Recipe(tried): They're Tying the Knot Lunch

My Father and his intended came for a visit on Thursday. I served the following menu for lunch. Everything was a big hit. The sandwiches and salad are Cooking Light recipes that I tweaked a bit. The Peltz are our family's Christmas doughnuts that we didn't get around to making last year. I thought my Dad would enjoy sharing them with his fiance. (They are tying the knot July 15! My Dad is almost 80 and she is 73). -Micha

Cognac-Marinated Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches with Horseradish Cream
New Age Waldorf Salad
Grape tomatoes
Grandma Min's Christmas Peltz

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COGNAC-MARINATED BEEF TENDERLOIN SANDWICHES
WITH HORSERADISH CREAM

CREAM: (This was wonderful, we used the leftovers for a dip for grape tomatoes, chips, fingers, etc.)

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
TENDERLOIN:
1 (2 1/2-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/3 cup cognac (I used brandy)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon (I omitted)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (from my garden!)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cooking spray
30 (1 1/2-ounce) sandwich rolls, cut in half horizontally

To prepare cream, combine first 4 ingredients. Cover and chill.

To prepare tenderloin, secure tenderloin at 1-inch intervals with twine. Combine tenderloin, shallots, and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Shake to coat tenderloin evenly with cognac mixture. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning bag occasionally. (I marinated it overnight)
Preheat oven to 450 .

Remove tenderloin from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle tenderloin evenly with salt. Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 for 40 minutes or until medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Cut tenderloin crosswise into thin slices. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons cream on bottom half of each roll; top each roll with about 1 ounce beef and top half of roll.

Yield: 30 sandwiches (serving size: 1 sandwich)

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NEW AGE WALDORF SALAD

Use a variety of apples for the best flavor in this updated Waldorf salad.

1 (8-ounce) carton plain low-fat yogurt
2 cups apple cider
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
5 cups chopped apple (such as Granny Smith, Rome, and/or Gala)
1 cup chopped peeled celeriac (celery root)(I used celery)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted*
I added some golden raisins
8 Boston lettuce leaves (I omitted)

Spoon yogurt onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels, and spread to 1/2-inch thickness. Cover yogurt with additional paper towels, and let stand 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl using a rubber spatula; cover and chill.

Bring cider to a boil in a medium, heavy saucepan over high heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). Cool completely.

Combine the chilled yogurt, cider, and celery seeds in a large bowl, stirring yogurt mixture well with a whisk. Add the chopped apple, celeriac, and toasted pecans, tossing gently to coat. Serve salad on lettuce-lined plates.

*I used chopped walnuts instead of pecans

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

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This is the recipe for Grandma Min's Peltz. Her exact recipe instructions after the ingredient list were, "Let rise twice, then third. Fry in Crisco. Dust with sugar.", over the years we have worked out some more instructions, making it a BIT easier to follow! This time I just threw everything into my Bosch Kitchen Center, well, the first 4 cups of flour and everything else, then added the rest of the flour, let the Bosch mix it, let it raise in the bowl, turned the power on for a second everytime it needed to be punched down. Only one bowl to clean up! (and the butcher block kitchen island, and the counters and the floor and...)

GRANDMA MIN'S CHRISTMAS PELTZ

2 pkg. active dry yeast (not the quick-rise variety)
1 cup cold water
2 cups milk, scalded
1 cup warm water
3/4 cup Crisco (if you buy Crisco in the stick form for this it's SO
easy to measure)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs well-beaten
grated rind of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
10 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
Oil or Crisco for deep-frying (I buy the big container for this, and
still have to add more occasionally during the frying to keep them
floating)
granulated sugar for dusting

Soften the yeast in cold water. Combine with warm water, scalded milk, and the 3/4 cup of Crisco in a large bowl. Stir until Crisco melts. Beat well. Add beaten eggs, one cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon rind and 4 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour by hand. Dough will be very soft and sticky. Stir in raisins. Cover bowl with =plastic wrap and then a warm, damp towel. Let rise in a warm place free of drafts until doubled. Flour hands well and punch dough down. Cover as before and let rise again until doubled. Flour hands well and punch dough down a second time. Cover as before and let rise a third time. Flour hands well and pull off a handful of dough. Shape into a Peltz by pushing both thumbs through center of dough to form an irregular =doughnut shape, then tuck one side of the Peltz up through the hole in the dough from the bottom while pushing the opposite side down through the hole from the top. The Peltz should now resemble a twisted, irregular-shaped doughnut. Keep hands well-floured. Place formed Peltz on well-floured surface until ready to fry. (Usually, some family members form the Peltz, while another fries them and still another dusts them with sugar after frying) In a deep pan, put enough oil or Crisco so that Peltz float during the frying rather then resting on the bottom of the pan. Heat oil to 375. Fry Peltz, a few at a time, to a very dark brown. Let temperature of oil come back up before adding more Peltz. Make sure the oil stays deep enough so they float and don't rest on the bottom of the pan. When done, remove from oil, drain and roll in granulated sugar to coat generously. Cool and store loosely covered. Peltz may be frozen plain and sugared after reheating. The are excellent served while still warm with cold milk or apple cider.

Makes about 2 1/2 -3 dozen Peltz.