FAVORITE MAIN DISHES FOR CHRISTMAS

THE MAIN THING

Trying to decide what main dish to use for your special family meal this Christmas?

The hardest part of cooking any meal is deciding on the main dish. Once you have your mind made up; all the other dishes can coordinate with that particular favorite main course.

Do you have any Christmas favorite main courses?

We have a few that we’ve loved over the years.

You know I love sharing the joy.

Here are just a few of the main courses we have enjoyed over the years.

FILET MIGNON IN MUSHROOM AND WINE SAUCE

A little expensive, but great for a special occasion. This recipe feeds six; so add and subtract accordingly.

Ingredients

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
24 oz. baby belle mushroom, thickly sliced
1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp. dry thyme if you cannot get fresh)
6 6-ounce filet mignon steaks (1-1/2 inch thick)
1/2 cup Barefoot Merlot
1-1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Place a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium/high heat and melt 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. oil. Add thickly sliced mushrooms and cook five minutes until soft. Stir in onion and cook another 3 minutes. Press in garlic cloves then season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tbsp. fresh thyme. Cook another 2 minutes, stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant. Transfer mushroom mixture to a plate. Wipe the skillet clean with a wet paper towel.

Pat dry steaks with a paper towel and season all over with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Place the same pan over medium/high heat and add 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. oil. When butter is hot and melted, add seasoned steaks to skillet and sauté, turning over once with tongs about 3-5 minutes per side for medium-rare or 5-6 minutes per side for medium done. If steak is browning too fast, reduce heat to medium. Use tongs to transfer steaks to the plate with mushrooms.

Next, add 1/2 cup Merlot and boil until reduced by half (3 minutes) scraping the bottom with a spatula to de-glaze the pan. Add 1-1/2 cups broth until about 1/2 cup liquid remains (5 – 6 minutes). Then, add 1/2 cup of cream and boil until sauce thickens slightly (2 minutes). Return mushrooms and steak to the pan and heat until warmed through (1-2 minutes). Season the sauce to taste with more salt and pepper.
Cook this the night before the big event.

Put all into a casserole dish and refrigerate overnight, letting the juices seep into everything. Next day add a little more beef broth, cover with foil and heat in convection oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes before serving.

HONEY SPICED CORNISH GAME HENS

This recipe makes four servings. Add and subtract according to your needs.

Ingredients

1/8 cup olive oil
Balsamic vinegar – 1/4 cup
Red wine – 1/4 cup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground allspice
Chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Ground sage – 1/2 teaspoon
4 Cornish game hens, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a roasting pan with non-stick foil (for easier clean-up).
In a small, heavy saucepan, bring olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine, honey, allspice, chili powder, onion powder, and sage to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Tie the legs of the Cornish hens together with twine. You may also wish to tuck back the wingtips under the birds or trim them off completely. (They sometimes get a little blackened due to the sugars in the glaze.)

Brush the Cornish hens on both sides with the cooled glaze, reserving the remainder for basting. Place the hens in the prepared pan, breast-side-up. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with reserved glaze. The hens are done when a meat thermometer placed between the thigh and breast reaches 165 F. Let game hens rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings (see Note)

Note: If you serve the Cornish hens with typical sides of salad, bread, vegetables, and potatoes or rice, split each hen in half and get 8 servings from 4 hens. Whole chicken, half chickens, or chicken parts may be substituted for the Cornish hens. Chicken breasts may take less time cooking. Thighs and legs are tougher cuts and may take a bit longer. Be sure to use the meat thermometer to be sure.

ORANGE GLAZED HAM

I quit eating pork long ago; but many people do like to serve it as a main dish at Christmas time. This was the recipe I used back in the days when I did eat pork. Many family members remember this recipe and still request It so I thought I would post for their convenience:

Ingredients

One 7 to 10 pound ham
1/2 cup apple cider
10 ounce jar Orange All Fruit with Fiber
1/4 cup molasses
Pure maple syrup – 1/4 cup
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Boil apple cider in a small saucepan. Stir in Orange All Fruit, molasses, maple syrup, cider vinegar, cloves, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a roasting pan by lining with foil, or use a disposable aluminum roasting pan for easy clean-up. Place a rack on the bottom of the pan.
3. Remove any hard rind and excess fat from ham, if present. Score the ham all over in a crosshatch diamond pattern to create nooks for the glaze to seep in. Place the ham on the roasting rack, fatty side up.
4. Roast the ham at 325 degrees for thirty minutes.
5. Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 400F. Liberally brush glaze all over the ham.
6. Pour enough apple cider in the bottom of the pan to cover the pan. This will help keep the ham moist.
7. Return the ham to the oven and bake, basting and adding more glaze every 10-15 minutes until the ham is hot throughout and caramelized on the outside (about 45 minutes to an hour). Remove ham from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing.

PERFECT TURKEY AND GRAVY

Turkey and gravy just go together; so I put them together in this recipe too.

Ingredients

PERFECT TURKEY Ingredients:
1-18 lb. Whole Turkey (Neck and Giblets Removed)
Kosher Salt – 1 Cup
½ Cup Butter, melted
2 Large Onions, (peeled and chopped)
4 Carrots, peeled and chopped
Celery, chopped – 4 stalks
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
Bay Leaf – 1 leaf
1 cup Dry White Wine

TURKEY GRAVY Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
All-purpose flour – 3 tablespoons
3 cups turkey or chicken stock
Poultry seasoning or dried ground sage (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

PERFECT TURKEY Instructions:

Rub the turkey, inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Place in refrigerator and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly rinse the turkey and discard the brine mixture.

Brush the turkey with ½ the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, ½ the carrots, one half the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan.  Cover with the white wine. Roast uncovered 3 ½ to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time.  Brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

TURKEY GRAVY Instructions:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and sprinkle in the flour. Let bubble for 30 seconds then whisk in stock until smooth. Bring to a simmer then add seasonings. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until thick. You may wish to add chopped eggs and/or turkey bits to this when done (optional).

RED WINE INFUSED BEEF BRISKET

A favorite main dish for Christmas Eve Dinner at our house.

MAKE AHEAD: Recipe can be prepared ahead of time. Bake and slice meat as directed. Return meat to pan; cover with drippings. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. To reheat, bake, covered, in 350°F-oven 1 hour or until heated through.

FOR A NON-ALCOHOLIC VERSION: Substitute water for the wine.

Ingredients

2 large onions, sliced
1 beef brisket (4 lb.)
Condensed French onion soup (1 can (10-1/2 oz.)
1-1/4 cups dry red wine
½ cup ketchup
Packed brown sugar – 1/2 cup
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Preparation

HEAT oven to 350°F.
PLACE onions in large shallow pan; top with meat.
MIX remaining ingredients; pour over meat. Cover with foil; pierce in several places with sharp knife.
BAKE 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until meat is tender. Let stand, covered, 10 min. before slicing. Serve topped with drippings.

Those are our favorites.  If you still want more recipes, I can recommend this blogsite:  https://www.aheadofthyme.com/best-christmas-mains-and-entrees/.  Also, we have posted a great article on preparing a Christmas Brunch here:  https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/ideas-for-a-christmas-day-brunch/.

We would love to hear about your favorite recipes too.

As I was baking Christmas Cookies with my granddaughter this year,  she made a very simple but astounding statement.  We were cutting out cookies and she said “It isn’t what you put in the recipes; except for the love. The love is the best ingredient and if it is there; everything tastes good!”

I have to agree with her.

The IN SEASON Lifestyle hopes your Christmas Dinner turns out to be delicious and that your whole day is filled with all of the flavors of love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!