Cherry-Almond Clafoutis by Belinda Leong of b.Patisserie. (Christina Holmes)

6 Bay Area Lady Chefs Share Their Holiday Faves

21 December 2017

The halls are decked, the tree is trimmed, but the hardest part of hosting remains: You're going to have to cook something!

Set your holiday party apart from the rest by taking a recipe or two from some of the leading ladies of the Bay Area's culinary scene. Here, some of our top women chefs share their holiday favorites with a global spin—think Mexican-inspired stews and Scandinavian sweets.

"My wife is part Swedish and she oftentimes brings up traditional recipes from her childhood and requests that I reproduce them. Over the years, I have made cardamom bread, crispy rosette cookies, and of course, meatballs. I like to take some creative license with the Swedish Glogg, a traditional warm mulled wine, and add a few more spices as well a little fresh ginger. It's always a hit for holiday parties." -Preeti Mistry, author of The Juhu Beach Club Cookbook and owner of Emeryville's Navi Kitchen
Preeti's Swedish Glogg
1 bottle of red wine (something simple and classic, like a cote du rhone or zinfandel)
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp green cardamom
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
Bring all ingredients to a slow simmer, and let steep for about 15 minutes. Drain off aromatics and serve warm.
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"I like to cook and entertain for my friends and family. My go-to dish is pretty much anything braised or stewed....short ribs, beef, pork... all of it. Dessert is always important, too." -Belinda Leong, pastry chef and owner of b.Patisserie.
Head to the Pacific Heights pastry mecca in the days before Christmas for a flaky croissant or one of their specialty pastries. Or, endeavor to make your own, following Belinda's take on one of her favorite French desserts.
Belinda's Cherry-Almond Clafoutis
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
5 large eggs
1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour or almond meal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces sweet cherries, pitted
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 10-inch round gratin dish and dust with granulated sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk the 1 cup of granulated sugar with the eggs and vanilla seeds.

Whisk in the all-purpose flour, almond flour and salt until just incorporated.

Add the milk and cream and whisk until light and very smooth, 3 minutes.

Pour into the prepared gratin dish and arrange the cherries on top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the clafoutis is set. Let cool.

Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with whipped cream.
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"Eating with friends and family is such a treat around the holidays. I like to spend that time getting messy cracking crab and dipping it into homemade mayonnaise or melted butter flavored with dried chiles." --Melissa Reitz, chef at Locanda.
Melissa's method for a big crab feed:
"I boil live Dungeness crabs in water seasoned like the sea, with a little extra salt, then clean them of their guts and gills, cut them through their body at each leg, and pile them high on a platter. Everyone at the table has a nutcracker, a plate, several napkins and a glass of wine. Some people like to crack and pick all of their crab before eating it. Impatiently, I just eat as I go."
Get in on the action at Reitz's Christmas Eve event, The Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian holiday tradition spotlighting four courses of fresh seafood, served family-style.
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"Whenever I am in Mexico for the holidays and the New Year, we make a seasonal dish called romeritos. It translates directly as 'little rosemary,' but it's actually a plant called seepweed, and is served with shrimp and potatoes and a mole sauce from southern Mexico." -Gabriela Camara, chef/owner of Cala in Hayes Valley.
At home, Gabriela cooks the dish from memory, but recommends a traditional recipe, like the one below, with a few modifications.
Romeritos (serves 6), modified from Food52
For the stew:
1 bunch romeritos
1 1/2 cups mole paste
4 cups broth
6 pieces Nopales
6-8 new potatoes
1 garlic clove
Salt & Pepper
Wash the romeritos as you would any other vegetable-- rinse in a strainer, drain, and set aside.
Have a few pots available for use. In one, cook the potatoes on the stovetop, making sure to have enough water in the pot to cover them. Halving the potatoes into cubes before cooking will expedite the cooking time and make them easier to incorporate into the recipe. In one pot, boil the nopales with the garlic in water until tender.
In a large pot, mix the broth and the mole paste, allowing the mixture to boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes, and cook until tender. Once cooked, add the nopales and romeritos.
Allow all ingredients to simmer over medium heat for ten minutes.
For the tortitas (similar to a pancake):
3 eggs
3 tablespoons ground shrimp
.150 milliliters vegetable oil for frying
Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Mix in the yolks, followed by the ground shrimp.
Don't forget the seasoning. Fry the batter in a pan until golden on both sides.
In the last 3 minutes of cooking the romeritos, add the shrimp tortitas. Serve warm.
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"One of my personal favorite things to make each year is some variation of a savory galette, typically involving some type of roasted winter squash and cured pork or sausage. It's been a family tradition every holiday." -Melissa Perello, chef/owner at Frances and Octavia.
Melissa's Galette
Tart Dough for Shell
20 oz. all-purpose flour
1.5 oz. salt
.5 oz. black pepper, freshly ground
8 oz. unsalted butter, cold
4 oz. lard, room temperature
8 to 10 Tbsp. ice cold water
Place all dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut cold butter into dry ingredients in pea-sized pieces. Process the lard in small chunks into the dry ingredients, as well, using a pastry cutter or food processor.
Move dough to a large mixing bowl. Add water a few tablespoons at a time and mix only until just incorporated. Dough will need to be pressed/compacted to hold a ball
Wrap dough with plastic wrap, press into a disc shape and chill at least 2 hours.
After chilling, remove dough and roll to 1/8" thick round. Keep round chilled until use.
Tart and Assembly
2 small winter squash (like kabocha, red kuri, or butternut)
1 head of fennel
6 slices pancetta
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig sage
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and split the squashes in half length wise, remove seeds. Place the squash cut side up on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Coat the squash generously with olive oil and season well with salt and black pepper. Place thyme and sage in squash cavity, as well.
Wash the fennel and remove the green tops. Slice the fennel bulb horizontally into 3/4" thick slices. Toss the sliced fennel with salt and olive oil. Sprinkle the fennel around the squash on the baking tray.
Roast the squash and fennel until the squash is fork tender and the fennel has begun to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to make sure the vegetables are not burning.
Remove the squash and fennel from the oven and immediately cover the baking tray with an additional sheet of foil. Allow the squash and fennel to cool wrapped, in the tray, which will allow the vegetables to steam and soften.
Once vegetables have cooled, discard herb sprigs and use a large spoon to scoop the flesh of the squash from the skins. It may break up a bit, which is fine, but try to keep it in large chunks.
Season the squash with additional salt to taste and reserve along with the roasted fennel.
While the vegetables are cooling, place the pancetta on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until it begins to crisp. Remove pancetta from fat and pour any rendered fat over the reserved roasted squash.
To assemble galette:
Place tart dough round on a parchment-lined baking sheet (this will make it easier to slide off onto a cooling rack after baking). Layer the chunks of squash, fennel and pancetta in an even, circular layer, piled no more than an inch and a half high. The pancetta will begin to break into smaller pieces; this is fine. Make sure to leave roughly three inches around the edge of the dough circle to fold over onto the filling.
Fold dough over in three- to four-inch sections, pleating the dough in one direction, to form a somewhat circular and uniform look.
Place the whole tart in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Once tart has chilled, brush the outer layer of the dough with cream just before baking. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the oven. If tart begins to brown too much, lower oven temperature.
Garnish the galette with arugula, olive oil, cheese, saba, or balsamic vinegar. Serve warm.
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"Growing up, my family always celebrated Christmas Eve by cooking an incredible Mexican feast. Chile Verde is one of our favorites, it's easy and always a crowd pleaser. I look forward to serving it every year!" -Traci Des Jardins, chef of Jardinière in Hayes Valley and The Commissary and Arguello in the Presidio
Traci's Chile Verde
4 lbs pork butt (shoulder)
2 lbs. tomatillos, husks removed1lb.
Anaheim or Poblano chiles (green peppers may be substituted)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 yellow onions, peeled
1 bunch cilantro, washed
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
flour salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cut the meat into 1-½ inch cubes. Cut the tomatillos into quarters, cut the chilies into ½inch pieces and dice the onions into 1/2 inch pieces. Remove the large stems from the cilantro and chop it roughly.
Lay the meat out onto a tray and and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, sprinkle with flour and toss until coated.
Place a heavy skillet onto the stove over medium high heat, when hot add the oil and frythe pork until golden brown on all sides.
Remove the meat from the pan and add the vegetables, cook over low heat until soft, add the meat, spices and herbs to the pan, cover just to the top the meat with water and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for two hours or until the pork is tender.
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