I had the same thought as Finster - braised short ribs.
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Pizza sounds like a great idea. Can the new griddle get hot enough to handle that?Comment
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My temp gun says 550 on high with cover on... the videos I've watched stated low. You cook one side, then flip and add toppings. I think I'll cook both sides for a min/two, make a pile, then people can add toppings, and then back on griddle to melt cheese with cover. I think I'll get the smoker going too, to have more SA and to have a smoke option!
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I was looking into that bit about cooking pizza on a griddle. I think you can do it, with the right crust recipe, *if* you have a basting dome or bowl to cover the pizza and hold the heat in. Otherwise, just the crust cooks, and not the toppings. What I don't know is if that lid that comes with the Cuisinart works as a giant basting dome while cooking.Comment
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My favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition is Tamales. Sadly my friends that always made them for the parties has moved states and I have yet to tackle it on my own.
You could even smoke some pork, chicken or beef and do half the tamales with smoked and half without, and not much extra work involved to do so. Do one red sauce and one green for Christmas AND to identify what was smoked. Or get even more creative and play with colored ingredients for the masa to make them VERY distinct and festive.Comment
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I agree a rib roast or even individual (or 2 person) steaks cooked outdoors over just coals would be good for you and them. I reverse sear on my kettle all the time using just briquettes, no wood, and it give just a hint of smoke and is more just grilled flavor.
I would probably not recommend a griddle for pizza, especially if you’ve never done it. I’ve done grilled pizza but not griddled. It’s a whole different animal than “normal” pizza and needs to be treated very differently. Add in MN temps and I can just see it being hard to deal with.
if you want to use the griddle, I’d suggest something like steak and shrimp skewers (separate skewer), brush with some garlic butter or curry butter or sichuan spice butter while searing.Comment
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Huge fan of bolognese. I really love J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe. It works every time and is spectacular. We make it a couple of times/yr and freeze in smaller aliquots to enjoy later.
Beef tenderloin would be good or braised beef short ribs too.
Love the pizza idea. We purchased the "Baking Steel" pizza steel and follow their recipe for a 3 day dough that is also delicious. Nice thing about pizza, or a make-your-own format is that everyone gets what they want!
Good luck on your search!
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Standing rib roast, mashed taters, green bean casserole, yorkshire pudding, and sweet potato pie are my menu every year.Comment
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Hulagn1971 I’ll send it …. I had to write it down for one of the kids. Just fair warning, there’s a bunch of “too taste” in there cause I really don’t know the exact measurements
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We (that would be the me part of we) make beef stew for Christmas. It’s pretty soupy so it’s served over polenta and/or cheesy fried grits.Comment
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Pot Luck! Let the fam bring the food!
Seriously, though…..large format dishes really let the chef enjoy the event. Gumbo, stews, braised dishes like the short ribs, cassoulet (wait, what?). Since it’s just the two of us, French onion soup is the star.
But if a showstopper is the goal, how about a leg of lamb?Comment
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You said “days”; is it just Christmas, or will this be Thursday through Sunday? And it sounds like a dozen people?
If it’s multiple days, I’d recommend you make a huge tray of lasagna (or two) and the largest rib roast you can find and fit in your oven. Like 10 lbs (or more). The lasagna reheats wonderfully. The rib roast, you serve hot as slices (like restaurant style) on Christmas Day, then thin sliced and cold for sandwiches through the rest of the weekend. You’ll want good Swiss and cheddar cheeses, some horseradish, a quality mustard, mayo, etc. And good bread, or rolls.
Regular hot sides for Christmas Day. Potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni salad, fruit salad, stuff like that for Friday and during the weekend. The reason being, you can make them all ahead of time and exercise your love of hosting, and still enjoy the time with the family. By Sunday, all that stuff will probably be gone, or at least flagged out; you can play Sunday by ear. Make the pizzas would be fun.Comment
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As a Southern California native, it’s not Xmas Eve without tamales!
Tacos and tamales are on the menu for Xmas Eve. And you can’t beat prime rib for Xmas Day!Comment
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Here is my Christmas dinner for the past few years:
Tenderloin roast - reverse sear in oven, follow Serious Eats method w/ horseradish cream sauce
Penne ala vodka - easy, make the sauce a day or two before, put in the fridge 32oz takeout container, day of I boil the pasta, toss it all with some extra grated cheese and parsley
Some kind of cold salad - I can usually farm this out to my brother in law who lives close and makes shredded brussel sprout salad that is really nice with the rich meat and pasta.
Really good bread from local bakery
My wife makes a bunch of apps/bites as well.
I like the tenderloin as I have some picky eaters and filet makes everyone happy, except my wallet. If people want it anything but a perfect medium rare, I whack a few slices into a hot pan for them. Prime rib or strip loin would also be very good. Tenderloin works for smaller group because you can easily trim it down to a large chateaubriand and same the end cuts for yourself.
Beef bolognese is great - I am a huge fan of the Marcella Hazan recipe. Good video on FoodWishes.Com for that. I always double or triple the recipe and save for easy dinners or for making lasagna bolognese.
Pizza’s seem like a pain to me. Christmas is just one of those meals where I usually don’t cook outside. Too cold, too much in and out and I’m probably tending to a wood fireplace inside too. Make it easy on yourself, have everything done and enjoy a beverage of your choosing.
Just my .02.Comment
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