Cooking on Christmas: Part II, Putting it all together

After all of the morning prep work was done we opened presents and relaxed for a little while.

We jumped into the cooking around 6pm and started with the cocktails.

Kaffir lime infused vodka with ginger simple syrup (makes 2 drinks)
1 cup of kaffir lime vodka
1/2 cup of ginger simple syrup
1 fresh lime
Seltzer or sparkling water
Ice

In an iced filled cocktail shaker combine the vodka, syrup and the juice of the lime and shake vigorously, pour into an ice filled glass and top off with seltzer.

Freshly grated ginger

Kaffir lime infused vodka

Ginger simple syrup

Tasty cocktail

The Appetizer
10/20 count dry sea scallops
1 tablespoon garlic rosemary butter
Splash of olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
big pinch of salt
1/2 fresh lemon
Fresh basil roughly chopped

Wash and pat the scallops very dry sprinkle the salt over them. In a medium sized cast iron pan melt the butter and olive oil on medium high, once it starts to brown slightly put the scallops in. Don't move them around, let them cook on the initial side until almost cooked through, flip them over and finish cooking them on the other side. Be careful not to over cook as they will be rubbery.

Remove the scallops from the pan and reduce the heat to medium, add the juice of the lemon the white wine and a little more butter. Cook for 5 or so minutes until reduced slightly, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Turn off the flame add the basil stir for another minute.

Place the scallops on a warmed plate and pour the sauce over the scallops, enjoy with a fresh crusty bread and a glass of white wine.

Festive Scallops

Brussel Sprouts
1 lb brussel sprouts trimmed and washed
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 unsalted butter
few drop of lemon juice

Bring a large sauce pan 3/4 full of water to a boil add a few large pinches of salt and sugar boil the sprouts until the are bright green and tender. drain and rinse under cold water.

Toast  the hazelnuts in a dry pan stirring until the skins char and begin to split. Remove from the heat and place them in a clean kitchen towel, tool around until most of the skins are off. Place them on a cutting board and chop them roughly. Heat the butter and in the sauce pan and add the hazelnuts cook for 3 minutes turn off the heat and return the brussel sprouts to the pan, toss them with them butter and nuts. Put them in a bowl and keep them warm.


The Filet
The filet's can either be grilled, broiled or pan seared. I chose the the latter method, since it was a little to chilly to fire up the grill. I cooked them until about medium removed them from the heat and let them rest while I plated everything up.

The final dish that I put together was the basil and garlic mashed potatoes. I like the taste of fresh finely minced garlic in the cooked potatoes, although not everyone will. Once the potato was cooked and mashed I added finely chopped basil and the garlic and seasoned with salt and a little pepper to taste.

I served dinner with a bottle of tempranillo that complemented the filet really well.