Peace and Pleasure

Holidays exhaust me. It’s not that I wilt as I make enough cookies, preserves and candies to keep Domino Sugar in the black for the next decade. It’s not that I lose steam while obsessively arranging more than 800 lights on the Christmas tree. And it’s not that I grow fatigued while opening presents. Puh-lease. My energy remains boundless as I race outside to look for the red Jaguar XKR Portfolio convertible that my friends keep forgetting to chip in and buy me.

No, it’s the food that wears me out.

How many times can I cook and eat the same fodder between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day before I’m overcome by boredom? And it’s not just the food at big holiday events that does me in. The pickings at small, innocuous affairs--office parties, festive gatherings at the hair salon--get to me too. By Jan. 2, I’ve eaten so much turkey that I’m in a narcoleptic stupor--a victim of tryptophan overload.

Then there are the fights that break out at the holiday table. You know the ones I’m talking about: the surreptitious battle for crispy skin, the fracas over sending leftovers home with guests and, perhaps worst of all, the barely veiled derision because there’s always something in the stuffing that someone can’t eat.

This year I decided to perform a little holiday-meal CPR with the aid of Maria Helm Sinskey, author of “The Vineyard Kitchen” (HarperCollins, 2003). Sinskey, who with her husband owns the Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa, is known for creating soul-satisfying menus with a twist. I explained my dilemma to her, and she identified completely. Then I charged her with the noble tasks of resuscitating holiday food and bringing peace to dinner tables across the land.

Her remedy: individual Cornish game hens. I hesitated. I always associate game hens with wedding luncheons I’ve attended. After chowing down I would loosen my tie and head for the nearest burger joint because I was never full. But because some hens of the Cornish variety can tip the scale at 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, they are large enough to satisfy everyone. What won me over, though, was her pomegranate and black pepper glaze--Christmas-y, but with just enough bad-boy attitude.

Without a doubt, though, stuffing has always been a no-win situation at my house. In order for me to satisfy an evangelical vegan, a reformed Jew who won’t eat pork and a hypochondriac relative with a phantom nut allergy, I’d have to serve Stove Top stuffing right out of the box. Sinskey solved my problem by creating a master recipe that can be adapted for each guest. So someone hates pine nuts but loves pecans? Swap them. Another prefers turkey sausage to good old Jimmy Dean? No problem.

Finally, it didn’t take any urging to persuade Sinskey to retire ho-hum pies and cobblers. She chose instead gingerbread with whipped cream. Unlike ordinary gingerbread, which often doubles as a doorstop, hers is moist and light, thanks in part to freshly grated ginger.

Armed with a new menu, I’m looking forward to the holiday season--and my Jaguar.

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Pomegranate and Black Pepper-Glazed Game Hens

Serves 4

2 cups pomegranate juice (POM Wonderful or R.W. Knudsen preferred)

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, cracked

Four 22-ounce Cornish game hens, fresh or thawed

Salt

Stuffing (see recipe below)

1 to 2 cups chicken stock

Add the pomegranate juice, sugar and black pepper to a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil for about 15 to 20 minutes, until it reduces to about 3/4 cup. Pour the glaze into a heat-proof measuring cup. Cool and reserve. The glaze can be made up to one week in advance, covered tightly and refrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place the rack in the middle. Rinse the Cornish hens inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Snip off the tails and remove excess fat from around the body cavities and necks. Salt the cavities and fill each with 1/2 cup stuffing. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips underneath. Season the birds with salt. Place the hens on the oven rack in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and add enough chicken stock to the pan to cover the bottom by about 1/2 inch. Brush the hens generously with the glaze. Continue to roast the birds for 45 minutes, brushing with the glaze every 15 minutes. Five minutes before removing the birds from the oven, brush with glaze for the last time. Transfer the birds to a platter and untie their legs. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Strain the pan juices into a small saucepan and reduce over high heat to concentrate the flavor. (For a sweeter taste, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of pomegranate glaze before reducing.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Serve with the game hens.

Note: To cook the remaining stuffing, place it in a well-buttered 5-cup baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place in the oven 20 minutes before the birds are finished. When the birds are removed, uncover the stuffing, stir and continue to bake for 10 minutes to brown the top. Drizzle with some of the strained pan juices and fluff with a fork before serving.

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Herb-Scented Pine Nut and Currant Peasant Bread Stuffing

Serves 4

1/2 small loaf peasant bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (6 cups)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet

1/2 cup currants

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

2 slices thick bacon, cut into 1/8-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups chilled chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until crisp and the edges are golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool.

In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. Add the onions and celery and saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, translucent and starting to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pine nuts, currants and chopped herbs. Transfer to a small bowl. In the same pan over medium heat, saute the bacon until golden but still chewy. Pour the bacon and pan drippings into the vegetable mixture. Let cool. Add the vegetable mixture to the bread cubes, along with the chicken stock. Mix thoroughly until the bread has absorbed the stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Note: Sinskey devised this recipe so that it can be adapted for each guest. Chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts or pecans may be substituted for the pine nuts, and any dried fruit for the currants. Larger fruits should be diced into small pieces before adding to the mix. The bacon can be omitted, or 4 ounces of pork sausage may be used instead.

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Roasted Caramelized Root Vegetables

Adapted from “The Vineyard Kitchen”

Serves 4

20 pearl onions, peeled

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the olive oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet and dot with butter. Roast for 30 minutes, stir and continue to roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and golden.

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Fresh Ginger Gingerbread With Soft Cream

Adapted from “The Vineyard Kitchen”

Serves 8 to 10

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger with juice (remove tough fibers)

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup chilled heavy cream

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar, optional

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a 7-cup loaf pan or a square 9-by-9-by-3-inch cake pan. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the grated ginger and beat well for 15 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses and buttermilk. Add the flour and molasses mixtures to the butter mixture in two parts, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl until the ingredients are just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake and cool completely.

Whip the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar if using and vanilla until softly mounded, about 2 minutes. Place a dollop atop each serving of cake.

Note: For this recipe, don’t use a dark-colored pan because the sides and bottom of the gingerbread will become too brown.