Banoffee Pie. MUST CREDIT: Photo by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post.

No one loves Christmas more than a Jewish kid, or so goes the myth. When contrasted with Hanukkah, Christmas feels like a brightly lit, beautifully decorated holiday, replete with its own songs, festive decorations, trees, wrapped gifts, Santa visits and dinner. There’s an elf on the shelf. (We’ve got the mensch on a bench, by the way, but it’s just not the same.) I want tinsel and red-and-green decorations – not blue-and-white ones. As Kyle Broflovski once sang on “South Park,” “It’s hard to be a Jew on Christmas.”

I blame my love of Christmas on two things: my Soviet upbringing and my high school boyfriend’s mom. Perhaps, because it so closely resembles New Year’s celebrations in the former U.S.S.R., where I spent the first 10 years of my life, Christmas has a special meaning in my heart. Adapted for the secular masses, New Year’s in Russia was basically Christmas stripped of religious trappings. We had it all: the New Year’s tree, the Soviet version of the Santa Claus (a.k.a. Grandpa Frost), the songs, the festivities. The seed was planted.

To my high school boyfriend’s mom, Christmas was about celebrating with her family and friends and bringing people together. There was little, if any, religious dogma about it and so much contagious joy, I couldn’t help but fall for the holiday, hook, line and sinker. Her Christmas came with plenty of eggnog, roast goose and fig pudding, which no one ate because it contained suet (rendered beef fat), and no one likes suet. (For the record: I ate it to be polite and because I would’ve done anything for that woman.) But her love of the holiday was infectious. Decades later, I’m still a sucker for all the trappings: the decorated tree, eggnog and a festive Christmas dinner where I like to serve ham.

I love ham with shameless abandon, and even though it’s not a food that my kashrut-following ancestors ate, I’m an equal-opportunity eater. If it tastes good, I want it on my plate. And ham tastes really, really good. Spiral-cut ham takes the conundrum out of slicing it (not my forte), and making a fun and delicious glaze is my way of sprucing up something I’m really just warming up. This time around, inspired by America’s Test Kitchen, I played with the flavors of port and cherries, and because this pairing can get real cloying real fast, I threw in a few star anise pods to inch the glaze closer to the savory side. I couldn’t quit the classic honey ham, and so instead of brown sugar, I used honey, and a honey-port-cherry glaze was born. I regret nothing.

To round out the porky goodness, I wanted a side dish as impressive as it was easy to make, and special enough to feel celebratory. Pommes Anna fit the bill. With just five ingredients and barely any hands-on time, these potatoes practically cook themselves. All you need to do is slice them very thinly, then brush each layer with melted butter and season with salt and pepper and thyme. Then you put it in the oven and forget about it for about an hour. A classic Pommes Anna gets inverted, but I am a lazy cook and also am not a fan of getting burned by hot butter. So I throw tradition out the window and leave them in the skillet. The potatoes emerge gloriously browned and crispy around their curled little edges.

Because glazed ham and butter-bathed potatoes are hardly health foods, and because I seek balance in all things, I believe in a good, hearty, crunchy salad to counter the fat and the sodium you’re about to ingest. And because tender lettuces aren’t exactly in season, hardy weather calls for hardy greens, such as radicchio, endive and frisee. Paired with juicy pears (which benefit from a light marinade from the citrusy date vinaigrette), crunchy pistachios and mildly briny ricotta salata, this is a salad that sings and makes you reach for another forkful. Each bite, bursting with flavor, is pleasantly bitter, sweet, tart, salty, crunchy and herby all at once.

Of course, we need to save room for dessert, in this case a beloved English dish, Banoffee (bananas plus toffee) Pie. To the uninitiated, banoffee pie was invented in the 1970s at the Hungry Monk in East Sussex, and is a chilled treat consisting of crust and layers of banana, dulce de leche and whipped cream. Heaven. Though it requires a bit of planning, making it involves mostly just chilling various ingredients. When you pass banoffee pie around the table, squeals of delight and requests for seconds follow.

Ending a holiday dinner on such a sweet note will make for a very merry Christmas, indeed.

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SPIRAL-SLICED HAM WITH CHERRY-PORT GLAZE

Active: 25 mins Total: 4 hours

40 servings

Inspired by recipes from America’s Test Kitchen and countless honey-glazed hams of yesteryear, our glaze marries ruby port, scented with fragrant star anise, with honey and cherry preserves. It’s a perfect complement to the salty ham, and the star anise keeps the glaze from getting cloying.

Ingredients

One (14-pound) spiral sliced ham

2/3 cup ruby port

1 to 2 whole star anise

3/4 cup mild honey

2/3 cup cherry preserves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Steps

Unwrap the ham and discard the plastic disc covering the bone. Place the ham in a plastic oven bag, pull tightly for a close fit, tie the bag up, and trim the excess plastic. Set the ham cut-side down in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and make 4 slits in the top of the bag with a paring knife. Alternatively, place the unwrapped ham cut-side down in the baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees with the rack in the lower third. Bake the ham until the center registers about 100 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 3 hours 30 minutes (about 14 minutes per pound if using a plastic bag and about 17 minutes per pound if using foil), depending on the size of ham.

While the ham is warming up, prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the port and star anise to a simmer and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 4 minutes. Add the honey, preserves, pepper and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the ham hits 100 degrees, carefully remove from the oven and cut open the oven bag. Spoon the glaze on the ham and brush it all over. Return to the oven for 15 minutes and repeat the glazing process. Keep the ham in the oven until it reaches 115 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer.

Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest in the baking dish for a few minutes. Slice and serve immediately with the remaining glaze.

Nutrition | Calories: 470; Total Fat: 28 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 150 mg; Sodium: 105 mg; Carbohydrates: 9 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 9 g; Protein: 43 g.

(Adapted from “The New Best Recipe” by Cook’s Illustrated. America’s Test Kitchen, 2004.)

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POMMES ANNA

Active: 30 minutes | Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

6 servings

Pommes Anna is a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a copious amount of butter. This version is a simpler, lazier spin on the classic and somehow manages to look even more impressive than the original. There is no inverting and flipping the potatoes back into the pan – a messy endeavor. Instead, the layers are placed in the oven and allowed to brown, curl and crisp up, emerging gloriously burnished, crunchy and flavorful.

Ingredients

3 pounds russet potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes)

6 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) or unsalted butter, plus more for brushing the pan, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Steps

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle.

Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch thin slices. (Do not place sliced potatoes in water; the starch is necessary to bind the layers.)

Brush the bottom of a medium cast-iron skillet with some of the butter. Starting in the center of the pan, arrange a layer of overlapping potato slices over the bottom the skillet. Generously brush the potato layer with butter and season lightly with salt, pepper and a pinch of thyme leaves. Repeat until you run out of potatoes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender and crispy on the top and sides, about 1 hour. Run a small spatula around the edges of the potatoes; slide a large spatula underneath the potatoes to loosen them. Carefully invert onto a plate and cut into wedges; or cut into wedges in the skillet and serve.

Nutrition | Calories: 380; Total Fat: 15 g; Saturated Fat: 9 g; Cholesterol: 25 mg; Sodium: 300 mg; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugars: 3 g; Protein: 5 g.

(From Olga Massov.)

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CHOPPED WINTER GREENS SALAD WITH PEARS AND DATE DRESSING

Total: 15 minutes

6 servings

A bright accompaniment to the main course, here’s a salad that has it all: lots of textures, flavors and notes. Winter greens lend pleasant bitterness, which is offset by juicy pears and chewy, sweet dates. Ricotta salata offers a salty counterpoint, while pistachios deliver an earthy crunch. Bound together by a bright, citrusy vinaigrette, this is a salad you’ll want to eat over and over. If you want to make this more of a main course than a side, throw in a cup or two of a cooked grain.

Make ahead: The dressing can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh orange or tangerine juice

2 tablespoons date syrup (silan), maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

2 Bosc pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup (1 ounce) dried, pitted dates, thinly sliced

7 cups (5 ounces) sturdy greens, such as Belgian endive, frisée, radicchio or arugula

1/2 cup (1 ounce) loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shelled, raw pistachios, toasted

4 ounces ricotta salata, shaved with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler (about 2 cups)

Steps

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, juice, silan (or maple syrup or honey) and shallot until blended. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Place the pears and dates in a large bowl; make sure the date slices aren’t sticking together. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fruit mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.

Add the greens and parsley, and gently toss to coat. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and with a bit more pepper, if desired.

Divide the salad evenly among 6 plates. Garnish with pistachios and shaved ricotta salata and serve.

Nutrition | Calories: 290; Total Fat: 21 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 15 mg; Sodium: 420 mg; Carbohydrates: 23 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 15 g; Protein: 6 g.

(From Olga Massov.)

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BANOFFEE PIE

Active: 1 hour | Total: 1 hour 45 minutes, plus chilling time

10 to 12 servings

Banoffee pie was created in 1970s at the Hungry Monk in East Sussex and instantly gained a following. What’s not to love? Shortcrust pastry, sliced bananas, dulce de leche and whipped cream make this dessert an irresistible crowd-pleaser. Shortcrust pastry, aside from taking the frustration out of rolling and fitting pastry into your tart or pie dish, is fun to grate, fun to press and results in an incredibly crispy, buttery crunch. It’s faster, easier and a lot less messy: You may never go back to rolling crusts.

NOTE: If using condensed milk, place the can in a large pot and cover it generously with water – the water should cover the can by at least 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 3 hours. Watch the water level carefully: Be sure the can is covered with at least 2 inches water the entire time (this is critical for safety). Add boiling water to the pot if the water level starts to get too low.

Remove the can from the pot and let cool completely; if not using the same day, refrigerate until ready to use.

Make ahead: The crust can be made, wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. The pie, minus the whipped cream, can be made, covered and refrigerated up to 12 hours ahead.

Ingredients

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (95 grams) plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks/170 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

4 large bananas

One (14-ounce) can dulce de leche or sweetened condensed milk with the labels removed (see NOTE)

2 cups (480 milliliters) heavy cream

Finely grated dark chocolate, for topping

Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)

Steps

Place the flour into a food processor and pulse a few times to aerate. Add 3/4 cup (95 grams) confectioners’ sugar, the butter and salt and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the yolks and process until a crumbly dough forms. Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead just until smooth. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle.

Cut the chilled dough in half and grate the halves on the large holes of a box grater. Using your fingers, press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan to create an even layer. Don’t worry about making it perfect – it looks better a little scraggly and uneven. The bottom should be about 1/4 inch thick and the sides about 1/2 inch thick. (Work swiftly, as you don’t want the dough to warm up too much.) Poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes.

Place a large piece of foil on the chilled crust and weigh it down with pie weights (or pennies). Bake the tart shell for 15 to 20 minutes, until the rim is light golden brown. Remove the foil and baking weights or pennies, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until rich golden brown. If the bottom of the crust puffs up in the second part of baking, weigh it down with weights while it cools.

Peel 2 bananas and slice them into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. (Don’t slice on the bias, as it makes it difficult to layer.) Starting from the outside and working your way to the center, arrange half of the bananas in concentric, overlapping circles in the tart shell.

Transfer the dulce de leche to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds to 1 minute. It should be just warm, not hot, and soft enough to be spreadable. Spread the dulce de leche on top of the bananas as evenly as you can. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Place a large bowl in the refrigerator to chill.

Peel and slice the remaining 2 bananas and layer them on top of the dulce de leche. Return the pie to the refrigerator.

Combine the heavy cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar in the bowl that has been chilled. Using a handheld mixer or a whisk, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator and spread the whipped cream on top so that it covers the bananas. Sprinkle the grated chocolate and flaky sea salt, if using, over the top and serve right away.

Nutrition (based on 12 servings) | Calories: 500; Total Fat: 28 g; Saturated Fat: 19 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 125 mg; Sodium: 140 mg; Carbohydrates: 53 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 30 g; Protein: 5 g.

(From Olga Massov.)

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