HOLIDAY FOOD
by Eric A.T. Dieckman

THE FEASTING SEASON
With holiday meals ahead, five cooks provide recipes for the family table

It's the most wonderful time of the year: party season, the holidays, or, to some, the holidaze. That time of year when we are grateful it's cold enough to wear a sweater, because the occasions for gorging are so plentiful that we need to hide blossoming tummies behind so much knitted wool and acrylic. This is the season we recall on January 1 and resolve to eat less and exercise more. Now is the time to hold our families close, or at least silence the bickering by stuffing our faces with food and drink. For the second year in a row, we have busted more guts than any other city in the nation, making it all the more appropriate to look to out Houstonians for outstanding holiday food.

THE COOK

Joe Angel Babb, education and community outreach coordinator, the Alley Theatre. Babb manages a number of student, teacher, school, and family programs for the theater, including Theatre High and Saturday Spotlight.

The Dish

Cranberry Salsa

I like the recipe because I was raised in a mixed-race household. My father is very much a Southern gentleman, and my mother very much a proud Latina. The cranberry salsa kind of represents my unique cultural heritage.

The Recipe

1 16-ounce can of whole berry cranberry sauce

1/4 cup canned jalapenos, chopped

1 green onion, diced

1 teaspoon dried cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl. Serve.

THE COOK

Buddha Dickson, chef of the soul-food wonderland Faust Caf (3402 Fondren; 713/532-6775), former executive chef of SkyBar, owner of Caf Avino prior to that, and chef and master baker of other restaurants in the past, including Ouisie's Table and Tasca.

The Dish

Roasted Duck with Apple Dressing and Roasted Chestnut Sauce

When I was young, I always read those Bon Appetit recipes and found out that they were always leaving out a step or two. It really irked me. This recipe came out of my frustration to make a simple but elegant dish anybody could make.

The Recipe 

1/2 cup mashed peeled chestnuts

1 3-pound duck

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 sliced yellow onion

1 cored and sliced apple

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Dressing:

2 tablespoons apple brandy

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cored, peeled, and sliced apples

1 teaspoon fresh minced sage

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/4 cups chicken stock

8 cups brioche, cubed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparing the dressing:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large saut' pan, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sage, garlic, and onion. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Carefully add the stock and cook for 1 minute more. 

Place the brioche cubes in a large bowl and pour the stock over them. Toss to moisten evenly and add salt and pepper. Place in baking dish and brush top with melted butter. Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes.

Preparing the duck:

Place the mashed chestnuts in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover. Cover pan and let simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until chestnuts are plump. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Tie the drumsticks securely to the tail with cotton string. Rub the duck with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place duck in roasting pan and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn duck over and roast 15 additional minutes.

Remove duck from the oven and spoon off fat from the pan. Turn the duck breast-side up. Add to the pan the yellow onion, apple, and garlic. Return to the oven and roast for 30-40 additional minutes or until the juices run clear when the thighs are pricked with a fork. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside, but keep warm.

Preparing the sauce:

Pour off as much fat as you can from the roasting pan. Stir the chicken stock into the drippings, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Strain the liquid into a measuring cup and discard any solids. Pour the liquid into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking uncovered for 6-10 minutes or when reduced to about 1/2 a cup.

In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cream. Stir the remaining cream into the stock mixture. Add the cornstarch mixture into the stock and cook, stirring until thickened. Stir in the chestnuts and apple brandy. Heat thoroughly.

To serve: 

Place a large spoonful of dressing in the center of each plate. Arrange a breast and a thigh on each plate. Spoon the sauce over and all around them. 

THE COOK

Herlinda "Mela" Contreras, owner of Mela's (302 Tuam; 713/523-0747), Houston's only lesbian Tejano club, and female grand marshal of this year's Pride parade.

The Dish

Menudo

Like many a traditional dish, menudo always tastes better when cooked at home. Restaurants simply do not make it as well. This soup, popular on weekends and holidays, takes a hefty chunk of time to prepare, but nothing worthwhile comes easily.

The Recipe

4 pounds honeycomb beef tripe

3 lbs pigs' feet (ask meat market to cut them for menudo)

2 bay leaves

1 32-ounce container hominy

1 packet menudo mix seasoning

Diced onion, cilantro, and jalapeños for garnish

Cut tripe into small pieces (the smaller the better). Boil in 5-quart pot filled with water for 3 hours. In a separate pot, boil pigs' feet until tender. Drain tripe and pigs' feet. Combine in one pot with 3 quarts water and all other ingredients. Boil for 1 hour. Garnish with diced onion, cilantro, and jalapenos.

€ THE COOK

Melissa Wood, minister, Houston GLBT Community Church, which meets on Sundays mornings at the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center.

The Dish

Melissa's Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

Here is a recipe that was handed down from my mother. I can't be sure, but I believe her mother handed it down to her. It is believed to date back to at

least the 1940s. My mother loved to cook nearly as much as I loved her cooking. She was an old-fashioned home cook. Here is one of my favorites that she would make every holiday season. It's relatively easy to make, and, boy, is it good.

The Recipe

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup Karo syrup

3 eggs

1 cup pecans

Unbaked pie shell

Mix all ingredients but the eggs until fluffy. Add the eggs. Pour in a saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. Add pecans to the mix. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

THE COOK

Damon Constantine, owner of Damon's Salon, and partner with Ben Sullivan in Chachka, a new shop opening this month in the same historic residence that houses the salon. Chachka (at 902 Sul Ross; 713/529-0073) will carry home decorative items, both antique and new.

The Dish

Mississippi Mud Cake

When I originally got the recipe from my mother, I wrote down everything she said. For the frosting, she mistakenly told me to use one cup of Carnation milk [instead of half a cup]. I even repeated it back to her. When I made it at home the first time, it was soaked, like a huge piece of fudge. I called her about it and she said, You're supposed to use half a cup. That aside, it's so easy to make and takes so little time. No Thanksgiving is complete without my mother¹s Mississippi Mud Cake.

The Recipe

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 small can shaved or flaked coconut

1 & 1/2 cup self-rising flour

Pinch of salt

1 & 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 9-ounce jar marshmallow creme

1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt together butter and cocoa in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and beaten eggs. Mix well. Add flour, salt, and vanilla and mix well. Add coconut and pecans and mix well.

Spoon batter into a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

While the cake is baking, mix the frosting (recipe follows). When cake is done, spread marshmallow cream on top of hot cake, then cover with chocolate frosting. Let cool before cutting and serving.

Chocolate Frosting:

1 1-pound box powdered sugar

1/2 cup Carnation milk

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 stick softened butter

Combine sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Reserve for cake.

Eric A.T. Dieckman interviewed stand-up comedian Slim Bloodworth for the September 2002 OutSmart.

AND TO DRINK

The Sommelier: Patrick Zone, proprietor of House in the Heights (1642 Arlington; 713/880-2166; www.houseintheheights.com), the prix fixe-menu restaurant and private-events venue.

The Wines:

With the appetizer

A wine great for appetizer time before the meal is the Clos Du Val 1998 Georges III Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley California [$60]. It's a full-flavored Bordeaux-style Cabernet characterized by cassis, blackberry, and plum with undertones of green pepper, perfect for a wide selection of cheeses.

With the main course

Since we are working with a tough schedule of classic Thanksgiving dishes:sweet potatoes, cranberries, dressing, squash, corn, turkey, etc. I highly recommend a Viognier. Viognier has flavors all its own and a texture that can match the traditional full-bodied Chardonnay. Hogue 2000 Vineyard Selection Viognier, Yakima Valley, Washington State [$15] has an amazing intense aroma of apricot, vanilla, and orange blossoms with just a hint of cinnamon and honey. Another great wine is Arrowood 2000 Viognier Saralee's Vineyard, Sonoma Valley California [$32]. When this full-bodied wine hits your palate, immediately you detect a rich creamy vanilla flavor with dried apricots and just a hint of spice in the background. Both these wines complement both a sweet or savory holiday feast.

With dessert

If you are looking for bubbly, try the Schramsberg 1998 Blanc de Blancs, Napa Valley California [$30]:great with the traditional fruit tarts, pumpkin pie, or vanilla ice cream. Or if you choose to go with a sweet dessert wine, grab the Heyl zu Herrnsheim 1999 Nierstein Riesling, Germany [$23]. The champagne will give you a dry firm and crisp flavor with hints of lemon, apple, and melon. The Reisling is perfect for pumpkin pie, as the sweet, concentrated flavor of cinnamon and honey will perfectly balance the spice in pumpkin pie.

If you like rich chocolate for dessert, go with the Peachy Canyon NV Mustang Ranch Zinfandel Port, Central Coast California [$45]. There is nothing like a rich bittersweet chocolate on your palate before laying a fabulous port with a hint of cherries, cinnamon, and anise over the top for a long, sweet, warm aftertaste. EATD