Bring Your Holiday Recipes to Life With These Appliances

Between the music, the meals and traditions, nostalgia is a prevalent emotion during the holiday season. Family meals passed down from generation to generation are one of the most beloved parts of the holidays as they symbolize togetherness, love and warm memories. Equipping your kitchen with the appliances make these dishes is one of the best ways to keep these traditions alive. We’ve compiled a few of our favorite classic holiday recipes and the appliances that will help with easy cooking this holiday season.

Classic Holiday Appetizer Prep

Kicking off your holiday celebrations with libations and appetizers is a perfect way to catch up with family and friends, celebrate the past year and toast to the year ahead. With the help of some small appliances, you can easily prepare some holiday nibbles and spend the rest of your evening enjoying the company of your guests.

Baked brie is a classic holiday appetizer that appeals to salty snackers and those with a sweet tooth, alike. With the help of a KitchenAid Double-Oven Range, with even-heat true convection and five burners, you can bake your appetizer while your main entree cooks to perfection in the lower oven.

Perfect your holiday appetizer presentation this season by following this recipe for baked brie.

Baked brie ingredients:

• 8-ounce round brie cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice off the top rind of the brie and scrape out a small amount of cheese to form a shallow hollow in the center. Place the cheese in a small parchment paper-lined baking
2. Mix the cranberry sauce, brown sugar, vanilla, zest and nutmeg. Top the brie with this mixture and sprinkle the hazelnuts over it.
3. Bake for eight to 12 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the cheese melts.
4. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and serve with assorted crackers.

To create the perfectly chopped hazelnuts, enlist the help of the KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor, which can handle a variety of ingredients with precision.

Classic Holiday Entree Prep

Nothing brings cheer to the holidays like home cooking, and glazed ham is synonymous with Christmases past. But, for a restaurant-quality entree, ensure your oven range is up to date. A caterer’s oven, such as the Café 5.75 Cu. Ft. Commercial-Style 6-Burner Dual Fuel Range, has the spacious capacity, even heating and smart features to achieve restaurant-quality results.

Prepare a beautiful and delicious entree, like a classic glazed ham, by following this recipe.

Glazed ham ingredients:

• 1 (10-lb.) fully cooked whole ham (boneless or bone-in)
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 c. apple cider

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Place ham on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and slice the top of the ham in a diamond pattern —cover with foil and bake between 2 ½ and three hours or until warmed.
2. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, prepare the glaze:
   • Whisk together brown sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar and apple cider over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer and cook until reduced by half. Brush glaze on ham every 15 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 60°C.
3. Remove ham from the oven, glaze once more and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Classic Holiday Dessert Prep

If you have a sweet tooth, the holiday season is your time to indulge. We prefer classic holiday cookie recipes have stood the test of time and gingerbread men are one of those recipes. To ease the baking process, turn to a stand mixer, such as the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer in a retro mint green hue, to efficiently bake dozens of gingerbread men. KitchenAid’s iconic design enhances your culinary epicentre with 10 speeds that knead and whip ingredients with ease and finesse.

We recommend double (or tripling!) the recipe to share with friends, family and coworkers.

Gingerbread men cookie ingredients:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 large room temperature egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• Frosting of choice

Directions:

1. Mix butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and water.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients minus frosting and divide the dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 176°C. Roll out each portion of dough on a lightly floured surface and cut with a floured 4-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place two inches apart on greased baking sheets.
4. Bake until the edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely - frost as desired.

As the holidays approach, equip your kitchen with the necessary appliances and some easy holiday recipes. Having these at your fingertips will begin your holiday season on a relaxed and festive note.