The Barnes & Conti Holiday Newsletter

Part 2: The Virtual Feast, Our Holiday Gift to You

This is our eighth annual holiday “virtual feast”! We started the tradition in 2001 because we couldn’t invite all of you to our annual holiday potluck. Perhaps with the current economic turmoil, the recipes this year are leaner in number. As always, they are rich in flavor, and some are even rich in tradition. We hope that at least one of these recipes will enhance your holiday season.

Soup: Indulgent Wild Mushroom

Lauren Powers, Eastern Regional Director

Lauren says: “Soup is by far my most favorite type of food to make. Somehow, the concoction of ingredients thrown together without concern for perfection provide for the most wonderful way to warm up one’s soul.”

“Holiday time is like any other time in our household… people have a hard time agreeing. Each year, debate revolves around whether we should serve butternut squash or wild mushroom soup. The kids lobby for one of their favorites, butternut squash, and my husband makes the case for mushroom, with each side building powerful coalitions of stakeholders (my sisters and their husbands). To sway the vote, they misrepresent the positions of my parents who are just gracious and happy to have homemade soup! They attempt to influence me through flattery (it works) mixed with a little guilt (sorry to say, that works too!). So, I usually end up making both to keep the peace!”

“However, it is the wild mushroom that is my personal favorite. Enjoy!”

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. dried porcini wild mushrooms
• 1/2 cup boiling chicken broth
• 1/4 cup Madeira wine plus 2-3 tbsp.
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 chopped leek (white part)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 lb. coarsely chopped fresh button mushrooms
• 1 lb. coarsely chopped fresh baby bella mushrooms
• 4 oz. fresh sliced shitake mushrooms
• Handful of fresh thyme with stems (do not chop)
• Handful of very fine flour
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 - 1 cup light cream, to taste

Method:

1. Bring the 1/2 cup chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Add dried mushrooms and 1/4 cup wine. Let sit for 30 minutes and then drain. Discard liquid.
2. Melt butter in heavy dutch oven. Add chopped shallots and leeks, and sauté until tender. Add garlic and sauté briefly.
3. Add chopped fresh mushrooms and sprigs of thyme and sauté until liquid is mostly gone. Remove thyme sprigs and discard them.
4. Stir in flour and mix it all through.
5. Add 8 cups of chicken broth, salt and pepper, and 2-3 tablespoons of Madeira. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 1/2 hour. Do not cover.
6. Using a food processor, pureé mixture.
7. Return to dutch oven.
8. If serving later, refrigerate.
9. Prior to serving, stir in light cream (to taste) and warm covered pot up in oven, or on low heat. Do not let soup come to a boil.
10. Serve with chopped fresh chives as a garnish.

Serves about 8.

Pasta: Mediterranean Pasta in Minutes

Elaine Turcotte, Operations Manager

Elaine says she got this recipe from her brother, who got it from Tyler Florence. Says Elaine, “It’s a favorite recipe of him and his kids.” This recipe serves four as a main course, and six as a first course.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, sliced diagonally
• 1 jar (8.5 oz.) sun-dried tomatoes, julienned (1 cup)
• 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 lb. fresh angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1 can (8.5 oz.) artichoke hearts in water, quartered and drained (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (1/4 lb.)
• 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Boil water for pasta in a pasta pot.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken strips until no longer pink, about 3 minutes each side.
3. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
5. Add to the skillet the basil, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta cheese. Sauté 1 minute then stir in the cream.
6. Strain the pasta and transfer to a large pasta bowl. Add the chicken sauté to the pasta and toss. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper before serving.

Yields 4-6 servings

Entreé: Casserole-Roasted Chicken

Joel Kleinbaum, Information Systems Manager

This is a variation on a French classic in which the chicken is “roasted” in a tightly covered casserole with herbs and root vegetables. The chicken turns out exceptionally moist and flavorful, and none of the delicious pan juices are lost. Traditionally, the French use a whole chicken and brown it first. Browning a whole chicken is a rather tricky operation requiring a large skillet and two spatulas. This recipe uses chicken pieces, which are much easier to brown. Please try to use free-range chicken for this recipe! You’ll also need a casserole with a heavy, tight-fitting lid.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium chicken, cut in serving pieces (leg quarters and half breasts with bone-in work best)
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil or olive oil for sautéing
• 4 or more carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1/4 inch slices
• 4 or more medium leeks, white and light green part only, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 4 or more small, young turnips, peeled, cut in half, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices (optional)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup medium-bodied red wine (optional)
• Chopped parsley for garnish
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
3. In a skillet, sauté the diced celery, onion, and carrot in half the butter and all the oil over medium high heat. Sauté until the vegetables become lightly caramelized (this may take some time).
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the casserole.
5. Brown the chicken pieces in the skillet. Brown them skin side down first, a few pieces at a time so you don't overcrowd the pan. As the chicken is browned, transfer it to the casserole.*
6. Add the sprigs of tarragon and thyme to the casserole, and give a stir so that some of the diced vegetables come on top of the chicken.
7. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, put the lid on top of that, and transfer to the oven. When juices begin to accumulate, the liquid should barely simmer (you may have to regulate your oven).
8. While the chicken is cooking, give the sliced carrots, leeks, and turnips (if using) a gentle sautéing in the remaining butter for about 3-4 minutes.
9. After the chicken has been in the oven 15-20 minutes, add the carrots, leeks, and turnips (and the butter from the saute).
10. The chicken will probably take 40-55 minutes to cook. You might want to start checking after 35 minutes. The thigh meat should be tender, and the juices should run clear when pricked with a fork. The sliced leeks, carrots, and turnips should also be very tender.
11. When the chicken is done, remove the chicken and sliced vegetables to a serving platter and keep warm.
12. Skim as much fat as you can off from the pan juices. If using the red wine, add it now and boil down the pan juices until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Add chopped parsley to the juices.
13. Serve the chicken with the pan juices. Accompany with mashed or boiled potatoes, or a simple rice dish.

Serves 4-6, depending on the size of the chicken.

*For an extremely decadent treat, try slipping shavings of black truffle under the chicken skin at this point. Joel says he’s never tried it, but it has been done in three-star restaurants in France.

Relish: Janne’s Fruit Chutney

Janne Rochlin, Chief Learning Officer

Janne says this chutney is delicious with roast turkey, roast chicken, and/or baked ham. You might even be able to give away jars of it as gifts!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag fresh cranberries
• 2-3 small apples, cored, peeled, and diced
• 1 15 oz. jar orange marmalade
• 1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Cinnamon and ginger to taste

Method:

1. Cook cranberries in 2 tablespoons of water until they begin to pop—about 10 minutes.
2. Add all other ingredients and cook together until cranberries are soft and all flavors are blended.
3. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, and store in the refrigerator.

Libation: The Christmas Bull

Carter Serrett, Vice President of Sales & Marketing

Carter writes, “As someone who has given up alcohol, the holidays provide a challenging time for finding festive beverages with plenty of spirit—MINUS the spirits. Here is a recipe I really like that still has a kick and a punch with the addition of the Red Bull. You’ll create quite a buzz without the blood alcohol content that often goes along with it. Makes for safer drivers as well.”

Ingredients:

• 1 qt. cranberry juice cocktail
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups unsweetened pineapple or grapefruit juice
• 2 qts. ginger ale
• 4 cups Red Bull
• Crushed ice
• Sliced grapefruit and/or pineapple (optional)

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in punch bowl and apply generous amounts of crushed ice and sliced fruit.

Carter adds the following WARNING: After providing this punch at my recent holiday party, I recommend NOT letting children drink it. There was an unfortunate set of parents who left with an Energizer Bunny instead of their daughter.

Dessert: Jamie’s Infamous Chocolate Bundt Cake

Jamie Freedman, Project Manager

Jamie says that this recipe is “straight out of the 1950s Los Angelian suburbs.” Jamie got the recipe from her grandmother’s neighbor.

Ingredients:

• Chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake is Jamie’s favorite)
• 3 eggs
• 1 packet of chocolate Jello Pudding
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil (a healthier oil also works)
• Chocolate chips, to taste (for a more intense chocolate experience, add chocolate chunks)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix everything (except chocolate chips) together in a bowl until smooth.
3. Add chocolate chips, amount to your liking.
4. Spray or coat bundt cake pan with non-stick spray or oil.
5. Pour batter into bundt cake pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Jamie says, “Test to see if it’s done by sticking a knife into cake, if more than just chocolate chip goo sticks, it’s not quite done yet.”
7. Enjoy and be ready to fill requests from all family and friends.

Wine Recommendations

Wild Mushroom Soup: Try either a creamy white wine such as Chardonnay from California or White Burgundy from France, or an earthy, mushroomy red, such as Pinot Noir.

Mediterranean Pasta: This is tricky because of the artichokes, which don’t pair well with wine. Try an Italian Pinot Grigio, or a Macon-Village (minerally French Chardonnay).

Casserole-Roasted Chicken: Either a White Burgundy from France, or a medium-light red such as Pinot Noir from California, Oregon, or Burgundy. If you make the recipe with the red wine, serve with red wine.

Chocolate Bundt Cake: Try a nice Port, or a late harvest Zinfandel, if you can find one.

Events, Trade Shows, and Happenings

Training 2009 Conference and Expo
February 9-11, 2009
Atlanta, GA

ASTD Conference and Expo
May 31-June 3, 2009
Washington, D.C.

Just for Fun

Holiday Q & A

Just before Christmas, there was an honest politician, a kind lawyer, and Santa Claus traveling in the elevator of a very posh hotel. Just before the doors opened they all noticed a $20 bill lying on the floor. Which one picked it up?

Santa of course, the other two don’t exist!

 

Why does Scrooge love Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

Because every buck is dear to him.

 

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

Frostbite.

The Barnes & Conti Newsletter is published about three times a year. For more information, visit our website, or the Barnes & Conti Blog

Joel Kleinbaum, Editor and Designer

Please send feedback to newsltr1 at barnesconti.com

Barnes & Conti, 940 Dwight Way Suite 15, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA
Copyright © 2008 Barnes & Conti Associates, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED