Christmas Menu
recipes by chef andre
Red Bell Pepper Soup
featured in Janet Jackson’s NY Times #1 best seller book True You
get this book >
4 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp. tomato paste
3 ½ cups chicken stock
2 tsp. dried cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper
Cilantro leaves to garnish
In a large saucepan, cook peppers and onion gently in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the garlic, dried cilantro and tomato paste. Add in half the stock, then bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender. Return to the pan; add the rest of the stock. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring the soup back to a boil, and then serve at once with cilantro leaves placed on top of each serving.
Roast Tenderloin of Beef
1 whole tenderloin of beef (5 to 7 lbs) untrimmed
2 tbsp olive
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Trim tenderloin and remove excess fat from tenderloin.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place rack in middle level of oven. Line a 12 x16-inch rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier. Place a roasting rack in the baking sheet. Rub oil over all sides of meat. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place roast on rack, and tuck small “tail” under so thin end of roast becomes thicker and cooks evenly. Secure with kitchen string.
Place tenderloin in oven and roast until done to your preference. Approx 1½ hours
Sweet Potato Orange and Ginger Puree
4 large sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs)
2 juice oranges
2-inch piece fresh ginger
2 tbsp light brown sugar
Scrub potatoes, but do not peel. Place in pot with cold water to cover. Bring to boil, then lower heat to medium. Cook for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are very soft.
Meanwhile, grate rind of 1 orange so that you have 1 tsp. grated zest. Cut orange in half and squeeze 2/3 cup juice. Set aside.
Drain potatoes in colander and peel under cool water. Cut into large chunks and place in food processor.
Peel ginger and mince. You should have almost ¼ cup.
Add grated orange zest, orange juice, minced ginger and brown sugar to food processor with potatoes. Process until very smooth. Transfer mixture to saucepan and add salt to taste.
Reheat gently before serving.
Serves 6
Brussels Spouts with Toasted Pecans
this has become one of our holiday favorites, for an added treat add crispy bacon
3/4 cup pecans
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chicken broth
In medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, cook pecans, tossing often, until lightly toasted and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. Break up pecans with fingers.
Cook Brussels in 6-8 quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, just until tender, (5-7 minutes). Drain in colander.
In the pan you cooked sprouts in or in large deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots, cook for 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Cover and cook, stirring often, until heated through and flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and serve.
Serves 8
Apple Pecan Bread Pudding
a twist on a old family recipes
2 medium apples, peeled, chopped
1-cup pecan, chopped, toasted
5 cups French bread cubes, ½ inch square
¾ cup dark raisins
2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
5 large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
Preheat oven at 350 degrees
Place toasted pecans, apple, bread cubes and raisins in an 8 inch-square baking dish. Toss to mix.
In a medium mixing bowl, blend milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Use a whisk to blend eggs well.
Pour egg mixture over bread cubes and allow to sit 15 minutes.
Place in oven and bake until puffed and brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
Creamy Grand Marnier Sauce
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp butter
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup Grand Marnier or brandy
In a small saucepan, over low-heat, melt butter, add sugar and dissolve.
Add cream and bring to a simmer. Slowly add Grand Marnier while stirring.
Serve warm over individual servings.
To rewarm, cut pudding into 8 servings. Place each serving in an individual ovenproof dish and warm in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
Pudding can be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours before rewarming. Rewarm as indicated above.
Hot Apple Cider
Well the easiest thing to do, is just go and buy cider and heat it up. But I know we can do better than that so lets doctor it up a bit.
2 quarts apple cider or apple juice
2 cinnamon sticks (3 to 4 in.)
1 orange
1 tbsp cloves (about 12)
¼ tsp ginger
½ cup sugar
or if you can find mulling spice, all you need is
1 orange
½ cup sugar
and prepare as directed
Cut orange in half. Use 1 half for juice the other cut into rings to float in cider and add favor.
In a large saucepan combine sugar, cinnamon sticks, ginger, cloves, juice from 1 half of orange and orange rings.
Add cider and place over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Ladle into heatproof mugs or cups.
Serves 10 to 12
