Originally uploaded to flickr by Brian Auer.
Let’s face it: sometimes the holidays bring out the worst in us. From having to cook for far too many ungrateful people, to having to mingle with people you feel should be accompanied by Novocaine, “relaxing” muzak and bloody gauze in your mouth because they are that painfully annoying, the holidays bring a cast of thousands of annoying relatives, relations, in-laws, and work contacts which you are happy to see only once a year. And happy is a dangerous qualifier, only to be used freely when one has had enough liquid courage applied to the wounds.
When it comes to side dishes for your special holiday treats, I’m sure we’ve heard and seen quite a bit: those who brag about skills they do not have; secrets that turn out to be just repurposed recipes (I am looking at you, Cindy McCain!); and endless contests of one-upmanship, where the only clear winner is one’s stomach (if the contenders are good cooks– if not, you’re quite out of luck). But it’s okay– for these holidays only come but once a year, and we promise uncle Henry and auntie Harriet are not going to follow you home (at least maybe not this year). And so, it is with some trepidation and a side of jolly that I share Kyra’s and my Holiday Tastes– just remember kids: alcohol doesn’t make everything better, but whatever it is, it does tend to make it more bearable!
Kyra: A life with in-laws is a “glass half empty/half full” experience. When it comes to my in-laws, I’m looking at my half empty glass and wishing it was filled with vodka. So, in the spirit of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” I will get right to the point and share with you my in-laws’ recipe for baked pineapple. Aside from the man I married, it’s the only thing they have made for me that I like.
Baked Pineapple
2 cans crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
4 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the pineapple, sugar, cornstarch, water, eggs. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Dot the mixture with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 1 hour.
(While it does go great with ham, I’d eat this tasty side dish with any holiday meal.)
Maria: What can I say? Everyone who’s ever tried their hand at cooking has probably tried to make stuffing. I blame Stove Top for making it so incredibly easy to win at stuffing (or dressing, lest the proper ladies read my drivel). Let’s get one thing out of the way: I do not put my lovely stuffing into a bird. In my very humble and slightly squeamish opinion, only aromatics belong in the cavity of any kind of formerly plumed animal. Why risk Salmonellosis or general ickiness by putting all that delicious spiced bread and sausage inside a bird?!
Anyway, cavity rant aside, when it comes to stuffing, there are three things that make it great:
1. Proper crunch,
2. Proper sausage/spice (I salute you, meatless masses, and I know you have it in you to make a decent stuffing, possibly even with seitan), and;
3. Proper wineage.
Every year I adjust my stuffing to my tastes and whims, but the threefold dictum of the stuffing does not change: there must be crunch; there must be delicious anisey and sagey goodness; and there must be some semi-dry but slightly fruity varietal with little to no oak to deglaze the bottom of the pan and moisten the crumbs ever so gently. If you would like to follow my lead and try stuffing my way, I suggest the following:
1. For proper crunch, blanched almonds are great. Getting them peeled removes the possibly unpleasant side effect of having tiny almond skins getting stuck in your teeth while you eat. Another fun, exotic crunch? Water chestnuts.
2. The breadcrumb mix for stuffing claims it has spices, but a few sniffs of the bag reveals a soupcon of pencil shavings and little else. For the purists, you can always make your own breadcrumbs with day-old baguette. For the Sandra Lee devotees, you can just add your own spices to the mix. Toasting the spices or letting them warm up slowly releases the aromatic compounds that much better.
3. Last time, I used a really nice Sauvignon Blanc which was relatively cheap for stuffing (and cooking). It smells so nice when it cooks and it does not really saturate, but just lends an appley kind of smell to the stuffing. If you use it mostly to deglaze the pan in the beginning and then mix with broth, you also do not run the risk of having a boozy stuffing– not that there’s anything wrong with that, unless you’re serving it to kids.
Experiment and enjoy!