Drawing inspiration from Magnolias’ esteemed dinner menu, here’s an elevated Lowcountry Christmas feast that brings the restaurant’s signature dishes to your holiday table:
Appetizers
Down South Egg Roll
• Ingredients: Collard greens, roasted chicken, tasso ham, red pepper purée, spicy mustard, peach chutney.
• Instructions: Combine finely chopped collard greens, shredded roasted chicken, and diced tasso ham. Place the mixture in egg roll wrappers, roll tightly, and fry until golden brown. Serve with red pepper purée, spicy mustard, and peach chutney for dipping.
Fried Green Tomatoes
• Ingredients: Firm green tomatoes, white cheddar, caramelized onions, stone-ground grits, country ham, tomato chutney, tomato butter.
• Instructions: Slice green tomatoes and coat with seasoned cornmeal. Fry until crispy. Serve over a bed of creamy white cheddar and caramelized onion grits, topped with slices of country ham, tomato chutney, and a drizzle of tomato butter.
Soup
Blue Crab Bisque
• Ingredients: Fresh blue crab meat, heavy cream, seafood stock, sherry, chives.
• Instructions: Sauté crab shells with aromatics, deglaze with sherry, and add seafood stock. Simmer, strain, and incorporate heavy cream. Blend until smooth, then add lump crab meat. Garnish with freshly chopped chives.
Entrées
Shellfish Over Grits
• Ingredients: Sautéed shrimp, sea scallops, creamy white grits, lobster butter sauce, fried spinach.
• Instructions: Prepare creamy white grits. Sauté shrimp and sea scallops until just cooked. For the sauce, reduce lobster stock with butter and a splash of cream. Serve the shellfish over the grits, topped with the lobster butter sauce and garnished with crispy fried spinach.
Pecan-Crusted Salmon
• Ingredients: Fresh salmon fillets, pecans, whipped sweet potatoes, sautéed kale, butternut squash, cipollini onions, cranberries, Dijon-brandy beurre blanc.
• Instructions: Coat salmon fillets with finely chopped pecans and bake until the crust is golden and the fish is cooked through. Serve atop whipped sweet potatoes, accompanied by sautéed kale, roasted butternut squash, cipollini onions, and cranberries. Drizzle with a Dijon-brandy beurre blanc.
Side Dishes
Braised Collard Greens
• Ingredients: Fresh collard greens, smoked ham hocks, onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes.
• Instructions: Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add chopped collard greens, smoked ham hocks, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until the greens are tender and infused with flavor.
Macaroni & Cheese
• Ingredients: Elbow macaroni, sharp cheddar cheese, Gruyère cheese, heavy cream, butter, panko breadcrumbs.
• Instructions: Cook macaroni until al dente. Prepare a cheese sauce with melted butter, heavy cream, and a blend of sharp cheddar and Gruyère. Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce, place in a baking dish, top with panko breadcrumbs, and bake until golden and bubbly.
Dessert
Southern Pecan Pie
• Ingredients: Pie crust, pecans, eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, bourbon, vanilla extract.
• Instructions: Prepare a filling by mixing eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, a splash of bourbon, and vanilla extract. Pour into a prepared pie crust, top with pecan halves, and bake until set.
This menu encapsulates the essence of Magnolias’ sophisticated take on Lowcountry cuisine, offering a festive and refined dining experience for your Christmas celebration.