A Cook and Her Books: ideas

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Friday, November 23, 2012

Christmas Memories Dinner

Christmas memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I've always said that my church is covered up in talent and this is especially evident one night a year at the Christmas Memories Dinner. The women of the church decorate tables and serve as hostesses, while the men of the church serve the meal. There's music, giveaways and a featured speaker. This year, motivational speaker Christine Martinello guided us through Christmas 9-1-1, helping us to choose what's important to our families during the season.

The mission of this dinner is to prepare our hearts and minds for the Christmas season. To enter into it with peace, love and joy, and to share that with our families and friends. Every other year, I host a table, and this is my off year, so I brought along my camera and took pictures of the lovely and creative decorated tables. If you're ever invited to First Presbyterian's Christmas Memories dinner, arrive early so that you can see each beautiful table.

Christmas Memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

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Christmas memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas memories dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

For many of us, it's a treat to be served a meal that we didn't have to cook. It's even sweeter when it's on antique bone china.

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

And speaking of sweets, dessert was a choice of a Red Velvet Brownie (and I've got to get this recipe!)

Red Velvet Cake Brownie. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

or cheesecake.

Cheesecake. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

The Barbershop Quartet 129 and Counting entertained us with songs both secular and sacred. This was "In the Still of the Night."

129 and counting Barbershop Quartet. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Did I mention that the men of the church served the meal?

Christmas Memories Dinner. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Many thanks to Lucie Morris and Cheryl Buck who organize this event each year. And to all the table hostesses and the men who served the meal, the entertainment and speaker, thank you for a lovely evening. Bring on Christmas, I can handle it!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Darling clementines

Clementines by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Now that school is back in session, (holidays and snow storms have made this only the second full week of school since early December), I'm back to spending my days in the car. Two daily carpool runs on two different school schedules makes my minivan a second home. And just like at home, the girls will ask for snacks to tide them over on the short trip from school to home. My latest solution is to keep a crate of clementines on the back seat. They are easy to peel, and if you do it right, the peel comes off in a single, easily disposable piece. They are tasty and not one bit messy.

Even with evening temps in the 20s, the clementines are just nicely chilled, not frozen. We've gone through two crates in the past week, which leaves me with a problem: what to do with leftover clementine crates? Wouldn't you know, there's a Facebook page devoted to the puzzling question; there are some creative ideas on this page, too, from a baby doll bed to an herb garden. There are more mundane uses as well, like paper storage (I've employed one crate to hold coupons awaiting sorting.)

I also found a lovely-sounding recipe at Megan's Cookin' blog for clementines dipped in chocolate and dusted with sea salt. Sounds like gilding the lily, but sometimes that's a good thing.

What about you? Are you crazy for clementines? Do you eat them straight or cook with them? Any genius ideas for repurposing clemmie crates?

Sunday, October 10, 2010

French toast with a funny name: Bostock

Pumpkin bostock. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I’m a half-hearted gardener at best - each spring, I clear out the weeds from the flower bed by the driveway and hand the girls seed packets and let them go to town. This year, we planted zinnias and daisies for the bright flowers, pumpkins and watermelons for the kid-pleasing factor (note: Burpee's Cut and Come Again Zinnia is always a winner). They all combined to yield a crazy quilt of blooms and vines in the garden. We faithfully watered through the summer, and in August, the vines got serious and shot out like Audrey II, taking over the garden bed and sending forth blooms. I wondered if pumpkin blossoms could be stuffed like squash blossoms, with goat cheese, then battered and fried. (and indeed they can, here's a visit to the future: Stuffed Pumpkin Blossoms)

In September, a fruit formed, and here she is, our own little pumpkin buddy:

Pumpkin is the flavor of fall and I use it to flavor Bostock, the French toast with the funny name. Using Francis Lam’s formula, I infused Challah slices with maple syrup, slathered them with seasoned pumpkin butter, broiled them and topped them with snappy crystallized ginger.

I didn't harvest our homegrown fruit for this treat, instead using canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin Butter

This makes quite a large amount. You may halve this quantity, or make the whole and freeze it until Christmas - a jar of pumpkin butter is a coveted gift.
1 cup apple cider or apple juice

1 ½ teaspoons ginger

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 ¼ cup sugar

Pinch salt

2 (15 oz.) cans pumpkin puree

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine apple cider, flavorings and sugar. Stir and let come to a boil. Lower heat and stir in pumpkin puree. Let cool. Place in plastic container and keep in refrigerator.

Maple Glaze

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup water

½ teaspoon vanilla

Pinch salt

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool.

Pumpkin bostock with maple and ginger. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Pumpkin Bostock with Maple and Ginger
Makes 6 sevings

1 recipe Maple Glaze

½ cup Pumpkin Butter

6 slices Challah bread, 1 ½ inches thick, stale or left at room temperature for a couple hours

1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a sheet pan with foil and a nonstick grid, if you have one. Dip bread slices in maple glaze and squeeze out extra liquid. Place on grid-covered baking sheet.

2. Spread each toast with pumpkin butter. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Your kitchen will be unbelievably fragrant at this point.

3. Remove toasts from ovens and sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger. Serve with hot, black coffee.