How about just saying “no” to turkey leftovers on Friday? You can save them for snacking or Sunday dinner. Prepare a whole different menu of grilled steak, moose or beef, with a special blue cheese fondue accent.
Baked Crab Rangoons
6 servings, two won tons each
For those of you lucky enough to have a king crab connection, or feel like a little splurge calorie and money-wise, I am going to pass on a fun little appetizer for you to try. Serve it with a nice flute of champagne and ring in the holidays in style.
Ingredients:
1 cup crab meat, flaked
4 oz. (one-half of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
One-half tablespoon diced jalapeno
Couple of dashes of hot pepper sauce - I prefer Frank’s
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of seasoning salt
12 won ton wrappers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix crabmeat, cream cheese, onions, mayo, jalapenos, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning salt.
Spray 12 medium muffin cups with cooking spray. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each cup, allowing edges of wrappers to extend above sides of cups. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.
For Mini Crab Rangoon
Use 24 won ton wrappers. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each of 24 miniature muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture and bake as directed.
Grilled Pesto Marinated Skirt Steak with Blue Cheese Fondue
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak or flank steak, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices, room temperature
2 cups jarred pesto
Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
Blue Cheese Fondue, see adjacent recipe
Directions:
Soak 15 wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. Heat the grill.
Thread the meat onto skewers, season with salt and pepper, and coat with the pesto. Grill to desired doneness. You can also cook the meat to medium rare then finish it off in the oven just before the party.
Cook’s note: Have the butcher slice the skirt steak for you. Serve cooked meat skewered into a loaf of bread for a fun presentation next to the Blue Cheese Fondue. Other garnishes (like apple) can be arranged stabbed into the loaf as well.
Blue Cheese Fondue
Cook’s Note: You can make this sauce a couple of hours in advance but reheat it very slowly to prevent separation. A number of cheeses can be substituted for the Cambozola; try Brie, Blue Cheese or aged English Cheddar. Alternatively, use this sauce as a base for lasagna, tossed with pasta and steamed asparagus, or spooned over grilled steak for a stunning accent.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound Cambozola blue cheese, crumbled, or other blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a small pan over medium-low heat, cook the butter, thyme, and garlic until the garlic is soft, about two minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic brown. Add the cream, raise the heat to medium, and bring the cream to a simmer. Cook until the cream is reduced by one-third. Lower the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the pepper and pour into a fondue pot set over low heat.
By the time most of you take a little time to relax and read the newspaper after the big holiday, it will be time to think of what to make for dinner Friday night and the remainder of the weekend, possibly for a houseful of family and guests.
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