‘Tis the season to be jolly with friends and family. NoGarlicNoonions.com shares with you an easy menu with easy to follow recipes for each to help you make a special Christmas dinner to enjoy and share with friends…Invite your friends over and prepare the dinner together. Cooking together is all part of the festivities.
Although am I not a big fan of garlic and onions, I had to share some recipes that include these two ingredients as they say – not every one is like me.
On the Menu: (Serves up to 5 persons)
- White Wine Gigot
- Potato Puree
- Pumpkin puree
- Sautéed Green Beans
- Endive and Sucrine Salad
- Sticky Date Pudding
Gigot with Honey & Thyme:
- 1 Gigot
- Onions
- Olive oil
- 30 g de butter
- 4 cups dry white wine
- 30 cl de chicken bouillon
- 8 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 garlic cloves peeled & cut in half
- 2 coffee spoons honey
- Pepper
Preheat your oven at 130°C.
Serve it with Potato Puree & Pumpkin puree:
Potato Puree:
Ingredients
- 1kg potatoes unpeeled
- salt, to taste
- 1⁄4 cup milk
- 500gr unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
Preparation
- Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside to let cool slightly.
- Bring milk to a boil in a saucepan; remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
- Peel potatoes and pass them through a food mill into a saucepan set over medium-low heat. Using a rubber spatula, turn potatoes frequently until they take on a drier, fluffier consistency, 2–3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Working in batches, vigorously stir in the butter until mixture is creamy.
- Whisk in warmed milk, season potatoes with salt, and transfer them to a warm serving bowl.
Pumpkin Puree:
Ingredients
- 3kg pumpkin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preparation
- Cut the pumpkin in 2cm slices. Remove the seeds and the membranes, reserving the seeds for toasting if desired, and brush the slices of the pumpkin with the butter
- Bake it in a shallow baking pan at 180°C until the pulp is tender
- Discard any liquid that may have accumulated in the pumpkin
- Scoop out the pulp, and in a blender, purée it in batches, transferring it as it is puréed to a large sieve or colander lined with overlapping large coffee filters and set over a large bowl.
Cover the surface of the purée with plastic wrap and let the purée drain, chilled, overnight.
Sautéed Green Beans:
Ingredients
- 1kg green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter optional
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Blanch green beans in a pot of salted boiling water until bright green in color and tender crisp, roughly 2 minutes. Drain and shock in a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the oil and the butter.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the beans and continue to sauté until coated in the butter and heated through. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.
Endive and Sucrine lettuce Salad:
Ingredients
- 1 Endive, leaves separated and rinsed well cut in 4
- 3 Sucrine lettuce cut in 4
- 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Arrange endive Leaves & Sucrines on a serving platter
- Top with blue cheese
- In a small bowl or jar, combine vinegar, honey, oil and mustard shake jar to combine
- Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper
- Drizzle mixture over salad and serve
Sticky Date Pudding:
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chopped dried pitted dates
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces or 7 tablespoons) butter, softened
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 75 grams (2 1/2-ounces) dark chocolate, grated
- Butter, for coating ramekins
- Ice cream or whipped cream, for garnish
Sauce
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 200 grams (7-ounces or 14 tablespoons) butter
- Fresh figs, quartered, for garnish
- Vanilla ice cream, optional
- Whipped heavy cream, optional
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C
- Add the dates and water to a medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda
- Let cool for about 5 minutes, then blend it
- Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and beat well. Fold in the flour, the pureed date mixture and the chocolate
- Put the mixture into 4 buttered, 1-cup individual ramekins, filling halfway or slightly under.
- Put in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes
- Prepare the sauce by stirring the sugar, cream and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until incorporated
- Remove the ramekins from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. May be served in the ramekin or unmolded onto a small serving plate. With paring knife cut a cross in the top of the puddings for the sauce
- Pour the sauce into the cross in the center of each pudding, then pour more sauce over the puddings and it allow to soak in slightly. Top with vanilla ice cream or heavily whipped cream
- Serve warm
Merry Christmas Everyone
