If you’re tired of endlessly scrolling online to find the best holiday recipes, then we’re here to tell you that the hunt stops now. We asked four local chefs to share some ideas on creating the perfect holiday spread for you and your loved ones to enjoy together this season.
Josh and Whitney Deri, the founders and owners of Blend Catering, are experts at food storytelling and creating memorable culinary experiences for customers. Their motto is “You Dream it. We Craft it.” So, whether you’re looking for some nostalgic holiday recipes or an eclectic dish to impress your guests, this husband and wife duo has you covered.
We also reached out to Gabrielle Vasquez, Chef and Restaurant Manager at Chez Louie, and Geoffrey Caliger, the Executive Chef at Liberty Food & Wine Exchange, to share one of their favorite holiday recipes that is sure to knock your socks off.
To top it off, we’re sharing a list of businesses and restaurants offering prepared holiday meals and dining out specials for those who want to skip cooking this year.
5 Holiday Recipes From Northern Nevada’s Top Chefs To Try At Home
‘Tis the season to eat and be merry! We’ve got five of the best holiday recipes for you to try at home. Josh and Whitney Deri, Gabrielle Vasquez, and Geoffrey Caliger have provided us with detailed directions and ingredients for their favorite holiday dishes. Keep reading to hear what they’ve been cooking up!
Easy-To-Follow Holiday Recipes For Aspiring Gourmets
Pear And Pistachio Salad
From Whitney and Josh Deri, Founders And Owners of Blend Catering
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Ingredients
- 4 diced or sliced pears (Concorde, Asian pears or red anjou or a mix of all of them)
- 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 bunch chives (thinly sliced)
- 1 bunch chervil or tarragon (thinly sliced)
- 2 pounds mixed greens, butter lettuce, or little gems
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 5-3 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups grated aged manchego or gruyere cheese
- 2 cups salted, roasted pistachios
Directions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl, except grated cheese, mix lightly with the oil and vinegar (adjust to your liking).
- Garnish with grated cheese.
Whole Roasted Honeynut Squash
From Whitney and Josh Deri, Founders And Owners of Blend Catering
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Ingredients
- 6 whole honeynut squash
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel-seed powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice honey nut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (you can roast and save them for later).
- Rub the squash with olive oil and salt. Roast for 35 minutes, then let cool to room temperature (you can also do this the day before you want to serve them).
- Add all of your spices, butter, and maple syrup to a food processor. Next, add 1 teaspoon of salt and process until it turns into a smooth paste.
- Rub the paste onto the roasted squash and finish cooking in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hearty Holiday Recipes For Cooking Enthusiasts
Confit Chicken Pot Pie
Recipe By Chef Gabrielle Vasquez And Chef Geoffrey Caliger From Chez Louie
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs
- 1 quart chicken stock
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- carrots, onion, celery (see below for measurements)
- puff pastry dough or pie crust
- duck fat (about 1.5 quarts) or extra virgin olive oil
Chicken Confit Cure Ingredients
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Velouté Ingredients
- 1 cup onions (small dice about ¼” inch)
- ½ cup celery (small dice about ¼” inch)
- ½ cup peeled carrots (small dice about ¼” inch)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (picked and minced)
- 1 teaspoon oregano (picked and minced)
Additional Items You’ll Need
- 2-quart saucepot
- baking tray
- parchment paper
- 10x6x2 oven-safe pan
Directions Part 1: Chicken Confit
- Mix the Chicken Confit Cure ingredients in a bowl.
- Rub chicken thighs liberally until fully coated in the confit cure. Knock off any residual seasoning (avoid over-coating the thighs). Then, set thighs on a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Let them cure for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Remove from the refrigerator and to your baking pan of choice (pyrex or other), then add 5 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary.
- If using duck fat, melt the duck fat in a sauce pot on low heat until thoroughly melted. Pour just enough duck fat to cover the chicken thighs and herbs. It should be about 1.5 quarts. (If using extra virgin olive oil, continue with the same procedure).
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Farenheight and cook for 6 hours
- Once the time is up, remove the chicken from the fat, allow it to cool down to a warm temperature or until you can handle it. Use a fork and tongs to split the meat into 1” shredded pieces.
- Strain the oil from the fat, leaving the chicken juices at the bottom. Cool down in the refrigerator and then cover it (you can save it next time or use it as cooking oil for scrambled eggs, potatoes, etc.)
Directions Part 2: Velouté
- Add velouté ingredients in a 2-quart saucepot on medium heat with ¼ cup of butter.
- Once the celery and onions begin to turn translucent, add ¼ cup of flour and continue cooking on medium heat until the flour has fully absorbed and cooked into the butter (it should have a light peanut butter color and consistency).
- Next, begin by adding 1 cup of chicken stock to the mixture while stirring consistently. You will notice the velouté begin to form and get thick. Continue to gradually add stock 1-2 cups at a time until your stock is gone and your sauce is fully thickened (you must achieve a simmer to thicken the sauce fully). Ensure that you are stirring continually, slightly scraping the bottom so that nothing sticks. Finish the velouté by adding fresh rosemary and oregano.
- Salt and pepper to taste (adding red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can balance the sauce out but is optional.)
Directions Part 3: Puff Pastry
Option 1: Do it the Chez Louie way by filling the pot pie into a cast-iron bowl and topping it with a baked puffed pastry crust.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Farenheight.
- Cut circles of the puffed pastry to fit the size of your bowl.
- Place the puffed pastry on a baking tray with parchment paper or on a nonstick pan, brush with egg wash and bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Option 2: Use a pie crust by adding the chicken pot pie filling, then top the pie with puffed pastry and bake it.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Pre-bake the pie crust for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Add cold pot pie filling, top with the pastry crust, bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
A Note From Chef Caliger: “Whether you choose to do Chez Louie’s method or the pie crust method, this is a rich, healthy and flavorful meal that hits the spot in the cold months or when you just need some good comfort food!”
Green Bean And Maitake Mushroom Casserole
From Whitney and Josh Deri, Founders And Owners of Blend Catering
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Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds french cut green beans with the ends snapped off
- 4 pounds maitake mushrooms (roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups shallots (small diced)
- 10 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tablespoons thyme
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1 teaspoon porcini mushroom powder
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 cups crispy onions or shallots (store-bought)
- 2 tablespoons chives (thinly sliced)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Add 2 tablespoons of salt to a large saucepot, fill a little over halfway with water, and turn the heat to high.
- Bring to a boil and add your green beans. Boil for 5-7 minutes, occasionally stirring, then drain your green beans and let cool.
- In a separate large saucepot, turn your heat to high and add your butter and olive oil and add your maitake mushrooms right away. Let the mushrooms sit and sear over high heat until golden brown on the first side. Stir the mushrooms around and continue to cook over high heat for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium and add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook and occasionally stir for 4-5 minutes. Salt and pepper your mixture to taste.
- Add your Dijon mustard, miso, and porcini mushroom powder and cook for an additional 2 minutes, then turn the heat to high and add broth.
- Reduce the broth over high heat until half of your broth has gone away, then add your heavy cream and soy sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a light simmer, then turn the heat to medium-low and continue to reduce until the mixture has thickened and the cream has reduced by at least half. Turn the heat off and stir in your lemon zest and cooked green beans.
- Add to a casserole dish, then place into the oven at 400 degrees Farenheight for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove and garnish with crispy onions and thinly sliced chives.
Prime Rib Steaks
From Whitney and Josh Deri, Founders And Owners of Blend Catering
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Ingredients
- 10-15 pounds of prime rib (prime or choice grade)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper (equal parts to season steaks)
- 15 cloves black garlic (peeled)
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the prime rib into 2-inch-size steaks.
- Season with salt and pepper (Let the steaks come to room temperature for at least one hour before searing).
- When the steaks are room temperature, add butter, miso paste, and black garlic cloves to a food processor and purée until smooth (this may take up to 3-4 minutes of continuously running your machine. Set aside your purée in a bowl for later).
- Set a cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, and while the pan is cold, add the beef to the pan with the fat side down (let some of the fat render out until the beef fat lightly covers the bottom of the pan remove the steaks and set back onto your sheet tray).
- Add 2-3 steaks to your pan at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, and sear each steak for one and a half minutes per side (until steaks are seared), then lower the heat to medium.
- Add steaks 2-3 again to the pan and continue to flip them every 30-45 seconds for about 6 minutes total (this method will help you achieve a great crust on your steaks while also cooking the inside evenly).
- Once seared, add 1 tablespoon of the black garlic-miso-butter puree to each steak and put the steaks on a sheet tray into the preheated oven.
- Cook to desired doneness (medium-rare will take about 6-8 minutes in the oven)
- Check with a thermometer (suggested temperature is 120-125 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Let rest for about 10-12 minutes before slicing into the steaks
4 Restaurants With Take-Out And Dining Specials For A Stress-Free Holiday Meal
If you’re not a fan of cooking or maybe you just don’t have the time, then we have the perfect solution for you. With this list of prepared meals from Northern Nevada restaurants and foodie favorites, you can enjoy the best holiday recipes without having to do a bunch of dishes or clean up afterward. Here’s what you should know.
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- Hömage Bakery offers a holiday menu featuring pies for pickup through December 24, including flavors such as Dutch apple, triple berry, brown butter bourbon pecan, and chocolate crack. Hömage is also a 25 Days of Cookies promotion where you can try a different cookie every day of December. It’s also offering quiche, coffee cakes, biscuits, iced cinnamon rolls, and other breakfast goodies for Christmas. Pre-orders must be placed by Saturday, December 18.
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- Perenn Bakery is offering three bake-at-home options, including croissants, cinnamon rolls with brown butter icing, and cookies. You can also purchase a premade holiday cookie box with ten quarter-pound cookies from your choice of two flavors, including a chewy croissant snack, white chocolate peppermint, chocolate rye crinkle, salted chocolate hazelnut, and chewy gingerbread. Ensure that you also check out one of Perenn’s holiday bread packages Pre-orders must be placed with 48 hours of notice.
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- Two Chicks offers take-and-bake Christmas morning feasts for breakfast—available by pre-order only—that include two of the following: grilled cheese Strada, biscuits and gravy, and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. The feast also includes one cocktail kit, choose from Mimosas or Bloody Marys, one pound of Two Chicks coffee-spiced candied bacon, and one pound of Two Chicks blend whole bean coffee. Pre-orders must be made by December 18, and guests must be 21 to pick up alcohol.
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- Wild River Grille wants to help you ring in the new year with a five-course gourmet dinner and a complimentary glass of champagne. There’s something for everyone from braised short rib croquettes to roasted mushroom chicken to crispy-skin salmon. Nestled on the banks of the Truckee River in downtown Reno, Wild River Grille has just what you need to make this holiday season memorable. To make reservations, call 775-284-7455.
