Whether you are an accomplished chef or a home cook with basic knowledge, you can prepare a scrumptious celebratory dinner your family and friends will enjoy and appreciate, using these recipes from Chef Lynn Michelle and Cassandra Shultz, owner of Cassandra’s Kitchen.
Enjoy!
Cassandra Shultz, owner of Cassandra’s Kitchen, and Chef Lynn Michelle.
Nutty Acorn Squash
By Chef Lynn Michelle
1 acorn squash
¼ cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
¼ cup small peppadews
½ cup fresh cranberries
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Preheat oven to 375°.
Wash and cut the acorn squash in half and clean out the center seeds with a spoon.
Place the squash halves, skin down, onto a baking sheet.
Using gloved hands, completely cover the inside and top rim of squash with softened butter, then cover lightly with olive oil, season with salt, black pepper. Add small sweet peppadews, fresh cranberries, and honey into the squash cavity.
Place in the hot oven and bake until the flesh is soft – about 45 minutes to an hour. Check with a fork; it should be easy to insert.
Add toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.
To toast pine nuts: In a small sauté pan on low heat, carefully toast the pine nuts to release the nutty flavor.
Serves 2-3.
Holiday Brussel Sprouts
By Chef Lynn Michelle
1 or 2 bags brussels sprouts, clean and outside leaves removed,
1 cup butter
Salt and black pepper to taste
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cook brussels sprouts in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
Strain through a colander, and place directly in an ice water bath. This will cool them immediately and keep their bright green color.
Drain again when cold. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the brussels sprouts and cranberries and stir until the butter is lightly browned. The brown butter gives it a nutty flavor.
Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.
Green Bean Almondine
By Chef Lynn Michelle
24 oz. green beans, clean and ends removed; keep whole
¼ cup butter
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup almond slivers, toasted
Cook green beans in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
Strain through a colander, and place directly in an ice water bath. This will cool them immediately and keep their bright green color.
Drain again when cold. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir in the green beans; add salt and pepper and toss in most of the toasted slivered almonds.
How to toast almonds: In a small sauté pan on low heat, carefully toast the almonds to release the nutty flavor.
Serve immediately. Garnish with additional toasted almonds.
Spaghetti Squash
By Chef Lynn Michelle
1 spaghetti squash
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup butter, softened
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
½ cup sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
½ cup pecans, toasted
Preheat oven to 375°.
Wash and cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and clean out the center seeds with a spoon.
Using gloved hands, completely cover the inside and top rim of squash with softened butter, then cover the squash cavity lightly with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Place the squash halves, skin side up, onto a baking sheet.
Place in hot oven and bake until the flesh is soft – about 45 minutes to an hour. Check with a fork; it should be easy to insert.
In medium sauté pan, melt butter, then sauté mushrooms, peppers, onions; set aside. Reheat just before you mix into the spaghetti squash.
When the squash is done, flip the halves over. With a fork, simply and carefully “lift up” or “rake” the squash fibers, revealing the spaghetti-like strands. Do not overplay this or it will become mush.
Lightly toss and add in sauteed mushrooms, peppers, and onions; top with toasted pecans and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
Garnish with additional toasted pecans or almonds.
Serve warm and immediately. Serves 4.
Belgian Mushroom & Peppercorn Cognac Sauce
By Chef Lynn Michelle
1 lb. portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
½ cup onion, minced
½ cup all purpose or gluten free flour
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 teaspoons mixed colored peppercorns, whole
½ cup cognac
1¾ cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
salt and black pepper
In a large sauté pan, melt butter, add mushrooms, onions, shallots, sauté until translucent.
Add flour to make the roux, and keep stirring the mixture on low heat until it
is blended and the roux has cooked for
a few minutes.
Add cognac. Using a small whisk, keep stirring and blending all the mixture as well as “cleaning up the pan” from all of the sauté bits, with the liquid added.
Slowly add some whole milk and then some half-and-half to loosen up the mixture a bit.
Add peppercorns and more milk and half-and-half until the sauce is your desired thickness. Season with salt and very little black pepper. The peppercorns will be pungent.
Serve warm with grilled beef tenderloin, chicken, pork, tofu, or fresh pasta.
Whole Grilled Tenderloin
By Chef Lynn Michelle
1 whole beef tenderloin – trim it yourself or have your butcher do this
Chicago or Montreal Grill Time Seasoning
Use a sharp knife or scissors to remove silver skin and trim excess fat from tenderloin. Fold the thinner end under to approximate the thickness of the rest of the beef tenderloin.
Season the entire tenderloin; rub over tenderloin to coat. Let sit while you preheat the grill.
Preheat a gas grill to high for 10 minutes and lightly oil the grate.
Place tenderloin on the hot grill and close the lid. Grill until well-seared, about 5 minutes. Flip and repeat on all sides on medium to high flame.
Do not leave the grill during this time; the flames could flare up.
Turn off the burner directly underneath the tenderloin and turn the remaining one or two burners (depending on grill style) to medium.
Cook until rosy pink and a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest section registers 130°F, about 45 to 60 minutes. Cook time will depend on tenderloin size and the grill type.
Let tenderloin rest 15 minutes before carving.
Cassandra’s Rosemary Cranberry Margaritas
Rosemary simple syrup:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
3 rosemary sprigs
Cocktail:
1½ ounces blanco tequila
¾ ounce unsweetened cranberry juice
½ ounce orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)
½ ounce lime juice, plus lime wedge
½ ounce rosemary simple syrup
For garnish: 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
For garnish: 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For garnish: rosemary sprig
For garnish: fresh cranberries
Make the rosemary simple syrup: Stir together sugar, water, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy and rosemary has wilted, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
If making ahead of time, remove rosemary sprigs, and store syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Prepare your glass: Combine granulated sugar and kosher salt on a small plate. Using your fingers, rub rosemary leaves into sugar mixture until fragrant and oils release, about 30 seconds.
Rub rim of rocks glass with lime wedge; dip into sugar mixture.
Fill glass with ice and set aside.
Make the cocktail: Combine tequila, cranberry juice, orange liqueur, lime juice, and rosemary simple syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds.
Strain cocktail into prepared rocks glass. Garnish with rosemary sprig and fresh cranberries, if using.
Cassandra’s Candy Cane Crunch Cake
For the cake:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cups good cocoa powder, such as Valrhona
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Butter two 8-inch round cake pans.
Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom
of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
For base frosting:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, each stick cut into quarters and softened
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups (16 ounces) confectioners sugar
Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, cream, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth.
Continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; let soften at room temperature, about 2 hours, then rewhip
on medium speed until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes.)
To make white chocolate frosting:
5 cups of base frosting
8 ounces white chocolate
1¾ cups finely ground peppermint candies, plus 6 whole candies for garnish
Microwave white chocolate in bowl at 50% power, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, 1-3 minutes; let cool.
Divide frosting evenly between 2 bowls. Stir white chocolate into 1 portion of frosting. Stir ¾ cup ground peppermints into remaining frosting.
Line edges of cake platter with four strips of parchment paper to keep platter clean. Place one cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread half of peppermint frosting evenly over top, right to edge of cake. Place the second layer on top, flat side up, and spread the white chocolate frosting evenly first on the sides and then on the top of the cake.
Gently press remaining 1 cup ground peppermints onto cake sides and sprinkle evenly over top. Carefully remove parchment strips.
