Have a holly, jolly Chrismukkah
These holiday recipes combine culinary traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah for season-long enjoyment
These holiday recipes combine culinary traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah for season-long enjoyment
- November 28, 2013
Blueberry buttermilk scones with a white chocolate glaze.
Traditional potato latkes.
Classic Christmas quiche.
Peppermint chocolate holiday bark.
Is it even really a holiday without brunch? The answer is no, my friends.
Brunch is an essential part of relaxing and reflecting on all the great me-time you’re having this holiday season. While every Sunday brunch is a mini vacation for me, the holiday brunch affair holds a special place in my brunch-consumed heart.
I celebrate Chrismukkah and the food options are always boundless. The only thing missing in my Chrismukkah brunch is Seth Cohen.
Traditional Potato Latkes
I can’t focus on anything else when latkes — what some call potato pancakes — are in front of me. If you like pancakes and french fries, a latke is their lovechild made for brunch. I like to keep my latkes classic, topping them with applesauce, but you can always throw some sour cream on there (after my Dad talks about his latke artistry for twenty minutes, he has been known to top them off with horseradish — classic). Also, did you know Lemony Snicket wrote a children’s book called the “The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming”? It’s fantastic, just like these crispy gems.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups grated potatoes (sans excess liquid)
3 tbsp grated onion
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Desired toppings
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat skillet with a good helping of oil at medium high heat (avoid smoking).
2. Mix grated onion and potatoes together, adding the beaten egg with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Take a scoop of the mixture in your hands, flatten to about pinky finger width and throw on frying pan until golden brown on both sides.
4. Place onto paper towel to get of rid of excess grease before serving.
Yields 10-12 latkes
Blueberry Buttermilk Scones with a White Chocolate Glaze
Brunch isn’t complete without a scone. While they seem like a fancy tea-time snack to enjoy with the cast of Downton Abbey, scones are actually incredibly simple to make — perfect for the holidays. These blue and white delights are reminiscent of the Hanukkah colour scheme, believed to have originated from the Israeli flag. They’re like a naughty dessert for breakfast. You can’t feel bad about it, though, since they’re helping celebrate Jewish dedication in treating yourself and your family to this yummy treat.
INGREDIENTS:
For the scones:
2 cups flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
Dash of salt
1/2 cup cubed, cold, salted butter
3/4 cup of buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tsp of vanilla
As many blueberries as you want (1 cup suggested)
For the glaze:
1 tbsp butter
6 squares of Bakers white chocolate
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.
2. Incorporate butter with pastry cutter until it reaches a crumby consistency.
3. Whisk egg, buttermilk and vanilla together.
4. Add wet mixture to butter and flour mixture and incorporate with a fork.
5. Gather dough in hands, make balls about the size of your palm and place them on buttered baking sheet.
6. Bake for 23 minutes or until browned on the tops.
7. While the scones bake, begin prepping the glaze.
8. Heat pot on medium heat, add butter.
9. When butter is melted, add four squares of chocolate.
10. When chocolate is melted add the milk and icing sugar. Stir mixture constantly until smooth.
11. Add remaining chocolate. Stir until smooth.
12. Add glaze to cooled scones.
Yields 6 large scones.
Peppermint Chocolate Holiday Bark
Need a sweet ending sumptuous Christmukkah brunch? Look no further than this simple bark. It’s a perfect last minute to whip up for that potluck you forgot about. You can even throw on some A Charlie Brown Christmas while you wait for it to harden. I warn you though, breaking this baby up is a Christmukkah challenge.
Ingredients:
4 large peppermint candy canes
10 squares of Bakers bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp butter
Directions:
1. Heat pot on medium low heat.
2. Crush candy canes on a hard surface with a hard beating tool.
3. Add butter to the pot once it is sufficiently heated.
4. Once butter is melted slowly add chocolate and stir constantly until it is melted.
5. Pour melted onto about a 4x9 inch glass baking dish sprinkle crushed candy cane on top.
6. Place in freezer for about one hour until completely hardened. Then crush the chocolate into edible sized pieces.
Classic Christmas Quiche
Every year, without fail, my family starts Christmas day off with brunch at my grandma’s in Montreal. While there’s lots of yelling and frying of perogies, the quiche we order from
Pâtisserie De Gascogne is always perfect. I’ve been eating this quiche since before I can
remember, so I decided to try out my own version of the French classic. I used green and red veggies to complete the Christmas cheer. Honestly, this turned out so well that maybe my family will have to start adding the ‘cooking of the homemade quiche’ to our things to yell about. Too much excitement.
INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:
1 cup cold butter
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cold filtered water
Pinch of salt
For the filling:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 asparagus
1 red pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Incorporate butter and flour together with a pastry cutter until crumby.
2. Add water and continue cutting until dough is crumby but together. You don’t want to overwork your dough though. Be gentle.
3. Roll out dough to half a pinky finger width thick and shape into 11cm x 3cm pie pans.
4. When that is done, sauté the veggies with butter until softened. Add the veggies to
the pie crust. Sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour mixture over veggies in pie crust.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the egg is cooked and the crust is golden brown.
Yields 4 personal quiches.
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