Holiday Entertaining
Southern Socials
Christmas Dinner
Holiday gatherings deserve special attention & planning a beautiful meal for guests is manageable with a little forethought. A lovely Christmas dinner menu includes a blend of simple & more involved recipes. However, knowing what can be prepared ahead of time will have the event running more smoothly. Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream is a classic combination perfect for festive occasions & the good news is that these items are easy to prepare. Lemon-Thyme Green Beans & Crispy Oven Roasted New Potatoes add lovely color to the plate as well as appeal to a variety of palates. When Cloverleaf Rolls & Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake are prepared well in advance of the dinner, the meal preparations just before serving can be quite simple. Follow my pointers to serve a menu of classic holiday fare & make it your best gathering to date.
The Menu
Christmas Dinner
A festive gathering begins with simple recipes & your good taste. Celebrate the season & enjoy good company with a selection of lovely offerings.
Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin With Fresh Herb Relish
Horseradish Cream
Lemon-Thyme Green Beans
Crispy Oven Roasted New Potatoes
Cloverleaf Rolls
Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake
Bourbon Praline Sauce
Water & Iced Tea
The Planning & Logistics
Prepare the rolls up to 2 weeks ahead of time. Cool completely.
Place them in zip-top plastic bags & freeze.
Remove the rolls 24 hours before you are planning to serve them.
Place them in the refrigerator to thaw.
Cover loosely with foil & warm in a 350 degree oven 6 to 8 minutes.
Prepare the pound cake & the dessert sauce several days in advance.
Prepare the horseradish sauce up to 4 days ahead of time. Cover & chill.
Transfer to a bowl & accompany with an heirloom silver spoon just before serving.
Blanch the green beans early in the day. Sauté them just before serving.
Prepare the potatoes & rewarm them, if desired.
Prepare the beef tenderloin as directed according to the recipe instructions.
Top with the relish & slice the beef into medallions. Transfer to a serving platter.
Look to The Essential Christmas Dinner Meal Primer for more detailed instructions.
Plus, learn How To Create A Purchasing Timeline For Holiday Meals, too.
Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin With Fresh Herb Relish & Horseradish Cream
makes 10 servings
1 {4-lb to 5-lb} trimmed beef tenderloin
1 Tbsp coarsely ground black peppercorns, freshly milled
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Fresh Herb Relish
Horseradish Cream
Let the beef stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the salt & pepper in a ramekin. Rub the mixture on all sides of the beef. Place the beef on a lightly greased rack on a foil-lined half sheet pan. Tuck about 3 inches of the smallest part of the beef under, creating a relatively even thickness for the entire piece of beef.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the desired degree of doneness is reached. Remove from the oven & let stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Fresh Herb Relish. Brush over the top & sides of the tenderloin. Prepare the Horseradish Cream & serve with the beef.
Fresh Herb Relish
Stir together 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, packed, 1 pressed garlic clove, 1/4 tsp fresh lemon zest & 2 tsp olive oil. Use as directed.
Horseradish Cream
makes about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small scallion, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
Combine all of the ingredients. Season generously with salt & pepper to taste. Use as directed.
Lemon-Thyme Green Beans
makes 10 servings
2 lbs green beans
1/4 cup butter
1 shallot, minced {about 2 Tbsp}
The juice of a lemon
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
Blanch the green beans in boiling water 4 minutes. Drain & shock in ice water. Melt the butter in a very large, heavy skillet over Medium heat. Sauté the shallots 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Add the green beans & cook 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through Stir in the lemon juice & the thyme. Season with salt & pepper.
Crispy Oven Roasted New Potatoes
makes 8 servings
3 lbs petite new potatoes
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the new potatoes in half. Toss the potatoes with a 1/4 cup of the oil & the salt in a large bowl. Brush the remaining oil generously onto a half sheet pan. Pour the potatoes onto the pan & position them cut side down. Bake about 1 hour or until the cut sides are golden brown. The oil will be sizzling on the sheet pan surface. Remove the potatoes from the oven & gently loosen with a small palate knife. Season with the pepper.
Cloverleaf Rolls
makes 2 dozen
Baking rolls in muffin tins yields a soft texture on the inside of the roll while the exterior will have a little crisp chew. Expect deep golden sides on these rolls once baked due to the browning properties of the sugar in the roll dough.
3 Tbsp warm water
1 {1/4-oz} envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, divided
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup warm whole milk
6 Tbsp melted butter, divided
1 egg
Stir together the water, the yeast & 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand 5 minutes or until foamy. Whisk together the flour, the salt & the remaining sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk, 4 tablespoons melted butter, the egg & the yeast mixture. Mix on Low speed 1 minute with a dough hook. The dough will come together in a ball around the hook. Crank up the speed to Medium & mix 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the work bowl & shape it into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Spray the dough surface with cooking spray & cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a draft-free spot for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down & divide into 72 {1/2-oz} pieces. Shape the dough into balls. Coat 2 {12-cup} regular-sized muffin tins with cooking spray. Place 3 pieces of dough into each muffin cup. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a draft free spot for 1 hour or until doubled in volume & the dough has risen within a 1/4-inch from the top of each muffin cup.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake the pans on the center oven rack 12 to 13 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the pan after 9 minutes. Brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Cool completely.
Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake
makes 16 servings
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease & flour 1 {10-inch} tube pan or 2 {9-x 5-inch} loaf pans. Cream the butter & the sugar with an electric stand mixer on Medium speed until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time & mix until well blended. Add the lemon juice & the vanilla. Blend in the flour alternately with the buttermilk, mixing on Low speed. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour & 15 minutes to 1 hour & 25 minutes or until a long wooden pick tests clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a small palate knife between the cake & the pan edge. Remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Bourbon Praline Sauce
makes 2 1/2 cups
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup bourbon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 {6-oz} package pecan halves, toasted & coarsely chopped
Stir together the sugar & water in a 3 1/2-quart heavy bottomed saucepan. Do not stir the mixture again until you are ready to add the cream & do not use this spoon again. Bring the mixture to a boil over High heat & cook 15 to 20 minutes or until the sugar begins to turn the color of honey. Remove the pan from the heat & gently swirl the mixture in the pan until you reach an amber color. Place the pot down & stand aside as you slowly add the cream stirring carefully & rapidly with a long handled wooden spoon. It will bubble vigorously releasing a lot of steam. Place the pot back over the heat for a minute or two to smooth any lumps. Stir in the butter & remaining ingredients. The caramel will be extremely hot. Stir gently while adding the bourbon to subside any additional bubbling that may occur. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Warm the sauce before serving.
FROM THE SOUTHERN HOSTESS OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{helpful advice}
How To Serve Christmas Dinner
Assess serving bowls, platters, utensils & linens well in advance as Christmas preparations utilize many tabletop essentials & all at once no less. Have these items available so transferring & garnishing food runs smoothly just before the main meal is to be served.
The Tabletop Essentials
The table is set. Cocktails have been poured & good conversation exchanged. Just before saying grace, a little organization of tablewares is key to making certain a lovely Thanksgiving meal becomes a memorable one. Have these tabletop essentials available to complete meal tasks.
The Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin
Platter
Serving fork
The Horseradish Cream
Small bowl
Heirloom silver spoon
The Lemon-Thyme Green Beans
Small platter
Heirloom tongs for serving
The Crispy Oven Roasted New Potatoes
Trivet
Serving bowl
Heirloom silver serving spoon
The Cloverleaf Rolls
Vintage platter or bread basket
Pressed linen
Heirloom silver serving tongs
The Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake
Cake server
Knife
Dessert plates
Heirloom silver dessert forks
Small bowls & heirloom silver spoon Bourbon-Praline Sauce
Silver coffee service
Cups, saucers & mugs
The Tune
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” Ella Fitzgerald
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Rebecca Gordon
Be sweet.
Awesome content!
Thanks, Meredith. I appreciate you dropping by.