A festive buffet - holiday dinners - Recipe

Sunset, Dec, 2000 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

4. Transfer hens to a platter. Serve with mole. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 463 cal., 62% (288 cal.) from fat; 33 g protein; 31 g fat (7.9 g sat.); 10 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 729 mg sodium; 187 mg chol.

Chili-Chorizo Dressing with Tamales

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/4 hours

NOTES: If assembling through step 6 up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill; bake for about 30 minutes in step 7 before uncovering. If your oven space is limited, assemble dressing in a microwave-safe dish and heat, covered, in a microwave oven at full power (100%), stirring occasionally until hot, 8 to 9 minutes.

MAKES: 12 servings

3/4 pound green onions

3/4 pound fresh Anaheim chilies

2 fresh jalapeno chilies (2 oz. total)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 pound frozen or 1 can (15 oz.) beef tamales

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 pound firm chorizo sausage

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 package (14 oz.) herb stuffing mix

1 1/2 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 can (4 1/4 oz.) chopped black ripe olives

salt

1. Rinse onions and chilies. In a 12- by 17-inch baking pan, mix vegetables with olive oil to coat, then spread into a single layer.

2. Bake in a 400[degrees] oven for 10 minutes; with a wide spatula, turn vegetables, and continue baking until browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer. When cool enough to handle, trim and discard root ends from onions. Pull loose portions of skin from chilies and discard; stem and seed chilies. Chop vegetables.

3. If frozen tamales are uncooked, cook according to package directions; cool, peel, and chop. Or peel and chop canned tamales.

4. In an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over medium heat, stir pine nuts in butter until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Lift nuts out with a slotted spoon.

5. Remove casings from chorizo and discard; chop sausage. Add chorizo, celery, and sage to pan and stir often over medium-high heat until celery is soft, about 5 minutes,

6. In a large bowl, mix roasted onions and chilies, tamales, pine nuts, chorizo mixture, stuffing mix, broth, cilantro, and olives. Pour into a shallow 3- to 3 1/2-quart casserole and cover tightly

7. Bake in a 400[degrees] oven for 20 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until dressing is hot (about 150[degrees]) in the center, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Per serving: 323 cal., 45% (144 cal.) from fat; 12 g protein; 16 g fat (3.6 g sat.); 36 g carbo (5.6 g fiber); 859 mg sodium; 17 mg chol.

Flan with Berries

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/4 hours

NOTES: Bake flan (through step 4) 1 day ahead; cover airtight and chill. If fresh raspberries are not available, use individually quick-frozen (IQF) unsweetened berries such as raspberries or blueberries, or a combination. If desired, serve flan from 9- by 13-inch baking dish: Cut pieces, lift out with a wide spatula, and invert onto plates. Spoon caramel sauce over each portion and garnish with berries.

MAKES: 12 servings

1 cup sugar

2 cans (12 oz. each) evaporated milk

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

6 large eggs