David Ross

I haven't made a fruitcake in a couple of years. Not because I've lost my taste for fruitcake, but I've had five of them aging in the pantry and haven't had the need to replenish the stock. This year I'll savor two of the older fruitcakes, (one of the devils got his photo taken this afternoon, and replenish them with newly baked cakes. My best estimate is the older cakes are the young age of five. Five years is actually quite young for a fruitcake. My Great Aunt Bertie Pink wouldn't serve a fruitcake under the age of ten. And she didn't buy the booze for her fruitcake. She would send her Brother, my Grandfather Ralph Pink, down to the liquor store. A proper lady would never show her face in a liquor emporium. This fruitcake is based on a recipe from the Great Northern Railroad Company and served onboard their luxury streamliner the Empire Builder that travelled between Seattle and Chicago. (You'll find the recipe earlier in this thread). I wrap the fruitcake in cheesecloth and store them in a covered container placed in the back of the pantry cupboard. I slog the cakes with booze, typically rum, spiced rum or bourbon, every few months. I don't use specific dates or exact measurements when aging the cakes. A few tablespoons of rum on this one, that last shot of Maker's Mark on that one. Trust me, if you don't care for fruitcake, I know you will not have favorable comments for these photos. Those of us who list fruitcake at the top tiers of our food preferences fully understand that we're the butt of many jokes at Holiday parties. A warm slice of fruitcake with a good dollop of hard sauce and a warmed brandy and Bob's your Uncle.

Boy I sure would like recipes for the filling in your Moroccan and curried chicken nibbles.

What a great idea for elk, my favorite game meat

Here are the basics for the hot crab dip. Just general guidelines, add less crab if you like. I use whole milk or half and half to thin the consistency. 2 8oz. packages cream cheese. 8 oz. sour cream (you need this to add some tang) 1 tsp. dry mustard About 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice About 2 tsp. Tabasco sauce 3 cloves garlic, crushed Milk to thin consistency of dip Meat from 1 fresh Dungeness crab, cooked Salt and Pepper to taste Some people add cheese and then bake this in a casserole, another tip for a hot holiday nibble that you can put out on the buffet table and keep it warm.

This is an easy nibble that really impresses folks. At first they think its fondue but it's actually Hot Dungeness Crab Dip. My Father always made this every December or his neighborhood cocktail party and to celebrate the opening of crab season here in the Northwest. It's a mixture of cream cheese, cream, lots of fresh crab, Worcestershire, Old Bay seasoning, toasted slivered almonds, green onions and Tabasco. I change the seasonings depending on what I think might go well with the crab. Heat the mixture in a fondue pot over the stove then take it to your buffet table and place on the stand and light the flame. I serve it with buttered toast. It takes a bit of effort and equipment, but the thin little toasts are much better than dried out melba toast out of a box. I take a baguette and slice it really thin using my meat slicer. Works fast and gives you uniform slices. Then brushed with melted butter and popped into a hot oven until crisp and golden.

Dungeness Crab again, in a gratin................................ This crab is meaty sweet and decadent. So let's make it a Holiday decadence by gently folding the crab into a béchamel rich with parmesan and asiago cheese and topping it with fresh bread crumbs tossed in crab butter.

I love that brand of pasta, but it all the time.

The season always starts the first week of December weather permitting. I buy crabs at a fishmonger who chooses bigger crabs taken out of deep waters off Puget Sound. I like the taste of clarified butter. Seems cleaner than regular butter but it also takes me back to the way our family has eaten Dungeness for years.

First of the season chilled Dungeness Crab with clarified butter-

Tonight I'm making a batch of smoked trout gratin. It's sort of a take on a traditional salt cod but I'm using trout I smoked over applewood. Combined with mashed potatoes, lots of garlic and fresh, buttered bread crumbs. Certainly not your pimento spread, (although that's also a winner), from years past. It's best served with potato chips rather than slices of bread. Serve it hot and the smoked fish fans will love it.

In the coming days we'll see the annual opening of the Pacific Northwest Dungeness Crab fishery. I always make hot crab dip, (a blend of fresh crab meat, cream, cream cheese, lots of Worcestershire sauce and green onions), and keep it hot in an old fondue pot. Sort of retro looking and a delicious hot dip.

I'll call them "nibbles," little bites to snack on while sipping your favorite Holiday beverage. They're not really substantial to be called a first course or a plated appetizer served at the table. I'm thinking of those savory bites I can't get enough of, like little choux pastry that I stuff with herbed cream cheese and a blanket of homemade smoked salmon. Right now I'm working on a cold chicken liver mousse to spread on crackers or thin bread crisps. So what are your favorite Holiday "nibbles" and are you creating some new bites for the season this year?

In theory that may be true, but my actual experience has been the bottom of the biscuit soaks up the chicken gravy and you end up with the texture of a soft biscuit but you also have flavor from the sauce. Certainly a matter of taste though.

We've got some great ideas for the "dumplings" here at our previous Cook-Off. I make a biscuit rather than a dumpling and put that on top of the chicken mixture that last portion of baking: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/131488-chicken-and-dumplings-cook-off-51/

That's the one area where I take a shortcut and use large egg roll wrappers.

Also posted in our Time Life "Foods of the World" series here, http://forums.egullet.org/topic/21737-time-life-foods-of-the-world-series/page-6#entry1995747 One of my most beloved recipes from "The Foods Of Italy" simply titled "Canneloni"- A sauce made from canned San Marzano tomatoes, egg wrappers filled with a mixture of beef, spinach and chicken livers, a thick layer of besciamella, and dabs of butter and parmesan-

One of my most beloved recipes from "The Foods Of Italy" simply titled "Canneloni"- A sauce made from canned San Marzano tomatoes, egg wrappers filled with a mixture of beef, spinach and chicken livers, a thick layer of besciamella, and dabs of butter and parmesan-

I'm thinking of adding some diced apple to my beloved Thanksgiving "dressing." I'm not a fan of "stuffing" the dear turkey so I "dress" the bird with a separate casserole of dressing. It's a mixture of small bread cubes, lots of dried sage and poultry seasoning, eggs, glogs and glogs of butter and chicken stock, celery, onion, Jimmy Dean sage sausage and dried cranberries. I'm thinking fresh apples would add both acidity and sweetness to this rich dressing, probably a Granny Smith variety. Do you celebrate apples at your Holiday table?

Your apple crumb looks delicious and I myself am making more and more desserts in small serving dishes for one.

Thanks, also served with a little cast iron skillet of mashed potatoes.

Roasted Wild Washington Chanterelles- Roast Rack of Lamb with Marble Rye Crust and Red Wine Sauce-

It would be worth reading this review of Due Forni. I guess you could call it a chain albeit they only have two restaurants, Las Vegas and Austin. http://www.eatinglv.com/2014/09/eating-las-vegas-the-50-essential-restaurants-32-due-forni/ Settebello is a chain, but I hear good things about it from my friends that live in Las Vegas, and some are giving good reviews of Pizza Rock. I can tell you one place to avoid, Grimaldi's. A prime example of a great New York pizza place that expanded, and expanded, and their customer service tanked along the way. Especially in Las Vegas.

Nice looking rib chops on that piggy.

I think I need that pizza dough recipe.

My pleasure, but I will tell you it was weeks of fritter dough hell. I would go to sleep at night wondering why oh why my tepid little ball of dough wouldn't rise. I usually don't give up until I find success with a recipe. This one was darn good.