Nov/Dec 2006

6 Spectacular Sides

From standard to spectacular: up-to-date versions of traditional side dishes make holiday meals memorable.

By Patrick Evans-Hylton

It's the holidays, and you know what that means: turkey or ham and all the trimmings.

Unfortunately, those trimmings usually include Aunt Effie's neon green gelatinized fruit mold, Uncle Bob's famous-or is that infamous-sweet potatoes swimming in sickeningly sweet syrup and topped with stale marshmallows, and dear cousin Peggy's seafood stuffing surprise that (surprise!) was undercooked last year and made everyone sick.

A traditional green bean casserole and oyster dressing may bring up warm-and-fuzzy June Cleaver-esque feelings, but let's face it, these side dishes need a makeover to go from standard to spectacular.

On our menu, you'll find up-to-date versions of the classics: Baked Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese Butter, Cranberry Sauce Diablo in Orange Cups, Corn Pudding Cräme Brulee, Chesapeake Bay Oyster and Crab Dressing, Baby Portobello Mushroom & Country Ham Green Bean Casserole and Ambrosia Salad in Butter Lettuce Bowls.

They are still delicious, they still resonate with the past, but they are oh-so-modern. Think of it as dressing June Cleaver in Versace, but letting her keep the pearls.

For the rest of this story, including recipes, see the Nov/Dec issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.