Holiday Goodies

Since Thanksgiving is all about so many heavy dishes, such as mashed potatoes, gratin and gravies, it's always nice to have a little bit of green at the table.

These beans are the perfect palate-cleansing side, providing that clean, acidic sweetness, much like the cranberry sauce.  The citrus just pops and will refresh the senses in between spoonfuls of sweet potatoes and turkey.

Best part, serve them room temperature, which means you can make them up a few hours ahead and not worry about getting them to the table hot.  In fact, I'm betting these could be made the day before, refrigerated in the dressing, and re-tossed right before dinner is served.

They are outstanding and a recipe I will use all year.

The festiveness of the holidays is upon us and it's time to make a plan of attack.  What to serve?  How to serve it? What I am bringing where? And how the heck am I going to feed all these people?

Anyway, I'm hardly the first one who thought of this but it's a staple around here during the holiday season.  This is one of those great, quick appetizers you make in a moments notice.  Stock your fridge with a few logs of goat cheese (it lasts a long time), some dried cranberries and shelled pistachios. 

The sweet cranberries, salty nuts and earthy taste of the goat cheese are a great combination.

If you have unexpected guests, or have to work late before a party and don't want to show up empty handed...this is perfect.  Also, if you have to travel a long way and need something to hold up in the car....this works well.  Even if you have planned every detail down to the millisecond, this is still the perfect appetizer to put out for your guests.

The American media warns us at every turn that Christmas is a time of over-indulgence. Women’s magazines sprout articles about how to avoid the buffet table, not to mention an extra ten pounds. Readers flip quickly past that article to the one depicting how to decorate a sugar cookie.

Honestly, that cattle call to temptation has never bothered me all that much. My university’s English department parties tend to offer a lively selection of cheap wine, together with three different kinds of hummus. Besides, I shed calories wrestling a five-foot tree into submission, grading final papers for my Shakespeare students, and fighting my way to Fed Ex to mail late presents.

But this year my husband and I are on sabbatical from our respective universities, so we packed up loads of books, two children and four laptops, and moved to Paris. We have a rangy apartment in the 9th arrondissement, with floors dating to the 1760s, four patisseries within a block or two, and a covered market just over the border in the 10th.

Last week while visiting with our banker (yes, there are some things you just have to actually go inside a bank branch, apparently) we got on the topic of food. Naturally. We were trading names of favorite restaurants, talking about the holidays, when our banker mentioned how he couldn’t wait to enjoy his family’s Christmas coquito.

As a Puerto Rican in Los Angeles I could only imagine the lengths he must go through in order to enjoy his food. Because unlike Chicago or New York or even Miami, we fall short when it comes to Puerto Rican food. Miserably short. I’m glad I spent years in Chicago, eating lechón and mofongo regularly and ever since my first trip to Puerto Rico last year I’ve realized how sad it makes me that it’s a bit harder to find here. But enough of the sad story. Back to that coquito!

I’ve never made coquito myself, the creamy sweet coconut concoction that’s a cousin to traditional egg nog.  Egg yolks, cream of coconut, spices, condensed milk and rum are blended then chilled and POW – it’s sweet and powerful!

I must confess that I like it a bit more than standard egg nog and have decided that I’ll make it an annual tradition during Christmas starting this year. And I promise to toast my banker each time I make it!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!