Blue Heron Brewery has created an exclusive Take and Bake Christmas meal designed to give you the day off from cooking
By Ken McEntee
Don’t tell Grandma, but your Christmas feast this year could just be the best ever.
And the simplest.
That’s because the Blue Heron Brewery’s Take and Bake Christmas meal, featuring filet mignon, oven-baked chicken Florentine and seafood pasta with shrimp, salad and crab, is as easy as ordering online, picking it up and heating it in the oven.
And Blue Heron’s no-contact pickup makes it safe, as well, assures Khadar Soussou, general manager of the popular Medina brew pub.
“You just come to our parking lot, pop the trunk and we’ll load the whole meal in your car,” Khadar explains. “You don’t have to get out or even open your window.”
Your Take and Bake Christmas meal—meticulously created and prepared by Ben Erjavec, executive chef and co-owner—is available for four or 10 people and includes:
• Six-ounce hand-cut filet mignon
• Oven-baked chicken Florentine with white wine cream sauce
• Aged cheddar and chive twice-baked potatoes
• Seafood pasta that includes baby shrimp, seared scallops and lump crab
• Roasted garlic and Parmesan broccoli with lemon butter
• Spinach salad with Mandarin oranges, cranberries and pomegranate seeds
• Herb focaccia with garlic compound butter
• Peppermint hot chocolate brownies
• Red wine
Additionally, you may also want to order a peanut butter pie for dessert and a few four-packs of Twas the Heron’s First Christmas ale, specially brewed by Mike Piazza, brew master and co-owner.
“Our peanut butter pie has become well known down in our pub,” Ben says. “Our holiday version is a 10-inch pie that will serve 12 to 15 people. It also makes a festive centerpiece for your dessert table.”
Ordering your meal, Ben says, is safe and easy.
“You order your feast online and pick it up on Wednesday, December 23, between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.,” Ben says. “We prepare everything just barely cooked, so that when you re-heat it, you’re going to enjoy the same restaurant quality food that we serve our dine-in guests. We provide all the oven re-heating instructions you need. We put stocks in with the items so that they don’t dry out in the oven. Depending on how you want your steaks done, it shouldn’t take longer than 20 to 30 minutes to have your feast on the table. And, afterward, you won’t have any messy pots and pans to clean up.”
Grandma may never need her Christmas apron again.
The Blue Heron introduced its Take and Bake no-contact feast at Thanksgiving this year.
“We realized that people were not going to be gathering as much in large groups and that some people were hesitant to spend a lot of time at the grocery store,” Khadar says. “So, we decided to do all the cooking and shopping for them. It isn’t often that you get a chef-prepared Christmas meal in the comfort and safety of your own home.”
More than 300 Thanksgiving dinner packages sold out in two weeks, Khadar says.
“The Christmas dinners will be available as long as the supplies last,” he says. “I suggest going to our website as early as possible to place your order.”
While you’re there, you may want to order a round or two of Christmas ale.
“Ours is an English amber ale that is brewed with some festive holiday spices like orange peel, ginger and Mexican cinnamon, and finished off with some orange blossom honey, so there’s a residual honey sweetness to the beer,” Mike says. “It’s 6.3 ABV (alcohol by volume) and it’s an easy-drinking Christmas ale that isn’t over spiced. It leaves you wanting another.”
And for your tasting pleasure, a variety of Blue Heron’s flagship brews—like Hazy Wife, Hazy Life New England IPA—are now available in canned four-packs at select local family-owned Northeast Ohio retailers, Mike says.
Mike’s brews go down well with the Blue Heron’s popular family pickup meals, which also can be ordered online and are available Tuesday through Saturday. Featuring various specials like “Italian Night,” family pickup meals now can include a kid’s pack, with chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese.
While you place your Christmas Take and Bake order, you might make plans to enjoy a chef-prepared New Year’s Eve feast for pickup as 2020 fades away to live in infamy. You can check on BlueHeronMedina.com or Facebook @blueheronmedina for more details.
You also might consider sharing the always-appreciated holiday gift of spectacular food by purchasing a Blue Heron gift card. When you order online, you can get a $50 card for just $40.
The Blue Heron Brewery and Event Center is located at 3227 Blue Heron Trace, in Medina. You can contact the Blue Heron at 330-870-BLUE. The web address is BlueHeronMedina.com.