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Wednesday, December 11, 1991 — North Shore News

FOOD

Bufiet suggestions for a big Xmas crowd

AS PROMISED, here’s a round-up of do-ahead foods for
a holiday buffet. I’m in the middle of doing the same
thing. Every Christmas Eve we hold the most informal of
open houses. Our family and friends know that a big din-
ner is served some time between seven and nine.

People come and go — if
There

they’re hungry, they eat.
are drinks, coffee and desserts.
The fireplace is lit, the tree is too.

Since I always have a big crowd
for Christmas morning as well, |
plan ahead to make that as
painless as possible. And, mean-
while, there’s Christmas dinner. to
consider.

My buffet is fairly easy. The

_ centre stage is held by a large ham

— I] bought mine two months ago
and it’s in the freezer. I will
defrost it two days ahead and
bake it slowly for two. or three
hours on Christmas Eve. It will be
drenched with Apricot-Mustard
glaze for the last hour,

I’m doing two hot casseroles

this year. One is by demand: cab- °

bage rolls. Suzy gets real upset if I
den’t. have them! The other is
‘Seafood Newburg.

In addition, there will be a big

potato salad, a spinach - salad,

"parsley rice (easy!) to ‘go with the

Newburg and Parkerhouse Rolls
— bakery style.
“First, the ham. -
: Apricot-Mustard Glaze

% cup Bee-Maid honey mustard

1 6-02.
preserves
2 : tablespoons - Worcestershire

jar apricot jam or

" Sauce

: Whisk together. When your
ham is hot through, plaster all
sides with glazé. Bake, uncovered,

-.for,-about. an. hour at 250°F, .

You'll have glaze left over so keep
adding it to bare spots. To gar-
nish, open a tin of apricot halves.
Nestle them in parsley and/or leaf
lettuce and ring the platter.
Cabbage Rolls

I’ve printed variations of this
recipe for years. ‘Never rind — it
works: :: freezes well and is a

favorite’ — I provide a bowl! of

whipped sour cream and another

of freshly g:uted Parmesan. cheese

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| FoR :
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On
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Q s * WE ARE COOKING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
- : on - " "Tis the season to be Eating”

Ni EAR’S EVE
» EARLY AND LATE SEATINGS *

JOIN US FOR A
SPECTACULAR * SCRUMPTIGUS « DELICIOUS
‘NEW YEAR'S DAY. BRUNCH
FULL SUFFET
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YOU PURCHASE HORIZONS WILL GIVE YOU
. ONE GIFT CERTIFICATE
FREE!

A $25.69 VALUE
‘THE PERFECT GIFT!

400 CENTENNIAL WAY, BURNABY

Barbara
MMcCreadie

BUDGET BEATERS

for toppers. This should feed
about 20 when pari of a buffet.

2 heads of cabbage — about
five-pin ball size (you'll waste
some of this but why fool about
with torn feaves?)

2 - 1b. packages sausage meat
1-1 2D. chub regular ground beef
1% cups prepared dry poultry
stuffing

eggs
2 tins cream of tomato soup
1 tin consomme soup

To prepare the cabbage, core
and rinse well. If you have. time,
freeze it for a week and then
thaw. The leaves will be perfectly
pliable. Otherwise, drop cored
cabbage into a big pot of boili:g
water. Pull it out after 10
minutes, run under cold water and
remove as many leaves as you
can,

Tip. the rest. back into the bath.
Remove most of the remaining
core with a sharp knife, keeping
the leaf intact.

Mix-the meat, stuffing mix and

*

eggs. Spoon a pat about the size
of a billiard ball on each leaf, on
the core end. Fold over and tuck
in the ends. Roll up like an
envelope. Place seam-side down,
side-by-side in a big flat casserole
(I use my stove broiler pan).

Using the bow! you mixed the
meat in, whisk the soups together.
Pour over rolis, Cover with tinfoil
and bake two to three hours at
275°F. Freeze.

To reheat: I try to thaw this. be-

’ fore I reheat — it helps to spoon

some of the sauce over the rolls.
It takes about an hour to reheat
the lot — 300°F — covered until
about 15 minutes before serving.
Uncover and continue heating.
Newburg Sauce

I’m preparing the sauce this
week for the freezer. The seafood
will be added just before I turn
the dish into a big chafing dish.
Pil add:
1 - 11 oz. tin frozen lobster
(Bought mine at Price Club —
about $12)
2 1b. shrimpmeat
2 Ib?. calico scallops — cooked
about two minutes in beiling
white wine. Save the wine to thin
the sauce if it’s a bit thick
Sauce:
% eup butter

, Ya cup flour

dash cayenne
¥ teaspoon salt .
1% cups mitk
% cup whipping cream
% cup sherry
3 large egg yolks

Melt butter, stir. in flour dnd
seasonings. Stir in milk and cream
— use a wire whisk to get a
smooth sauce. Stir in sherry. Beat
eggs lightly and whisk in a bit of
the hot sauce. Return the mixture
to the pan and whisk over low
heat until thick and silky. Cool

beautiful as the real thing.

PARK & TILFORD PEMBERTON PLAZA
333 Brooksbank Avenue 1250 Marine Drive
North Vancouver North Vancouver
983-3633 985-3069

“Oh Christmas Tree, -
Oh Christmas Tree .. 7

A tree to last a lifetime.

This seven foot model has hinged
branches with over 600 tips of soft,
pliable needles and is fashioned in
the popular "Sugar Pine" design. It is
_ totally Fire Retardant and comes
complete with a sturdy metal stand.
It’s easy to install and looks just as

sey $4985

Hurry, quantities are limited.

quickly and freeze.

Use within a week or two. To
reheat, thaw in the refrigerator
and then heat very sluwly in a
large saucepan. Just before serv-
ing, add cooked seafood. Garnish
with parsley and pimento strips.
This is nice served with parsley
rice or puff pastry shells.

And s few tips: To prepare
fancy meat, cheese or vegetable
trays, buy lots of frilly lettuce.

Use round plates and centre
them with a dip for vegetables,
horseradish-mayonnaise for roast
beef or corn relish for cold cuts.
Cheese trays go well with a bowl
of hot pickles.

Preparing these is a chore. Give
the job to a non-cook, especially
the paring of vegetables — it takes
time. Praise the artistic quality of
the rolled meats, cubed cheeses
and the careful arrangement of
garnishes. It’s a job I hate so I'll
pawn it off on any candidate. —

In general, pasta casseroles
freeze acceptably — lasagne comes
out fine. Rice casseroles are
marginal. They’re edible but the
rice can get grainy. Make up the
meat-sauce:- mixture but cook the
tice just before serving and stir in.
BEST-BUYS:

SAFEWAY: T-bones, $3.47 ib.;
reg. ground beef chubs, 79¢ Ib.
(L); Breakfast Delight bacon,
$1.99; bulk wieners, $1.18 Ib.

. (chop into BBQ sauce for a cheap

party food); check coupons for
free Ritz when you buy Stoned
Wheat Thins; Robin Hood flour,
10 kg, $4,383; Towr. House tinned
tomatoes, 398 mL, 69¢; potatoes,
15 Ibs., $1.49.

SAVE-ON: Ground beef chubs, 1
\b., 67¢ (L); pork steak, $1.37 Ib.
(L), family pack; Robin Hood
flour, 10 kg, $4.28; MJB coffee,
$1.66 (L); mushrooms, $1.38 Ib.;

The best of everything.

cauliflower, 68¢ tb.; Golden
Delicious apples, 38¢ Ib.
SUPERSTORE: Clip the $30

coupon in Sunday’s News (you
know where else you can use it!).
Also clip the freebies at front of
flyer. Whole chicken legs (backs),
76¢ ib.; navel oranges, & Ib.,

$2.58; cabbage, 19¢ {b.; onions,
18¢ Ib.; french bread, 58¢,

$788

3 ob

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