Holiday Entertaining
The Timeline
The Essential Christmas Dinner Meal Primer
Every great gathering begins with a timeline that includes tasks that must be accomplished. If proper planning & logistics are put into action early, the festive celebration should run relatively smoothly. Make a list for the day so your beautiful meal can be served hot. A smart use of oven management will prove to be useful & valuable when it comes time to say grace.
No. 1
The Entree
Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin
Most main dish meats will need to stand at room temperature before roasting, cooking or grilling them in order to register even & accurate cook times. Look to individual recipe instructions as a guide.
The beef will take about 25 to 30 minutes to roast & it will then need to rest before slicing. For additional details on how to properly prepare a beef tenderloin for roasting, look to Cooking Classics: Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin.
1a
Beef tenderloin is a quality cut that doesn’t need much in order to prepare it for cooking. Kosher salt & pepper seasons it beautifully.
The Temperature Guide
Rare: 120 to 125 degrees
Medium-Rare: 130 to 135 degrees
Medium: 140 to 145 degrees
Medium-Well: 150 to 155 degrees
Well: 160 degrees
Meanwhile, take care of other meal preparations. Focus on the side dishes next.
No. 2
The Side Dishes
Once the green beans have been cleaned, prepped & blanched, the finishing process which basically warms & seasons them is relatively quick. Plan to sauté the green beans last but take care of the prep work well in advance.
2a
Clean & snap the green beans up to two days ahead of time. Place them in a zip-top bag & chill them. The green beans can then be blanched several hours before the main meal is to be served & finished on the stovetop just before serving them. For detailed pointers, look to How To Blanch Green Beans.
2b
Crispy Oven Roasted New Potatoes
Oven management is key when preparing grand meals for special celebrations. While the beef stands, prepare & roast the potatoes. They will take about 1 hour to cook & can be either be served at room temperature or rewarmed in the oven once the beef has been removed from the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees before transferring them to a bowl. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.
2c
Placing the new potatoes cut side down on the half sheet pan ensures they will become crisp as they roast.
No. 3
The Sauce
The sauce can be prepared up to 4 days ahead of time or the day it is to be served. Once blended, transfer to a tabletop bowl & accompany with an heirloom silver spoon for serving.
No. 4
The Garnish
Once the beef has roasted & it has had an opportunity to rest, prepare the garnish & spread it over the beef before slicing it. Place the beef medallions on a serving platter. Cover loosely with foil & attend to last minute preparations.
No. 5
The Bread Basket
Rolls that have been prepared in advance may need to be heated. Complete this task about 15 minutes before the meal is to be served. Place them in a single layer on a half sheet pan, cover loosely with foil & warm in a 350 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the rolls to a bread basket lined with a linen & cover them to keep warm.
The potatoes & the rolls may be warmed in the oven at the same time, if desired.
5a
Conversely, if you plan to prepare the rolls the day they are to be served, start this task first thing in the morning. Follow the rewarming tips before serving them, if desired. For more details on preparing the yeast risen rolls from scratch, look to Cooking Classics: Cloverleaf Rolls.
No. 6
The Dessert
A pound cake can be prepared several days in advance as it does season & develop a richer flavor over time. For additional details on how to make an authentic southern pound cake from scratch, look to Baking Classics: Buttermilk Pound Cake.
Slice the cake when you are ready to serve dessert & place the pieces on plates. Meanwhile, brew a little coffee.
6a
The dessert sauce can be prepared several days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator. Just before serving, heat the sauce in the microwave on High power at 30 second intervals until warm. Spoon the sauce over the cake slices & serve with hot coffee.
FROM THE SOUTHERN HOSTESS OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{helpful advice}
How To Create A Purchasing Timeline For Holiday Meals
Grocery store circulars revolve around the seasons & feature common items that consumers prepare at specific times throughout the year. Once your menu has been established & if you are savvy, you can determine the best time to purchase items for the meal.
The Technique
Knowing how & when to purchase items is just as important as knowing how to prepare the food itself. Just as choosing the right recipe to spend your valuable time to prepare in order to achieve the quality, desired results you expect, following grocery circulars enables you to manage & budget your household needs properly. Here’s what you should know.
No. 1
Many savvy markets post circulars online that can be bookmarked so they can be accessed quickly & often. What most consumers are unaware of is that featured foods offered for a special value do not change much from year to year. They have done their homework & compiled loads of data by way of your past grocery purchases & receipts to be certain they have the items you have indicted to them that you are interested in throughout the year. Expect end caps to reflect several of these goods week to week as well. As you learn when the items you plan to use for your menu will be offered on special, start a timeline & purchase accordingly. Work the stops into your daily schedule so that the stores you do not frequent often do not become special trips.
No. 2
Speak with produce & meat market managers as they will let you know when items will be offered for a special value. You will be surprised by the savings that just a week can make when purchasing meat cuts in particular. Be mindful of expiration dates & store accordingly. If holiday baking is high on your list of priorities, stock up on butter & other dairy essentials when they are offered at a more than fair value rather than on a recipe to recipe basis.
No. 3
As for general sundries, keep your kitchen well stocked with essentials that you use often so unplanned grocery trips are unnecessary as they require added time, energy & resources to a busy, daily routine. When more cooking & cleaning is planned around the holidays as it stands, have extra paper towels, cleaners & other common goods already available at a moments notice.
The Tune
“God Bless The Child” Billie Holiday
httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_1LfT1MvzI
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