email this pageOur family has twice as much to celebrate during the holiday season. Along with an estimated 1 million couples in the United States, we’re an “interfaith” couple—a term we define as “offering twice as many reasons to party.”
For us, holidays are all about warm gatherings of friends and family—and sharing great food. We put together menus that acknowledge traditions from both our backgrounds. At this time of year, that means we join Christmas and Hanukkah at one table.
My husband’s Christmas food traditions included a special roast as the centerpiece of the meal. As the star of the table, this was often an indulgence for his family: rack of lamb, standing rib roast or beef tenderloin were not cuts of meat his family could afford to eat very often.
For me, Hanukkah is practically synonymous with latkes, the fried potato pancakes served by many Jews to commemorate the miracle of the oil in the Temple burning for eight days. We’d eat the pancakes with applesauce and sour cream, or sometimes straight from the frying pan before my mother could even get them to the platter.
For this year’s holiday gathering, we’re serving Prosecco Sunrise Punch (page 5) as a starter cocktail. Prosecco is an Italian bubbly with all the frolicking ambiance of champagne, but less pretentious and more affordable. Then comes beef tenderloin with a garlic and herb crust. An easy, do-ahead dish, it takes about 10 minutes to put together and gets rave reviews every time. We’re pairing the beef with traditional latkes, and as a nod to the applesauce I ate as a child, we’re including Apple Onion Relish, which is great with both the beef and the latkes. Everyone at the table—regardless of their faith—agrees: it’s heavenly.
Potato Latkes
Ingredients
2 onions, shredded, about 1 1/2 cups
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2. Pour half the vegetable oil and half the olive oil into a large nonstick skillet; heat until hot but not smoking. Spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with additional salt. Repeat with remaining potato mixture and oil. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 dozen
Recipe by Marge Perry and David Bonom, "Relish the Holidays," December 2006.
Apple Onion Relish
3 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons apple jelly
1/4 teaspoon salt
2. Remove from heat and stir in jelly and salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 12.
Recipe by Marge Perry and David Bonom, "Relish the Holidays," December 2006.
Garlic and Herb Beef Tenderloin
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
6 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 1/4 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2. Preheat the oven to 425F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Transfer beef to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 135F for medium rare. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 12.
Recipe by Marge Perry and David Bonom, "Relish the Holidays," December 2006.
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