Planning the Perfect Holiday Meal

Your step-by-step guide to a delicious menu

Story and Photos By Katrina Tauchen

Amid all the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s easy to let the stress of planning, shopping and preparing for the perfect meal inhibit our ability to sit back and enjoy the holiday. Between the multiple dishes, the varying cook times and the never-ending list of prep work, even experienced home cooks find themselves overwhelmed with the notion of getting everything assembled, prepared and on the table by the time guests arrive. This year, rather than resign yourself to another stress-filled holiday, let Columbia Home relieve the pressure with a relaxed, easy-to-prepare meal plan that will wow your family and friends. With time-saving tips and an organized schedule, you’ll be putting your feet up in no time.

The Game Plan

Easy-to-follow play-by-play for a holiday meal for eight

The Week Before:

• Finalize your menu and shop for ingredients.
• Prepare dough for cranberry orange scones. Store in the freezer until next week.

Four Days Before:

• If you’re cooking a frozen turkey, begin thawing it in the refrigerator.

Two Days Before:

• Prepare cranberry chutney, and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
• Slice parsnips for side dish, and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

The Day Before:

• Bake ginger spice cookies, and store in an airtight container once they’re cool.
• Whisk together dressing for salad. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

The Day of:

• Early morning: Bake cranberry orange scones (20 to 25 minutes).
• Late morning: Chop apples for quiche appetizer; brush with lemon juice to keep them from browning, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Also, slice Brie for quiche, then return to the refrigerator.
• Afternoon: Remove turkey from the refrigerator, and let it rest on kitchen counter for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Calculate the expected cook time for your turkey based on its weight, and add one total hour (to account for the time it will take to get it prepped and 30 minutes of resting after it’s cooked). Adjust your start time for cooking the turkey accordingly. Preheat oven well in advance to ensure you’ll be ready on time.
• Late afternoon: Remove cranberry chutney from refrigerator if you’re planning to serve it at room temperature. Also at this time, shave the Parmesan for the salad, and roast the pears. Once pears are cool, assemble salad, but don’t add the dressing until just before serving.
• Hour and a half before meal: Assemble and bake the mini quiche, and serve warm once all guests have arrived.
• Half hour before meal: Remove turkey from the oven, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Now that the oven is free, roast the parsnips. Also, slice good bread from a local bakery to serve with the meal.
• Just before serving: Fill drinks, dress salad, place everything in serving dishes and bring to the table. Bon appétit!

Recipes

Roast Turkey

• frozen or fresh whole turkey (about 15 pounds)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove giblets from turkey, rinse the turkey inside and out, and pat it dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon and 1 cup of water in a heavy pot, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, until ingredients become fragrant. Add the mixture, along with the rosemary and sage, to the turkey’s cavity. Transfer the turkey to the wire rack of a roasting pan, tuck the wings underneath, and coat the skin liberally with melted butter. Season with the salt and pepper.

Roast the turkey, uncovered, on lowest rack of the oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Add 1 cup of cold water to pan, and cover the turkey loosely with foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue roasting until a thermometer inserted in one of the turkey’s thighs reads 180 degrees, which should take about 2 to 2 ½ hours. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Serves 10–15.

• Recipe adapted from Alton Brown’s roast turkey (foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html) and Real Simple’s basic roast turkey (realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/basic-roast-turkey-10000001549022/index.html)

Cranberry Orange Scones

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on tops of scones
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 scant cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing on tops of scones
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Time-saving tip: A fancy breakfast doesn’t have to take hours. Up to a few weeks before the holiday, follow this recipe until just before the baking point, then store frozen scones in a plastic freezer bag until Christmas morning.

Directions: Place the dry ingredients and orange zest in the large bowl of a food processor (fitted with the chopping blade) and pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse 10 or so times (you should retain some small pieces of butter). Transfer flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Fold cranberries into mixture.

In a large measuring cup place heavy cream, egg, orange juice and vanilla. Mix well, then pour into flour mixture. Using a fork, fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture while gradually turning the bowl (you’re aiming for a folding motion, not stirring). When dough begins to come together, gently knead dough into a ball shape.

Transfer dough ball to floured board, and gently pat it into a 6- or 7-inch circle. Use a pastry scraper or large chef’s knife to cut it into 8 triangles.
Place the scones on a wax-paper-lined sheet pan, and freeze until solid.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place frozen scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning pan halfway through. Scones are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Yields 8.

• Recipe adapted from mrslarkin’s blueberry scones on Food52.com (food52.com/recipes/11455_royal_wedding_scones/1)

Spinach, Roasted Pear and Parmesan Salad

• 8 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
• 2 Bosc pears, cored and cut in half
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 ounces Parmesan, shaved
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pear halves cut side down in a glass baking dish, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons of water. Bake, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until pears are tender. Remove from oven, and allow pears to cool in the liquid. Once cooled, transfer pear halves to a cutting board, and discard liquid. Cut each pear half lengthwise into thin slices, and place in a large bowl.

Toss spinach and Parmesan with the roasted pears in the large bowl. To make dressing, whisk together 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk in oil, then drizzle lightly on salad (don’t overdress). Serve remaining dressing on table. Serves 8.

• Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, bhg.com (bhg.com/recipe/salads/spinach-pear-and-shaved-parmesan-salad)

Roasted Parsnips

• 1 pound parsnips, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place parsnips on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix ingredients on the baking sheet until oil, salt and pepper are evenly dispersed over the parsnips. Spread parsnips in an even layer, dot with butter, and bake until they’re tender, about 25 minutes. Serves 8.

Ginger Spice Cookies

• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses (overflowing a bit)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 heaping teaspoons ginger
• ½ heaping teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt

Time-saving tip: These homemade cookies are not only delicious, but they also can be made up to three months in advance and kept in the freezer until ready to bake. It’s also helpful to bake them a day or two in advance; chewy, molasses-filled cookies typically taste best on day two or three.

Directions: Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer, then add egg and molasses and mix together. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a separate bowl, then add slowly to butter/sugar mixture. Mix until just combined.

Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls, roll in sugar, and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (about 1 ½ inches apart). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees, until firm on the outside but still soft on the inside. Yields 40.

[Note: To freeze dough before baking, use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to make dough balls, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put baking sheet in freezer until dough is firm. Transfer dough to a freezer-safe container, and store for up to three months. To bake the cookies, just add 1 or 2 minutes to the recipe’s normal bake time.]

Cranberry Chutney

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries, cleaned and dried
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest

Directions: Using the paddle attachment in a standing mixer, combine cranberries, sugar and orange zest.
Mix at a very low speed for about 1 hour 20 minutes (to keep cranberries from flying out of the mixer before they start breaking down, cover mixer loosely with a kitchen towel. Do keep an eye on it, though). After a while, cranberries will begin to break down and macerate. Serves 8–10.

• Recipe adapted from newyorktimes.com (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/an-award-winning-chef-reinvents-the-classics)

Mini Brie and Apple Quiche

• 30 mini phyllo shells (two 1.9-ounce packages)
• 1/2 apple, peeled and diced
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch of ground black pepper
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 4 ounces Brie (about half of a small wheel), cut into 30 pieces

Time-saving tip: Although these mini quiches should be assembled right before baking, you can cut down on prep time by cutting your apples earlier in the day and brushing them with lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Directions: Place phyllo shells on parchment-lined baking sheet, and divide apples among shells.

Whisk together eggs, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl or measuring cup (something that can be used for pouring). Pour mixture over the apple in phyllo shells, and dot with Brie squares.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until egg is set, Brie is melted and phyllo shells begin turning golden brown on edges. Cool slightly before serving. Yields 30.

• Recipe from newyorktimes.com (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/savory-pastries-to-wow-holiday-guests)