Christmas Eve Dinner

My husband and I were excited to host Christmas Eve Dinner this year; we had my parents over for a wonderful holiday dinner.

We made a delicious meal of roasted pork, potatoes gratin, and roasted asparagus – everything came out fantastic I just had to share the recipes! This menu would be great for any winter dinner party, the recipes are all relatively simple (stuffing the pork is a little tricky) and will please most guests.

And note, I of course had to create a festive table setting with red and green accents with my usual black and white china.
Closer-up of the place setting: I used an unfolded paper red napkin to add a hint of red to the mostly green and black table setting.

 

Pork Loin Stuffed with Fuji Apples
from epicurious.com

1/4 C golden raisins
3/4 C Riesling wine
1 1/2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, peel and core reserved
Pinch of cinnamon
2 lb center-cut boneless pork loin (ask butcher to make a 1-inch incision in the center all the way through)
Sea salt
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 medium onion, diced large
1 carrot, diced large
1 celery stalk, diced large
4 stems fresh rosemary
1/2 C balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 375°F. Soak raisins in cup wine for 10 minutes. Combine raisins (including wine not absorbed), apples and cinnamon in a bowl. Fill pork-loin cavity with apple-raisin mixture. Season pork with sea salt and pepper; set aside 15 minutes at room temperature. (If loin splits, tie with kitchen twine.) Meanwhile, coat a roasting pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Sear pork on all sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes total, turning frequently so it doesn’t stick. Place onion, carrot, celery, rosemary and apple peels and cores in pan; place pork on top. Cook 25 minutes or until pork reaches 150°. While meat cooks, reduce vinegar and remaining 1/2 cup wine in a small saucepan 15 to 20 minutes on high heat until thick and syrupy. Remove pork from pan; let rest 10 minutes. Slice pork and divide among plates. Drizzle reduction over pork.

 

Potatoes Gratin
from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine

1 garlic clove, smashed
Butter, room temperature, for baking dish
3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick(we used our mandolin to get a perfect uniform cut for each potato slice)
2 1/2 C heavy cream
s&p
Ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub a 2-quart baking dish with garlic, then lightly butter. Layer potatoes in dish, overlapping slightly.

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and pinch of nutmeg; bring to a simmer. Pour enough cream mixture into dish to just cover potatoes; cover dish with foil. Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with grated cheese and continue to bake until top of gratin is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving

Roasted Asparagus:

No recipe, we just cut off the end of each asparagus, drizzled olive oil and s&p on top and roasted on a sheet pan for about 15 mins or until desired tenderness is reached.

*note – we made a Panettone Bread Pudding for dessert that was so amazing, it disappeared before I could take a picture! I included the recipe below.

1/2 C golden raisins
1/4 C brandy, heated
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 lb panettone, sliced 1 inch thick
3/4 C sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 C half-and-half
2 Tbs pure vanilla extract

Soak raisins in hot brandy 15 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, butter panettone on both sides and cook in batches in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Whisk together remaining ingredients.

Tear panettone into bite-size pieces and spread evenly in a buttered 13-by 9-inch baking dish. Scatter raisins over top, then pour in egg mixture. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.Bake until pudding is golden and just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. We served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!