About the Virtual Feast:

Just about every year, the staff of Barnes & Conti gets together for a holiday potluck. Sixteen years ago we started sharing this tradition with our friends, colleagues, partners, and customers (some of you fit in several or all of those categories!) by way of a “Virtual Feast” in our holiday newsletter. We asked everyone to contribute a recipe or two, and those recipes made up the first virtual feast. The virtual feast was so popular, that we continue making the virtual feast the centerpiece of our holiday newsletter.

We are truly grateful for the rich cultural diversity of both our clients and our global partners. We wanted this year’s “Virtual Feast” to reflect some of the many cultures, heritages, and traditions of those with whom we’re privileged to work. We hope you will try at least a few of these and will enjoy them.

Brunch: Apple Delight (Baked Stuffed Apples)

Bette Krakau, Barnes & Conti Senior Associate

Bette says, “Brunch is one of my favorite meals during the holiday season. I love a lazy morning with my family or house guests, sitting around the kitchen table sipping coffee and eating my favorite foods. This old fashioned Apple Delight treat is one of those favorites. It is almost like an inside-out apple crisp, with the oats and brown sugar filling nestled within. It’s the kind of treat that just might get you moving on a cold winter’s morning. Enjoy!”

Ingredients:

• 4 medium apples
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup apple juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash, peel the apples halfway, and remove the cores, taking care not to pierce through the bottom of the apple. Make a nice wide core, so there is plenty of room for the filling.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oats, butter, walnuts, spices, and lemon juice until crumbly. Divide mixture equally among the apples, mounding it a bit.
3. Place apples in an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and pour the apple juice all around the bottom.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. Serve warm with gently whipped cream spooned over the top.

Serves four.

 

Snack, Appetizer, or Lunch: Empañadas

Lauren Powers, Senior VP of Business Development

This is the all-time favorite for the Powers family. Lauren says:

My husband, Bob and I have such fond memories of empañadas from our college “study abroad” days in Bogota, Colombia. Every morning at 11:00 our school served homemade empañadas as a snack. The luscious smell filled the building; then these wonderful pocket snacks were offered with freshly squeezed fruit juices. It was the best mid-morning snack ever!

The empañadas in Columbia were filled with beef. We fill ours with ground poultry. We make them for all kind of special occasions. They are also great to have in the refrigerator—ready to go for holiday time. Enjoy and feel free to take liberties with the recipe.

Once you get the knack, you’ll be exploring all kinds of empañada fillings such as spinach, cheese, and artichoke.

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions diced
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large red pepper diced
• 1 can white corn, drained
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 lb ground chicken or turkey (with dark meat) seasoned with garlic salt
• 2-3 tbsp white wine
• 2-3 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 lb cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese (I prefer reduced fat - 2%)
• 2 1/2 packages of Goya frozen empañada discos

Method:

1. Sauté onion in oil. When translucent, add minced garlic and red pepper and sauté until peppers are soft.
2. Add corn, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for a couple of minutes and remove the mixture from the pan.
3. Cook seasoned poultry in 1-2 tbsp of oil. When browned, add wine, tomato, and additional salt to taste.
4. Cook for a few minutes to reduce liquid.
5. Add to vegetable mixture you’d set aside and put in some chopped cilantro; let cool in refrigerator.
6. When mixture is cool, add cheese.
7. Use defrosted discos when ready to assemble.
8. Set up 4 disco shells and place about 1/4 cup of filling in center of shells. Brush edges with cold water and fold over and crimp edges using fork. Continue this process until all the filling and shells have been used. It will yield about 25 depending on how filled you make them.
9. Place on a cooking sheet that has been sprayed with vegetable oil.
10. Place in preheated oven of 400 degrees and bake until nicely golden brown on top and bottom, maybe about 20 minutes.

Lauren says, “You can bake and then freeze these for later use. They are best served warm, but my kids seem to love eating them right out of the refrigerator cold as well”

First Course or Main Dish: Seafood Gumbo

Janne Rochlin, VP of Program Delivery (retired)

This recipe is a Barnes & Conti classic from several years ago, when Janne and her husband had a Thanksgiving meal with her daughter’s husband’s family in New Orleans. In addition to the traditional Thanksgiving fare, the meal was launched with big bowls of homemade gumbo. Janne says, “By the time we finished with the gumbo, we were ready to head straight to sweet potato pie and 7-up cake!”

Gumbo is an American original, reflecting the melting pot of many different cultures—African, Hispanic, Caribbean, Creole, Cajun, and even Native American. The name “gumbo” comes either from a West African word for okra, or from a Native American word for the filé powder, or perhaps from both! Gumbo can have either okra or filé powder. This version is a filé gumbo because fresh okra is not always easy to find in December.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 large or two small green peppers, chopped (or one green and one red pepper)
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz smoked sausage (andouille, if you like it spicy), cut or diced (1/2 inch dice)
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled (see note, below)
• 1/2 lb crab meat (or more, if you like)
• Optional, 1/2 cup canned tomatoes, chopped
• Roux from 1/4 cup flour* and 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil
• 4-5 cups seafood stock
• 2 sprigs thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch or two of Gumbo Filé powder

Note: A really authentic gumbo has ingredients you can only get in South Louisiana, such as gumbo crabs to make a stock. This recipe is adapted for the rest of the country, with a special emphasis on the West Coast where Dungeness crab is in season all winter long. Gumbo, as this recipe indicates, is very flexible. Use what you can get. And tomatoes are optional.

A seafood gumbo really needs a good seafood stock. You can make a stock from shrimp shells, crab shells, crawfish shells, or a combination of all three. Just bring to a boil with 5-6 cups of water, a cut up onion, cut up leek, a couple sprigs of parsley, and a bay leaf. Simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, and strain out the solids. If you can’t get shells or gumbo crabs, then don't make a stock but substitute 2 cups clam juice plus 2-3 cups water.

Method:

1. Make the roux in a small pot by melting the butter with oil, adding the flour, and over medium heat, stir until the mixture is an even nut colored brown. Regulate the heat so that the roux doesn’t burn. Remove the roux from the heat.
2. In a good sized, heavy pot, sauté the onion, celery, and bell pepper over medium high heat until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is slightly caramelized. Add the diced sausage and brown it quickly.
3. Add the roux, the stock, and the tomatoes (optional). Stir briskly to make sure the roux doesn’t lump. Add the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. You might want to taste for salt after it has been simmering for about 20 minutes.
4. If using raw crawfish, add about 7-8 minutes before serving. If using raw shrimp, add 5-6 minutes before serving. Oysters, cooked shrimp, and crab meat can go in 3-4 minutes before serving. (Crawfish are cooked when the shell turns red, shrimp are cooked when they turn pink. Do not overcook). Or you can remove from the heat and let the gumbo sit.
5. Just before serving, add a pinch or two of filé powder (don’t let it cook or it will get gummy).
6. Serve in a soup bowl over mounds of plain, white, long-grain rice. Have Louisiana Hot Sauce on the table.

Thai Butternut Soup

Elaine Turcotte, Operations Manager

Elaine contributed this recipe combining new world squash with traditional Southeast Asian ingredients. If you can’t find the curry paste, Thai fish sauce, and coconut milk in the Asian section of your grocery store, you should be able to find them at a specialty market.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 1/2 tsp red curry paste
• 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 4 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed OR 2 (12-oz) packages frozen pureed butternut squash
• 1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp Thai fish sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Method:

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add curry paste, garlic, and ginger; sauté 45 seconds, stirring constantly.
2. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (through salt); cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes (OR 5 minutes if using pureed butternut), stirring frequently.
3. Place half of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture.
4. Spoon about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top with 2 tbsp peanuts and 1 tbsp cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves four.

Main Dish: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Nelson Soken, Barnes & Conti Chief Innovation Strategist

Here’s a recipe from another cuisine that could only have been made in America: Hawaiian! Nelson says, “ As the holidays fast approach, I am thankful and grateful for family, friends, colleagues, and all the people I have had an opportunity to meet this past year. During this time of year, I often am drawn to memorable past experiences going back as far as my childhood growing up in a sugar plantation home on the Big Island of Hawaii. Of course, those memories include get-togethers with family and friends around food. A simple recipe that my mother made when I was growing up that is still a family favorite is provided below. As I write this recipe, I am looking at a very old index card that I used to copy the recipe down over 35 years ago.”

“For me this simple dish brings me back to my childhood in Hawaii with family and allows me to reflect on where I came from, where I have been, and where I want to go. I hope you enjoy this simple dish from my mother’s kitchen. Happy Holidays to all of you and may 2017 bring you good health, enriching and nurturing relationships, and rewarding work!”

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of chicken thighs (chicken breasts can be used as well but in my opinion thighs are tastier)

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of Japanese rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3 tbsp of ketchup
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce (low sodium works just fine)
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of water
• Dab of wasabi paste and Sriracha (optional but I like the kick, my mother never did this)

Method:

1. Mix sauce ingredients until combined.
2. Pat chicken dry.
3. Salt and pepper chicken.
4. Roll chicken in a little flour or cornstarch, then dip in a beaten egg.
5. Fry chicken till skin is golden brown and crisp on the outside, chicken should not be completely cooked on the inside.
6. Place chicken in a roasting pan and pour sauce over chicken.
7. Bake uncovered in oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or so.

Serves four.

Says Nelson, “I like to serve this with steamed Asian “sticky” rice, some home-make pickled cucumbers, and steamed broccoli.”

Appetizer or Side Dish: Middle Eastern Beet Dip

Joel Kleinbaum, Web Developer

In addition to doing the web development work for Barnes & Conti, Joel has been quietly editing the newsletter recipes for the past 16 years. Joel is always trying to get people to “eat their vegetables” and this is a recent attempt. This recipe—probably Lebanese in origin—is like a cross between a beet tzatziki and and a beet hummus. It can be served as a dip with pita bread, or as a side dish or salad. Joel says, “Most of the quantities are approximate; experiment, try to get the balance of earthiness, provided by the tahini, to pungency (garlic) to sour (lemon and yogurt) to sweetness (beets) that suits you!”

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-large roasted beets
• 2 generous tbsp roasted sesame tahini paste or to taste
• 1/2 cup thick, plain yogurt (more for a dip, less for a salad)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (or more), pressed
• Pinch of salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (or more)

Method:

1. To roast the beets, wrap in foil, place in baking pan, and roast at 400 degrees until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork (40-60 minutes). Allow the beets to cool.
2. Peel the beets and grate or shred coarsely. Or for a salad, you can dice them in 1/2 inch dice. Mix well with the other ingredients and allow flavors to mingle for at least 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6.

Dessert: Eggnog Crème Brûlée

Kim Barnes, Barnes & Conti CEO

This recipe is from the vast repertoire of Kim Barnes, Barnes & Conti’s CEO and favorite world traveler. Crème brûlée has its origins in France, but quickly crossed the channel into England, where it was initially called “burnt cream.” Barnes & Conti is fortunate indeed to have global partners in both France and the U.K. This festive holiday version uses eggnog for both flavoring and to replace the rich milk or cream that would go into the baked custard.

Editor’s note: Caramelizing the sugar on top (#6, below) can be tricky under the broiler. The kitchen blowtorch is usually considered a surer method. Either way, the custard should be well-chilled to prevent it from curdling or melting.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart prepared refrigerated eggnog
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.
2. Combine eggnog with the eggs. Pour into eight small ramekins.
3. Arrange ramekins in a baking pan and pour hot water around them. Place in oven and bake about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of one comes out clean.
4. Remove from oven and from the baking pan. Cover ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. (Can be made to this point up to two days ahead.)
5. Heat broiler to highest heat. Arrange chilled ramekins on a baking sheet and sprinkle with an even, thin layer of brown sugar.
6. Broil (or, melt sugar with a small kitchen blowtorch) 5 inches from heat about 2 to 3 minutes or until sugar melts. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Serves eight.

 

Sweet Snack or Hors D’oeuvre:
Eric’s Holiday Rice Snow Balls

Eric Beckman, Barnes & Conti President

This hors d’oeuvre uses the traditional Japanese vinegared rice for a sweet, festive treat. Eric says that these delicious, bite-size, sweet sushi rice balls with candied lime peel and pomegranate seeds will liven up any holiday table.

Ingredients:

• Sushi rice (see below)
• 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (Note: If fresh pomegranate seeds unavailable, substitute chopped dried cranberries.)
• Candied lime peel (see below)

Sushi Rice Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup rice
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sushi Rice Method:

1. Rinse rice and strain. Add to rice cooker pot with water, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer at lowest heat. Cover and cook until water is gone.
2. While rice is cooking, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, honey, and salt. Stir well.
3. In a large bowl, mix the rice and vinegar/honey mixture with large spoon to aerate and cool rice while thoroughly mixing. Set aside.

Candied Lime Peel Ingredients:

• 5-6 limes (depending on size)
• 3 cups sugar (plus 1/2 cup extra for coating at end)
• 1 1/2 cups water

Candied Lime Peel Method:

1. Bring water and 3 cups sugar to low boil while stirring until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Julienne lime zest/peel, and place in separate sauce pan with enough cold water to cover zest. Bring to boil, drain zest, and quick rinse with cold water. Repeat process 2nd time with fresh water.
3. Place blanched zest into sauce pan with set-aside sugar water, enough to cover/float all zest, and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until zest is tender and semi-translucent. Zest will have lost much of its color from blanching, and adding 2-3 drops of green food dye to sugar water a few mins into simmer can restore some color if desired.
4. Remove zest from heat, drain (but do not rinse), and place on wire rack or paper towel to cool. Toss zest in bowl with extra sugar until well coated. Transfer to airtight container for use as needed.

Assembling the Rice Balls:

1. To assemble the snow balls, have a small bowl of water available for dipping fingers in to prevent rice from sticking to hands and a towel or paper towel to dab for handling plastic wrap. A single square piece/sheet of plastic cling wrap will be used to “form” the balls.
2. Drape plastic wrap over one hand, place 3-5 pomegranate seeds in center of palm, and place 3-4 pieces of lime peel cross-wise on top of seeds. Dip fingers of other hand into water to prevent rice sticking to them, and make a ball of rice about the size of a ping-pong ball or slightly smaller.
3. Carefully place the rice ball on top of the other ingredients in palm and draw up plastic wrap around everything. Twist the plastic wrap to tighten, press seeds and zest into rice ball, and shape to round. Carefully unwrap and transfer ball to serving plate. Arrange as desired.

This recipe makes about 18-24 rice balls.