Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Cooking Class
It is December so it is the perfect time, in my view, to teach the class some of my favorite Christmas recipes. I love breakfast, so I decided to focus this class on Christmas breakfast, with one exception. We also learned how to make a Yule Log Cake, also known as a Buche de Noel. Some have said, "life is short, eat dessert first." I don't actually agree with that, but let's start with the recipe for Buche de Noel. It is easy, delicious, and impressive looking. My twin daughters each made one before class, as I had to be gone in the crucial hours just before class began. Each cake turned out perfectly.
The main dish of a Christmas Breakfast, in my opinion, is the Christmas bread. I have been making this bread for more than thirty years. The recipe makes four breads. You can give one or two away, but even for a small group you will probably want to have two. And you will probably eat one--with help from others--right after it is baked. It is so delicious fresh! But it is also very good if you make it ahead, freeze it, then reheat on Christmas morning. At cooking class, the young women liked it enough to have seconds, and several said they would try this recipe at home for their own Christmas. I think it may become a tradition for many of them. It is certainly a tradition for us!
What Christmas breakfast would be complete without an egg dish of some kind? I vary this from year to year, and will provide two recipes here, but I let the class sample the Hashbrown casserole. It is easy--meaning quick to make and fool-proof--and it is just right. One casserole can easily serve eight people if you are serving fruit, bread, and wassail or hot chocolate.
Wassail is something I look forward to all year. I do remember a time when I didn't like it, but that was a lifetime ago. I will admit though that for class I used the Williams Sonoma mulling spices added to a gallon of apple cider and a bottle of apricot nectar. Easy and delicious.
Although we didn't do a hot chocolate recipe I saw a cute way to serve it: put a dollop of whipped cream on the top and splash some red and green sprinkles on top.
Why don't you try one of these recipes.
The main dish of a Christmas Breakfast, in my opinion, is the Christmas bread. I have been making this bread for more than thirty years. The recipe makes four breads. You can give one or two away, but even for a small group you will probably want to have two. And you will probably eat one--with help from others--right after it is baked. It is so delicious fresh! But it is also very good if you make it ahead, freeze it, then reheat on Christmas morning. At cooking class, the young women liked it enough to have seconds, and several said they would try this recipe at home for their own Christmas. I think it may become a tradition for many of them. It is certainly a tradition for us!
What Christmas breakfast would be complete without an egg dish of some kind? I vary this from year to year, and will provide two recipes here, but I let the class sample the Hashbrown casserole. It is easy--meaning quick to make and fool-proof--and it is just right. One casserole can easily serve eight people if you are serving fruit, bread, and wassail or hot chocolate.
Wassail is something I look forward to all year. I do remember a time when I didn't like it, but that was a lifetime ago. I will admit though that for class I used the Williams Sonoma mulling spices added to a gallon of apple cider and a bottle of apricot nectar. Easy and delicious.
Although we didn't do a hot chocolate recipe I saw a cute way to serve it: put a dollop of whipped cream on the top and splash some red and green sprinkles on top.
Why don't you try one of these recipes.
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