Delegate’s Favorite Holiday Recipes

As we approach the holiday season, comfort and joy come to mind. To spread some warmth and cheer, the team at Delegate has pulled together a montage of our favorite holiday recipes – old traditions and new additions to add to your family holiday fun.

We hope you are all safe and healthy and that you enjoy a restful and restorative season with those whom you love.

Morgan’s Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad 

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon shallot minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1-1/2 pounds baby kale or Tuscan kale with center stems removed thinly sliced
• 12 ounces Brussels sprouts very thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil divided
• 1⁄2 cup almonds chopped
• 3⁄4 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Directions

• Combine the first 5 ingredients and set aside to develop flavors.
• Mix kale and Brussels sprouts in a large bowl.
• Take 1⁄2 cup of oil from above and heat in a skillet, add almonds and cook until brown about 2 mins.
• Transfer to a paper towel, lightly salt, and add to the rest of the dressing.
• Add to kale mixture and cheese and toss to coat. All of the dressing may not be needed.

Andy’s Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping

Note from Andy: A childhood favorite and always present at our Thanksgiving table! The streusel topping can spice up the marshmallows or replace them if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (4 large) sweet potatoes (skinned and mashed)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 large can PET Milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 package small marshmallows

Directions

• Mix the ingredients when the sweet potatoes are still hot.
• Put the mixture into the baking dish. (Do not cover it with marshmallows, yet!)
• Prepare the mixture in advance and refrigerate it overnight or take the next step immediately.
• Put the dish in a 350^o oven for 15 minutes to reheat the potatoes all the way through. Heat it for 30 minutes if the potatoes were refrigerated overnight.
• Remove the dish from the oven and top with the marshmallows.
• Heat it for another 8-10 minutes until the marshmallows are lightly toasted. Heat it for 10-15 minutes if you like the marshmallows darker and crustier. Keep an eye on them!

Add an Additional Topping of Brown Sugar Streusel
Ingredients (mix in advance)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 stuck of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced pecans (or walnuts), optional

Directions 

• Heat the sweet potatoes as above until they are heated all the way through.
• Top the dish with marshmallows, sprinkling the streusel mix in with the marshmallows.
• Heat it for 10-15 minutes until the marshmallows are how you like them.

Dunkin’s Carrot Soufflé

Ingredients

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1 cup whole or 2% milk
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the baking dish
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, remove any racks above that rack, and heat to 350°F. Coat a 2-quart soufflé dish or (8x8x2) baking dish generously with butter; set aside.
• Fill a large saucepan halfway with water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and simmer, reducing the heat as needed, until very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.
• Place the milk, eggs, and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or blender and process or blend until smooth. Add the cooked carrots and butter and process or blend until very smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the cheese, flour, and baking powder and stir until combined. Transfer to the prepared dish and spread into an even layer. Bake until puffed and just set in the middle, about 1 hour in a soufflé dish, 45 to 50 minutes in the baking dish. Serve immediately.

Carolyn’s Turkey Gravy 

Note from Carolyn: This is my mom’s recipe, passed down from her grandmother who was born in Macon, Georgia in 1864. My family always (always!) served with rice, not mashed potatoes because, as it’s told, that’s the southern tradition for Thanksgiving. Bear in mind that the entire family lived in New York beginning in 1895, so this ‘southern tradition’ felt like a sweet way of recognizing our family’s matriarchs even while none of us had even visited southern Georgia. This is how my mom wrote it down for me on the recipe card when I was married.

• Boil giblets and neck several hours in water, adding 2 chicken bouillon cubes, onions and celery leaves. If it’s a large turkey, start with about a quart of water. If it boils away, add more water. Cook until neck meat is falling off the bone. Strain and save liquid.
• When turkey is removed from roasting pan to carve, pour the drippings into a measuring cup, removing all fat but approx. 8 Tbsp.
• Return the drippings to the roasting pan. Add 8 Tbsp flour and mix until smooth. Add the liquid from the cooked giblets and heat on the stovetop to boiling, stirring constantly. If it’s too thick, add water.

Keosha’s Bake Banana Pudding 

Ingredients

• 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 (16 ounce) package vanilla wafers
• 7 bananas, sliced in circles

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes, or until it’s smooth.
• Blend in the condensed milk until it’s smooth. Stir in the vanilla and fold in the whipped topping.
• Layer the wafers, bananas and pudding mixture in a serving bowl.
• Chill until serving.

Morgan’s Chez Panisse Almond Tart

Ingredients
For the Dough

• 1 cup (140g) flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup (4oz, 115g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into little cubes
• 1 tablespoon ice water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

For the Tart Filling

• 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (80g) sliced almonds (I prefer unblanched but either is fine)
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier or Amaretto

Directions
For the Dough

• Mix the flour and sugar in a standing electric mixer or food processor (or by hand, using a pastry blender).
• Add the butter and mix, or pulse until the butter is in very small pieces, the size of rice. It should be pretty well-integrated with no large visible chunks.
• Add the water and extracts and mix until the dough is smooth and comes together.
• Press into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and chill thoroughly.
• To put the pastry in the pan, let the dough come to room temperature and press the dough into a tart shell using your hand.
• It takes some practice but don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. Try to get the dough relatively flat on the bottom, and push it evenly up the sides with your thumbs. But once again, it doesn’t need to be perfect, but you do want to make sure the sides don’t collapse. If that happens, you can take it out midway during baking, and push the half-baked dough back up the sides.
• Put the tart shell in the freezer and chill thoroughly.
• To bake the shell, preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
• Bake the shell for 20-30 minutes, until it is set and light golden-brown.
• Remove from the oven and patch any holes with leftover dough.

For the Tart Filling

• To bake the tart, line the rack under the one you plan to use with a sheet of aluminum foil to catch any spills and drips.
• Heat the cream, sugar, and salt in a big, wide heavy-duty pot (use one that’s at least 4 qts, 4l) until it begins to boil.
• Continue to cook and when it starts to foam up, remove it from the heat and stir in the almonds, the almond extract, and the liquor.
• Scrape the filling into the shell. If there’s a bit too much filling, don’t toss it; in case the tart leaks, you can use it to add more.
• Make sure there are no clumps or piles of almonds and that everything is evenly distributed, then put the filled tart shell into the oven.
• After the first ten minutes, check the tart.
• Take a heatproof rubber spatula, holding it diagonally and with a tapping motion, break up the surface of the tart. Doing this is very important since it avoids the top of the tart getting that ‘corn flaky‘ look.
• Be sure to give the filling a good series of ‘taps’—not enough to break the tart shell pastry underneath, but it’s important to break up the surface crust that’s forming.
• Continue to cook, checking the tart every 5-8 minutes, and break up any dry crust that may be forming, getting less aggressive as the filling sets up. As it begins to caramelize, stop tapping it and let the tart do its thing.
• Remove the tart from the oven when the filling is the color of coffee with a light touch of cream in it and there are no large pockets of gooey white filling, about 30 minutes. Let the tart cool a few minutes on a cooling rack.
• Check and see if the tart has fastened itself to the tart ring. Slide a knife (or a curved vegetable peeler, which will slide nicely in between the ridges) between the tart and the pan to loosen it so the sides don’t come off when you remove the ring.
• To remove the ring, rest the tart on top of a solid object (like a tall jar) and gently coax the ring off. Slip a large spatula underneath it to return the tart to a cooling rack.
• Once completely cool, run a long chef’s knife under the tart to release it from the bottom. If it’s stubborn, set the tart on top of a warm stove burner for a second or two and you should be able to pry it off.

A Couple of Tips

• The dough can be made in advance, and chilled (maximum 4 days) or frozen longer. The dough, once pressed in the tart pan, can be frozen. Wrap in plastic if you don’t plan to bake it within 48 hours. Once made, the tart should be kept at room temperature. If not eaten the same day, wrap in plastic wrap. The tart is best the first day but can be kept for up to 4 days.
• Unlike other doughs, this should be room temperature when you press it in the pan. I’ve tried rolling it but it doesn’t work. Plus this method is much less messy. You could also use the French tart dough, which works well, too.
• Don’t overbeat the butter for the dough and be sure to save a nubbin which you can use to patch any holes once the tart shell is baked off.
• If you forget to save a bit of dough, just mix a bit of flour and water together to make a thick slurry and use that to fill in any and all gaps on the just-baked tart shell. And don’t be shy! If it looks like it might leak, it probably will. So fix it.
• Use an old pair of oven mitts for handling the tart when taking it out of the oven. The caramel is a tad sticky and it’s likely to adhere to the gloves.
• Be sure to line the lower rack of the oven with foil to catch any leaks and spills.