Uncle Cecil's Favorite Yuletide Recipes

 It’s time for another exciting year at Cecil’s Uncle’s Crazy Tavern! What would our Yuletide tradition be without good food and drinks? It would be a dang shame, that’s what. Thankfully, we have a few recipes to help keep your bellies full and your cheeks warm until we can gather in person again. If you can’t make them for the party this weekend, give them a try some other time. It’s never a bad night for a cocktail and holiday food.

Do you have any questions? PLEASE reach out to Cecil. He is more than happy to talk about food and drink prep with you.

Cocktails and Mocktails

Yuletide Mocktail

Not everyone wants to hit the booze, and that’s fair. Our Yuletide Mocktail balances seasonal flavors into a memorable, refreshing drink.

Ingredients:

• ice
• cranberry juice cocktail
• apple cider or apple juice
• orange juice, fresh squeezed
• ginger ale

Directions:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice
2. Add juices in equal measure and stir
3. Top with ginger ale
4. Serve with garnishes of your choice

Notes:

• Fresh squeezed citrus juices make a big difference in cocktails, and an even bigger difference in mocktails. The flavor profile is more complex than what you get from bottled juice. To emphasize the fresh notes of the juice, you can garnish with a twist of orange peel.
• You see cranberry, apple, and citrus commonly combined in recipes for this season. Yule straddles the line between the end of the apple and cranberry seasons, the start of citrus season. Before mass refrigeration and climate control allowed for long-term storage on fruits, this was the only time of year you might have access to these flavors together.

Cranberry Gin Fizz

Herbal flavors from the gin and thyme play nicely with sweet-and-sour cranberry syrup. This cocktail takes a little bit of prep time, but the end result is worth it.

Ingredients:

For the Cranberry Syrup:

• 1/2 c. cranberries
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 3/4 c. water
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

For the Cocktail:

• 2 oz. gin
• 3/4 oz. Cranberry Syrup (see below) 
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. elderflower liquor
• Ice
• Club soda
• Fresh cranberries, to garnish
• 2 sprig fresh thyme, to garnish

Directions:

Make the Cranberry Syrup:

1. Simmer cranberries, granulated sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and cranberries break down, 10 to 12 minutes
2. Stir in 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3. Cool to room temperature
4. Strain; discard solids

Make the Cocktail:

1. Combine gin, Cranberry Syrup, fresh lemon juice, elderflower liquor, and ice in a cocktail shaker
2. Shake until chilled; strain into 2 glasses
3. Top with ice and club soda
4. Garnish each drink with fresh cranberries and 1 sprig fresh thyme. 

Notes:

• Elderflower liqueur is ideal for this cocktail, but you could substitute an aromatic berry or floral liqueur. Chambord is something you might have handy.

Apple Whiskey Ginger

Apple Whiskey Gingers are a great way to relax after a long day. Make it sweet or make it strong - this drink can accommodate a wide range of tastes. It’s an easy cocktail that tastes like you worked hard to make it.

Ingredients:

• ice
• 2 ounces bourbon, whiskey, or honey whiskey liqueur
• 3 ounces apple cider
• 2 ounces ginger ale
• Orange slice, thyme sprig, or apple slice brushed with dilute lemon juice as garnish

Directions:

1. In a shaker, pour alcohol and cider over ice
2. Shake and strain in a highball glass filled with ice
3. Top with ginger ale
4. Garnish and serve

Notes:

• Jack Daniels Honey is a great choice to keep the drink sweet and playful
• Wild Turkey 101 will keep the drink feeling strong as the ice melts
• Any dark liquor works well in this drink. Avoid the clear liquors - they either add no substance or have the wrong flavor profile.
• It’s ok to not shake this if you don’t have a shaker, but seriously get a shaker for the future. It’s a simple tool that can really improve your cocktail experience.
• You need to brush the apple slice with diluted lemon juice to prevent it from browning

Holiday Food

Papa Cecil’s Soy Garlic Wings

This recipe was an involuntary family secret for over 20 years! I wish I was joking. No one but the Cecils could make it right. I promise that you can succeed, just do not try to get fancy and make the dish better with high-end ingredients.

Ingredients

• 20 Chicken wing parts (10 whole wings)
• 1 bottle La Choy soy sauce
• 1 jar garlic

Materials

• Gallon zipper bag or bags, depending on the size of your wings

Directions

The day before you bake:

1. In a zipper bag, combine wings, La Choy soy sauce to cover them, and TOO MUCH garlic (see Notes)
2. Marinate the wings overnight in the refrigerator

The day you bake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place wings in a single layer in a disposable baking pan and cover with foil. Discard the marinade.
3. Roast the wings, covered, for 1 hour
4. Take the wings out of the oven, uncover, and drain all liquid from the pan - this is easiest with a turkey baster
5. Return wings to the oven uncovered until browned. Maybe 20 minutes, but it can vary widely

Notes

• The garlic in this recipe is one of those ingredients where I cannot give you an exact measurement. You are going to just add a ridiculous amount of garlic. When you catch yourself thinking, “There is no way a marinade could use this much garlic,” double it. You think I am joking, but I am deadly serious. There should be no half-inch by half-inch square of wing where there is no garlic. If you can poke a wing and not touch garlic, add more. Most areas of that size will have multiple pieces. I promise the final product does not have an overpowering garlic flavor. Pinkie swear.
• Whatever you do, not try to improve this recipe with higher quality, healthier, or off-brand ingredients. It will not taste the same. Fresh garlic does not work. Real soy sauce does not work.
• You do not need to use a disposable pan for this recipe, but it makes cleanup much easier.

Mama Cecil's Crabbies

This is always a party favorite. The crabbies at UCCT 2019 used a horseradish cheese spread instead of Old English Spread for an added kick. That was a hit, and you may want to make the same substitution at your home. 

Ingredients

• 2x 6 oz. canned crab meat (usually 4.25 oz. drained weight, each), drained
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 5 oz. jar Kraft Old English Spread
• Alternatively, use 5 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, orange if possible
• 6 English muffins, split

Materials

• Mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon or rubber spatula
• Cookie sheet
• 1-gallon freezer bag

Directions

A day or more ahead of time:

1. Mix all ingredients except the English muffins
2. Spread evenly on the English muffin halves
3. Freeze in a single layer - using a cookie sheet or plates is helpful for this
4. Store frozen crabbie rounds in the freezer bag until needed

When you want some tasty crabbies:

1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Cut each frozen crabbie rounds into 6 wedges
3. Bake frozen wedges on a cookie sheet until bubbly and lightly browned, usually 10-12 minutes

Notes

• Kraft Old English Spread is a highly processed cheese product that is becoming increasingly hard to find. It is often dairy-adjacent in the grocery store because it does not require refrigeration, like Velveeta.
• You can use real cheese in this recipe. Choose a bag of pre-shredded sharp cheddar. You want pre-shredded cheese because the starches they use to stop the shreds from binding will help emulsify the melted final product. Choose orange cheese just to give your crabbies a bit of color.
• Get the cheapest canned crab meat you can find. It’s usually called “Pink Crab Meat”. This is not a recipe that benefits from more expensive crab. The nicer canned lump crab meat can change the texture of the dish in a way that not everyone enjoys.
• If you are not really into crab, just use 1 can. The end product will still be ooey-gooey goodness.
• You can make this dish and bake it right away, but freezing it gives you an appetizer you can pull out and bake any time with almost no effort. I was going to point out that means you can save some of your Black & White crabbies for later, but Lady Lindsay (my OOC wife and fellow Feastocrat) pointed out to me that Realmsies have never failed at finishing every crabbie that comes out of our kitchen, no matter how many we make. You should take that as a challenge.

Uncle Cecil’s Best Turkey Yet

I have spent years perfecting my roast turkey. This recipe uses techniques gathered from famous chefs, BBQ pitmasters, and old-school cooks. If you want crispy skin, succulent meat, and drippings to make the most flavorful gravy, this recipe is for you. Herb and spice measurements for the rub are approximate, but the salt is not. Use the same amount of salt even as you change the other seasonings to meet your needs.

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey, turkey breast, turkey leg, or large chicken
• NOT a Butterball, kosher, or pre-salted turkey
• ½ tsp. Kosher salt per pound of bird
• Fresh poultry herbs - ideally sage, rosemary, and thyme
• 1 tsp. chopped per pound of bird
• 2 additional sprigs of each for a whole turkey, 1 sprig for a breast or leg
• Black pepper - ⅛ tsp. per pound of bird
• Ground allspice - ⅛ tsp. per pound of bird
• Ground ginger - ⅛ tsp. per two pounds of bird
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 apple, halved
• 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 if only doing a breast or leg
• Canola or other vegetable oil

Materials

• Roasting pan with rack
• Butcher twine if roasting a whole bird
• Aluminum foil
• Meat thermometer

Directions

1-3 days before you roast:

1. Combine salt, chopped herbs, black pepper, allspice, and ginger
2. Rub ⅔ of the salt mixture underneath the bird’s skin on the breast and legs and in the cavity
3. Rub ⅓ of the salt mixture on top of the skin
4. If roasting a whole bird, truss it and tuck the wings under the shoulders (see notes)
5. Chill bird in the refrigerator covered for 1-3 days, longer is better
6. Remover the cover 24 hours before you intend to roast the bird

The day you roast:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. Rub a thin layer of cooking oil over the skin of the bird
3. Make a 2-layer foil shield to cover the breast of the bird, but do not put it on the bird yet (see notes)
4. Stuff the apple, onion, and cinnamon sticks in the cavity of the bird. If roasting a breast or leg, place underneath or next to the meat as you feel is appropriate
5. Place the turkey into your roasting pan with 2 cups of water in the bottom - add water later in the roast if this fully evaporates (see notes)
6. Roast bird at 500 for 30 minutes
7. Remove bird from the oven. Place the foil shield over the breast. Insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, or the thickest part of the thigh if there is no breast.
8. Set oven to 350 and put the bird back inside
9. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN AND BASTE THE BIRD. Basting is not needed in this recipe, and it will not improve your end result.
10. Roast until the thermometer reads 150 in the thickest part of the breast or 170 in the thigh
11. Let the bird rest for at least 10 minutes before carving

Notes

• Trussing a bird is tying the leg ends together so the legs rest closer to the body of the bird. This helps the birds cook evenly and not dry out. Exactly how you truss a bird is largely a matter of choice. Many turkeys come pre-trussed. Watch a couple of youtube videos and you will be a champ in no time.
• This recipe is my own take on Alton Brown’s famous brined turkey. It uses a dry brine, which is easier and yields a more flavorful bird in the end. Watching his video from this episode of good eats can help you understand how to cover the breast of a turkey with a foil shield.
• Dry brined birds release very little water as they roast. You need water in the bottom of the roasting pan to prevent the drippings from burning. Those drippings can make one heck of a gravy or improve the broth you make from the carcass, so don’t let them go to waste!
• This technique works on whole turkey, whole chicken, or the parts of either.
• Fun Fact: Cecil will pretty much always be thrilled if you call or message him to ask about cooking a turkey. Seriously, a good turkey is one of the most delicious dishes you can make for a holiday. You’re thinking, “Oh, I don’t know him well enough to do that.” Yes, you do! You are Realms family, and family gets to learn how to make a good turkey.