My grandmother called me about a week ago and asked me to help her prepare something for Christmas Eve. She wanted something easy, satisfying, but nothing too big or too complicated. Knowing her favorite meal of the day is breakfast, I started planning a small but simple menu. Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits filled with Glazed Ham and Dill Havarti Cheese, Mixed Fruit, Cheddar Cheese Grits, and a platter of Almond Tea Cookies (per my grandmother’s request), Collins Street Bakery Fruitcake from my family’s home state of TX, and Raisin Cinnamon Bagel Bites. My father made Stollen for the first time and I get the feeling it will be a new tradition for our family.
The Stollen was delightful! Perhaps he will teach me a thing or two about Stollen and I can share it with yall. In the meantime, the recipes below should get you started on your “Breakfast for Dinner” or as one of my friends calls it, “Brinner.”
First, I decided to use Pillsbury Grands Frozen Biscuits instead of making them myself. My grandfather always made the best homemade biscuits and since losing him in February, the holidays have been hard for all of us. I decided the frozen were best for the occasion and our family. Then, I worked on the ham. My grandmother and mother bought a small one before I came home so it only took about 6 hours to cook. The glaze consisted of a 3/4 cup of honey, 1/3 cup orange juice and 1 sliced orange. I usually “pin” the orange slices directly to the skin of the ham with whole cloves. Due to a lack of whole cloves, we subbed bacon flavored toothpicks instead. (Yes, bacon flavored toothpicks are great for a man of good taste! You can find them here: http://www.amazon.com/Bacon-Flavored-Toothpicks-Accoutrements-Novelty/dp/B000VF5UYU.) After cooking for 6 hours, let ham stand for about an hour to cool. Then, serve immdiately or refrigerate til served. For our “biscuits,” I sliced the biscuits in half and filled each one with a slice of ham and a slice of Dill Havarti Cheese. Dill Havarti Cheese can be found in the “gourmet cheese” section of your local grocery store and has a creamy, buttery, almost cheddar like flavor. The dill enhances the flavor of the entire biscuit and ham sandwich and when placed inside a steaming hot biscuit, melts with ease.
The Cheddar Cheese Grits can be made ahead or made and served immediately. We made ours ahead and warmed it in the oven the same time we heated the biscuits. They were done at the same time, about 10-12 minutes. The recipe is below:
Hallie’s Cheddar Cheese Grits
1 cup Quick Grits
2 cups water
1 egg, well beaten
1 jar Old English Cheese or 1/2 lb Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Combine the first two ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium. Bring grits to a boil and boil for at least 5 minutes. Add egg and cheese to grits and stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour into your preferred serving dish and top with remaining shredded cheese. It is ready to serve or can be refrigerated for later service. To reheat, place oven safe serving dish in an oven at 350F and cook for at least 10 minutes.
We used canned fruit for our mixed fruit dish and purchased the fruit cake, bagels, and almond cookies. We order a Collin’s Street Bakery Deluxe Fruitcake every year in my family and have done so for years. Few fruitcakes can compare to this one, so we stick to what’s good. (To order one, go to this website: http://www.collinstreet.com/pages/online_bakery_gift/deluxe_fruitcake.) The almond cookies are my grandmother’s favorite and she prefers Kroger’s Private Selection. They are thin, but great with tea and the upside? 8 cookies are only 140 calories!
This year we didn’t go big, but it was quick, easy and enjoyable. Well, at least, the guys enjoyed it!
