Menu-wise, this Christmas season was one for the books. In between sessions of opening presents and playing with the niece and nephew, we simmered, stirred, broiled and baked. The Menu Family cooked up a series of feasts that, in Miss Menu’s humble opinion, was the biggest collective success in family holiday history.
For Christmas Eve, we decided to take a break from the traditional ham and macaroni & cheese; instead, we opted for a festive Italian menu. A heaping antipasti platter–lovely salami, loads of veggies, trays of cheese and bowls of briny olives–started us off on the right note. Father Menu stirred up a batch of Bardstown Slings (bourbon, Triple Sec, cranberry juice and lime) to wash it all down.
Antipasti on Christmas Eve
Pouring some Bardstown Slings
For our main course, we decided to go with a one-“pot” dish – something that could be prepared ahead and popped in the oven as soon as we’d returned from church on Christmas Eve. My jaw quite literally dropped when I read about this Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Torta in the highly craveable Gourmet Today cookbook. I’ve waxed poetic about Gourmet cookbooks before – and will likely continue to do so ad nauseum, for one good reason. Time and time again, their recipes surprise, delight and satisfy. For this torta, you take a pancake-like batter, sizzle up a batch of crepes and layer them with sweet and spicy Italian sausage, loads of garlic-sauteed broccoli rabe and a gooey and rich bechamel sauce (butter, flour, milk and cheese). The layers bake up in a springform pan so you’re left with a layered tower of Italian goodness.
We doubled the recipe to serve our group of 7 (plus one hungry 20-month old) and were left with plenty of leftovers. Next time around, I might use a smidge more milk in the bechamel – this sauce was super rich – and reduce the quantity of cheese to lighten the load a bit. We used a mixture of broccoli rabe and broccolini for the filling – both are similar to broccoli but with smaller florets, more leafy greens and nuttier, more bitter flavors. You could get really creative with this recipe and substitute grilled eggplant or roasted peppers, instead. We rounded out our meal with a leafy green salad and a crusty baguette.
Layering the torta
The finished product
Dessert was something special for the true chocolate lover. This recipe for Memphis Mud Pie from Down Home with the Neelys over on Foodnetwork.com is super fudgy. We created our own chocolate cookie crumb crust (like the one in this cheesecake recipe) in lieu of the store-bought version recommended, and were tremendously happy with the chocolatey results.
Christmas Eve is the perfect time for indulgence, and this menu fit the bill. Next up from Miss Menu? Stay tuned for tales of a New York strip roast, oyster sausage stuffing and a decadent lemon butter cake on Christmas day, plus a recipe to make your Christmas morning breakfast exemplary.
Adventures in Menu Making 