Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette

Flaming Rum Punch
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PG video: Gretchen heats up the holiday

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Clarence the Angel ponders ordering this fruity holiday punch at Nick's bar in "It's a Wonderful Life." But as Nick makes clear (with his left fist), that's not gonna fly: "Look, mister, we serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast. And we don't need any characters around to give the joint atmosphere!"

• 6 whole oranges, unpeeled
• Whole cloves
• 1 bottle dark rum, pre-warmed
• Sugar to taste
• 1/2 gallon sweet cider
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg

Stick oranges full of cloves and bake in oven until they soften, 20 to 30 minutes at 350. Place oranges in a punch bowl, pour over them warmed rum and granulated sugar to taste. With a long match, set fire to the rum, and after a few moments add cider slowly to extinguish flame. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, and keep mixture warm, simmering on stovetop.

Serves a crowd.

-- Cocktailchronicles.com

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No family gathering seems complete without this quintessential spiked egg drink. In "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," Chevy Chase serves it in glass "moose" mugs.

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces bourbon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 egg whites (see note below)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

Serves 6 to 8.

-- Alton Brown, Food Network

This photo of a Standing Rib Roast, by Maren Caruso, comes from the new "The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook" (Free Press, $34.95). It's subtitled "The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Cook."
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The closing scene of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" finds the Green One carving Who-ville's giant roast beast. We're not sure what kind of meat the beast might be, but we're guessing a standing beef rib roast -- a traditional holiday meal in many homes -- will do.

• 4-rib standing beef rib roast, about 8 pounds, at room temperature
• Canola or grapeseed oil for coating
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 3 to 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup milk at room temperature
• 3 large eggs at room temperature

Rub the roast all over with oil. Sprinkle with black pepper and the thyme, rubbing them into the meat. Place the roast, fat side up, on a wire cake rack set in a large cast-iron frying pan.

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Roast the beef for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat (but not touching the bone) registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 2 hours longer. Transfer the roast to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while making the Yorkshire pudding.

While meat is roasting, make sauce. In a blender, combine the cream and parsley and puree until smooth. Transfer to a deep bowl, add the creme fraiche and beat with a balloon whisk until soft peaks form. Whisk in the horseradish. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

To make Yorkshire pudding: Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spoon off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the frying pan. Preheat the pan in oven and prepare the batter: In a bowl, combine flour and salt and stir to blend. Make a well in the center, add milk and whisk until blended. Add eggs and whisk until well blended and bubbly. Pour batter into the hot frying pan and bake for 10 minutes. If the pudding is not rising evenly, rotate the pan. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.

If not carving the roast at the table, slice beef a few minutes before pudding is done and arrange it on a warmed platter. Whisk sauce a few times and spoon into a sauceboat. Serve beef, sauce and Yorkshire pudding in its pan immediately, as the pudding will deflate quickly.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

-- by Carolyn Miller in "The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook" (Free Press, 2008, $34.95)

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Funny as it seems, the famous plum pudding Mrs. Cratchit makes for her family in "A Christmas Carol" isn't made of plums at all, but raisins.

A plum pudding develops its full flavor when made at least a week ahead. Count on 6 hours for the initial, almost unattended steaming, and 2 hours to reheat before serving. Not that patient? You can also microwave the pudding.

• 3 cups (lightly packed down) crumbs from homemade-type white bread
• 1 cup each of black raisins, yellow raisins and currants, chopped
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, mace and nutmeg
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Few drops of almond extract
• 1/2 cup bitter orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup rum or bourbon whiskey, heated before serving
• Sprigs of holly, optional
• 2 cups Zabaglione Sauce (recipe below)

Toss the bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl with the raisins, sugar and spices. Then toss with the melted butter, and finally with the rest of the ingredients, except, of course, the holly and Zabaglione Sauce. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more spices if needed.

To microwave the pudding: Butter the dish you are cooking the pudding in, then cover the bottom of the dish with a buttered piece of waxed paper. Pour in batter. Cover dish with plastic wrap and pierce the plastic with a knife in several places. Cook at "defrost" (low speed) for 30 minutes. If your microwave oven does not have a carousel that turns the dish during cooking, stop the process several times during the cooking and rotate the dish manually. Finally, cook at 5 minutes on "bake" (high speed). Let pudding set for a few minutes before unmolding. The pudding is ready when it is firm to the touch. The microwaved plum pudding is somewhat paler than its steamed counterpart.

To steam pudding: Use a special pan made for this purpose. You must have a container with a very tight lid on it that will stay sealed throughout the cooking. Pack pudding mixture into container; cover with a round of waxed paper and the lid. Set container on the steaming contraption in the kettle, and add enough water to come a third of the way up the sides of the container. Cover kettle tightly; bring to the simmer, and let steam about 6 hours. Warning: Check the kettle now and then to be sure the water hasn't boiled off!

When is it done? When it is a dark walnut-brown color and fairly firm to the touch. Let the pudding cool in its container. Store it in a cool wine cellar or in the refrigerator. Ahead-of-time note: Pudding will keep nicely for several months. Resteaming: A good 2 hours before you plan to serve, resteam the pudding -- it must be quite warm indeed for successful flaming. Unmold onto a hot serving platter and decorate, if you wish, with sprigs of holly.

Flaming and serving: Pour the hot rum or whiskey around the pudding. Either ignite it in the kitchen and rapidly bring it forth, or flame it at the table. Serve the following Zabaglione Sauce separately.

Serves 8 to 12.

Zabaglione Sauce

• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• Small pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup rum or bourbon whiskey (or Marsala or sherry)
• 1/3 cup dry white French vermouth
• 1/2 cup sugar

Whisk all the ingredients together for 1 minute in a stainless saucepan. Then whisk over moderately low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sauce becomes thick, foamy and warm to your finger. Do not bring it to the simmer and scramble the eggs, but you must heat it enough for it to thicken. Serve warm or cold. Ahead-of-time note: The sauce will remain foamy for 20 to 30 minutes, and if it separates simply beat it briefly over heat. If you wish to reform the sauce, whisk in a stiffly beaten egg white.

-- "The Way to Cook" by Julia Child (Knopf, 1993)