Holiday Cooking With Chef Terri Milligan

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• Pretty Desserts Can Do Double-Duty As Holiday Centerpieces, Chef Says

  The end-of-year holiday season is filled with great meals and time spent with friends and family. Whether to celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or to ring in the New Year, December brings a lot of opportunities for gatherings.

  Food is often the highlight of those gatherings, and according to chef Terri Milligan, some dishes are pretty enough to serve as table decorations. She is a culinary instructor and writer, as well as the former owner and executive chef of the Inn at Kristofer’s in Sister Bay, Wis.

  Desserts are especially well-suited to being the focal point of a holiday table, Milligan said.

  “It’s two things off of your list then,” she said. “You get a centerpiece for your dessert table or your dinner table, and you also get a dessert.”

  Even a plate of Christmas cookies can stand out. Milligan suggested making it even more special by displaying them on a pedestaled cake stand, “with a big bow around the base.” As a bonus, that can also save a little space on a crowded holiday table.

  Milligan added that putting together small festive bags of a sampling of the sweets for guests to take home can be a nice surprise. It also guarantees that the host isn’t left with too many cookies to resist in the days to come.

  One of Milligan’s favorite holiday cookies is her gingerbread biscotti, which have all of the great flavors and aromas if the season, but in an unexpected form. She added that biscotti aren’t difficult to make, so are good for just about any cook to try. Better yet, because of their dry texture, they can be made quite a bit in advance.

  For a more ambitious centerpiece dessert, a traditional holiday dessert in the French-speaking world is the yule log, or bûche de Noël. Milligan’s recipe is for a chocolate cake that is rolled with a chocolate ganache inside and covered with a buttercream frosting. She also includes directions on how to make the meringue mushrooms that often accompany the “log.”

  Even traditional desserts like a bûche de Noël can be personalized. Milligan also offers a maple walnut yule log variation, which can make good use of Wisconsin maple syrup.

  Another show stopping dessert is Milligan’s candied cranberry holiday cake. This is also an old favorite tailored to Wisconsin, since cranberries replace cherries in this version.

  Milligan recommended choosing a dessert that fits the time and skills of the host.

  “You can mess up many recipes, but don’t mess up dessert,” she said. “It’s the last thing people are going to have and that’s the first thing they’re going to remember.”

• Chef Says Badgers Football, Cheese Are A Perfect Pairing

  
  Whether it’s the Packers or the Badgers playing, a Pigskin Cheese Ball is the perfect snack. Photo: Chef Terri Milligan..

  While some lucky University of Wisconsin Badgers football fans will watch the team play in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on New Year’s Day, those watching on their TV will have the advantage of enjoying some delicious snacks that are homemade and (ideally) cheesy.

  Chef Terri Milligan is a culinary instructor and writer, as well as the former owner and executive chef of the Inn at Kristofer’s in Sister Bay. One of her favorite dishes for game day is a “pigskin cheese ball.” The cheese is formed into an oval shape, and crumbled bacon mimics the texture of a football. The laces on the “football” are created with string cheese, mozzarella or white cheddar.

  Milligan said the dish is a great project to get kids involved with, with one caveat: “You need to make some extra bacon,” she said, noting that her own helpers kept snacking on it.

  In addition to the pigskin cheese ball, Milligan offered a recipe for a “pine cone cheese ball,” in which almonds mimic the texture. “Cheese mice,” which fit perfectly on a cracker, and a “drunken fruit cheese log” are also featured in Milligan’s recent cheese ball article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

  Another fun way to watch Wisconsin football and indulge in the state’s iconic dairy product is to enjoy tomato soup shooters with mini-grilled cheese croutons.

  “They’re fun,” she said, “and you don’t have to make more than two or three sandwiches because you’re going to be cutting them into little triangles.”

  Milligan’s favorites for a sharp taste that really complements the creaminess of the soup are award-winning Wisconsin cheeses: Carr Valley’s 7-year-old cheddar or Hook’s 10-year-old cheddar.