December is full of holidays and fun with family and friends. Here are some recipes to add to your cookbook this year for any holiday event or family gathering.
Classic Potato Latkes
The ingredients needed are:
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and cut lengthwise into quarters
1 large onion (8 ounces), peeled and cut into quarters
2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt), plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Safflower or other oil, for frying
To start, put your food processor on a grate setting, add your potatoes and onion and grate. Transfer onto a towel and squeeze dry.
Quickly put potatoes and onions into a bowl and add eggs, flour, salt, baking soda and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated.
In a pan, heat ¼ inch of oil on medium high heat. Add batter in tablespoon size drops. Flatten with the back of a spatula. Once the sides are brown (about 5 minutes) flip and cook on the other side till brown (another 5 minutes). Add to a paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil and sprinkle it with salt. Enjoy with sour cream or applesauce.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015533-classic-potato-latkes
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
The ingredients needed are:
8 lb bone in spiral cut ham
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Cooking spray
Cranberries and herbs for garnish optional
To start, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking pan by spraying with cooking oil and set to the side.
Add your butter, brown sugar, honey, apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg to a pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer (about 5-7 minutes).
Place the ham in the prepared baking pan and pour half of the glaze over it. Cover with foil and bake for 2 ½ hours. Uncover and add the remaining glaze over the ham.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place the ham back into the oven uncovered until the glaze is caramelized and brown (about 15-20 minutes).
Serve on a platter with fresh herbs and cranberries and enjoy.
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/glazed-ham-for-the-holidays/
Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
The ingredients needed are:
1 cup (8 ounces, 225g) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 ounces milk chocolate bars (semisweet or dark), roughly chopped into chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
First preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, melt butter in a medium sauce pan to brown on medium heat. Cook butter until you can see brown bits at the bottom of the pan and the top is foamy.
Add flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Whisk together until fully combined.
Pour browned butter into a standup mixer, add sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for 3 minutes.
Stir the flour into the brown butter mixture ⅓ of a time. Once combined add chocolate chunks and optional nuts.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and spoon out tablespoon size drops separated by about 2 inches.
Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_chunk_cookies/
Matzo Ball Soup
The ingredients needed are:
4 large eggs
¼ cup schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), coconut oil or vegetable oil (kosher for Passover)
¼ cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup matzo meal
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, dill or cilantro
1 teaspoon salt, more for cooking
Black pepper
To start, combine eggs, schmaltz, stock, matzo meal, nutmeg, ginger and parsley into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Gently mix, cover and put in the fridge until chilled (3 hours or overnight).
Fill a wide and deep pan with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. With wet hands roll the mix into balls about the size of golf balls. Gently place in boiling water and repeat till all the mix is used.
Cover the pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the matzo ball for 30-40 minutes. Matzo balls can be frozen on a baking sheet or transferred to chicken or veggie soup to enjoy.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12348-joan-nathans-matzo-ball-soup