It is once again my pleasure to bring you two of my favorite Christmas traditions: a delicious recipe you can serve at Christmas dinner, (this year, Cranberry-Pomegranate Chiffon Pie in a Graham Cracker Crust with White Chocolate Sauce), and the 2011 inductees into Ben’s Gingerbread Hall of Fame. With a two-part article there’s much to show, so let’s get started!
Part 1: Ben’s Gingerbread Hall of Fame Class of 2011
Gingerbread cookies are, of course, one of Christmas’ most cherished traditions. One of my favorite things is to use them to commemorate people or images that made a special mark during the year. (Click here to see the previous inductees, along with a recipe for a great-tasting pecan pie with cranberries and bourbon.)
And now, please welcome the Gingerbread Hall of Fame, Class of 2011!
Angry Birds |
Sock Monkey |
Sue Sylvester |
William and Kate Royal Wedding |
Part 2: Cranberry-Pomegranate Chiffon Pie in a Graham Cracker Crust with White Chocolate Sauce
A delicious dessert is the perfect finish to a special dinner. This Cranberry-Pomegranate Chiffon Pie tastes great, is easy to make, and is low-fat too! (If you've never worked with unflavored gelatin before, this recipe is a good example of why you might want to add this wonderful and useful ingredient to your arsenal.)
This recipe makes one 9” pie. (You might also want to save the directions for the graham cracker crust and the white chocolate sauce separately, since those will be useful for lots of other dishes, too!)
This recipe makes one 9” pie. (You might also want to save the directions for the graham cracker crust and the white chocolate sauce separately, since those will be useful for lots of other dishes, too!)
First, let’s make the crust. (If you use a purchased graham cracker crust, just skip this step and go on to the filling directions.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the chiffon filling:
You'll need a bottle of cranberry-pomegranate juice.
In a small saucepan, bring ¾ cup juice to a boil. Pour into a bowl or mixing cup, add 1 packet (1/4 ounce) of unflavored gelatin and stir. Add ¼ cup sugar, and stir well.
Let the mixture cool until it is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites, about 20 minutes.
Place ½ cup non-fat dry milk and the ice-cold juice in a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed 3-4 minutes, or until soft peaks form.
Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and continue beating.
Gradually add ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell, cover and refrigerate three hours or until firm.
Finally, to make the white chocolate sauce:
To complete the pie:
Slice to serve. As you plate each slice, top it with the white chocolate sauce using a spoon or squeeze bottle as shown in the photo at the top of the recipe.
Wishing you all a joyous [fill in the name of your favorite December celebration]!
See you next week with another delightful treat for your cooking and eating pleasure! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)
Merry Christmas, Ben! I like the Royal Wedding cookie the best! LOL! And that Chiffon cake looks so delicious! I also love the pretty plate it's on -- I noticed the color of the pie matches a color in the plate, so pretty! I'm sure you wouldn't have noticed, but probably your wife and the other ladies at your dinner did! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great holiday!
Best,
Gloria
Hope your Christmas was great too, Gloria! Glad you liked the special cookies. :-) And you are right: the colors of the plate did escape my notice, which should not surprise anyone who knows me. lol.
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