We had an amazing Christmas this year... Boone's family came to the Delta and we had a big Christmas Eve dinner party for our friends whose families came down. We had Christmas crackers with silly paper hats, lots of spaghetti and homemade meatballs, homemade french bread and red wine. My favorite part was after dinner when we pulled out songbooks and sang Christmas carols with Boone's dad on the guitar. To make singing a little easier for everybody, I made coffee syllabubs (a super easy and amazing after dinner drink that southerners adopted from the British and adapted with brandy and bourbon.)
I think (and I hope!) my own version plus all of the singing made up for the fact that we kept all of our guests waiting at least 20 minutes OUTSIDE in the cold when our church service lasted at least 30 minutes longer than I'd planned for. Ooops.
I found this recipe in a fun newish southern food magazine, The Local Palate, and adapted it to my tastes... I feel like it could be fun to have on NYE or maybe in lieu of eggnog, but beware, they are strong, delicious, and super filling. seriously. Let me know what you think!
Coffee Syllabubs
Serves 8
2 C Whipping cream
1/2 C coffee flavored liqueur (like Kahlua)
1/2 Amaretto (like Disaronno)
1 C light brown sugar
Blend and whip the ingredients together until frothy (but not too frothy or the cream will be too stiff to drink easily) just before you're ready to serve and garnish with nutmeg or cinnamon.
And a few photos of the syllabubs in action, plus the singing and merriment!
Biz's Note: Syllabubs got referenced by Ms. Padmore on the episode of Downton Abbey Airing 1/12/14. I was BESIDE myself!
Labels: Cooking Downton, dessert, drinks, hospitality, winter
