Our Favorite Holiday Recipes
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“In December 2001, we featured some of our own favorite recipes that have become Holiday traditions in our family. We received a lot of great feedback and have decided to do this once again. This year we would like to share an entrée recipe for duck that we always serve on New Years Eve and a few easy appetizers. We really can’t credit where these recipes originated from - most probably from cookbooks, food sections of newspapers, magazines or scraps of paper and index cards from family and friends. We hope you enjoy these recipes - maybe one will become a favorite of yours too.
We both would also like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers for their patronage throughout the year and wish everyone a Happy Holiday and Best Wishes for the New Year!
Debra and Steve Crandall
Duck Breasts with Blackberry Sauce
“This is our traditional New Years Eve entrée. Duck can be difficult to find and has the reputation of being greasy. The easiest solution is visiting the website of Grimaud Farms - www.grimaud.com. This company produces incredible Muscovy duck, which is the leanest domesticated duck available. It is somewhat pricey but worth every penny for a special dinner.”
Ingredients:
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3 tablespoons butter
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3 tablespoons sugar
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1/3 cup dry white wine
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1/3 cup orange juice
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2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
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1 ¼ cups frozen blackberries, thawed
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1 ¼ cups canned beef broth
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½ cup canned low-salt chicken broth
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2 tablespoons brandy or Cognac
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1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
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4 duck breast halves with skin
Preparation:
Sauce:
“We always make the sauce in advance. It just makes the preparation of the dinner quicker and easier. We also double the sauce recipe since it is a wonderful sauce and freezes well. You can always use it at a later date with chicken.”
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim any excess fat from duck breasts. Cut two or three slits (about 4 inches long) in the skin but not into the meat of the duck. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat heavy, large, ovenproof skillet over high heat until skillet is hot. Add duck, skin side down, and sear until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven; continue cooking to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium.
Meanwhile, bring sauce to simmer over low heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and whisk until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Slice duck and serve with sauce.
SERVES 4
Appetizers
“We always have a big sit-down dinner on Christmas Day and a lot of cooking is involved. So years ago, we decided to have a buffet on Christmas Eve. The menu changes from year to year but there are always plenty of appetizers and finger food. Below are recipes for several appetizers that are very easy to make and a lot of the preparation can be done ahead of time.”
Marinated Mushrooms
Ingredients:
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¾ cup olive oil
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3 tablespoons green onions, chopped
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/3 cup red wine vinegar
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2 tablespoons lemon juice
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2 teaspoons dried tarragon
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½ teaspoon sugar
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1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together except the mushrooms. Pour over the mushrooms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate for several hours at room temperature. (If you marinate in the frig, the mixture will congeal and will have to be brought back to room temperature before serving.) Stir occasionally. Pour off marinade and serve or leave the mushrooms in the marinade and serve with a slotted spoon.
Shrimp in Lime Sauce
Courtesy of Tim Crandall
Ingredients:
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1 ½ lbs. shrimp - shelled, deveined and cooked
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¼ teaspoon grated lime peel
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¼ cup lime juice
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¼ cup dry white wine
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½ cup ketchup
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Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Mix lime peel, lime juice, wine, ketchup, salt and pepper.
Pour over shrimp. Cover and chill.
Can be made the day before.
Sausage Cheese Balls
“This recipe is so old that it has become new again. When many of you see this, you will remember making something similar years ago. We made it for a party a few weeks ago and there was not a sausage ball left in sight. We made the mixture earlier in the day, sprayed cookie sheets with Pam, formed the sausage balls, put them right onto the cookie sheets, covered with foil and refrigerated. Then we just popped them in the oven to cook shortly before the guests arrived.”
Makes about 6 dozen
Ingredients:
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3 cups Bisquick mix
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1 lb. bulk pork sausage
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4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
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½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
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½ teaspoon dried rosemary
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½ teaspoon parsley flakes
Preparation:
Stir together all ingredients. (We couldn’t quite get all of the Bisquick & cheese into the mixture. If it is too dry, add a little more sausage.)
Shape mixture into small balls.
Grease a jelly roll pan, 15 ½ X 10 ½ X 1” (We just used cookie sheets that we had on hand)
Place the balls in the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until brown.
Immediately remove from the pan.
Serve warm with barbeque sauce for dipping.