BY JANE JARRELL, DALLAS MORNING NEWS FOOD STYLIST
Holidays are all about eating and socializing over food. Often it’s not just about the food, it’s about the mood. So look for ways to prepare food ahead and spend more time with your guests. Pull out those favorite traditional menus and recipes and give them a whirl. After all, it’s Christmas only once a year!
COOKIES
1 Bake cookies and freeze four weeks ahead. They stay fresh if you scoop them into balls first, place on a cookie sheet, and put in the freezer. Once the balls are frozen, place in a freezer bag and put back into the the freezer. Using a permanent marker and write the date on the freezer bag to keep you current.
2 Store baked cookies in tins instead of plastic containers to keep them from going soggy. Place wax paper between the layers of cookies to keep them from sticking together.
CAKES
3 Bake cakes three days ahead, cover tightly with wax paper, place in freezer bags, and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator and add the frosting fresh the day of the party. Should you not have time to do a frosting, sprinkle with powered sugar and top each slice with a fresh herb such as mint or lemon thyme.
NUTBREADS
4 Freeze nut breads four weeks ahead and keep them moist by defrosting them in the freezer bag. Remove from bag prior to serving so the top will not be soggy. Slice and sprinkle with powdered sugar or a cinnamon/sugar blend. Nut breads are terrific served warm topped with a caramel ice cream.
TURKEY
5 Purchase and defrost your turkey three days ahead and rub real butter and fresh herbs under the skin of the turkey to marinate and season the meat. Add sliced onion, car-rot and celery to the baking pan to further season the cooking meat.
BEAUTIFUL FOOD TABLE
6 Create a beautiful table of food for dinner by planning your menu around your opulent desserts. Decorate the buffet with different types of cheesecakes, fruit tarts, and cookies placed on different levels of cake stands to add varying heights to your buffet.
7 Serve attention-getting food platters by varying the display heights either by placing them on wrapped boxes or by putting different sized boxes under a beautiful table covering. Each platter can be unique by tying a bunch of fresh herbs together with raffia or a narrow layered ribbon that complements your china. You can also embellish a platter with a small glass bud vase. Place a single stem flower in the vase to coordinate with your colors.
SERVING PLATTERS
8 Line up your food platters creatively. Again, alternate heights, labels, fresh flower garnishes. Think eye appeal. Serve the platters so that they are easy for your guests to reach and enjoy. Also label your platters with place cards so your guests know what they are about to eat. This can also be accomplished by writing your menu on a chalkboard at the entrance to your buffet.
NEW RECIPES
9 Try new recipes only if you know they work for you. Do a test run on new recipes prior to company. Does your family love them? If not, rethink the dishes. Are they easy to keep warm? Can they be made ahead? Are they good reheated?
FOOD TRADITIONS
10 Create traditions by serving a recipe from your grandmother’s table. Perhaps a corn-bread dressing or a coconut pound cake. However, don’t be limited by someone else’s specialty; try something new that your family loves as you work toward creating your own taste traditions.
By Jane Jarrell, Dallas Morning News Food Stylist * www.janejarrell.net