Food and Wine Magazine, December 2000

Roasts seem to be the stylish alternative this Christmas, and Food & Wine magazine offers several to choose from: Standing Rib Roast of Beef, Roast Leg of Pork with Fresh Herbs and Fennel Seeds (and a great sounding way to use the leftovers-Cuban Roast Pork Sandwiches with Mojo Sauce), Roasted Rack of Veal (with impressive looking criss-crossed bones), and Holiday Beef Brisket with Onions.

All of the recipes look reasonably easy to follow and only require a minimum of unusual ingredients that might prove a challenge. If you're up for a change this holiday, this may well be the way to go. (And for another vote of confidence, all of the recipes were created by Bruce Aidell, of Aidell's Sausages. Go no further for great gourmet sausage, in my opinion.)

Trial by Fire As for me, I haven't quite gotten to the point of cooking a rehearsal dinner for the holidays, so I can't tell you with any authority how those will turn out. But what I can tell you is that their recipe for Hot Lemonade (generously spiked with dark rum, or my preference, bourbon) is a sure-fire way to make cold and flu season a bit more bearable, and may well become your favorite wintertime nightcap.

Baking is of course a traditional part of the holidays, and what could be more traditional than baking bread? Nothing, especially if you're making Michael London's Best White Bread. This rich loaf calls not only for milk, but an unusually generous amount of butter, an egg yolk, and two tablespoons heavy cream. The result is creamy and moist-perfect for sandwiches when you're wondering how to use up the holiday leftovers! Certainly worth the trouble of home baking-you won't find anything even vaguely like this at the supermarket. (And it gives the house a nice aroma, too.)

To see what else Bruce Aidell has up his sleeve: http://www.aidells.com/html/recipes.html

Michael London and his wife own and operate the charmingly named Mrs. London's Bakeshop. They have a mail-order service too, for those that find the holidays too hectic to even think about baking! http://mrslondons.com/

Food & Wine magazine can be found at: http://www.pathfinder.com/FoodWine/

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