Jazz up your feast with 'The Christmas Table'

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Stuck in the same-ol'-same-ol' rut for your holiday meals? A new cookbook called "The Christmas Table: Recipes and Crafts To Create Your Own Holiday Tradition" by Diane Morgan (Chronicle Books, $19.95) will get you fired up with new inspiration.

A complete guide to holiday cooking and entertaining, "The Christmas Table" includes not only planning tips, lists and timetables but some very elegant and contemporary recipes that will add a lot of interest and appeal to your table.

The main course for your annual Christmas dinner may be set in stone, but we'll bet you can sneak in a new side dish and dessert: Give your dinner a Dickensian touch with airy, hot, herb-flecked Yorkshire pudding, and end the meal with irresistible dessert mocha pots de creme (we think pots de creme may be the trendy dessert of '09).

YORKSHIRE PUDDING WITH CHIVES

Makes 12 puddings

"In Britain, Yorkshire puddings are traditional with roasted meats at Christmastime.

"The key to making these puddings puffy and crisp is to have the pan very hot, the drippings or butter very hot, and the batter at room temperature," Morgan writes.

"The puddings must be served straight from the oven because they deflate when cool."

Her method: Transfer the cooked roast to a carving board, tent it with foil to rest and reserve ˝ cup of drippings from the roasting pan. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees and heat the muffin pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Divide the drippings among the muffin cups and bake puddings about 15 minutes. While they bake, set out all the other food; begin carving the roast a few minutes before the puddings are done. As soon as they are ready, transfer them to a warmed bowl and serve immediately"

1 Ľ cups all-purpose flour

Ľ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 Ľ cups milk

3 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

˝ cup hot reserved beef or lamb drippings or melted butter

1. In a medium bowl or a 4-cup glass measuring cup, combine flour and pepper. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Whisk in eggs; then chives and parsley. Let the batter stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Whisk before using.

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

3. Place a 12-cup standard muffin pan in the oven until hot, about 10 minutes. Place 2 teaspoons of the meat drippings in each muffin cup. Immediately divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake the puddings until puffy and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per pudding: 147 calories, 10 grams fat, 11 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 76 milligrams cholesterol, 109 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 58 percent of calories from fat.

_"The Christmas Table"

Give the Gift of Free Catholic Education This Christmas

___

MOCHA POTS DE CREME

"To crush the coffee beans, seal them in a heavy zip-top bag and use a rolling pin or heavy-bottomed pot. For a little whimsy, you can cook and serve the pots de creme in small porcelain coffee mugs instead of ramekins."

Serves 8

Custards:

1 ˝ cups milk

1 ˝ cups heavy (whipping) cream

˝ cup espresso-roast coffee beans, lightly crushed

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long, or Ľ teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate (at least 64 percent cacao), chopped

4 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

Garnish:

˝ cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, sifted

Custards:

1. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine milk, cream, crushed coffee beans, granulated sugar, cinnamon and chocolate. Cook over medium heat at just below a simmer, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes.

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees. Have ready eight 6-ounce ramekins and a roasting pan or deep baking dish large enough to hold ramekins without crowding.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and eggs until well beaten. Slowly pour the milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the eggs and whisk until completely blended. Use a rubber spatula to push through any remaining bits of chocolate in the sieve. Discard the solids.

4. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Set ramekins in roasting pan. Pour hot water into the pan to come about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake custards until just set in center, shaking a ramekin gently to see if the custard jiggles, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. (Can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

Garnish:

1. Just before serving, combine cream and confectioners' sugar and beat with a wire whisk or electric mixer until soft peaks form. Place a dollop of whipped cream in the center of each pot de creme and serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 399 calories, 37 grams fat, 16 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 245 milligrams cholesterol, 68 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber, 77 percent of calories from fat.

_"The Christmas Table"

___

© 2008, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.