Food- A Stellar Lineup

 Food

 
Keep at least one thing stress-free this holiday season—entertaining in style is easy with simple, show-stopping recipes.
Editor, Lindsay Duke

FENNEL AND BLOOD ORANGE SALAD

This crunchy salad couldn’t be easier to make. It only gets better with time, so prepare it the day before and take it out of the fridge about a half an hour before serving. During the winter months, you can find blood oranges at specialty food stores like DeLuca’s Specialty Foods, but regular oranges work well, too.

DRESSING SALAD
2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 blood oranges, segmented
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together mustard, lemon juice, vinegar and seasonings to taste.
Slowly pour in the oil, whisking until combined. Add fennel and blood orange segments and toss.

Serves 4

ROASTED GAME HENS WITH HERBED NEW POTATOES AND TOMATOES

More fun to serve than a traditional roasted chicken, game hens are an out of the ordinary dish for the holidays. We served ours with rapini.

2 game hens                    1 package of new potatoes           1 lemon — for juice and zest
2 tsp fresh tarragon           8 small, pickling onions, peeled    3 cloves of garlic
¼ cup butter                   1 container grape tomatoes          coarse salt
¼ cup olive oil                 5 sprigs fresh thyme                   freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice     olive oil
1 tsp paprika
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350˚F. With butcher’s string, truss the hens for even cooking. Place a wire baking rack in a roasting pan. Place the hens on top.

POUND CAKE WITH SWEET CRANBERRY-ORANGE SAUCE

A snap to make, this dressed-up verion of your favourite pound cake is sure to impress. For an even easier route, pick up store-bought pound cake (we love cranberry or orange flavoured) and you’ll be ready to serve in minutes.

1 pound cake
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp orange zest
½ cup sugar
1 cup apple juice or cider
pinch of cinnamon
sweetened whipped cream to garnish

In a small saucepan combine cranberries, apple, orange zest, sugar, juice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on until the cranberries pop open and the apple is soft, about 10 minutes. Spoon out a few cranberries and reserve. Use a hand immersion-blender or regular blender to puree the mixture. Return reserved berries to sauce and set aside. Cut the pound cake into four, one-inch-thick slices. Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out any desired shape.

Plate each dessert with a slice of pound cake, drizzle of sauce and top with whipped cream.

Serves 4 with leftover sauce

Photography by Grajewski Fotograph Inc