Interviews & Essays
Katie Brown's Twelve Days of Christmas Party
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my party plan would be...
Twelve Guests Invited
Eleven Favors Given
Ten Candles Burning
Nine Bells-a-Ringing
Eight Carols for Singing
Seven O'Clock Arrival
Six Sideline Sauces
FIVE FONDUE POTS!
Four Fruits to Dip
Three Great Wines
Two Centerpieces
And One Twinkling Christmas Tree...
Twelve Guests Invited:
Throw a dinner for twelve close friends to help celebrate the holiday season.
Eleven Favors Given:
Create a favor for each guest to take home. Either the same for everyone or something different designed around the taste of each guest. Make it a festive holiday treat...a fabulous ornament...a homemade berry wreath or a jar of your famous preserves.
Ten Candles Burning:
Choose ten different types of candles to have on the table and around the house. Candlelight and Christmas go hand in hand, so make your house glow!
Nine Bells-a-Hanging:
Choose an assortment of bells, old or new, and hang them around the house, on necklaces for your guests, or from your chandelier. And every once in a while give them a jingle!
Eight Carols for Singing:
Photocopy the words and music to eight of your favorite Christmas carols and have a caroling session in front of the fire -- or entertain your neighbors on your street the old-fashioned way!
Seven O'Clock Arrival:
A good time to start the festivities, giving you enough time for cocktails, dinner, caroling, and dessert.
Six Sideline Sauces:
Create an array of accompanying sauces/condiments for your Beef Fondue. A creamy Béarnaise Sauce, a tangy Horseradish Crème Fraiche, a sweet Red Pepper Relish, and a smoky Burgundy Madeira Sauce are some ideas.
Five Fondue Pots:
Always a great kitchen item to have on hand. Rent some or borrow from friends so that you can have enough: one for your Cheese Fondue during cocktail hour, three on the table for your Beef Fondue (you don't want to overload a pot with too many people or the oil cools too fast), and one for the Chocolate Fondue for dessert.
Four Fruits to Dip:
Give your guests four choices of fresh fruit for the Chocolate Fondue at dessert. My favorites are strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, and pears. If you want, you can add some cut-up Angel Food Cake for a real dipping treat.
Three Side Dishes:
Even though it doesn't seem it, Beef Fondue is very filling, but give your guests a few more dishes to add to their plates. My favorite additions are a Medley of Sautéed Mushrooms, Baked Seasoned Asparagus, and a Winter Salad with Dried Cranberries, Honey Roasted Cashews, and Apples with Raspberry Wine Vinaigrette.
Two Centerpieces:
With the three fondue pots spread evenly down the table, there will be room for two small arrangements on either side of the center pot. Make it simple. There will be enough on the table as it is. Maybe just two small wreathes with a candle in the center.
And One Twinkling Christmas Tree:
Of course, you must have a beautiful Christmas tree all lit up for your guests!
--Katie Brown
Read an Excerpt
Excerpted from chapter 14 "Book Club Dinner"
Shakespeare's FrostGet Started
1. Apply stencils letter by letter to each bottle until the name of choice is spelled on the bottles.
2. Apply etching cream as directed.
3. Peel stencils.
4. Fill each bottle 3/4 way up with water.
5. Place a single flower in each bottle.
6. Line bottles up in the center of the table.
You Need
Supplies
Adhesive stencils in Olde English font
Collection of vintage glass bottles
Etching cream
Long-stem fresh flowers (e.g., spider mums)
Tools
Rubber gloves
Shepherd's Pie
Serves 6
Ingredients3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups small pearl onions, peeled and halved
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
3/4 cupcelery chopped (approximately 2 stalks)
2 cups mushrooms cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoons flour
2 pounds ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup beef stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup (plus a bit for garnish), roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
garlic mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
1/4 cup, grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup, grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
3. Add pearl onions, toss, cover, and steam until they begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and celery and stir.
5. Addmushrooms and cook until they give off liquid and start to brown, approximately 5 minutes.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of flour, stir, and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add meat, break it up, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned.
7. Add stock, tomato paste, thyme, and pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until gravy thickens and is absorbed by meat.
8. Stir in 1/2 cup parsley and remaining flour.
9. Pour filling in a deep pie dish and let cool.
10. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat.
11. Sprinkle potatoes with Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses.
12. Bake pie for about 15 to 20 minutes.
13. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Hints and Clues
- Allow all the liquid to be absorbed by the meat and vegetables so it doesn't spill out later.
- If you cannot find pearl onions, just chop and add the onions you have at hand.
- You can use leftover cooked hamburger meat rather than raw, or make the meat a day ahead and reheat it before cooking.
- Top the pie with the Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses to help with the browning process. As the cheese bakes, it makes a nice crust on top of the potatoes.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients4 medium to large Russet potatoes peeled and sliced
5 whole cloves garlic peeled and smashed
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Check the potatoes by piercing one
through the center with a knife or skewer to see if it is tender.
3. Drain.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, place the milk and butter in saucepan over low heat until butter melts.
5. Mash the potatoes and garlic in a Kitchen Aid mixer with the whip attachment.
6. Add the milk and butter and continue mashing.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. The potatoes will be used to cover the Shepherd's Pie (or they can be used alone).
Hints and Clues
- Be careful not to overwhip because the potatoes will become sticky and gluey.
- I like lots of salt and pepper in this recipe.
Katie Brown Entertains. Copyright © by Katie Brown. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
View a Recipe
Recipes and Crafts from Katie Brown Entertains
From "Into the Woods: A Brown Family Christmas"
Classic Roast Beef
Serves 12
YOU NEED
Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup huckleberry jam
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
8 pounds top round of beef
1/2 cup beef broth
GET STARTED
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. To make glaze, mix the brown sugar, jam, and syrup in a bowl until the sugar is fully incorporated.
3. Generously salt and pepper the roast and then use a brush to glaze the roast on all sides. Do not pour the glaze on the roast once it is in the pan, because the copious amounts of sugar will result in a burnt flavor later when you deglaze the pan for the sauce.
4. Place the roast in the oven and roast until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F. for medium rare, basting with pan juices while it cooks. Roasting times will vary, but generally it takes about 12 minutes per pound of beef. So for an 8-pound roast, it should take approximately 1 hour and 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Once the roast is done, remove the roasting pan and let it stand for about 15 minutes to give the natural juices time to reabsorb into the meat. It will also continue cooking during this time.
HINTS AND CLUES
Use a reliable cooking thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the roast. If you are using an instant read, pull the meat all the way out of the oven and make sure to push the thermometer into the center of the meat at its thickest part.
Be sure to continually baste the roast with the pan juices while it is cooking.
During the roasting, if the glaze starts to burn on the bottom of the pan, add a little beef broth or water to the pan, but make sure the broth does not touch the beef. Only add enough to ensure that the sugar on the bottom stops smoking.
Red Wine and Fresh Blackberry Sauce
Serves 12
Deglazing: When food is roasted or browned in fat, a "glaze" forms in the roasting pan or skillet. It is a result of the natural liquids that are released during the cooking of a protein. Glaze has a great flavor as long as it isn't burned. When wine, broth, water, or other liquid is poured on the glaze that sticks to the pan, it becomes easier to remove or loosen.
YOU NEED
1 cup red wine
1/2 onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup blackberries
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
GET COOKIN'
1. Use the red wine to deglaze the roasting pan when the roast comes out of the oven.
2. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pan. It is important that the roasting pan be hot for deglazing, so if your pan has cooled, place it over a high flame on the top of the stove until it becomes hot again and then pour in the red wine.
3. In a separate saucepan over low to medium heat, cook the onion in the butter until soft, about 4 minutes.
4. Add the blackberries and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Add the flour and stir until the butter and flour are incorporated, about 2 minutes.
6. Pour the red wine from the roasting pan and the beef broth into the saucepan with the blackberries and onion and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
HINTS AND CLUES
The butter and flour used in this recipe are stirred together over heat to make a roux, which will thicken the sauce once the liquids are added.
Snowflakes That Never Melt: Placemats
YOU NEED
Supplies:
12-inch green wooden floral sticks
Bundle of scotch pine
Tools:
Glue gun
Clippers
GET STARTED
Making the Base:
1. Use one whole stick as the middle piece
2. Cut three other sticks in half.
3. Place 2 pieces on either side of the middle piece, creating a plus sign (+).
4. Place the other four halves in between the 2 cross-shaped pieces, creating an asterisk (*) pattern.
5. Hot glue the pieces together in the center. You may have to glue it together more than once to keep the design together.
Attaching the Pine:
6. Cut sprigs of pine that are 8 inches long.
7. Cut off any small twigs along the branch except for at the ends.
8. If there are not "arms" at the tip of the branches, cut two small pieces of pine and glue them onto the end of your branch about 1 inch from the tip to create the arms.
9. Continue this pattern until all 8 sticks are covered with pine.
Creating the Center of the Flake:
10. Cut several small pieces of pine similar to the arms you cut.
11. Starting at the center and working in a circular pattern, glue the short pieces of pine all the way around, thus creating a center to the snowflake.
HINTS AND CLUES
When selecting the type of green you'd like to use, remember that something with a flat surface works better when plates are placed on it. We find scotch pine works best.
To make the pine snowflake chargers last, keep them outdoors at night. When you bring them inside, mist them with water. You will be able to use them for a longer time that way.
Don't worry how your chargers differ from their neighbors...no two snowflakes are ever alike!
Recipes and crafts from Katie Brown Entertains by Katie Brown. Copyright © 2000 by Katie Brown.
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