Christmas Menu: A Different Take on Christmas

I got an email a week or so a go from someone telling me they decided to have fondue for Christmas dinner. They were tired of the over-the-top production that goes along with most Christmas feasts and just wanted to have a simple but exceptional meal and had settled on fondue.

Fondue is indeed a simple meal — you melt cheese in wine and then dunk bread in it. Which is not to say in any way that it is simple in flavor and satisfaction. But for me it’s not an exceptional meal as I can’t imagine getting through the winter without making at least one and usually two batches of it. For me an exceptional meal is one I’ve never made before or I last had it some years ago.

But I like the man’s attitude and agree with him completely, fondue is an excellent Christmas dinner — especially if there are only four people to serve. So I got to thinking — how might I make this dish that I consider essentially comfort food exceptional? I’m not sure if this menu is quite there yet, but it’s damned close. The flavors and tastes all work together, it makes a festive looking plate, and it’s only 30 minutes work for a dish that most people find exotic.

Note, this a feast of nibbles. The fondue is in the center, but is greatly enriched by the other little munchies around it.

Fondue: This is a traditional cheese fondue. A blend of Gruyere and Emmentaler give it a definite edge, tossing the cheese in flour and shaking off the excess provides exactly the right thickening/binding at exactly the right moment, and sauvignon blanc comes close to the acidity of the Swiss wines typically used. Stay away from corn starch – it ruins the texture. And the kirschwasser is served separately – for dunking

Beet Salad: These luscious beets are equally good served cold (as I would do in this meal) but use olive oil instead of butter. I’d go for red beets (if I can’t find the peppermint-striped beets) but golden beets would also be pretty on the plate – cook the beets a day early. As a cold beet salad, toss some mesclun with chilled beets before serving. Red and green — hey it’s Christmas!

Prosciutto-wrapped Clementines: Yep. That’s all there is to it. Peel a half dozen clementines, wrap them in a shred of proscuiutto, and serve. The sweet-tartness of the clementines is a perfect foil for the savory-saltiness of the ham. On the plate you’ve got more red and some orange. Jeez this is getting festive. Hmmm, what next?

Deviled Eggs: I wanted to bring something slightly bitter in at this point and casting about in my mind I found dill, which is mildly bitter. I also adore deviled eggs andI’m quite capable of eating half a dozen at once — so I don’t make them very often. But I usually at a good bit of fresh dill to my deviled eggs and I thought they would be delicious with fondue.

Poached Pears: Finish the night with a dessert as simple as the rest of the meal. Pears Poached in red wine. Pears are almost out of season, but a little searching can still turn up some good ones. One of my favorite recipes is this one. Use Madeira for a red color and I like serving it with mascarpone on the side.

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