A Christmas to remember

This is shaping up to be a different Christmas for our family. Grandma is in the hospital. We usually stay home for Christmas in Mission Viejo, Calif., and go away for Thanksgiving. Grandma and grandpa were supposed to drive down and spend Christmas here. As it stands, my family (mom, Sue, dad, Bill, and I  – my brother, Devin, is working at Mountain High ski resort on Christmas Day), will drive up to see my grandma, Helen, and grandpa, Ken, in Torrance. We usually open presents Christmas morning, after filling our tummies with mom’s famous egg casserole, a recipe she got from Gayle, her sister-in-law, with a sweet breakfast cake, muffin or bread. Mom, dad and I are planning on eating the egg casserole at home Christmas morning, then driving to Torrance. As for opening gifts, we’re switching it up this year and opening much of the presents on Christmas Eve, while reserving a few for Christmas Day. We will bring gifts, and portions of the egg casserole, layered with white bread with Jimmy Dean sage sausage and cream of mushroom soup. My grandpa loves that stuff!! Christmas dinner was supposed to be crown roast of pork with apple and fennel stuffing (a recipe from Fine Cooking), a salad and and sauteed/caramelized apples. That’s been postponed, perhaps until New Year’s. But mom says it depends on how grandma is doing. I don’t know what were having Christmas night for dinner. It could be sloppy joe’s, tuna melts, or take-out.  But in the big picture, what we’re having for Christmas dinner this year takes a back seat to embracing the season – loving God for what He’s done for us; loving and caring for grandma, being together as a family and the unexpected. One thing is for sure – in the words of Amy Grant, this will be a Christmas to remember.

Go Greek in Santa Ana

Looking for Greek food in Santa Ana? Head to Thasos Greek Island Grille on the corner of Sunflower Avenue and Bristol Street, near South Coast Plaza. The restaurant is tucked in a corner strip mall that includes eateries serving items such as Indian food and yogurt. You can find yogurt at Thasos, probably in the Tzatziki sauce of whole yogurt with garlic, cucumber and dill that coats iceberg lettuce shreds, chopped tomatoes, green and red onions, herbs and light balsamic dressing  inside a soft pita with flame-broiled chunks of chicken. Pan grilled vegtetables and a delicious bean soup accompany the pita in the “pita bundle combo” ($7.95). The combo includes your choice of chicken, pork, steak, lamb, gyros, etc., in a pita with two sides (i.e. fries, macaroni and cheese, Mediterranean slaw, hummus). I have eaten there four or five times. My favorite dish thus far is the santorini bowl ($5.75), a bargain. The warm, satisfying stew of Fasolada beans and grilled veggies in a tomato broth arrives steaming. Aromas of fresh herbs, dill and mint hit your nose. Crumbled feta scatters around the stew, served over rice or penne. For $3.00 or $4.00 extra, you can add a protein on the side,  but it is really not necessary. There’s plenty of food here. Two people with small appetites could probably split this.

The moussaka is a lasagna-esque preparation with ground lamb and layers of sliced potatoes, eggplant and zucchini with tomato and bechamel  sauces with feta on top ($9.95). There’s also lamb stew, which the menu deems as “the ultimate comfort food,” with vegetables braised in wine, tomatoes, herbs and spices over rice ($8.95). I wish they put pastitsio on the menu. Pastitsio (a lamb and pasta casserole) resembles moussaka except it substitutes pasta for potatoes. A recipe in December’s Gourmet magazine for pastitsio triggered my curiosity for this dish. Taverna platters ($10.95) come with two meats on a bed of rice, soup or salad, tzatziki sauce and pita and choice of one side (hummus, macaroni and cheese, veggies, etc.). There’s appetizers such as grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs  (dolmades, $4.35) and spanakopita ($4.95), crisp, country-style phyllo, feta and spinach fritters . A friend and I tried the baklava on the last visit. The layered dessert of phyllo dough with ground nuts mixed with sugar and spices (such as cinnamon) provides chewy yet gentle crisp texture with the phyllo.  It is sweet, but doesn’t give an overwhelming sugar rush. Thasos has been in since 1999. Here’s to 10 and many more years of Greek food worth driving 18 miles (or more).

THASOS Greek Island Grille

3940 Bristol St., Suite 113

Santa Ana, CA 92704

(714) 708-3000

Open Sunday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Dine in, take out and catering available.

greekislandgrille.com

Wednesday morning wonders

The light brown banana peanut spread covers the flesh of the apple half. The spread is stable. Tiny peaks that resemble whipped egg whites or cream pop up at random. The apple skin is primarily standard red, with a yellow splotch mixed in. The skin is also smooth. The crisp, juicy, sweet flesh is almost candylike. The peanut spread is delicious - creamy, sweet and thick. Banana puree goes into the spread, from Harry & David.

The apple with peanut spread is part of Wednesday breakfast. Granola, Quaker granola, with raisins, honey, sliced almonds and that alluring coconut oil, joins the apple, orange juice and coffee.  I open the Bible to 1 Chronicles and read about David encouraging his son Solomon to seek the Lord. Eat slow and savor each bite of apple and granola. The granola’s rough mouthfeel gives way to an innocent sweetness.

Over time the milk soaks up flavor from the honey, brown sugar and coconut oil. The oats in the milk soften. A cup of coffee alongside makes this an appealing breakfast. But something is missing from the granola. It’s the coconut oil. Maybe this box’s batch is light on the oil. It’s not as pronounced as granola from other boxes. Coconut oil is what makes this granola. It transforms over time from a slight crunchy cereal to a soft, creamier version. The raisins remain chewy throughout. It has the right amount of sweetness and the flavor, when it’s on, makes this a granola worth standing behind, or sitting in front of.  Might be fun to try making some granola at home. Thanks Quaker and Harry & David, for providing two tasty products that have secured a regular place in this man’s breakfast lineup.

Comfort with Crostata

Crostata is to pie as a child is to an adult. One is smaller in stature, more delicate. One is fuller, taller, more pronounced. Deep-dish pies pack the filling. A crostata is more restrained. After very limited browsing on the Internet, I found crostata, a dessert with a dough, filling (i.e. fruit, jam), can be made in a tart pan. It can also be made without a pan, which is the approach I took for an apple-pear crostata. We had some leftover dough in the freezer (the other half of a recipe from Ina Garten’s ”Barefoot Contessa at Home”). So, the dough defrosted in the refrigerator. rolled it out on a floured wooden board. Roll the crust into a circle, or oblong. Do the best you can. The edges cracked quite a bit. The dough stuck to the board during the transfer to the rolling pin. It’s destination as a  parchment-lined baking sheet. After some slight patch work, the dough was ready for the filling. Fill it with the best-quality fruit, from, say, a farmers’ market. Two apples (Pink Lady, Gala) with two pears (Bosc and D’Anjou) went into this filling.

 

In a non-stick skillet, butter melted into a shallow bath for the fruit – peeled, cored and sliced one-quarter inch. Apples and pears warmed in a coating of melted butter, brown sugar, with kisses of ground cinnamon and lemon juice –  soft, luxurious sweetness in a breath. The fruit filled the pan too much, so the apples and pears steamed and released their liquids. 

 

Add a touch of Calvados (apple brandy) towards the end and cook five more minutes. I like a crostata, or really any fruit dessert, on the juicy, runny side. This one was a little dry for my taste. Just remove the fruit from the heat earlier if you like it this way. Let the fruit cool and then spoon onto the crust. Leave about a two-inch gap from the edge of the crust all the way around, so you can fold the crust inward, wrapping the edges like a dessert package. Then hide the fruit under streusel crumbles. The streusel recipe is found within an apricot pie recipe in Gourmet magazine.

Baking temperatures and times vary. I saw recipes for 375, 350, 450 and 400 for temperatures and anywhere from 20-25 minutes to 50-60 minutes. I went with 40 minutes, going from a recipe in Giada de Laurentiis’s book, “Giada’s Family Dinners.” My mom removed the crostata before time was up. I don’t remember how early, perhaps 40 seconds. A portion of crust turned black.

If you are able, turn on the oven light and peek inside to check. If the edge of the crust starts browning too much for your liking, cut a few pieces of aluminum foil and place over the crust. A few black streaks covered the parchment, a signal some juices escaped.

I would have liked softer fruit and a tart apple to go with the Pink Lady, perhaps a Granny Smith to provide an intriguing contrast. The sweet fruit, tender crust and crunchy bits of streusel with a scoop of vanilla ice cream leave room for a compliment or two.