Community Corner
Classic Holiday Recipes
Steeped in tradition, these concoctions are sure to become instant family favorites
This recipe is courtesy of City Tavern Cookbook by Walter Staib.
This rich, filling drink of milk, eggs, rum and sugar is as good today as it was back in colonial times.
If you prefer not to serve raw eggs, use one quart of commercially prepared eggnog, which is pasteurized, as a substitute for the first four ingredients, then flavor with the remaining ingredients.
Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Ingredients:
7 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup bourbon
¾ cup Jamaican rum
¼ cup brandy
Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Directions:
1. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow.
2. Gradually beat in the cream, milk bourbon, rum and brandy.
3. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.
4. Serve in cups or mugs. Garnish with the nutmeg.
Walter Staib's Winter Kiss (Serves 6, makes about 48 ounces)
Walter Staib puts his own twist on the classic eggnog recipe, concocting a rich, filling drink of milk, eggs, rum, sugar and chambord.
If you prefer not to serve raw eggs, use one quart of commercially prepared eggnog, which is pasteurized, as a substitute for the first four ingredients, then flavor with the remaining ingredients
Ingredients:
7 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup bourbon
¾ cup Jamaican rum
¼ cup brandy
¾ cup Chambord
Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Directions:
1. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow.
2. Gradually beat in the cream, milk bourbon, rum, and brandy.
3. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled.
4. Ladle into individual cups or mugs. Swirl 2 tablespoons of Chambord into each glass, then top with the nutmeg.
Yorkshire Christmas-Pye (Servings size not included)
The following recipe is from a cookbook owned by Martha Washington called "The Art of Cooking Made Plain and Easy." This dish would have been served by the Washingtons to their guests at holiday meals.
Directions:
1. Make a good standing crust, allowing the wall and bottom of the crust to become very thick.
2. Bone a turkey, a goose, a fowl, a partridge, and a pigeon.
3. Season meat with half an ounce of mace, half an ounce of nutmegs, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, half an ounce of black pepper, all beat fine, and mixed together with two large spoonfuls of salt.
4. Open the fowls down the back, and bone them stuffing the birds in this sequence: The pigeon is stuffed inside of the partridge, stuffed inside of the fowl, stuffed inside of the goose stuffed inside of the turkey, which will have to be large.
5. Season all the birds individually, very well, and lay them inside of the crust, so as to give the appearance that only a whole turkey sits inside of the crust.
6. Have a hare ready cased, and wiped with a clean cloth.
7. Cut hare into pieces, that are jointed.
8. Season the hare, lay it on its side next whatever game and wild fowl you can get.
9. Put four pounds of butter into the pie, then lay your lid of pie crust on top of everything.
NOTE: Lid must be very thick.
10. Let everything bake.
Note: This pie will take a bushel of flour
Christmas Pie
The following recipe is from The Lady's Assistant, a recipe book used by Martha Washington.
Traditionally, this pie was eaten at room temperature, but if you prefer, it may be heated. For maximum effect in serving, remove the terrine from the crust, and place the meat into the pie, covering under heat in a moderate oven for about 30-45 minutes.
Ingredients for the filling:
1 turkey breast
1 roasting chicken
2 cornish game hens
½ pound bacon
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 whole nutmeg (grate half)
¼ tsp. ground mace
1 ½ Tbs. salt
Directions for the filling:
1. Grind the spices with mortar and pestle and set aside for use later.
2. Using a very sharp carving or boning knife, remove the bones from the turkey breast and lay flat (skin side down) on a board.
3. Sprinkle with ¼ of the ground spices and place a layer of bacon on top.
4. Remove wings, drumsticks and thighs from the chicken and set aside.
5. Bone chicken, first cutting along the backbone and laying fowl open; remove all bones.
6. Layer chicken on the turkey; repeat the spices and bacon.
7. Repeat the boning, seasoning, and layering procedure with one game hen.
8. Cut second game hen in pieces and set aside with wings and drumsticks.
9. Fold the layered fowl and turn turkey breast side up. It will resemble the turkey breast before boning.
10. Refrigerate while you make the crust.
Ingredients for the Crust:
10 lbs. flour
6 cups water
3 cups Crisco
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup melted butter
Directions for the crust:
1. The crust is mixed and constructed in two stages to simplify handling.
2, Boil 3 cups water with 1 ½ cups Crisco: make a well in the center of 4 lbs. of flour.
3. Pour water/Crisco into well, mix and knead until elastic.
4. Let rest about 20 minutes. (This half will be enough for the bottom and a portion of the sides of the pie.)
5. Mix second half and set aside for the pie construction.
6. Roll approximately 1/3 of first batch of dough to ¾" thick and the size needed to encase the meat. It will measure about 20" long, 12" wide.
7. Place fowl terrine on center of dough.
8. Roll enough dough in a rectangular shape ¾" thick and about 8" wide (enough to cover the height of the fowl).
9.Stand this piece on its edge and seal to bottom crust by pinching together.
10. Extra support for the side crust is created by placing the wings, thighs and drumsticks between the fowl terrine and the side crust. (Sprinkle remaining spice on the parts.)
11. Roll the dough for the top ½" larger than the bottom of the pie.
12. Cut vent hole in center.
13. Set top in place, seal and flute seam.
14. Pastry decorations of braid, bow knots and/or leaves may be added to the top and side of the pie. Brush entire pie with beaten eggs to glaze.
15. Place in preheated 400-degree oven for four hours.
16. After three hours, pour 1 cup melted butter into vent hole.
17. Continue baking until done.
NOTE: The crust is only meant to be a vessel in which to roast the meat and not to be eaten. The top of the crust can be separated from the sides by inserting a very sharp knife just under the fluting and cutting all around.