My goal for last week's Christmas dinner was to prepare a formal, multicourse meal for a dozen people for under $100. As luck would have it, I lost the grocery receipt. Actually, I know where it went ... into the garbage can and hauled away by the trashman before I had a chance to retrieve it. Oops. But I'm pretty sure I stayed within the $100 budget. I'll do some research and try to tally up what the food purchases probably cost and report back to you. In the meantime, I'll post all the recipes from our dinner over the next couple of weeks, starting right now with some yummy pumpkin soup, which was passed in large shot glasses to our guests as they sipped wine and opened presents in front of the roaring fireplace. But first, here's a quick rundown of our Christmas feast.
Hors d'oeuvres: Creamy Pumpkin Sage Soup
Polenta Crackers with Bacon Jam
Potato Crisps with Roasted Garlic & Chive Cream
First Course: Green Salad with Honey Roasted Pears & Cranberry Vinaigrette
Palate Cleanser: Grapefruit Granita
Entree: Roasted Pork Loin Stuffed with Spinach & Leeks
White Wine & Dijon Sauce
Sides: Pearl Couscous with Saffron, Orange Zest & Scallions
White Balsamic & Thyme Glazed Baby Carrots & Pearl Onions
Artichoke Hearts Au Gratin
Dessert: Chocolate Mousse on Meringue Clouds with Peppermint Sauce
We started our eating marathon with a velvety pumpkin soup, which I adore because it not only includes pumpkin, a personal favorite, but because you can make the soup ahead of time and reheat it the day of serving. If you decide to cook the soup ahead of time, leave out the cream and milk until you're almost ready to serve. Add those two ingredients an hour or so before serving and heat through gently until the soup is quite warm but not boiling.
CREAMY PUMPKIN SAGE SOUP
printer friendly recipe
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
15 ounce can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
big pinch of nutmeg
salt to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add pumpkin.
Whisk in broth.
Add sage, pepper and nutmeg.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Slowly whisk in cream, then 1/2 cup of milk. If the soup is still too thick, add more milk.
Add salt to taste.
Puree with a hand blender.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for another 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serves 12 as a small appetizer.
1 comments: