Christmas Dinner - peace on earth and goodwill to men.

“I heard the bells on Christmas day,
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Christmas is my favourite holiday and our Christmas dinner this year was fun. We had a little fight over what to serve for dinner, my brother wanted turkey, but in my opinion, it is just a big chicken, so after a small debate, we decided to go with a turkey and veal chops. The veal chops that we had were a huge! So everyone got a huge hunka-chunk piece with the wild mushroom tomato bordelaise and a serving of sweet potato mash and we had a side salad rather than the asparagus that is in the recipe. In my kitchen frenzy, I forgot to serve everyone a serving of the herbed butter that was suppose to go with it, but it was still rather delicious.

Recipe: Grilled Veal Chops with Herb Cheese, Wild Mushroom-Tomato Bordelaise by Emeril Lagasse

4 (14-ounce) bone-in veal chops
4 teaspoons Essence
recipe 1 bunch asparagus
4 slices prosciutto
1 recipe Wild Mushroom-Tomato Bordelaise,
recipe follows 4 tablespoons herb cheese, such as Boursin or Rondele

Preheat the grill to medium-high, and preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
Season each chop on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the Essence. Place on the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn each chop 1/4 turn and cook an additional 2 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a baking sheet. Roast until cooked until medium, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and blanch until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes, depending upon the size. Drain and transfer to an ice bath briefly to refresh. Remove from the ice bath and wrap in bundles of 5 each with a slice of prosciutto.

Place the veal chops on 4 large plates and top each with a tablespoon of the herb cheese. Arrange the asparagus next to the chops and spoon the bordelaise around the chops. Serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

Wild Mushroom-Tomato Bordelaise:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed, and chopped
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and thinly sliced
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
1 quart veal stock or rich beef stock

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, or large, heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give off their liquid, about 4 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, and stir to mix well. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, and cook, stirring to loosen any bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the veal stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve with the veal chops.

Yield: 2 1/3 cups

Source: www.foodtv.com

For a sweet ending, we rounded up the dinner with a simple tiramisu that I made up with the ingredients I had from home – sponge fingers, mascarpone cheese, espresso, chocolate and Baileys.


My Tiramisu

I was a tiny bit worried how this was going to turn out; thankfully, everyone liked it or was just being really really polite about it. I like serving it in a glass instead of a large tiramisu cake because you can see the layers which is a nice presentation and it beats the hassle of cutting a cake and having bits of it fall off.