Holiday Entertaining Checklist: Chef Mark Kramer
Holiday Entertaining Checklist: Chef Mark Kramer: Chef Mark Kramer of Susan Lawrence Gourmet Foods in Chappaqua loves food, music and history. His chamber ensemble Ars Antiqua translates Baroque music on period instruments for modern audiences. So we thought he would be the perfect person to take our Christmas menu challenge. He also seems like a very lucky guy so we also gave him our New Year’s menu challenge. Here are the challenges and his menus:
The Christmas Challenge: Update a 17th Century Christmas Dinner
The traditional Christmas dinner in America is centered around ham, turkey, goose, or roast beef. But back in the 17th century the Christmas table included some items you probably won’t see on yours. Here’s a menu we came across from The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May, 1665 edition:
A swan roast • Stewed broth of mutton marrow bones • 10 plovers, 5 larded • 6 dried neats’ tongues • Quince pye
We weren’t sure about the neats tongues and Mark insists that only the Queen can eat Swan, so we asked him to update this menu for a modern day holiday table in Armonk, Bedford or Chappaqua.
An Old World Christmas: 17th-Century European Traditions for the Modern Table
Blood Orange & Elderflower Cocktail
Fried Brussels Sprout ‘Flowers’ Roman Style with Artichoke Saffron Aioli
Lamb Chop & Polenta Dumpling Connsomé
Salad of Fried Prosciutto Crisps & Quail Eggs with Endive & Castelfranco
Roast Duck with Fig Agro Dolce
Marzipan Stuffed Pink Lady Apples
Red Rogue Rice Risotto with Pine Nuts
Yorkshire Pudding Popovers with Pumpkin Butter
Quince & Lingonberry Tart Sugar Plums
The New Year’s Challenge: A Lucky Menu
Americans enjoy a variety of Old World food traditions to ensure prosperity in the New Year. Worldwide, the consensus is that the good-luck New Year’s food is pork. The pig is considered a symbol of progress for its behavior of pushing forward with its snout in the ground before moving ahead. Pigs are also seen as well fed—a sign of prosperity. Other lucky foods associated with the New Year’s feast are lentils and black-eyed peas because they resemble coins, and cooked greens that resemble paper currency, like cabbage, chard and kale. Here’s Mark’s menu for a New Year’s supper guaranteed to bring good luck.
A New Year’s Eve Supper : Old World Traditions for Prosperity & Good Fortune in the New Year
Fortunato Twist Sicilian Prickly Pear Cocktail
Viennese Kaiekrainer with Sauerkraut & Austrian Mustard on Black Bread
Bacon Wrapped Giant Prawns with New England Chowder Sauce
Pancetta & Winter Kale Salad with Six Minute Batter-Fried Araucana Egg
Roast Pork Tenderloin ‘Porchetta’ Style
Cassoulet of Lentils & Black Eyed Peas with Andouiile Sausage
Lingonberry Braised Cabbage
Rosemary Fleur de sel Biscuits
Kueh Lapis
The many layers of this cake symbolize upward steps in the New Year Chocolate Fortune Cookies
(Susan Lawrence Gourmet Foods, 26 N. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua, 914.238.8833; www.susanlawrence.com)
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