The Caterist Files ~ The Big Beef Christmas Party!

Jeani
Nov 29, 2016
4 min read

We love our Big Beef at Christmas time!! It's a Texas Tradition, with a capital T!! We've enjoyed the turkey, the ham, the dressing, mashed potatoes and all the other sides. We've survived the coma and are ready to move up...or on, or over, or something!

It's time for the Beef! In all of its decadent glory, with sauces or butters or gravies...oh, my!

I do a fabulous Dijon Peppercorn Standing Rib Roast for our family, it's so buttery tender, melts in your mouth! But, there are so many more to try! So, let's! These are new to the Steakhouse Menu, which hosts our higher end, big beef offerings, from appetizers, through desserts!

We always begin our Meet & Greet with a bar, and this little bit of festiveness is easy to pull off! It's our Christmas Champagne Sippers!

Simply wet the rims of your champagne flutes and dip them in green or red crystal sugar granules. Pop a frozen raspberry in the bottom of each flute. Add well chilled champagne!

To the left is a Minted Cranberry Wine Spritzer. For the rim garnish, crush several peppermint canes in your food processor and put on a plate. Wet the glass rims (I like champagne glass for this) and dip into the crushed candy.

For the drink, simply splash in about half a glass of Cranberry Juice Cocktail and follow with sparkling wine or champagne!

Garnish with a small peppermint candy cane! Brilliant!

For our appetizers and passed hors d'oeuvres, I like to keep it pretty light for the Big Beef Dinner...we have got a lot of richness coming up! A small plate of Cheese & Charcuterie Bites and a small bowl of Holiday Mixed Nuts or Party Mix on the bar takes care of the stationary bar side appetizers. For passed appetizers, do two or three, at the most.

These little nibble can be done with wonton wraps or in those cute little phyllo cups. Either way, they make the perfect size for a passed appetizer. On the left are Spinach Artichoke Filled Wonton Cups.

On the right, Bacon Mushroom Phyllo Cups.

For Christmas colors, we have Caprese Skewers, with herb marinated boccacini (mozzarella balls), basil and a grape tomato. Alternately, we have marinated olives and boccacini with bites of salami and a garnish of parsley.

Above, on the left, Crostini with Goat Cheese, Fig & Prosciutto. On the right, Crostini with Brie & Pomegranate Seeds with Apricot and Thyme.

All very festive, and none too filling!! Ready for the First Course?? With the cooler weather, and the festivity in the air, I like a Soup Course for the First course. If you're not planning on having a surf & turf entrée, the soup is ideal to squeeze in some surf!

Above, on the left, we have Shrimp Bisque, creamy and lush! On the right, Broccoli Crab Chowder!

Any of our other soups or appetizers would be available to you, just click on the soup above to go to the Starters Page!

Or, what a tasty way to bring fried shrimp to the salad plate! Oh, yes!!! Wild West Shrimp Popper Salad! Mesclun greens, chopped tomatoes, red onion slivers, sliced scallions, banana pepper rings, Wild West Seasoned Popcorn Shrimp and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy this with a fresh herb Ranch dressing!!

Another fun trend is Frito Mixto, Mixed Fried Appetizers. These would be done in a one plate size with a central dip or dips, for each table. Each guest gets a small salad plate of crisp & leaf lettuces, with tomato, red onion and radis. A central plate of Frito Mixto is presented for the table to share. Those are your fried morsels. Shown here are Herb Ranch Dip and House Salsa.

The center of attention...aka, the fried goodies, would include a mix of Wild West Shrimp Poppers, Fried Mushrooms, Fried Pickles, Fried Zucchini, Fried Broccoli Florets, Fried Jalapenos and/or Fried Onion Rings. Not all, but your choice of four favorites.

Everyone loves the House Herb Ranch with this, and a second dressing of House Salsa or our Avocado Ranch could be included, if you wish! It's a fun way to start the meal! Put what you like best on your salad...yes, that makes it all ok!!! It's Christmas, after all!!

Or, scrap the salad plate, entirely, and just share in the goodness of the fried, Frito Mixto! It's up to you!

The New Year IS coming up, it can all be made right!

OK, let's get to the Main Attraction!!! While I have done these menu items a few times, over the years, this is their first appearance on our catering menu, as we advertise for the Kinsloe House.

Drum rolls, please!!!

These dishes may be made with your choice of prime beef, be it ribeye steak, New York strip, or filet of tenderloin. The beauty above, on the left, shows a griddled Ribeye with Lobster Bernaise Sauce. On the right, Filet of Beef with Crab Hollandaise. And, below, we have griddled Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Peppercorn Sauce. All decadent, all delicious!

We can do these with your favorite potato or rice dish...some local favorites are our Butter Mashed Potatoes, Loaded Potato Casserole, White & Wild Rice Pilaf and Parmesan Risotto. Steakhouse sides like Spinach Madeleine or Tomatoes Rockefeller fill out the plate nicely. Any combination will be elegant and tasty!

For our After Dinner Delight, served with coffee, a simple Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream or our Chocolate Pecan Truffle Torte ends the evening perfectly!