iCOOK by Britt Allgood
Rounding Out Christmas Dinner
C
hristmas time is here and most of us plan on a holiday feast to rival a Norman Rockwell painting. Roast Turkey is usually the main course, but what else do you serve? Stuffing (aka dressing if you are from the south), green bean casserole, and some sweet potatoes generally round out a typical holiday menu with a few desserts thrown in for good measure.
by sweet potatoes, so I make a savory butternut squash dish instead.
We like to mix things up at the iCook household with either multiple courses or non-traditional sides and rarely made signature desserts. Why not start your feast off with a soup like potato leek? The green bean casserole is a tradition at our house, but we aren’t so enthralled
I hope you will consider some of these somewhat different options for your Christmas table. As we draw the year to a close, I just want to thank my readers for your comments, suggestions and emails. Live, Love, Laugh, and Eat Well even at the holidays.
Another possible substitution is my apple, pomegranate, and pearled barley salad instead of stuffing. I hear you muttering, blasphemy or “not in this house”. Well, sometimes you just need to shake things up to just round out a great family meal.
Apple Berry Pie Crust
Serves 8 (depending on size of slices)
1 package of soft pie crust (2 pieces for top & bottom)
1 TBSP lemon juice 2 TBSP all purpose flour ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
Filling
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly (about 5 cups) ¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1 to 1 ½ cups fresh blackberries whole
Place the oven rack slightly above middle in your oven & preheat to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients except the blackberries; toss lightly. Put the bottom crust in a 9 inch pie pan & press to the sides leaving a bit of overhang around the rim. Spoon in about half of the filling mixture & then add about half of your blackberries. Make sure there aren’t a lot of air gaps or you won’t get all the filling into the pie. Add the remaining filling mixture & then the rest of the blackberries. Place the top crust on the pie & pinch together the overhanging crust & the top crust to get a seal & flute the edge. Cut slits or shapes in the top of the pie in several places on the top pastry. Bake at 425°F for 40 - 45 minutes or until the apples are tender & the crust is golden brown.
20
DECEMBER 2017
PAFM
iListWesternKentucky.com