Both feasts and fast meals have their place during the holiday season. Here are a few of my go-tos including a fancy dinner dish, the easiest app ever and a festive drink.
Heirloom Tomato Turkey Piccata Stack
The definition of piccata in cooking is thin slices of meat, typically veal or chicken, that are dredged in flour, sauteed and served in a lemon-butter sauce. Turkey can easily be substituted for chicken in this melt-in-your-mouth dish, perfect for a special holiday dinner party.
Serves 4
Boneless turkey breast, thinly sliced and/or pounded (you’ll want two palm-size pounded pieces of FLAT turkey for each serving)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Big pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 to 2 more tablespoons of butter for sauce
- ¼ to ½ cup white wine
- 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons capers
- Fresh lemon juice (from at least one lemon — add more lemon juice to taste)
- 2 to 3 large heirloom tomatoes, thickly sliced
- Parsley sprig and lemon slices for garnish, as desired
Mix flour with salt and pepper on a large platter or plate. Dredge turkey pieces in flour mixture, lightly coating both sides. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.
Lightly brown turkey pieces. This will only take a couple of minutes on each side. Remove turkey to a clean platter.
Pour wine into the same skillet (after turkey is removed, leaving all residue for the deglazing). Keep heat on medium-high. Add garlic, capers and lemon juice to the bubbling wine, then stir in butter a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If you want a thinner sauce, you can add more wine, broth or water. Taste the sauce and add more butter, capers or lemon if desired. Return turkey to sauce and heat through.
To serve, place a piece of turkey on each plate. Add a tomato slice then another piece of turkey. Stack another tomato on the top. Spoon and drizzle sauce over the stack and around the plate. Garnish with parsley and lemon as desired.
Cheese Wafers
The perfect hors d’oeuvre or accompaniment to any soup or salad, these wafers can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to a month. You can use any type of hard, dry cheese such as cheddar, parmesan, asiago, pecorino or Manchego.
Makes about 2 dozen
- 1 to 2 cups grated cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of cheese to form 3-inch rounds on baking sheet. Keep cheese disks about 1 inch apart. Make as many rounds as desired. Bake until cheese is melted golden brown and stops bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet until hardened.
Cranberry Ginger Punch
This big batch of alcohol-free Cranberry Ginger Punch is a perfectly fizzy and flavorful crowd pleaser. Of course it can be turned into a cocktail by adding a shot of vodka or gin to each glass. I suggest using a premium brand of ginger beer — such as Fever-Tree, which is made with real ginger root — for best results.
Makes 8 servings
- 16 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
- 16 ounces apple cider
- 16 ounces ginger beer
- Sugared cranberries, garnish
- Lime slices, garnish
- Orange slices, garnish
Mix cranberry juice and apple cider in a large pitcher or punch bowl. Top with ginger beer. Ladle punch into ice-filled glasses and garnish with cranberries, lime and orange slices.
Orange Cardamon Pancakes
Serves 4 to 6
- 3 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- 1 stick butter melted, plus more for greasing griddle
- Maple syrup, for serving
- Orange marmalade or blueberry jam, for serving
Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, orange extract, zest and melted butter to dry ingredients. Mix well to combine. Add more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, if you want even thinner pancakes. Heat a large, nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add butter to griddle for greasing. Working in batches, cook pancakes using about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top and golden brown underneath (1 to 2 minutes) then flip and cook until golden on the other side (1 to 2 minutes). Repeat until all pancakes are cooked, adding more butter to griddle as needed.
Keep pancakes warm on a plate covered with foil or on a baking sheet in warm oven until serving. Drizzle with maple syrup and top with butter, jam or marmalade as desired.
This article appears in The Source Weekly December 5, 2024.
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