I can’t believe Christmas is in less than one week! I feel like I’m in pretty good shape-cards are done, tree’s done, shopping’s done and most of the wrapping is done. Now, all that’s left is for the kids to come home and the cooking to begin! In our household, Christmas Eve is the big dinner. Each year I play with the sides and dessert, but the main course is always a beef tenderloin fillet. We’ll be having 12 people for dinner this year, with a variety of eating preferences from Paleo to vegetarian. So to accommodate everyone, there will be some decidedly non-Paleo compliant offerings. This year’s menu is:

Starters:

Sweet Potato Chips with Duck Confit and Cranberry Black Pepper Chutney

Spiced Nuts

Assorted Cheeses

Main Event:

Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream Sauce

Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Roasted Vegetable Medley

Spanikopita

Green Salad

Dessert:

Purple Velvet Torte

Berries with Whipped Cream

Assorted Cookies

I don’t have any pictures yet (obviously), but here are some of the recipes I’ll be making.

Sweet Potato Chips with Duck Confit and Cranberry Black Pepper Chutney

This recipe came from a 2002 issue of Gourment Magazine. You could make your own sweet potato chips (the fancy French word is “gaufrettes”), but I just buy Terra brand chips. Yes, they’re made with canola or safflower oil, but I don’t have the time or inclination to deep-fry anything on Christmas Eve.

Ingredients:

1 Bag Terra Sweet Potato Chips

1 Duck confit leg, skin and bone discarded and meat finely shredded (I buy mine directly from D’artagnan.com)

Cranberry black pepper chutney (recipe follows)

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until hot, cook duck, stirring until any excess fat is melted and edges are slightly crisp, about 2 minutes.

Top each chip with some duck and a scant ½ teaspoon of chutney.

These can be assembled up to half an hour before serving and held at room temperature.

Cranberry Black Pepper Chutney

Ingredients:

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots

1 Tbl unsalted butter

6oz fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed)

½ cup agave nectar

1/3 cup water

1 Tbl cider vinegar

¾ tsp cracked black pepper

¼ tsp salt

Cook shallots in butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3-5 minutes. Stir in remain ingredients and simmer, uncovered, stirring  occasionally, until berries have burst and chutney in thickened, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

The chutney can be made up to one week in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.

Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream

This recipe is based on one from the White Dog Café Cookbook. The White Dog Café is a wonderful restaurant in Philadelphia. The White Dog has been using local, organic ingredients for years in some fabulous multicultural dishes. If you’re ever in Phillie be sure to check the place out.

Ingredients:

Beef:

½ cup Dijon mustard

½ cup dry red wine

2 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbl minced garlic

¼ cup minced shallots

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

1 center cut beef tenderloin (about 2 lbs)

Horseradish Cream

1 cup full fat sour cream

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup grated fresh horseradish

¼ tsp Tabasco, or to taste

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¾ tsp sea salt

1. Combine the mustard, wine, rosemary, garlic, shallots, pepper and olive oil in a bowl, whisk together. Place the beef in a shallow baking pan and rub with the marinade to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. (I recommend overnight)
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
3. Whisk together the sour cream, Worcestershire, horseradish, Tabasco, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Cover and chill. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance)
4. Place the beef on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast in the middle of the oven until medium rare, 35-40 minutes. An instant read thermometer should read 135 when inserted I n the middle of the roast. Let rest for 10-15 minutes, covered with foil.
5. Thinly slice the beef across the grain. Serve with the horseradish cream.

Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients:

2lbs mixed mushrooms (button, shiitake, porcini, cremini, etc)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

4 Tbl unsalted butter

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbl chopped garlic

1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Bruch the caps of each mushroom with a clean sponge. Remove and discard the stems. Thickly slice the mushrooms.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the butter, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until they’re tender and begin to release their juices, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Toss in the parsley, sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

Purple Velvet Torte

My challenge for a Paleo friendly dessert was to find something that didn’t contain nuts or coconut, since a couple of my guests have allergies. Elanaspantry.com to the resue! This recipe is delicious and your guests will never guess the secret ingredient.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups grated beets

1 cup agave nectar

4 eggs

½ cup grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup cocoa powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the beets and agave to a boil, then cover

2. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until beets are soft

3. Transfer beet-agave mixture to a blender and puree on highes speed until smooth

4. Blend in eggs, oil, vanilla, almond extract, cacao and salt until thoroughly incorporated

5. Pour batter into a well greased 9 inch cake pan

6. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean

Cool and serve

I’ll do my best to remember to take pictures, so I can update the post. No guarantees though, a couple of glasses of wine and all bets are off!

Merry Christmas to all! May all your celebrations be filled with joy and love!