Winter is almost upon us, patient and what better time to hunker down with some nice, cozy comfort food? Whether you are entertaining for a crowd or cooking for one or two, winter and the holiday season are the perfect time to try something new. Our seafood chowder is sure to warm you up on a cold winter night. The Oven Roasted Pork Roast is a show stopper, and ideal for a festive meal. Follow either of these with the glazed Pear Cranberry Cake—sure to be a hit for the holidays—or the individual Chocolate Soufflés, a perfect end to your evening. Finish the soufflés with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whip cream and scattered pomegranate seeds and you have an instantly festive-looking dessert. Happy holidays!
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Seafood Chowder
Ingredients:
1/2 pound red potatoes
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into
1/4-inch wide strips
2 cups chopped scallions (from 2 bunches)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (3 cloves)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 (1 1/2-pound) piece wild salmon fillet, skin discarded and fish cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Garnish: chopped fresh chives
Preparation:
Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, then cook in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Cook bacon in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red-pepper flakes in fat in pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until scallions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add milk and cream and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately low, then add potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt, and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf before serving.
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Oven Roasted Rack of Pork
The secret to this impressive main course—great for holiday entertaining— is in the roasting. A very high temperature for a short time will sear and seal the meat, keeping the juices inside. You just want to make sure to reduce the heat of the oven to finish the slow roasting process, which not only ensures a juicy cut of meat, but also helps reduce shrinkage of the product. Cook the meat with the fat side up, so the fat runs through the meat as it roasts, rather than just into the pan.
Ingredients:
one 8-bone centre-cut rack of pork
olive oil
Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 carrots — rough cut
1 small onion — rough cut
2 stalks of celery — rough cut
6 cloves garlic peeled
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450°F degrees
In a roasting pan add your rough cut vegetables. Rinse the rack of pork well and pat dry. Place rack fat side up on top of cut veggies; apply liberal amount of olive oil, rubbing it into the meat. Sprinkle entire rack liberally with Montreal Steak Seasoning (or sea salt, garlic and cracked pepper, if you don’t have the seasoning).
Place pan in preheated oven at 450° for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce heat to 325° and continue to roast for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until internal temperature on the outside of the racks has reached 160°.
Remove from pan; slice between bones and serve. Serves 8
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Individual Chocolate Soufflés
These ethereal chocolate souffles are made as individual portions. Pop them in the oven as you’re finishing dinner and they’ll be perfectly timed for dessert.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for ramekins
3 large egg whites, room temperature, plus 3 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
5½ ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao), melted
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
Garnish: confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush four 7-ounce ramekins generously with the butter; coat with granulated sugar. Whisk whites with a mixer until frothy, about 2 minutes.
Add cream of tartar; whisk until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar; whisk until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Set chocolate in a bowl. Whisk milk into cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk into chocolate (mixture will separate). Whisk in yolks and creme fraiche. Gently fold in egg whites.
Fill ramekins evenly with batter. Bake on a baking sheet, rotating halfway through, until soufflés rise but centers are still liquid, about 14 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Note: Batter can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead.
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Pear Cranberry Cake
A towering dessert on the holiday table always gets attention. And the oohs and aahs will only get louder when you cut in to reveal its moist crumb dotted with ruby-red cranberries and topaz-colored pear. Its scent of vanilla and spices is very inviting, while the brown sugar and cinnamon glaze is, of course, the icing on the cake.
Ingredients for cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 Bosc pears, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 cup cranberries (thawed if frozen)
For glaze:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 (3-inch-long) cinnamon sticks
Equipment:
10-by 4-inch angel food cake pan or a 15-cup Bundt pan
Preparation:
Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In a separate bowl, beat together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined well. At low speed, mix in pears and cranberries, then mix in flour mixture until incorporated.
Spoon batter into pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutess. Cool in pan 30 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
Make glaze: Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, cinnamon sticks, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Cool glaze 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks, then pour glaze over cake, letting some drip down sides.
Note: cake can be glazed 3 hours ahead.