Christmas Day

We flew down to Mom's house in Berkeley for Christmas day dinner. Mom made a prime rib with herbs from the recent Gourmet cookbook that I gave her for her birthday. Prime rib is best when it is not overcooked. The Gourmet recipe has one cook it to an internal temperature of 110degF, and then let it stand for 25 minutes. That results in that perfect pink color that one expects from prime rib. Dinner also included mashed potatoes, baby zucchini, a big salad, and some rolls. For dessert, Leila made a gingerbread cake in one of those bundt castle molds. She put whipped cream around the base and dusted it with powdered sugar, so it looked like a snowy castle. We laid siege on the castle, and I'm pleased to report that the castle was sacked. It was served with a compote of apricots, apples, and raisins that Leila said was a Russian recipe. (Perhaps she'll post it!)