I am supposed to be a good cook…yet I can, and I have, messed up in the past… even when it was not a total disaster there have been times when my guests complimented me but I was not absolutely happy with a meal… Especially in the last few years, I have been cooking so little that I have worried about loosing my touch….but this year’s Christmas dinner reassured me. It was just perfect (to me)…Mind you I worked three whole days on that meal…but it was not in vain…If you ever get your hands on the December issue of Gourmet magazine you will see what I am talking about…I chose to try their “Lavish Christmas menu” or, as I called it, the “red” menu.
The first course was a lobster and tarragon gelée served with fresh tarragon oil and lobster claw toasts. It was so fresh and light and tasty that everyone had seconds.The jelly was made from a broth made with the lobster shells along with a variety of fresh herbs and vegetables as well as tarragon white-wine vinegar. The toasts were brushed with virgin olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt before being baked to a golden colour.
The next course was a beet (NOT BEEF) consommé. Made with smoked turkey it had an interesting smokey and sweet taste and had a beautiful deep red color.
Next came the main course: the prime rib roast! it was the most tender piece of meat I have ever eaten! I was concerned it might be too well done as the recipe said 2 hours cooking time but 70 minutes the thermometer already read over the desired temperature (and the guests had not even arrived yet!) But as it turns out my thermometer must be all wrong because an hour later it was perfect! uniformly pink! (I did take it out of the oven, cover it and and let it stand in a warm place). The glazed red pearl onions and the pomme duchesse gratin ( a fancy name for mashed potatoes) were perfectly set off by the sauce (made with a full bottle of red wine and morel mushrooms). I find meat a difficult subject to photograph so I will not include any pictures of that course.
After the main course…I strayed from the magazine menu but not from the theme as I served a round of Brie topped with a warm home made cranberry and orange compote that was both pretty and delicious! The heat from the compote melted the cheese just enough. The photo is a bit out of focus but you can see the red sauce drizzle down the sides of the pure white cheese…
Then followed a simple salad of baby leaves, some red in there too….
Finally, the coup de grâce, and here I strayed big time, as this was not in the magazine, it was not red, it was not even christmassy or festive. I chose to make New Orleans bread pudding with the killer Bourbon sauce! I had tasted this dish last summer at the Bon Ton Café and had been trying to get my hands on the recipe ever since. In the end I had two recipes to work with, one from the Bon Ton and the other from another famous restaurant: Arnauds’ .
I had made the sauce without cooking it but after checking with the experts, I decided to heat it up in a bain marie (double boiler) at the last minute and it was a good idea as it thickened and became smoother. I was concerned that some of the booze might evaporate…but NO! I tested it repeatedly to make sure….it was deeeeeeelishious! Bread pudding does not photograph too well so I will give out my recipe for the sauce instead:
Bourbon sauce
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey
Whip the eggs until thick and pale, slowly add the melted butter, then gradually add the sugar and mix until cool. Add the Bourbon. Just as I was about to serve, I put this over simmering water and whisked some more until it thickened. The sauce was soft, creamy, and smooth and warm.