Good morning, Christmas
Rarely accused of planning ahead or being obsessively organized, I plead guilty to both when it comes to Christmas Morning. I love everything about Christmas morning — a fire in the fireplace, hot chocolate for the girls, a cup of coffee in one hand and a Mandarin Lime spritz in the other, a cat or pup in every lap, packages to open, stockings to unpack and something that smells delicious heating in the oven with no fussing in the kitchen. Time to relax!
Planning ahead and cooking ahead makes for a serene and joyful Christmas morning, as does this interesting mocktail/ cocktail adapted from Gaby Dalkin. If you’ve never juiced a mandarin, you’re in for a treat — the flavor is wonderful! If you’ve been up all night baking and wrapping presents this is just the elixir to reset your radiance. The booze is optional — this is delicious with or without.
Mandarin Lime Spritz
Freshly squeezed mandarin juice makes the best cocktail or mocktail with a little bit of fizz!
Ingredients:
• 3 cups freshly squeezed mandarin juice
• 1 freshly squeezed lime
• handful of fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup sparkling water or club soda
• ice and mandarin segments for serving
• 4 ounces tequila or vodka (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS >> Gently crush or tear the mint leaves and place in the bottom of each glass. Juice the mandarins and lime juice and pour into the glass, stir to combine. If adding alcohol, add it at this point and stir to combine. Add a handful of ice and some segmented mandarins. Fill the glass with the sparkling water and mix gently. Add mint garnish and serve immediately. Good morning Christmas!
For that fragrant make
ahead goodie in the oven, we tested several recipes and settled on two new ones — a sweet one and a savory option as well as our family favorite. Both smell so good while they’re baking you can blow out the scented candles, close your eyes and just imagine how good they’re going to taste.
The first, Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake is by Tieghan Gerhard chef and author of Half-Baked Harvest.
Tieghan’s Recipe Notes: Buttery croissants, Brie cheese, prosciutto, and mushrooms, all tossed together in a mustard “cream” sauce, then baked to golden, cheesy perfection. This a cross between your favorite ham and cheese croissant sandwich and your mom’s old school Christmas morning strata. And the best part? You can prep this croissant bake in advance, then bake it off just before you’re ready to serve. Perfect for holiday entertaining!
Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake
Recipe takes 50 minutes and serves six.
Ingredients:
• 12 cups (about 12-16 croissants) roughly torn, day-old croissants
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced (I used a cheese plane on a cold cube of butter)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
• kosher salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, using more or less to our taste
• 3 ounces deli ham or prosciutto, torn
• 4 ounces creamy Brie cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or fontina cheese
• 2 tablespoons everything bagel spice (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS >> Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13 inch Pyrex deep baking dish. Arrange the torn croissants in the baking dish and lay 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced butter over the croissants. Transfer to the oven and bake 5-8 minutes, until the croissants are lightly toasted. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden, stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms have caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, cook an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Stop right here if you are going to bake in the morning.
You can get the following ingredients ready in a large bowl, but don’t combine everything until you’re ready to slip it in the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, mustard, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the toasted croissants, mushrooms, ham, and Brie cheese,