRITTATA
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 medium boiling potatoes (I use white potatoes), quartered & thinly sliced
1 small onion, halved & thinly sliced
4 scallions, white & green parts, sliced
4 button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
8-10 slices Canadian bacon, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips Salt and pepper to taste
12 large eggs, lightly beaten (if using 13x9 dish I use 14 or 15 eggs)
1 cup Swiss and/or Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a heavy, ovenproof 12 inch skillet, combine butter and
oil over medium heat and melt. Add potatoes, onion, scallions and mushrooms to pan
and sauté until onion is golden and potatoes are softening, about 10 minutes. Add
Canadian bacon and cook another 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. You can either
assemble frittata in the skillet or in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Season the vegetables
with salt and pepper to taste and spread into an even layer in the pan. Pour the beaten
eggs over the vegetables and sprinkle the cheese over all. If baking in the skillet, bake
25-30 minutes, until eggs are set and edges are lightly browned. If baking in 13x9
casserole dish, bake 35-40 minutes.
Allow frittata to cool for 20 minutes or so. If using skillet, slide frittata onto a serving
plate and cut into wedges to serve. If baked in casserole dish, cut into squares to serve.
You can make this the day ahead and rewarm in a low oven the next morning.
Filbert Torte – Mary York
12 servings
10 eggs separated, at room temperature
11/2 cups sugar
3 Tbs cake flour
2 cups finely ground skinned filberts
Juice of one lemon
1 12 oz jar of apricot preserves
1 pint heavy cream
½ cup light brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line the bottom of 9 in layer pans with parchment paper or greased and lightly floured wax
paper.
Beat the egg yolks until thick. Gradually add the sugar beating until the mixture is light and
fluffy. Fold in the flour and nuts.
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the nut mixture. Fold
in the remainder gently. Pour into prepared pans and bake 30-35 minutes until lightly browned
and set.
Remove from the oven and cool. Remove the layers still on paper, on racks to completely cool.
Mix the apricot preserves with the lemon juice.
Beat the cream with the brown sugar until it reaches spreading consistency.
Carefully remove the paper from one layer and place it on a cake plate. Spread with the apricot
mixture and then 2 Tbs of the whipped cream. Remove the paper from the 2nd layer and place on
top. Repeat the spreading process and top with the 3rd layer.
Frost the torte with the remaining cream. Garnish with filberts and refrigerate.
Hot Fruit Compote – Mary York
Serves 6-8
2 (16 oz) cans sliced peaches
2 (16 oz) cans sliced pears
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1 (161/2 oz) can dark, sweet pitted cherries
3 bananas, sliced
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 (16 oz) can applesauce
1 cup pecan halves
Drain all canned fruits well. Combine canned fruit, plus bananas in a 13x19x2
baking dish. Set aside. Combine brown sugar, butter and applesauce in a
saucepan. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Spoon applesauce mixture over
fruit and arrange pecan halves on top. Bake 300 for one hour.
JANE'S REFRIGERATOR BUBBLE RING (Monkey Bread)
3/4 cup milk 10 Tablespoons
melted butter
1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups
sugar/cinnamon mix
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (This is to dip
balls in)
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup warm water
2 packages rapid rise dry yeast
1 egg
4 cups flour
Scald milk (1-2 minutes in microwave). Pour into large bowl, stir in sugar,
salt and room temperature butter. Cool to lukewarm. Measure warm water into
bowl; add 1/2 teaspoon sugar and sprinkle in the 2 packages of yeast,
stirring until dissolved. Let yeast bubble up for a couple of minutes then
stir yeast mixture into milk mixture. Add slightly beaten egg and 2 cups
flour and beat until smooth. Add rest of flour and beat again until smooth.
Turn dough out into greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and tea towel and
refrigerate a few hours or overnight.
Next day: Make dough into 40-45 small balls. Dip first into melted butter
and then into cinnamon/sugar mixture. Arrange some whole pecan halves
decoratively in the bottom of your greased bundt pan and then place balls
evenly all around. You may add extra coarsely chopped pecans in with the
balls if you wish. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for
1-1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until nicely golden
brown. Let rest in pan 15 minutes then turn out onto serving plate.