December Jewels
So Christmas is long gone, I know! But here's the thing, my home computer, that housed all of my foodie pics, died temporarily. So I had this write up all planned and no fabulous picture to pair with it! Better late than never! My computer is functional again which means my pretty pics are ready for action!
Usually during Christmas we rotate hosting duties of Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and Christmas dinner between myself, my mom, and my mother-in-law. This year however, I opted out of my hosting shift. It was my turn for Christmas morning and for a few reasons I wasn't feeling it.
First, this is the first year when my little sister wouldn't be spending the holiday with us as she's up and moved to South Korea.
Second, I hosted Thanksgiving and thought a break from hosting would be nice.
Third, and most important, every year is such a scramble. We are always up late Christmas Eve, drinking and eating and playing games, the desire to rise early the next day is not strong. Plus there are no little kids in the fam to wake up for. So we end up having a late breakfast, which that kinda messes up the early dinner we are scheduled for. It's just crazy and it doesn't need to be. All in all, I am pleased with my decision. I got to contribute some yumminess to both my mom's xmas eve gathering and my mom-in-laws Christmas dinner...well dessert actually.
Those who know me well know that I pretty much avoid baking at all costs. Every once in awhile I will bake something but it's a rare occurance. I just like to cook. So my desserts are usually something like a cheese plate or grilled fruit or in the case of this Christmas, red wine poached pears. And oh my golly were they good. I will attempt providing a "recipe" for them. I was originally going to use Bosc pears and have one per person, but my personal shopper/brother who works at Healthy Living, could only get small, oh so adorable, Seckle pears, they are teeny tiny so we did two per person.
I peeled the pears on the couch, while watching Shrek the Halls, and dropped the little beauties in a bath of sugar, lemon juice, and red wine. I used most of the bottle of a bright Piedmontese table wine (just enough to cover the pears) and added some aromatics, orange peel, cinnamon, and rosemary. (This is also basically how I make mulled wine.) I brought it all up to a simmer and covered the pot and cooked until pears were tender but not mush, (12 min?) Then I let it come to room tempurature and threw the whole pot in the fridge to hang out over night, as I didn't need them until dinner the next day. I served them in a small pool of the winey syrup and with some fresh whipped cream (flavored with a bit o' brandy and cinnamon). They were pretty f-n good, I gotta say, and super easy...no baking required! The red wine made them look like beautiful little edible jewels garnished with a fluffy cinnamon brandy cloud!
So though the holidays are of the past, the memory of these delectable little gems is still present.
Usually during Christmas we rotate hosting duties of Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and Christmas dinner between myself, my mom, and my mother-in-law. This year however, I opted out of my hosting shift. It was my turn for Christmas morning and for a few reasons I wasn't feeling it.
First, this is the first year when my little sister wouldn't be spending the holiday with us as she's up and moved to South Korea.
Second, I hosted Thanksgiving and thought a break from hosting would be nice.
Third, and most important, every year is such a scramble. We are always up late Christmas Eve, drinking and eating and playing games, the desire to rise early the next day is not strong. Plus there are no little kids in the fam to wake up for. So we end up having a late breakfast, which that kinda messes up the early dinner we are scheduled for. It's just crazy and it doesn't need to be. All in all, I am pleased with my decision. I got to contribute some yumminess to both my mom's xmas eve gathering and my mom-in-laws Christmas dinner...well dessert actually.
Those who know me well know that I pretty much avoid baking at all costs. Every once in awhile I will bake something but it's a rare occurance. I just like to cook. So my desserts are usually something like a cheese plate or grilled fruit or in the case of this Christmas, red wine poached pears. And oh my golly were they good. I will attempt providing a "recipe" for them. I was originally going to use Bosc pears and have one per person, but my personal shopper/brother who works at Healthy Living, could only get small, oh so adorable, Seckle pears, they are teeny tiny so we did two per person.
I peeled the pears on the couch, while watching Shrek the Halls, and dropped the little beauties in a bath of sugar, lemon juice, and red wine. I used most of the bottle of a bright Piedmontese table wine (just enough to cover the pears) and added some aromatics, orange peel, cinnamon, and rosemary. (This is also basically how I make mulled wine.) I brought it all up to a simmer and covered the pot and cooked until pears were tender but not mush, (12 min?) Then I let it come to room tempurature and threw the whole pot in the fridge to hang out over night, as I didn't need them until dinner the next day. I served them in a small pool of the winey syrup and with some fresh whipped cream (flavored with a bit o' brandy and cinnamon). They were pretty f-n good, I gotta say, and super easy...no baking required! The red wine made them look like beautiful little edible jewels garnished with a fluffy cinnamon brandy cloud!
So though the holidays are of the past, the memory of these delectable little gems is still present.
.JPG)
Comments
Post a Comment