{christmas memories - part 2: the food}

For me, lots of memories are associated with food. Childhood comfort food, my grandma’s soup, my mom’s cookies... Kraft Dinner and sandwiches as a student and all the cooking my husband now does for me. On Christmas Eve 2010, the menu was all mine. Decided by me, cooked by me. Here is it, with the recipes included.

It began with a very simple and festive drink. Cranberry juice, fresh cranberries and sparkling wine. Then, on each plate, I put a printed menu.

Antipasti

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Chilled Zucchini and Orange Soup

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Fleur de sel and aged balsamic vinegar filet mignon

&Asian pear and avocado salad

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Cheeses plate

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Raspberry Bûche de Noël

Antipasti

The table was set with lots of antipasti. Cantaloupe and honeydew melon with whole peppercorns, prosciutto, salami, grissinis, home-made bruschetta and tapenade, etc. If you're interested in the bruschetta and tapenade recipes, just tell me.

Chilled Zucchini and Orange Soup

The recipe is here: Ricardo Cuisine

I didn’t add the yogurt to the soup as said in step 4. The soup was delicious without it and I decided to just put a big spoon of plain full of fat yogurt on top of the soup just before serving. 

Fleur de sel and aged balsamic vinegar filet mignon

For the filet mignon, it is so very easy. Put coarse salt on an already heated non-adhesive pan, add the filet mignon on top of it and cook on each side. When ready, put fleur de sel on the piece of meat and a little beat of aged balsamic vinegar. Tasty, simple, perfect.

Asian pear and avocado salad 

Dressing: Mix 45 ml of olive oil, 45 ml of dried cranberries, 30 ml of lime juice, 10 ml of honey, 5 ml of jalapeno pepper, 5 ml of Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper.

Salad: Mix a Boston lettuce with 1 big Asian pear and 1 big Granny Smith apple cut into pieces. Right before serving, add avocado, fleur de sel and the dressing. Done!

For the cheese plate we had a selection of Quebec cheese. Goat, brie, a very stinky one, a one who tasted ‘animal’ and another one I can’t remember. 

The Bûche was perfect and my sister-in-law brought a plate full of cookies and other goodies for the greedier of us. 

And now, I’m hungry.