A Reveillon To Celebrate Christmas

An Exceptional and Luxurious Celebration

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Ahhh, the Reveillon... an old Creole / French tradition.  Derived from the French word for "awakening," Reveillon originally was a meal served after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. 
Many New Orleans restaurants serve a "prix fixe" Reveillon dinner including Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Galatoire's, Mr. B's Bistro and Muriels; to name a few. 

This is truly an "over the top" celebration and should include exquisite dishes like lobster, oysters, escargots or foie gras; not to mention some sort of flambe' desert. The music should be elegant with a champagne cocktail and fine wine to accompany this wonderful occasion.  

The Plate... 

Tri-Color Peppercorn Roasted Beef Tenderloin 

 

Ok... let's get real. I love a fancy meal as well as the next guy, but are you really going to make an oyster meunière, foie gras, or Bananas Foster?  See, so relax. Besides this is one of my go-to fancy presentation dishes; not to mention that it is fairly easy and awesome.  

If you really want to get fancy you can serve Brown Sugar-Coffee Rubbed Cedar Plank Salmon on the side.  Go to the Back to the Beach post for the recipe. 

As a side note, a great wine pairing for our "Plate" tonight would be Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon.

What you need... 

1 whole beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup tri-color peppercorns, crushed with a rolling pin
1 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed

What you do...

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Place the tenderloin on a roasting rack. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and sugar, which will deepen the savory flavors.

Press the crushed peppercorns all over the surface of the meat. Insert a meat thermometer and place in the oven until the beef registers 120 to 125 degrees F for medium-rare/rare. Beef will probably cook in 20 to 25 minutes depending on its temp before it goes in the oven.

While the meat is roasting, melt the butter with the garlic in a small skillet, and allow the butter to slightly brown. Remove the garlic and discard.

Remove the meat when it's done and pour the garlic butter over gently (it should sizzle when it hits the meat). Cover the meat loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

The Playlist...

A Reveillon To Celebrate Christmas

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar... 

Poinsettia Champagne Cocktail

1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup Champagne
1/2 cup cranberry juice
Crushed ice
2 strips orange zest, each about 1/4-inch wide and 2 inches longCombine the vodka, Champagne and juice in a large-stemmed red wine glass. Add crushed ice and stir until the mixture is well chilled. Twist the orange strips over the glass, drop them in, and serve.

From Our Family To Yours... 

Wishing You A Wonderful & Blessed Christmas

Christmas Cocktails

Happy Ho Ho Ho To You

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)                             

Baby it's cold outside, so let's stay in and party. Time to eat, drink and be merry... Fa la la.  Ok if you're going to or giving a Happy HO HO HO party then you've come to the right place. We've cued up a couple of cool appetizers, a great playlist and oh yeah.... COCKTAILS!!!

Come on in... The Pots are on!

The Plate... 

Rosemary Cheese / Olive Wreath & Cranberry Feta Pinwheels 

Ok... a couple of different and decorative appetizers for your little Christmas Soiree.  Really easy to make and hey you kinda need a cheese plate anyway, right?  Not to mention that if you wrap anything up in a tortilla it's gonna go fast.  So, here you go... cool, tasty and they fit the "walk around" food category.  Enjoy...

Rosemary Cheese / Olive Wreath

What you need...

2 packages of Rosemary

Peppadew peppers (if you haven't tried these, you need to)

Goat cheese

Stuffed olives, blue cheese, Jalapeño, etc.

Cornichons

Your favorite soft cheese - colby, fontina, havarti, monterey Jack, etc.

What you do...

Place rosemary around a platter in the shape of a wreath

Stuff peppadew peppers with goat cheese (kind of a pain, but well worth it)

Use a mellon baller to scoop cheese into balls

Now place olives, peppers, and cheese around the wreath

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels 

What you need...

1 package dried sweetened cranberries

1 container cream cheese spread

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onion

4 large flour tortillas

What you do...

Combine all ingredients and mix well

Divide and spread mixture evenly among the tortillas

Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic

Refrigerate for at least one hour

To serve - cut into 12 slices

A cool touch - add some thin slices of Prosciutto or Parma ham on top

The Playlist... 

Christmas Cocktails

May your Christmas be Jazzy and bright. I love to get away from the traditional Christmas playlist and listen to a little Holiday Jazz.  I really think this makes the best background to set the mood for trimming the tree, hanging out or oh yeah... a cocktail party.  You know I had to sneak a little Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown Christmas) in here.  One of my other favorites is Oscar Peterson's Christmas CD, love the whole thing.  But, I think my all time favorite is Carol of Bells and Mr. Benoit does an excellent job here. So eat, drink and say hello to Mary for me. 

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar... 

Sugar Rum Cherry & The Sugar Cookie Martini

I think I see a theme here... hmmm. 

Sugar Rum Cherry

What you need...

2 oz Spiced rum
1 oz Cointreau
3 oz pomegranate juice
Sprite or 7-up to taste
Pomegranate seeds
Lime Sliced
Black Cherry Jello

What you do...
Fill your martini shaker with ice and pour in rum,
Cointreau and pomegranate juice. Shake, Shake, Shake.
Rim your martini glass with Black Cherry Jello.
Add in a teaspoon of pomegranate seeds.
Pour the contents from your shaker into your glass.
Top off with a little Sprite and garnish with a slice of lime.

Sugar Cookie Martini

What you need...
1 crushed Sugar Cookie
2 oz Irish Cream
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Butterscotch Schnapps

What you do...
Take a chilled martini glass and coat the rim with water.
Dip it into the sugar cookie to garnish.
In your cocktail shaker, combine the Irish Cream, Vodka and Schnapps.
Shake, Shake, Shake!
Strain into the glass and garnish with cinnamon, nutmeg or chocolate shavings.

HO HO HO Yourself!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Cocktail. 

Please... Day Drink Responsibly

 & 

Keep On Cookin'!

'Zat you, Santa Claus?

Christmas Time in New Orleans

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Magnolia trees at night sparkling bright and fields of cotton look wintery white; when it's Christmas time in New Orleans. At least that's how Louis Armstrong sees it. 

I just love New Orleans... especially at Christmas. From the buggy rides to the streetcars, lights, food and music; it's just cool.  It is hard to put a finger on what I love the most, because this place goes all out for celebrations and parties. 

And... for me, there is no better time of the year than Christmas.  

So, put your party dress on Baby and come on in.  We be dancin', drinkin' and dining as we celebrate a crazy cool Christmas!

The Pots are on...

The Plate... 

Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade

A little something different for your Christmas Celebration, but hey we're doing it cool and crazy the NOLA way.  Ain't nothing better than a good shrimp dish.  Add some tang from a few fried green tomatoes, and some good Remoulade and I'm good to go.  

Oh yeah, this is gonna be some kinda good.

So, put down that Eggnog... (like I didn't see you already skip down to the bar menu), and let's get cookin'! 

What you need...

Remoulade - 

1/4 cup Creole mustard

2 tbls horseradish

1 tsp paprika

1 egg yolk

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Kosher salt and ground pepper

1 cup canola oil

1/4 cup diced celery 

1/4 cup diced onion

3 tbls ketchup

3 tbls white wine vinegar

2 tbls chopped parsley

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic finely chopped and smashed into a paste

3 dashes of Tabasco

Fried Green Tomatoes - 

2 cups fine ground yellow cornmeal

Salt and ground pepper

8 slices green tomatoes, cut about 1/2 inch thick ( about 3 tomatoes)

1 cup canola oil

Spiced Shrimp - 

1 tbls celery seeds

1 tbls garlic powder

1 tbls onion powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground pepper

24 medium (31-40 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 - 3 tbls canola oil

What you do...

Remoulade - 

Whisk together the mustard, horseradish, paprika, yolk, lemon juice and zest and some salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually add the oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly, until all the oil is incorporated and emulsified. 
Stir in the celery, onions, ketchup, vinegar, parsley, Worcestershire, garlic and hot sauce to taste. 
Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

Fried Green Tomatoes - 

Put the cornmeal in a large shallow bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the tomatoes in the cornmeal on both sides and tap off excess.

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Fry half of the tomatoes until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 1 minute 30 seconds per side. Transfer with a slotted spatula to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Season with salt and repeat with the remaining tomatoes and oil.

Spiced Shrimp - 

Combine the celery seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle and crush into a somewhat fine powder. Toss the shrimp with the spice mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the shrimp and cook until crusty and just cooked through, about 3 minutes (do this in batches if necessary with more oil; the shrimp should be in a single layer).


Plate it up -  
Toss lettuce with a few tablespoons of the remoulade and season with salt and pepper. Divide the lettuce among the tomatoes and top each tomato with 3 shrimp. Drizzle with more of the remoulade. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Recipe from Bobby Flay and the Foodnetwork

The Playlist... 

Zat You, Santa Claus?

Here's a great way to start off your "Crazy Cool Christmas".  Just push play and turn it up.  The next thing you know you'll be doing a second line dance all around the Christmas tree.  Love, love this kind of Christmas music... original, hip and swinging.  Check out Vince Vance and his crew doing the original "All I Want For Christmas", Kermit swinging on "Oh Christmas Tree" or Louis wondering "Zat You, Santa Claus?".  It's all good!  And, yes... all I want for Christmas is the SAINTS in the Superbowl!

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar... 

Eggnog Daiquiri 

12 oz dark or spiced rum

1 quart prepared eggnog

1 cup heavy cream
Ice 

Stir together the rum and eggnog in blender
add ice and give it a buzz
turn the blender down to low

fold in the cream

dust with nutmeg

Enjoy

 

Christmas Time in New Orleans by James Andrews

And To All A Good Night

Have a Cool Yule!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!