We are in the heat of the holiday season, which means you might be spending a lot of time in the kitchen prepping to host, or bring a dish as a thank you for being hosted.
Trying to find a unique dish to serve may seem overwhelming. We want to help alleviate some of the stress and help create a fun and exciting time that the holiday season should be.
Whether you are looking for a breakfast, lunch, appetizer, dinner, dessert, or drink recipe- we have got you covered!
Take a peek at some of our favorite recipes developed by Michael Pinkelman. Michael is a classically trained chef, and we are lucky enough to have him as our National Sales Manager for Foodservice.
Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- 172 g Warm milk a little warmer than body temperature. 105°F if you want a number
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Dry active yeast 1 packet NOT instant
- 1 Egg
- 56 g Butter softened
- 310 g All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 28 g Sugar
For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
- 105 g Butter so soft that it is almost melted and will spread easily with a spatula
- 195 g Dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 cups Cinnamon Apple Compote cooled
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- 220 g Confectioner’s Sugar
- 2 oz Cream Cheese softened in microwave
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Milk or more as needed to thin it out
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the warm milk then sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Whisk to break up any clumps. Allow to bloom (sit unperturbed) for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the dough to the bowl. All at once! Just dump it in there!
- Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until incorporated and no lumps remain. Switch to the dough hook. Mix on medium for 3-4 minutes. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl and you will be able to pull a window pane. It is a stickier dough but don’t be dissuaded.
- Turn out into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Give the dough one series of folds. Starting on one side, pull the dough up and fold it halfway towards the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat with each side until you have a little dough packet. Turn it seam-side down. The top should be smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and bulk proof in a warm spot for 30-45 minutes. My oven has a proof setting that I use at 85°F. When it has doubled, it is done!
You can also proof the dough in the refrigerator. This is called “retarding” the dough. It will make it proof slower but the cold dough will be easier to work with.
- While the dough proofs, make the filling. In a bowl, mix together butter, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until a paste forms. Set aside.
- Cover your counter generously with flour and turn out your dough onto the counter. A bowl scraper or rubber spatula helps here because the dough is sticky. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top of the dough and flour a rolling pin.
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle 12 inches long by 10 inches high. (Try to keep those sharp corners! It’s harder than it looks but it’s good to have goals, right?) Once you have your rectangle, spread your filling with an offset spatula. Sometimes it is necessary to let your fingers join the party to help spread/hold the dough. I purposefully keep a border on the top and the bottom edge. Distribute the cooled apple compote over the cinnamon sugar paste.
- Starting at the bottom edge (12 inches across) start to roll away from you. Seal the top edge. Cut approximately 1 inch pieces with a knife (or your bench scraper). This makes 12 rolls. You can also cut the log into 8 equal pieces for larger rolls.
- Spray a 9“x 11” baking dish with cooking spray and then place the cinnamon rolls about 2 inches apart. I offset them so I have a row with 2 and then one in the center followed by another row of 2 and so on. This gives them space to proof and grow without crowding.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place back in your warm spot to proof an additional 20-40 minutes. I proofed 20 and then remove the dish to another spot and preheat my oven to 350°F convection. The smaller rolls will proof and bake faster than 8 larger ones.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake 350°F for approximately 15-20 minutes. Mine baked in 18 minutes. They will be golden brown around the edges and a bit on top and the centers will no longer look or feel doughy. You can also test with a cake tester. It should come out clean.
- Allow to cool before icing.
Mix all the ingredients for the icing together. I find a spatula easier to use than a whisk to incorporate the cream cheese. I kept mine a bit thicker so that I could spread it on the cinnamon rolls still warm from the oven. A little bit of heaven on earth to be sure!
Lunch: Hot Smoked Salmon with Salad (Apples, Dried Cherries, Hazelnuts, Greens and Apple Cider Vinaigrette)
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons crushed black peppercorns
- 1 (3 to 3 1/2-pound) piece center-cut salmon, skin on, pin bones removed, halved
- Alderwood chips, soaked in cold water for 4 hours
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 4 ounces organic baby greens, roughly chopped
- 1 Gala apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup peeled, toasted hazelnuts, chopped
- In a medium bowl, mix together the salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish on the work surface and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Lay 1 half of the salmon, skin-side down, on the plastic wrap. Sprinkle the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place the second half of the salmon, flesh-side down, on top the first half. Fold the plastic over to cover, and then close the foil edges together and crimp tightly around the fish.
- Place the wrapped fish onto a sheet pan and top with another sheet pan. Weigh down with a brick or 2 and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there’s a place for the runoff to gather.
- Unwrap the fish and rinse off the cure mixture with cold water. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process.
- Prepare a smoker with alderwood chips. Smoke the salmon over the smoldering chips, keeping the temperature inside the smoker at about 200 degrees F, until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees F, about 1 hour. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Place the salmon on a platter. Drizzle with some of the reserved Apple Cider Vinaigrette, and top with the Salad of Apple, Dried Cherries, Hazelnuts and Greens. Serve.
For Apple, Dried Cherries, Hazelnuts and Greens Salad:
- Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard and salt and pepper, to taste, in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. Reserve some to drizzle over the fish. Add the greens, apples, cherries and hazelnuts to the remaining vinaigrette and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- 4 ounces dried cherries
- 1/4 onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, ribs intact, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt
Add all ingredients together and serve with preferred chip.
Drink: Spiked Apple Cider Cocktails
- 1/4 gallon apple cider
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Mix together the cider, rum, and schnapps in a large pitcher. Add the apples to a small bowl and toss them with the lemon juice. Thread the diced apples onto skewers. Pour the spiked cider into glasses filled with ice, then garnish with an apple skewer and serve.
Dinner: Pork Chops with Apple Cherry Chutney
For Apple & Dried Cherry Chutney:
- 2 lb Apples (Duchess, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith) approx. 6 cups chopped apple; cored & diced into 1 inch chunks
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 5 Scallions- 3/4 cup
- 3 tablespoons Brandy
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
For Seared Thick Cut Pork Chops:
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Fresh Ground Pepper
- Sea Salt
- 2 Pork Chops approx 2 pounds, 1 1/2 inches thick
For Apple & Dried Cherry Chutney:
- In a medium size sauce pan, combine all the ingredients. Cook on medium low, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. The chutney is finished when all the apples have broken down. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be prepared ahead of time and reheated. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. Pat chops dry with paper towel and season with fresh ground pepper.
For Seared Thick Cut Pork Chops:
- Add a thin layer of Canola or Vegetable oil to the skillet. Add pork chops and flip after one minute. Continue flipping every minute for a total of seven minutes. I highly recommend you use a screen over the pan to avoid splatter. Remove chops and season lightly with sea salt. Place cooked chops on a plate to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- The pork had an internal temperature of 115 degrees when I pulled them and increased to 135 degrees after they rested. With this timing, the chops were cooked medium. If you like a little pink in your pork, cook for 6 minutes (flipping every minute).
- Serve with the Apple & Cherry Chutney. Drizzle accumulated juices from the meat over the chops before serving.
- Big eaters might like a whole chop or the meat could be cut from the bone and serve up to four people.
Dessert: Apple Cherry Bread Pudding (serves 12)
- 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 6 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 x 16-to-17-ounce loaf old-fashioned white bread, unsliced, crust trimmed, bread cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 3/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, each cut into 8 wedges
- 1 cup dried tart cherries
- 1 cup Armagnac or brandy
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup toffee bits (such as Skor or Heath)
- 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add bread; toss. Let soak 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
- Meanwhile, butter 12-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet with 2 1/2-inch-high sides. Arrange apple wedges in concentric circles in skillet, covering completely. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine cherries and Armagnac in small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk Armagnac from cherries into caramel. Whisk applesauce into caramel. Pour over apples; cover skillet with foil again. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle cherries over; top with bread mixture. Cover skillet with foil; place on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with toffee bits and almonds. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake uncovered until top is deep brown and puffed, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.