Blue plate's Christmas dinner plate
I don’t have many Christmas traditions, although I do find myself cooking and baking more, and for more people, during the holidays like many others. However, I have developed the habit of making prime rib for Christmas dinner over the past few years, which I suppose is a “tradition” of sorts since it has become my yearly practice. This year’s prime rib had a horseradish and herb crust–I don’t keep to the same recipe every year–and was tasty as usual. But my theory for prime rib is that if you get a fine cut of beef from a butcher (or store) you trust to give you quality and you don’t overcook the meat, which for me means medium-more or less, then you’re pretty much golden in that department.
The real standout for this Christmas meal was the mashed potatoes for which I dropped of my usual plain mashed spuds with as much butter and cream as my conscious can muster and made something that required fennel and crème fraîche. Or to be specific, it was “Yukon Gold and Fennel Purée with Rosemary butter”–a recipe title that leaves nothing to the imagination. But what its name lacked in creativity, it more than made up with for in the end product. The smashed tubers were truly divine–wonderfully lush and creamy on the tongue. The fennel added another layer of flavor that hinted at something more than fluffy starchiness; the rosemary gave it depth; and the crème fraîche brought it all together for a silky smooth texture.
I’ve not roasted carrots before either, but now I think I prefer them as such. The carrots were sweet in a way that was better than boiled, which is my least favorite way to eat them so that I don’t. I didn’t follow any recipe for the green beans, per say. I steamed them and hit them with salt, fresh ground pepper, and lemon juice when I dumped them in the bowl.
Dinner came a little earlier in the afternoon this year, so that we could catch a movie later in the evening. I didn’t realize just how many people go to the movies on Christmas Day–another tradition for some, I suppose. I got our tickets in the morning, so I our seats were waiting for us. By that time, I was happy to sit in the dark for two hours and let my food digest.
TABLE TALK 