Christmas eve dinner

Ann Hargreaves

14 years ago

My Christmas eve menu turned out well:

Green salad with apples, toasted nuts and blue cheese with a vinaigrette.

Filet Mignon

Port/balsamic/cherry reduction sauce

Mushroom Ragout

Spiral Ham glazed with a cherry/port glaze

Steamed green beans tossed with olive oil & lemon juice

Maple Roasted sweet potatoes

Mashed Potatoes Casserole

The most difficult part was cooking a dozen steaks while everyone waited. I pan seared the steaks and then finished them in the oven. Had two frying pans going at a time. It was the first time I have ever done this for a group. I was a little tense....but I didn't burn the house down.

Any tips on how to do this, for next time, are appreciated.

Ann

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Comments (4)

caliloo
14 years ago
Sounds like a lovely meal! I rarely do a lot of steaks at one time (unless we are grilling, I have a BIG grill) so I have no suggestion for that.... but it sounds like you handled it perfectly.

Alexa
pkramer60
14 years ago
It sounds fantastic, but next year, roast the tenderloin whole. Pan sear, then pop into the oven. It frees up stove space and lets you work on other things. And ask for help!
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Thank you all! I thought I would be exhausted but it was so much fun it invigorated me. But I must confess it took me until today to finish hand washing the last of the wine glasses and I still have the tablecloths and napkins to wash. LOL /biondanonima I separated the skin from the breast, created cracklings and used them as garnish. I used the duck fat to sear the breasts.
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compumom
14 years ago
Ditto! This is the recipe that I'm using this year. It was a hit the 2 other times that I made it!

Beef Tenderloin With Roasted Shallots ****

Submitted by: Christine L.
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 328 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
"This tenderloin roast makes a good company dinner, It is similar to Beef Bourgignon, but requires considerably less cooking time. Roasted shallots are added to the sauce along with sauteed bacon bits. The recipe serves 6 and can be doubled."
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound shallots, halved
lengthwise and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups beef broth (two 14oz cans)
3/4 cup port wine (used more)
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste (maybe more)
2 pounds beef tenderloin roast,
Trimmed (I used 4 lbs for 9 people) not too chilled!
1 teaspoon dried thyme (didnÂt use)
3 slices bacon, diced (used two)
3 tablespoons butter (used less)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 sprigs watercress, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In 9 inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine beef broth and port. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste. Set aside.
3. Pat beef dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove top, saute bacon until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan; brown on all sides over medium high heat, about 7 minutes. LET MEAT REST FOR A BIT AND COOL DOWN BEFORE COOKING IN OVEN!!
4. Transfer pan to oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees F (50 degrees C) for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil.
5. Spoon fat off top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place pan over high heat on stove top. Add broth mixture, and bring to boil; stir to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste; whisk into broth mixture, and simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cut beef into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spoon some sauce over, and garnish with watercress.

This recipe appears in our "Allrecipes cookbook".
from Allrecipes.com 12/26/2006
Terri_PacNW
14 years ago
Ellen, that sounds delicious!

I used the last of my Port to make Short Ribs a week or so ago..and meant to pick up another bottle yesterday...Grrr...

I don't even think I have beef stock..just turkey right now...

I am going to go "recipe box" that at allrecipes..for future use..

Christmas eve dinner

Comments (4)

caliloo

pkramer60

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compumom

Terri_PacNW

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