Spread holiday cheer this season with easy, festive recipes that incorporate the sights and smells of Christmas and pair deliciously with wine. Andrea Immer, master sommelier and author of Great Tastes Made Simple: Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate, recommends a Sparkling Wine and a classic red Bordeaux with this Christmas family menu, created by cooking teacher and cookbook author Louise Fiszer.
Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots and Sweet Corn
Delicious and a visual knockout. If you can't find all of the fresh herbs listed, use the ones that are available and mix with chopped parsley.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 pounds green beans, trimmed, cut into 2 inch lengths and cooked just until tender*
2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed corn kernels
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Directions:
In a large skillet, melt butter. Cook shallots and pepper over medium high heat about three minutes or until slightly wilted. Add green beans and corn and cook about two minutes until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine herbs and stir in half of them. Remove mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with remaining herbs. Serves 8.
Beef Tenderloin with Cranberry Dijon Mustard Sauce
Serving a beef tenderloin will make you a star in the kitchen. The only thing that can ruin this elegant roast is over-cooking it. The colorful sweet-tart-hot sauce makes this a truly festive holiday main course and can be made ahead and reheated just before serving.
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (home made or canned)
3/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup cranberry juice
6 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Tenderloin:
1 beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat, weighing about 5 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed, crushed or coarsely ground
Directions:
For the sauce: Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to break up the cranberry sauce. Turn down to a simmer and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about eight to 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.
For the beef: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub meat all over with the oil. Combine the salt, pepper and mustard seed and sprinkle mixture all over the meat. (You might have to press mixture on roast if mixture doesn't adhere.)
Set tenderloin on a wire rack on a shallow roasting pan. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 135 degrees F for medium-rare to medium. Let stand at room temperature about 20 to 25 minutes before slicing. Cut meat into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange overlapping slices on a serving tray and spread a 2-inch wide "ribbon" of cranberry mustard sauce down the center. Pass the remaining sauce. Serves 8.
Glazed Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas
If you're short on time, you can purchase fresh grated carrots from the salad bar section of your super market. Snow peas may be substituted for the Sugar Snaps.
Ingredients:
2 pounds carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 pound sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and cut into three strips lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook carrots one minute, add peas and cook another minute. Drain under cold running water to stop cooking. In a large skillet, heat butter with honey over medium high heat until honey is melted and runny. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon zest and lemon juice. Add carrots and peas and cook until they appear glazed about three minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining lemon zest. Serves 8.
Go to the next page: More yummy recipes!
Links, information and more for you
About the author: This article first appeared on wineanswers.com. In addition to contributing to wineanswers.com, Andrea Immer is the author of Great Tastes Made Simple: Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate, Andrea Immer's Wine Buying Guide for Everyone, and Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier. She is also a columnist for Esquire and other publications, and Dean of Wine Studies for the French Culinary Institute in New York. Former beverage director for Windows on the World in New York, Andrea now serves on the committee for the Windows of Hope Fund that raises money for the families of the Windows on the World employees affected by the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center disaster.
