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MANHATTAN — People who don't celebrate Christmas, or just don't cook, can always dine on Chinese takeout, but restaurants all over the city say they'll be open and serving up delicious dishes.

To help make your days merry and bright, DNAinfo.com New York has checked out other top options for holiday meals in Manhattan.

Christmas Borscht

The Ukrainian restaurant Veselka will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas, offering huge Eastern European feasts at both their East Village locations. Manager Anthony Rotella said handmade vareneky dumpings and "earthy" Christmas borscht provide a Yuletide alternative.

"For people who don't celebrate Christmas in a traditional sense, they'll go for Chinese food and to the movies," Rotella said. "Veselka has a way for people to change it up a little bit and celebrate Eastern Europe-style."

The eatery with locations at 144 Second Ave., at East 9th Street, and 9 E. 1st St. at the Bowery will serve an all-vegetarian, traditional Ukrainian dinner with 12 dishes on Christmas Eve and Christmas. The $35-per-person meal includes smoked and pickled fish, stuffed cabbage with sauteed mushrooms and Ukrainian honey cake. Reservations can be made by calling (212) 387-7000.

Source: DNAinfo

by Megan Borgert: Aspiring Baker

I could've baked the cake in a 9x13 pan or a 9-inch round. But oh, then it wouldn't be nearly as pretty. And it wouldn't look like it just came out of Mrs. Patmore's kitchen. I asked myself if that really matters. Turns out, it does. I remembered the wealth of bundt pans I once came across at value village. At the time I had been tempted, but told myself to wait until I actually needed a bundt pan. This was it! The time had come! And off to Richfield I went. A half hour later I was back and making hazelnut coffee, the one thing I was quite capable of messing up (truth: I'm terrible at making coffee). The batter came together quick, ridiculously quick. It was only as I poured it into the mold that I realized this cake had the potential to really suck. No eggs? No BUTTER? When I told Josh what the cake would be lacking, he made a face. We decided that if it flopped, we could take the opportunity, momentarily, to make fun of vegans and their "food.

Source: Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake

by admin

Ingredients:

STREUSEL:

-1 cup walnuts, very finely chopped

-1/3 cup sugar

-1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

-Pinch of salt

CAKE:

-2 cups cake flour

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-1 Tbsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 cup sugar

-3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

-12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted

butter, at room temperature

-3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

-1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

-2 tsp. vanilla extract

GLAZE:

-1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

-1 Tbsp. milk

-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan. Make Streusel: in a bowl, combine walnuts, both sugars, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

2. Make cake: in a bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder and salt.

Using an electric mixer on a medium speed, beat both sugars and butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then beat in egg yolk. Beat in half of flour mixture, until just combined. Stir in sour cream and vanilla, then fold in remaining flour mixture. Do not over mix. Batter will be thick.

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