13 Days of Christmas: Day 10

The Recipes

As promised, here are the recipes from Monday's post.

Fig Crackers

Wheat crackers (I used Carr's, but any plain wheat will do)

Ricotta cheese

Figs sliced in half

Salt 

Honey

These are so easy, perfect for an impromptu get together. Scoop a small spoonful of Ricotta cheese onto the crackers, place the fig on next with seed side up. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with honey.

Fizzy Punch

(Serves 8-10 light)

Cranberry ice (just add a few cranberries to regular ice in a fun mold)

Zest of one orange

2 Cinnamon sticks

2 1/2 cups of cranberry juice (sweetened, but not cocktail, it will be too sweet)

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 bottle of Prosecco

1 orange sliced

Put cranberry ice, zest and cinnamon sticks in a punch bowl or pitcher, slowly add juices, Prosecco and orange slices. Stir. Serve cold. 

Recipe from InStyle magazine December 2011

Tarragon Chicken Salad

(Serves 4-6)

1 3/4 lbs. cooked chicken

1 cup of walnuts toasted and chopped

2 celery ribs cut into 1/4-thick slices (about 1 cup)

2 TBSP finely chopped shallots

2 cups halved seedless red grapes

3/4 cups mayonnaise

3 TBSP tarragon vinegar

2 TBSP finely chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Refrigerate until you need it. I served it with mixed field greens tossed in olive oil and red wine vinegar and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

I'm a big fan of this chicken salad for two reasons: 1) It can be made in advance, I made this on Saturday 2) It's got a bit more of a kick than traditional Southern chicken salad to it due to the tarragon flavoring.

Recipe via Epicurious app. Love it! Originally published in Gourmet magazine 2003.

Popovers

(Makes 6 popovers)

2 TBSP unsalted butter cut into 6 equal pieces

2 large eggs, lightly beaten at room temperature

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Place the pieces of butter in the bottoms of a six-cup popover pan. Trust me, you have to have a popover pan for this recipe. A muffin tin will not work, as the popovers rise considerably while cooking. Place the popover pan on a baking sheet and set aside. 

In a smaller-sized bowl lightly whisk the eggs until they change color--we found this color to be light yellow. Whisk in the milk. In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt until well blended. Gently whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until only small lumps are left and set aside.

Place the popover pan and baking sheet in the oven for four minutes. At three minutes give the batter a light whisk. Using an oven mitt, remove the hot tin from the oven and immediately divide the batter among the prepared cups. Bake for 25 minutes without opening the oven door. Serve immediately.

Recipe via The Tea Deck: 50 Ways to Prepare, Serve and Enjoy, January 2009 by Sara Perry. This recipe was also on Epicurious.

Also fun to make to accompany your popovers is some strawberry butter (one part strawberry jam, one part room-temperature butter) whip together with a handheld mixer.

Chocolate Fudgies

(Recipe makes about 36 cookies)

1 12-ounce package of semisweet chocolate chip cookies (divided into 2 cups)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 TBSP butter

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cookie sheet and set it aside. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir 1 cup of the chocolate pieces, the unsweetened chocolate and the butter until melted. Remove from heat; add the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and baking powder. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined, scraping the sides of the pan. Stir in remaining 1 cup chocolate pieced and nuts. 

Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the surfaces are dull and cracked. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. One of my favorites for any type of dessert.

Happy cooking!

xo,

The Canary Diaries