It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without Sausage Balls

When it comes to holiday foods we all have our guilty pleasures, those foods we don't eat (or won't own up to eating) any other time of year. This is the kind of concoction you're ashamed to admit craving, and eating it is often a private affair, like viewing pornography or cheating with your best friend's spouse. Okay, so maybe I exaggerate, but fair to say you feel the need to do penance with every bite by saying out loud, "Oh, this is so bad for me..."

So it is with sausage balls, my personal holiday food vice; unhealthy, greasy, carb laden treats likely conceived in a trailer park by a cook with more imagination than time, a block of government cheese, and a roll of Jimmy Dean sausage that was about to go bad.

My husband loves them (whatever that says about him) and they are unbelievably good. Also extremely quick and easy to make in a season of complicated, keep-you-in-the-kitchen-all-day, holiday recipes. All you need is a box of Bisquick, a pound of sausage, and a big chunk of supermarket cheddar.

Culinary abomination or national foodie treasure? You decide.

SAUSAGE BALLS

1 pound ground sausage (mild, regular or hot, depending on how spicy you like 'em)
3 cups Bisquick baking mix
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Form into 1-inch balls. (Resist the urge to make them bigger. They will rise as they cook. First time I made them I ended up with tennis ball sized sausage balls. Good, but more a meal than a treat.) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a mayonnaise/mustard dip (1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard), honey-mustard or other favorite condiments, or just eat as is, the way I prefer them.

Bet you can't eat just one.

Two-Buck Chuck Cranberries

Most of you already know that I'm a wine snob, but you probably didn't suspect that I'm a cranberry sauce snob too. I'm one of those people who wants turkey and dressing to eat with the sauce, but I wouldn't touch that congealed mass that comes in a can, even with your fork.

For the uninitiated, Two-Buck Chuck, aka Charles Shaw wine, is an "extreme value" wine marketed by Trader Joe's, and it sells (sold?) for, you guessed it, $1.99 per bottle. (Until January 2013, when it became Two-Fifty Chuck, at least here in California.) You can find worse wine, and it has developed a certain cachet, more for cheek than taste. But it's still not the drink you'd want to be sipping when you propose to your beloved or toast the end of your probation.  That being said, I use it unabashedly for cooking. While you wouldn't want to use a 'bad' wine for cooking, neither would you want to use a 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I always suggest you use an inexpensive wine that you wouldn't mind drinking in a pinch. Say it's 2:00 am, your boyfriend just told you he's gay, and the liquor store is closed; then Two-Buck Chuck fits the bill impressively.

This cranberry sauce is quick, easy, and if you make it once, you'll never buy canned again. I first made it in a 'Forks and Corks' cooking class (taught by the incredible Martha Vining) at the John C. Campbell Folk School, and it's so good you'll eat it with a spoon. You'll want to make a double batch of it, one to serve with the turkey and stuffing and another to serve over the delicious paneer you're going to make, from the recipe, (also from the Forks and Corks class), I've included as a little holiday lagniappe. (Yes, you can make cheese. It's a showstopper appetizer and tastes even better than it looks.)

I use Two-Buck Chuck Cabernet Sauvignon, but if you can't get it where you live any decent inexpensive Cab would work well, as would a Zinfandel or even a Syrah. Just make sure it's something you won't mind pouring in your glass to finish off the bottle once the cooking is done!

CABERNET CRANBERRIES
(yields 1 1/2 cups)

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1 stick cinnamon
Zest of 1 orange

Pick over, rinse and drain berries.

Combine sugar and wine in a 3-quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon stick, orange zest and cranberries. Return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Chill before serving. Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools and chills.

Perfect with Thanksgiving dinner or on top of homemade paneer at the Christmas party.


PANEER
(Soft Indian Cheese - yields 3 cups)

1 gallon whole milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Cheesecloth
Strainer

Bring milk just to boil in a large stainless steel pot, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. (This is important 'cause if it sticks you'll end up with brown flecks in your cheese plus the pot will be a bitch to clean.)

Whisk in the lemon juice and stir 1 -2 minutes until well blended. Let sit for 5 minutes. Milk will separate and break into curds.

Pour mixture into strainer, lined with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Allow to drain and cool for at least one hour, pressing down occasionally to remove excess liquid. (Hint: Weigh the cheese down with a small plate centered with a heavy object, such as a can or jar of processed food. This presses the liquid out faster and helps mold the cheese to the shape of the strainer.)

When the cheese is cool and completely drained, remove from strainer, wrap and chill. Should be used within 3-4 days.

For a showstopper appetizer, invert cheese on a plate and spoon Cabernet Cranberries on top. Serve with an assortment of crackers. Bon appetit!

Sweet Potato Heaven

You just had one for Thanksgiving, and I'll bet you're thinking about dragging out the old pumpkin pie recipe again for Christmas. Don't do it. I have a better idea.

Frankly, I don't care if I never see another pumpkin pie; a holiday dessert I consider highly overrated and, to be blunt, almost unbearably boring. Where I came from, the pie of the day was a smooth, creamy, sweet potato pie, kissed with cinnamon and vanilla, and served with a dollop of sugared whipped cream. Then, somewhere along the way, I developed a real passion for cheesecake, (any kind will do thank you very much, and that's a hint), under the mistletoe, and since having two such super-rich desserts seemed decadent, even for the holiday, (not to mention calorically extravagant), imagine my delight when I found a recipe that combined them both. Finally I can have my cake and eat my pie too! This is truly sweet potato, (not to be confused with yams), and cheesecake heaven!

It's not a recipe you'd want to make every day because there are several steps and a plethora of ingredients, but for an occasion it's worth the trouble, and the calories. And, it's a great make-ahead dessert too, as it will keep quite well refrigerated for several days.

I like to Christmas it up with mint leaves and dried cranberries on top, but a scattering of toasted coconut flakes will work just fine too. And that dollop of whipped cream served on top of each piece? Might as well.

SWEET POTATO COCONUT CHEESECAKE
(Serves 10... or more...)

Sweet Potatoes
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons golden brown sugar (packed)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg (or freshly grated if you have it)
1 egg
2 tablespoons whipping cream

Combine first 13 ingredients (through the nutmeg) in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Transfer to food processor and puree until smooth. Whisk together egg and cream. Add 2 1/3 cups potato puree and blend well. Cover and chill sweet potato mixture until cold.

Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (plus more to coat pan)
Powdered sugar

Butter 10 inch springform pan and sides and dust with powdered sugar. Mix cracker crumbs and melted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of pan to make a thin crust. Chill.

Filling
2 1/2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup sugar
4 3ggs
1 15-ounce can sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (plus additional for garnish, if desired)

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, ricotta and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add cream of coconut, lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Fold in flaked coconut and chilled sweet potato mixture. Pour filling into pan prepared with graham cracker crumb crust.

Bake on a rimmed baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about an hour and 20 minutes, until filling is just set in center. Transfer cheesecake directly to refrigerator and chill, uncovered, overnight. (Center may sink.)

To serve, run a small knife between cake and pan sides to loosen. Remove sides. Place on platter. Scatter toasted unsweetened coconut over top or garnished as desired. Serve chilled.