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Dinner - Wine Choice - Dessert - Cookies

Dinner Recipes

Baked Glazed Ham

2 tbsp. sugar                                                  1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. paprika                                              1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cinnamon                                             ¼ tsp. cloves

1 6-8 lbs fully cooked, bone-in smoked ham

GLAZE:

¼ cup plum, peach or pineapple preserves     3 tbsp. orange juice

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine, sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl. Score top and sides of ham with a knife in a crisscross pattern.  Sprinkle with spice mixture. Place ham in a 17 x 11 inch roasting pan.

Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours until instant read thermometer in center registers 140. (After 1 hour, cover ham loosely with foil to prevent it over browning). Combine preserves and orange juice in a small cup. Uncover ham and brush with preserves. Bake 5 minutes more. Let stand 15 minutes.

Cranberry-Pineapple Glaze

Place one 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce, 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained and 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard in blender or food processor; cover and blend until smooth.

Pour into small saucepan and cook on medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.  Serve over ham slices.

Lemon Dijon Beans

1 lb. fresh or frozen green beans                2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. lemon juice                                    2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

¼ to ½ tsp. dill                                          2 tbsp. sliced almonds

Cook beans in butter until crisp, add lemon juice, mustard and dill.  Toss well, heat through, sprinkle with almonds.

Maple Carrots

8 medium carrots                               ½ cup orange juice

1 tbsp. orange rind                             1 tsp. nutmeg

4 tbsp. maple syrup                            3 tbsp. butter

Peel carrots and cut into desired pieces.  Pour orange juice in a saucepan and add the carrots and rind. Coat the carrots with the orange juice. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes then add remaining ingredients and cook until tender.

Dinner - Wine Choice - Dessert

Wine Comments

Another crisis for the wine-picker: Christmas dinner.

Somehow Christmas is never as big a problem for me as Thanksgiving is.  Maybe that's because the Thanksgiving turkey is the centerpiece of the day, and I always feel the need to attempt perfection in my wine choice.  Christmas always seems less formal and pretentious to me.  People are more focused on presents and getting together than they are on the meal -- or at least that is how it always was in my family.

The meal Karen is planning has an imposing array of flavors: paprika, cinnamon, cloves, orange, lemon, maple syrup, almonds, Dill, nutmeg.  I don't think there is any wine that will stand out among all that, but there are choices that will fit in among them.

One possibility is a California Chardonnay.  The Chateau Souverain Chardonnay Sonoma County 2001 is widely available and moderately priced, with pronounced fruit and toasty oak flavors.

Another possibility would be a Sauvignon Blanc.  The Silverado Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2001 might be a good choice here.

Riesling could work as well.  The Columbia Riesling Columbia Valley Cellarmaster's 2002 is an absolute steal of a wine at under $10, with good balance.  Fairly sweet, though.  Hogue Cellars Johannisberg Riesling Columbia Valley 2002 is another great buy I can see here.

If you want a red, or plan to have both, stay on the lighter side.  Spanish Rioja could be a good choice here, or an Italian Chianti (but not a Riserva).  French Beaujolais (light and fruity) or Italian Dolcetto (very nice, but hard to find an American source) would do as well.  Perhaps the best American choice would be an Oregon Pinot Noir, but you should expect those to be a bit higher priced than the choices above.

But my own red choice will be a little surprising.  I think we'll probably be having the Brotherhood Winery's Holiday Spice Wine, which is our December Wine of the Month, before the meal around the fireplace.  I think I may pull out another bottle as we sit down to the meal, offer it with another choice in a little tasting, and see what people prefer.

Dinner - Wine Choice - Dessert

Dessert

White Chocolate-Cranberry Cheesecake

1 ¼ cups Oreo baking crumbs             ¼ cup melted butter

¾ cup sugar                                        3 eggs

4 squares white chocolate, melted            ½ cup dried cranberries

3/4 tsp. grated orange peel                  3 pkg. (8oz. each) softened cream cheese

Combine crumbs with butter and press firmly onto bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition.  Stir in chocolate, cranberries and orange peel; pour over crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Cool completely then refrigerate overnight. Garnish with dried cranberries.

To save time, this cheesecake can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the freezer until Christmas Day.

Dinner - Wine Choice - Dessert

 Last modified: August 07, 2007