2007 Holiday Recipe Contest
And the winner is...
We're excited to announce our Freixenet Recipe Contest Winners!
Congratulations to our grand prize winners Janice Elder of Charlotte, North Carolina and Mary Hawkes of Prescott, Arizona! They've won a trip for two to Sonoma, California with includes:
- Round trip airline tickets for 2
- Rental car and hotel accommodations for 4 nights/5 days
- Culinary courses at Ramekins Cooking School
- Tour of Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, home of Freixenet USA
We would also like to thank our runner's up Edwina Gadsby, Mary Shivers and Nicole Filizetti for their terrific recipe submissions! Here are their winning recipes!
Lemony Sage and Basil-Flecked Cookies Recipe
submitted by: Janice Elder
Number of Servings: About 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar, divided usage
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Dash of salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest
- Additional granulated sugar
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Garnish
– julienne basil or sage leaves or strips of lemon zest
Preparation Directions:
Process 1/4 cup of the sugar, basil and sage in a food processor until very well blended; reserve.
Mix together flour, baking powder and salt; reserve.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy. Add egg, lemon juice and zest; gradually add flour and basil/sugar mixtures. Chill dough for 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes, or until set. Remove to wire racks.
Whisk together glaze ingredients; spread over cooled cookies. Garnish with basil, sage or lemon zest.
Warm Cranberry Bread Pudding with Lemon Chantilly Recipe
Submitted by: Mary Hawkes
Number of Servings: 6
Ingredients:
Pudding
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 2-1/3 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups cubed (3/4-inch cubes) dry French bread (crust removed)
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
Chantilly
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup lemon curd (bottled)
Garnish, if desired
- Star fruit slices
- Mint sprigs
Preparation Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a shallow baking dish (2 to 2-1/2 quart) with butter.
Combine milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt in large bowl; beat until well blended. Add bread and cranberries. Stir well; let stand 10 minutes. Pour into prepared dish. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until center is set.
To prepare chantilly, place cream and sugar in medium chilled bowl. Beat just until soft peaks form. Stir in lemon curd; blend well.
Serve warm pudding (cut into squares) with dollops of chantilly. Garnish serving plates with star fruit and mint sprigs.
