Festive Feast

In December, family and friends gather in homes to celebrate another year, and of course, the holidays. While some hosts effortlessly dance around the kitchen carrying on conversations while preparing a fabulous meal, others feel out of tune with their guests, lost in the choreography of cooking.

With careful curation of dishes that are impressive but simple, and some basic planning, you can enjoy and entertain at the same time.

Menu

Filet of Beef Au Poivre, Roasted Asparagus, Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy and “Everything But the kitchen Sink” Cookies

Run of Show

Day before or morning of:

• Prepare cookie dough and refrigerate until ready to bake at the end of dinner. 

Two hours before dinner:

• Let steak come to room temperature.

• Prepare potatoes. If finished early, cover with plastic and refrigerate. If needed, rewarm in the microwave before serving. 

Use leftover time to chop vegetables for gravy and/or sauce. 

45 minutes before dinner:

• Prepare asparagus, aiming to put it into the oven before you prepare filets. 

30 minutes before dinner:

• Prepare filets.

While filets are in the oven: 

• Prepare mushroom gravy for potatoes.

While filets are resting: 

• Prepare shallot sauce.

Tip: If preparing steaks and potatoes, only one gravy is needed. It’s easier to make more mushroom gravy than shallot sauce if serving a crowd. 

Filet of Beef Au Poivre

This French dish is the star of your show. The tender pink inside of a perfectly cooked medium-rare filet mignon sings “special occasion.” And a special occasion requires special preparation. Coarse black pepper (poivre is French for pepper) coats the outside of these thick filets, forming a crust as it sears in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Once we’ve sealed in the juices, it’s time for the real magic.

The center of the steaks gently finish in an oven preheated to its highest temperature. During the brief intermission between removing from the oven and serving, the show must go on! While the filet rests, prepare a savory shallot gravy sauce, to top your perfect filet. Note: the cook may receive a standing ovation for this masterpiece. 

Filet of Beef Au Poivre Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 filets of beef, 1 ¼ inch thick
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 4 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)
• Salt
• Coarse black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place filets onto a cutting board and pat dry. Let them come to room temperature for at least 1 hour. Cover each side in coarse black pepper. Place a cast iron skillet on the stovetop on high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter (it should be almost smoking). Add filets and lower to medium heat. Sear filets on top and bottom for 2 minutes, and on each side for 1 minute to seal in the juices. Place the pan with steaks into the hot oven for 5-10 minutes. 

Carefully remove pan from the oven and let steaks rest covered for 10 minutes.

To prepare the sauce, place shallots into the same pan on medium heat and sauté for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer. When the liquid has reduced by half, remove from heat and swirl in the remaining butter and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Slice filets if desired, and top with shallot sauce.

Roasted Asparagus

Open the curtains on your holiday feast with roasted asparagus. This vegetable adds crispy texture, bright color, and light lemony notes to an otherwise rich meal. In-season asparagus is easy to find, and requires minimal effort and additional ingredients to prepare well. Lemon juice, salt, pepper, cooking oil, minced garlic and a little time in the oven are all you need to make a fantastic side.

Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-2 bunches asparagus
• 1 tsp coarse black   pepper
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp cooking oil   (such as grapeseed) 
• Salt to taste
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Remove the tough bottom third of the asparagus stems, then place the heads in a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes. 

Toast pepper in a sauté pan on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add oil and garlic, then sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Pat asparagus dry and place on a lined baking sheet. Pour pepper, oil and garlic mixture over asparagus and gently mix with your hands. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes. When finished, the tips of the asparagus will be slightly crispy. Let cool for five minutes, then sprinkle lightly with salt and a spritz of lemon juice before serving.

Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy

These mashed potatoes are a generous supporting character that complement everything around them. The best part? They are so simple. From date night to Christmas and Hanukkah, you won’t be fussing over this dish. Soft Yukon gold potatoes whip into a light and fluffy bowl of deliciousness, brought to life by butter, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper.

While the potatoes are fabulous on their own, they enter showstopper territory with a mushroom gravy. The meaty mushrooms bathe in a thick velvety sauce from vegetable broth and heavy cream. While this gravy shines on mashed potatoes, it can also support the main if it needs extra attention. Steak, pork chops, and even chicken pair well with this gravy.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ lbs Yukon gold potatoes, quartered 
• ½ cup butter (1 stick)
• ½ cup sour cream
• Salt
• Pepper
• Milk (if needed)

Mushroom Gravy Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 2 packages mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Splash milk or heavy cream (start with ¼ cup   and add more a Tbsp at a time) 
• Cooking oil (such as grapeseed)

Preparation:

Place quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 30-60 minutes. Test with a fork — if it pierces the potato easily, they’re done. Remove from water and let cool for 10-15 minutes, or until you can touch comfortably. If you prefer to remove skins, gently peel off. Remove any bumps or sprouts with a knife.

In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, butter, sour cream, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Whip with a hand mixer on low speed until butter is melted, then taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed. If too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk or cream to thin out. Do not over mix — just enough to combine all ingredients. 

For the gravy, begin by thinly slicing mushrooms and scallions. Add to a pan on medium heat with a splash of grapeseed oil (or cooking oil of choice). Add a pinch of salt and a smaller pinch of pepper. Gently stir every couple of minutes. When mushrooms have released their juices, add a splash of tamari and stir. Once mushrooms have absorbed most of the liquid, add milk or heavy cream. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then set aside.

To serve, top a large serving of potatoes with gravy and enjoy!

“Everything but the Kitchen Sink” Cookies

It’s time for the grand finale. There’s something intangible about the holiday spirit captured in the first bite of a warm cookie. Maybe it’s the aroma of melting butter and sugar lingering from the oven, or the little scraps of cookie dough quietly nibbled when nobody’s watching. For others, it’s the buzzing moments in the kitchen with family and friends, or the joy of giving cookies as a gift.

Regardless of what it is, these crowd-pleasing kitchen sink cookies have something for everyone. A quality bar of chocolate chopped into chunks is always a hit, but you don’t have to stop there! Add plain potato chips or pretzels for a sweet and salty combo. Or try white chocolate and macadamias with dried cranberries for a more sophisticated cookie. Love pecan pie? Use chocolate with pecans and toffee bites. For extra decadence, serve straight out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream before the curtain closes on the evening. Don’t forget to save some for Santa!

“Everything but the kitchen sink” cookies Recipe

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 large eggs, room temperature

Dry ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1/2 tsp salt

Toppings

• 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks, or one bar of   chocolate, chopped
• 1-2 cups other toppings
• Sweet: white chocolate chips, sweet candy 
• Salty: potato chips, pretzels
• Nuts: pecans, walnuts, macadamias
• Candy: M&Ms, peanut butter pieces
• S’mores: graham crackers, mini marshmallows,   mini chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)

Preparation

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to distribute. 

Combine softened butter, sugars and vanilla in another bowl, beating with a hand mixer until homogeneous, scraping dough off the edges as needed. Mix until the batter is 2-3 shades lighter, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, mixing into the dough one at a time until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts. Start the mixer on lowest power, increasing speed until the ingredients combine and the dough thickens. Fold in the toppings using a spatula.

Scoop dough into scoops roughly the size of a golf ball. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3-6 hours and up to 48 hours. 

To bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Place dough onto a sheet with 2 inches of space between each ball. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Let cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Add a small pinch of flaky sea salt. For best results, let cool for an additional 10-20 minutes, or serve hot with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.