The menu for this year’s Christmas party was pretty epic, if I do say so myself: bourbon-glazed pork belly, savory cheddar shortbreads, grilled skirt steak tacos, an amazing maple-mustard pulled pork, and more nibbles than you think you could possibly go through, but go through we did.
I never get the chance to take photos; the light is Christmas-tree festive, but horrible for photography, and I’m always too busy running around and cooking to even think of it (hence I’ve taken just a few shots of the aftermath and shared them below). But I wanted to remember the various dishes for this party, because people raved about almost every single thing. It was hard to pick a clear winner from the evening’s food experiments: pork belly, roasted jalapeños, cheddar shortbreads, the amazing Johnnycake beef skirt steaks, moan-worthy maple-mustard pulled pork; hard to go wrong with any of them. And since I cooked enough for an invading horde of Dothrakis, yet there were no leftovers, obviously my party guests agreed. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration for your own holiday gatherings.
Happy holidays, everyone!
Holiday Party Menu 2014
NIBBLES
cheese tray
aged New York cheddar, Kunik, Saint-Andre
calabrese salame, applewood-smoked wild boar salame
nectarine meyer butter, plum jam with preserved lemon, curried apple chutney
flatbread crackers, Wave Hill bread crostini
preserved lemon hummus
sliced red & yellow bell pepper
savory cheddar shortbreads
this Martha recipe, with WW pastry flour and 1 tsp smoked hot paprika
Swiss chard & grilled pepper frittata bites
baked in a lasagna pan and cut into small squares
Lina’s guacamole
lime, cilantro, tomato, red onion
HORS D’OEUVRES
goat cheese & smoky chile cherries
bourbon-glazed pork belly bites
this BBC recipe, with Flying Pigs pork, nectarine plum butter in place of the ketchup, and a bit more honey in the glaze
MAINS
taco bar
homemade blue corn tortillas
grilled skirt steak
Johnnycake Mountain grass-fed beef with salt, pepper, chipotle, olive oil
spicy maple-mustard pulled pork
this BBC recipe with Flying Pigs pork, half the salt, bourbon brown sugar mustard, and 3 tbsp of ground ancho in place of the mustard powder
lime & cumin black beans
this Martha recipe with beans cooked from dry, bean broth replacing water, and 1 tbsp of cumin
slivered red cabbage
fresh sunflower shoots
mild red salsa
fermented chile sauce
curried winter squash soup
vegan, with corn stock & Worcestershire for umami, never made it out of the fridge
DESSERTS
Mom’s lemon pound cake
sweet cherry & rhubarb galette
chocolate chip cookies, cranberry-nut cookies, cupcakes, ginger snaps, chocolate cookies
all brought by party guests
vanilla bean ice cream, heavy cream for whipping, coffee
never made it out
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