12/18/2006

In the Kitchen

Color the holidays with great food

By Sally Ketchum
Local columnist

Just now, in the packs of Crayolas that every child uses, the red, the green and the forest green crayons are worn down to stubs.

Oh, the colors of Christmas! Of course, designers have to have a tweak holiday colors, and being professionals, they usually do it well. I saw one feature where the lady's favorite color was lavender, and so was her Christmas. "Egad! Not for me!”

But, at second glance, the decorations were actually were quite pretty; the lavender was a soft hue, and she used lots of real balsam greens and a little silver here and there. It was lovely and sophisticated, but still, not for me.

The scheme reminded me of a former neighbor who staked her personality on loving blue. She lived in a blue house with blue carpeting and furniture and also had a pale blue Christmas tree with bright blue lights, which we could clearly see out our kitchen window. It looked like a department store window to me.

Although I am opinionated, I'm really not good with color. Recently I knit a sock so ugly that I can't bring myself to knit its mate. The knitting is fine, but I flunked colors. They were off the wall, and calling all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't knit those hues together attractively.

But color in the kitchen is my pallet, in the foods and on the plates, not on the walls and counters, especially during the holidays. These are some of the ideas I've successfully tried.

• If you choose a white or neutral starch, add bits of holiday color. Red sauce on pasta is a given, but what of Alfredo and other cheese sauces? I've used spinach pasta under white sauces, and it is easy and usually tasty to sprinkle cream-sauced pasta with chopped parsley, Italian seasoning or a complementary spice like Italian seasoning or bright paprika. (Smoked paprika is darker and stronger in taste.)

• Look to the side dishes. The dark green vegetables are the healthiest. Chards (beet greens grown for their edible stems and leaves) are old favorites, new again, and are wonderful in dishes from chicken soup to quiches. Tip: If you can possibly find red chard, use it for the holidays. When cooked, the leaves turn green, but the stems remain a lovely red, and chopped stems can be sprinkled over the buttered chard or even over contrasting vegetables, green beans or steamed carrots. For culinary bling, add the chopped red stems and green leaves to a risotto (or quick, packaged rice or noodle dishes.)

• Oh, we are blessed! We have cherries. I like to plump up dried cherries with Kirsch, a clear brandy made from cherries and cherry pits. It's a key ingredient in Cherries Jubilee. In a pinch, I add a tablespoon of dried cherries to a tablespoon of Kirsch and microwave for 15 seconds, then let it sit a while, 10 minutes if you have time. The result is plump cherries for use in cookies, cakes, salads and sauces. I usually keep a cup of dried cherries in Kirsch in the fridge on hand for color when I need it in a dish. Try in cherries in a Leelanau cheese (raclette) fondue — wonderful to add a little Kirsch, too.

• My colorless disaster: For a rather formal dinner, with good white china, I planned an all-white menu from blanched endive leaves holding halved green grapes and creamy French Boursin cheese to a halibut entrée covered by a pale lemon glaze, baby potatoes in cream and a white-frosted carrot cake. This was all with a white tablecloth and candles stuck in fake white snowballs. It was, of course, not only boring, but also unappetizing. I think guests craved Mexican food. (About that halibut, if you haven't tried cooking with Malani's Dill Sauce, do so — usually near the salad dressings. I love it and use it many ways.) I list my holiday pantry choices below.

• Red and green food coloring
• Cinnamon candies or red hots
• Dried Michigan cherries
• A small bottle of Kirsch
• Maraschino cherries
• Colored sugars
• Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples
• Red and green grapes
• Chili sauce and ketchup
• Paprika
• Red pepper flakes
• Pimento, chopped (Several small jars, it's useful!)
• Jarred roasted tomatoes
• Canned beets (fresh baby beets are best)
• Dried parsley (fresh is better)
• Dried Italian seasoning
• Various green herbs, e.g. thyme, rosemary, basil
• Various greens (Chards, lettuces, etc.) and green vegetables (string beans, broccoli)

I leave you wishing you a merry Christmas, good health, fine fortune and colorful tables.

And let our Christmas be white.

Roasted Beets and Onions

• 24 (1-inch) boiling onions
• 12 beets (can be mixed red and golden — 4 lbs., trimmed, leaving 1-inch stem attached)

Preheat oven to 475°.

Blanch onions in a large pot of boiling water one minute, then drain. Trim and peel.

Tightly wrap onions and beets in double layers of foil to make five packages (2 of onions, 3 of beets) and roast until tender, 30-40 minutes for onions and about an hour for beets. When beets and onions are cool enough to handle, discard foil. Slip off skins and stems from beets and cut into wedges. Gently mix onions and beets.

Cook's note: Beets and onions may be roasted one day ahead. Cool, then chill separately in sealed plastic bags. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with aioli (a strong garlic-flavored mayonnaise) or dip of your choice.

— Gourmet Entertains

Sally Ketchum writes from northern Michigan where Christmas is apt to be white and life is colorful year-round. She can be reached at ketchum1985@gmail.com or through the Record-Eagle.