Thanksgiving is finished and it is now time to think about Christmas. If you decide to make a special holiday dinner, “Celebrating in Hawai‘i” by Muriel Miura, with 150 recipes for special occasions and the holidays, is the cookbook you need. It is available at Basically Books in Downtown Hilo for $19.95. It also makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves to have parties.
Miura, author of 16 cookbooks and editor of 11, retired from The Gas Company as their resident home economist. She graduated from University of Hawaii in home economics and earned her graduate degree at University of Hawaii at Manoa and Columbia University of New York City. She and her husband live in Honolulu, as well as part of the year with her daughter and family on the mainland.
For a Christmas dinner, Miura recommends the following menu:
• Brie wrap.
• Garden fresh romaine with basic vinegar dressing.
• Standing prime rib roast with au jus.
• Baked potato with sour cream and condiments.
• Sauteed broccolini with garlic.
• Dinner rolls.
• Red velvet cake.
• Gingerbread cookies.
If you prefer to have an open house instead of dinner, here is what is suggested:
• White chocolate candy cane cheesecake.
• Truffles.
• Turtle pumpkin pie.
• Mai tai chiffon pie.
• Haupia-mac nut dessert.
• Angel food tiramisu.
• White fruit cake.
• • •
To start, the brie wrap “is easy to prepare and looks elegant. One of the unbaked pastry-wrapped cheeses will keep in the freezer for later if you’re serving only 4 to 6 guests.”
Brie wrap
Makes: About six dozen pieces
1 package (17 1/4 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed as package directs
2 wheels (8 ounce each) Brie, chilled
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto lightly floured board. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 11-inch circle. Reserve scraps for decoration. Place one wheel of cheese in center of circle. Fold pastry to enclose cheese, pleating and pressing down neatly as you go around.
When cheese is enclosed, press pastry together, cutting away any excess. Invert pastry-wrapped Brie, seam-side down, onto parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Cut decorative shapes from pastry scraps.
Beat egg yolk with milk in small bowl. Brush with egg wash and top with decorative scraps, pressing down gently to seal. Brush again with egg wash. Repeat, using second sheet of pastry and remaining wheel of brie. Refrigerate one hour or until firm. Cover and refrigerate egg wash for later use.
Just before baking, brush pastry with egg wash again. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Transfer to serving plates using wide spatula. Let cool at least 30 minutes or as long as four hours at room temperature before cutting into wedges to serve. Garnish with fresh/dried fruits or watercress to eat with cheese.
Garnishes: Fresh apple or pear wedges, dried apricots or other fruits, sprigs of crisp fresh watercress.
• • •
For the Garden fresh romaine, Miura suggests this basic vinegar dressing:
Basic vinegar dressing
Makes: 2 1/2 cups
1 cup sugar
1 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine), optional
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, rinsed and minced
• • •
The smell in the kitchen when baking gingerbread cookies really sets the feeling of Christmas.
Gingerbread cookies
Makes: About four dozen, depending on size
4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons warm water
Combine flour, spices and salt, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in molasses. Dissolve baking soda in warm water and add, beating until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Cover and chill at least four hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness and cut into shapes. Or break off pieces of dough and form by hand into people shapes, candy canes, wreaths, etc. Try to keep pieces 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. Decorate as desired with nuts, dried fruit or candy pieces. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until firm.
• • •
For a holiday open house, what about this holiday cheesecake?
White
chocolate candy cane cheesecake
Makes: 12 servings
3/4 cup sugar
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
4 squares premium white baking chocolate, melted
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 graham pie crust
2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup chopped candy canes
Beat cream cheese and sugar with hand mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low after each addition just until blended. Stir in chocolate and extract; pour into crust.
Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake and cool before removing rim if using springform pan. Refrigerate at least four hours.
Top cake with whipped topping and candy cane bits just before serving. Store leftovers, if any, in the refrigerator.
• • •
Fruit cake? Here’s an easy recipe:
White fruit cake
Makes: 18 to 24 servings
1 cup buttermilk baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2 cans (5 ounce each) macadamia nuts
1 package (6 ounce) dried apricot
1 package (8 ounce) pitted dates
3/4 pound candied pineapple, chopped coarsely
Line 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with foil, grease well.
Combine all ingredients listed in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 300 degrees for one hour, 50 minutes to two hours or until light golden brown.
Foodie bites
• The Hawaii Community College Cafeteria will be open through Friday. This is the last week of the semester for students in the HCC Culinary Program.
Support the students before they are off for semester break.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
