Christmas Dinner

What we're working on:

• Ham (Smithfield city), in the oven
• chestnuts, roasted, in their with the ham
• Wild Mushroom and Lentil Shepherd's Pie a la Cooking Light--the lentils are cooking, the potatoes are in process (Mama's doing it because she fears my knife skills sometimes and we're trying to make this an ER-free visit, because Sis and Bud have been one time each the last two years, plus that visit to Texas!!!)
• roasted veggies--carrots and Brussel sprouts--stay tuned to see if Pop even tries one of those (which, along with liver, is about the only thing he never eats)
• rolls, which Sis helped me form and butter, are proofing in the increasingly warm kitchen
• mac and cheese, needing almost no advance prep
• sweet potatoes, to go in microwave at last bit
• strawberry jello, setting in fridge right now
• Chocolate Lava Cakes, a la Ghiradelli, for Sis, the filling of which is in the fridge setting
• Panettone and various cookies, leftover over from nibbling all day

-=-=-=-=-=-

Wild Mushroom and Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Topping:

1 1/2 lbs cubed peeled Yukon gold potato

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

dash of ground red pepper

Filling

1 cup dried petite green lentils

4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth, divided

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

4-4 oz packages presliced exotic mushroom blend (such as shiitake, cremini, and oyster)

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon white truffle oil (right. it works without it)

chopped chives, optional

To prepare topping, lace potato and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes or until very tender; drain. Return potato to pan. Add buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper to potato. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F.

To prepare filling, combine lentils, water, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaf in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup vegetable broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Set flour mixture aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 2 cups broth. Add sherry, soy sauce, tomato paste, thyme, and lentils to mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in flour mixture, and cook until mixture thickens (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk.

Spoon lentil mixture into a 2 quart casserole; top with potato mxiture, spreading evenly. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden. Drizzle truffle oil over potatoes. Garnish with chives.

Cooking Light (235 for 1/8th casserole)

-=-=-=-=-=-

Chocolate Lava Cakes

1 1/2 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar

2 eggs

1/4 cup(s) heavy cream

8 tablespoon(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup(s) sugar

1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

1/4 cup(s) cake flour

To make centers, melt 2 ounces of chocolate (1/2 a baking bar) and cream in double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.

To make cake, heat oven to 400°F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate (1 baking bar) and butter in double boiler; whisk gently to blend. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture just until combined. Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.

Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert and remove ramekin. Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Ghiradelli.com