Brussels sprouts, yams and cranberry sauce are side dishes that will accompany many a roast turkey dinner this Christmas.
All can be prepared plainly and still add a burst of colour to the plate. All can also be dressed up to have a flavour that can rival the taste of your juicy turkey.
In today鈥檚 recipes for these classic holiday side dishes, I took the latter approach. I also focused on offering versions of them that could be prepared partially or entirely in advance. Doing that ensures there will be less fussing around when it鈥檚 time to serve Christmas dinner.
With regard to the Brussels sprouts, in today鈥檚 recipe I blanched them first. It鈥檚 a process where you boil the sprouts until almost tender, cool them in ice-cold water and drain them well. The Brussels sprouts can be blanched and refrigerated many hours before serving.
When it is time to reheat and serve the sprouts, simmer them in pomegranate juice and butter until they are heated through and tender. During that process, the juice reduces and forms a glaze around the Brussels sprouts.
Once in the serving bowl, the sprouts are sprinkled with toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds, creating a lovely side dish.
To ensure even cooking, I picked small- to medium-sized Brussels sprouts of roughly the same size.
My yam recipe can be prepared almost entirely in advance, many hours before it鈥檚 served.
The process begins by baking the yams until tender, and then cooling, skinning, slicing and setting them on a baking sheet. The yams are then topped with tangy cheese, pecans and cranberries, drizzled with a little melted butter and maple syrup, and sprinkled with cinnamon. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the yams until ready to serve.
When it is time to serve, bake the yams in a 325 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through. You can pop them in the oven when your roast turkey is cooked and resting before you slice it. When cooked, the yams are drizzled with balsamic crema, reduced balsamic vinegar that adds another hit of colour and tanginess.
I flavour cranberry sauce in all sorts of ways, and in today鈥檚 recipe I decided to give it an English twist by adding ginger marmalade and sherry. When the sauce cooks, the marmalade melts and melds with the tart cranberries, sherry, spices and brown sugar, creating a fine sauce.
You can make the cranberry sauce now, cool it and refrigerate it until ready to serve with your turkey.
Pomegranate-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Ginger and Walnuts
In this colourful side-dish recipe, you can cook and cool the Brussels sprouts hours in advance, and then heat, glaze and serve them when it鈥檚 dinnertime.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 10 minutes
Makes: six to eight servings
1 3/4 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, loose leaves discarded, shallow X cut into stem end of each sprout
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 tsp honey
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
3 Tbsp walnut pieces (see Note)
3 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
鈥� salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and gently boil until just tender, but still a little firm in the centre, about 4 minutes, depending on size. (The sprouts will be cooked a little further when simmered in the juice.)
Drain the sprouts well, cool in ice-cold water and then drain well again. Place the sprouts in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.
When ready to serve, place the butter, pomegranate juice, honey and ginger in a large skillet (mine was 12 inches wide) and bring to a simmer over medium, to medium-high heat. Add the sprouts and simmer until well heated through and the juice has reduced and started to very lightly thicken to form a glaze around the sprouts. Season the sprouts with salt and pepper.
Transfer sprouts to a serving dish, sprinkle with walnuts and pomegranate seeds, and serve.
Note: To toast the walnut pieces (also called walnut crumbs), place them in a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Heat and swirl the nuts until aromatic and lightly toasted, about four to five minutes.
Cranberry Sauce with Ginger and Sherry
Ginger marmalade and sherry richly enhance the taste of this sweet and tangy sauce to serve alongside slices of roast turkey.
Preparation time: a few minutes
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Makes: about 3 cups
1 (250 mL) jar ginger marmalade (see Note 1)
1/2 cup sherry (see Note 2)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 (300 grams) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
Place all ingredients, except cranberries, in a small- to medium-sized pot. Bring to a simmer over medium, to medium-high heat. Simmer and stir until the marmalade melts and blends with the sherry and juice, about one minute. Add the cranberries and cook just until they begin to fall apart, about 15 minutes.
Cool the sauce to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate until needed. Sauce can be made up to a week in advance of serving.
Note 1: Ginger marmalade is sold in the jam/preserves aisle of most supermarkets. I used Robertson鈥檚 brand.
Note 2: I used Harvey鈥檚 Bristol Cream sherry, but you can use any other rich, raisiny (sweet) sherry in the sauce.
Festive Baked Yam Rounds with Balsamic Crema
These yam rounds are festively topped with cheese, pecan, cranberries and cinnamon.
The balsamic crema adds a last-minute burst of colour and tanginess.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking: About 85 to 95 minutes
Makes: 12 (two rounds each) servings
3 medium yams (each about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)
鈥� salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (250 gram) block cream cheese, at warm room temperature so you can pipe it
48 dried cranberries
24 pecan halves
4 tsp maple syrup, or to taste
4 tsp melted butter or olive oil, or to taste
鈥� ground cinnamon, to taste
1 Tbsp balsamic crema, or to taste (see Note)
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Prick each yam several times with a fork and set on a parchment paper-lined sided baking sheet. Bake yams until just tender, about 60 to 70 minutes.
Remove yams from the oven, set on a plate and cool to room temperature. Set the baking sheet aside for a moment.
Carefully pull or thinly cut off the skin of each yam. Slice each yam, at a very slight angle, into eight rounds, about one-and-a-half-inch thick, and set on the baking sheet. Season the yam rounds with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the cream cheese into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Now pipe a small rosette of cream cheese on top of each yam round. Decorate the top of each yam round with four cranberries and two pecan halves, gently pushing them on to help them adhere.
Drizzle each yam round with a little maple syrup and melted butter (or olive oil). Now sprinkle each round with a little cinnamon.
Bake the yams, uncovered, in a 325 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through. Drizzle each yam round with a little balsamic crema and serve.
Note: Balsamic crema, also called balsamic cream, is syrupy, reduced balsamic vinegar. It鈥檚 sold at specialty food stores and in the deli or vinegar aisle of most supermarkets.
Eric Akis is the author of The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.