POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

Christmas is one of those holidays that is enjoyable for everyone involved.  There is the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming event, with many pre-Christmas activities, like Christmas parties, shopping, musical events, visits to Santa, and much more. There is the thrill of finding that perfect gift for that special someone.  There is the joy of seeing all your friends and family members coming together to share in the holiday.  There is the wonder of little children’s faces as they see Santa Claus for the first time or as they open each present.  Then, there is the Christmas feast!

Cooking for Christmas can be just as much fun and as exciting as every other task you have to complete for the upcoming holiday.  It can be overwhelming too, if you don’t make the right preparations and plan ahead. 

The key to putting on a successful Christmas feast is all in the planning.  If you are hosting the Christmas dinner event at your place, you will need to start planning and cooking for it well in advance.  If you do not do this, you will probably find that you are stressed and working too hard at the last minute.  You want to ensure that you have as good a time at your Christmas event as your family and friends do.

Cooking for Christmas can include everything from making your own cookies and appetizers for pre-meal snacking to cooking the Christmas turkey with all the trimmings, as well as having a variety of offerings for dessert.  Planning and preparing many items ahead of the day can help you enjoy the in Christmas dinner and festivities along with everyone else.

The first thing you should do is to draw up a menu plan for what you want to serve for the main Christmas meal.  Take into account the number of people that will be attending, with a careful note of the ages of the people involved too.  Consider that you may be cooking for older people who have definite traditions and probably more delicate stomachs.  Your guest list may also include several children or babies that also need to be considered when creating the menu plan. Children have definite likes and dislikes, and you want to be able to cater to them too. You should also be aware of any special dietary needs, like someone who may have diabetes or is a vegetarian.  You need to consider including food that will suit those special diets as well.

Your menu should be geared to the number of guests at your dinner too.  Cooking six potatoes for eight people, or alternatively a huge turkey for only four guests, may not be wise. 

Your Christmas menu should include a variety of dishes to take into account unexpected likes or dislikes.  For instance, you may want to serve squash as your vegetable offering, but the children attending may turn up their faces at it.  Offering a couple of different alternatives to vegetables may solve the problem.  Having a bowl of peas or raw carrots on the table may suit them better.  Or if you plan to forego the traditional turkey and serve roast beef as your only meat instead, you may come across someone who only eats white meat.  Make up your menu to include a couple of choices for those ‘picky’ eaters.

Try to consider how well the food goes together too.  Of course, with a traditional Christmas turkey, stuffing, gravy and potatoes of some kind is typical.  But if you are serving another meat choice along with the turkey, consider what might go well with both meats.  For instance ham and turkey are both good with mashed potatoes.  But if you serve lamb, perhaps you might want to try rosemary-roasted potatoes. 

You can include different cultural foods on your Christmas table as well, depending on your heritage or food preferences.  What is wrong with Peking duck replacing the traditional turkey?  Or even tofu-turkey or a festive mushroom pie could be considered the main protein choice. 

Now that you have your main meal planned and thought out, find out how many dishes can be prepared ahead of time so that you do not have to do everything at the last minute on Christmas day.  Plan a schedule according to your menu choices and when you have time to do the actually cooking and baking.  Can you make that vegetarian lasagna you planned for your vegetarian guests ahead and then freeze it until it is needed?  Can you make your homemade cranberry sauce beforehand and put it in canning jars?  Can you prepare the ham a day ahead and have it ready to be just heated up and served on Christmas day?  The more you do ahead, the less time you will have to spend in the kitchen on Christmas day—and the more time you will have to enjoy the event yourself.

Baking cookies and desserts a few weeks before Christmas will help you too.  Cookies and cakes can be frozen and thawed when needed.  In fact, frozen cookies take very little time to thaw so you can get out the correct amount when needed.  That way, too, you can make a greater variety of cookies if you spread your baking days out over the days and weeks before the holiday bustle really begins.  Pies also freeze well and are easy to be heated and served at the right time.  Cakes, like fruitcakes, are actually best made before, especially if they are to be saturated with rum for greater flavor. 

There are even many appetizers that can be made a couple of weeks ahead, popped into the freezer and taken out to heat or thaw on the day of the event.  Consider pastries like sausage rolls, mini quiches, cheese puffs, or pizza bites.  Dips, spreads and cheese balls can be made the day before and the taste is actually enhanced with more time for the flavors to meld. Devilled eggs and cheese or fruit trays can also be prepared the day ahead.

Creating and preparing a plan for the event ahead of time is a great way to help you avoid the stress of cooking for Christmas.  It allows you more time on Christmas day to enjoy the festivities yourself.  By planning and making the right preparations beforehand, you can still have a huge traditional Christmas meal and join in the holiday fun.

Special ingredients are always part of the fun of cooking Christmas dishes.  This chutney is the perfect accompaniment to add to your Christmas dinner (perhaps instead of the traditional cranberry sauce).  It has a sweet spicy taste that also goes well with cold meat or cheese trays.

This Christmas Chutney also makes a great gift.  Add attractive ribbons or bows to the canning jars before gift-giving.

Christmas Chutney

Ingredients:

9 red plums, pitted and chopped

• 6 pears, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 crisp apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 cup rhubarb
• 4 stalks of celery
• 5 onions, sliced
• 5 tomatoes, skinned and cut into cubes
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 TBSP. freshly ground ginger
• Rind of 1 orange, grated
• 2 TBSP. pickling spice
• 3 ¼ cups vinegar
• 2 cups sugar

Place the plums, pears, apples, rhubarb, celery, onions, tomatoes and raisins in a large pot.  Add the orange peel and ginger.  Spoon the pickling spice onto a small square of cheesecloth and tie it securely with a piece of string.  Add this spice packet to the saucepan.  Add the sugar and vinegar.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for at least two hours, until the fruits are softened.

Meanwhile, sterilize the glass canning jars and lids you will need.  Remove the chutney from the heat and remove the pickling spice packet.  Fill each jar with chutney and cover with a canning lid. 

Part of the highlight of any turkey dinner is the stuffing.  There are so many stuffing recipes, but this one is particularly tasty.  It can be made in or out of the bird, or the stuffing can even be cooled, covered and frozen.  The Italian sausage and the hazelnuts add a nice touch to this herbed stuffing.

Sausage and Hazelnut Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 lb. medium or hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onions

• 1 TBSP. sage
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 12 cubes cubed day-old bread
• 2 cups toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ cups raisins
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup wine
• 1 ½ tsp. grated orange rind

Remove sausage from its casing.  (Hint:  This is easily done if the sausages are frozen.  While still frozen, run the sausages under hot water and the casing will slip off easily.)  Crumble the sausage (or cut it up in small pieces) into a large non-stick skillet.  Cook over medium heat, breaking up the pieces as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain off any fat, reserving 1 tsp. in the pan Add onions, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until onions are tender. 

In a large bowl, combine sausage mixture with the fresh bread cubes, hazelnuts, raisins, chicken stock, wine and orange rind.  Mix together well.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.  At this point you can stuff it in the turkey, or you can serve it in a separate bowl as is.  Also this is the point where you can freeze it if you wanted to make it ahead of time.

Goose is another option for your main meat dish when preparing a traditional Christmas dinner.  When buying a fresh goose, ensure that it is plump with smooth skin free of blemishes and pinfeathers.  A 10-11 lb. goose will serve about 8 people.  If you wish to serve a larger group of people, it is advisable to buy 2 geese. 

Cooking a goose is not the same as cooking a turkey, because goose contains a great deal of fat just below the thick skin.  You should remove the grease from the pan occasionally when cooking a goose (instead of basting it as you would a turkey). 

Here are a few tips when cooking a goose:

1. Pull out any loose pads of fat
2. Use a needle to pierce the skin and the fatty layer of the goose, without going through to the lean meat. (This helps to drain the grease.)
3. Pour boiling water over the goose just before placing it in the oven.  Then halfway through the cooking time, remove the goose from the pan and pour boiling water over it again. This helps to melt the fat and make the skin crisp.
4. Drain the grease or use a turkey-baster to remove the grease from the pan for the first 1 ½ hours of cooking.

Christmas Goose

Ingredients:

• 1 10-11 lb. goose
• 1 lemon cut in half
• Salt and pepper
• 2 oranges, quartered
• Boiling water
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 2 TBSP. orange liqueur
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 TBSP. corn starch
• ¼ cup cold water

Remove the loose fat and giblets from the goose.  Cut off the neck and wing tips (these can be used to stock, if desired).  Wipe the goose with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.  Rub the goose inside and out with the half lemon, squeezing the juice over all of it.  Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper.  Place the orange quarters and remaining lemon inside the goose. Prick the goose all over with a needle to allow the fat to escape while cooking.  Tie up the wings and legs close to the body and skewer the neck skin to the body.

Place the goose breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan.  Pour about 2 cups of boiling water over the goose.  Roast in a 400° F oven for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325° F and cook for 1 more hour.  Pour off grease from the pan.  Turn goose over and prick again with the needle.  Pour 2 cups more of boiling water over the goose.  Return to oven and roast for another hour.

Mix together marmalade, liqueur, soy sauce and ginger.  Brush over goose.  Return to the oven and roast for another 30-60 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Cover with tin foil and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, skim all the fat from the pan and add the orange juice.  Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Dissolve corn starch in cold water and stir into the pan.  Whisk constantly while cooking until slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the sauce in a gravy boat on the side.

Christmas doesn’t always have to be about the big Christmas dinner feast.  A special touch for the holiday breakfast can be just as important.  Use a bit of leftover mincemeat from the mincemeat tarts or pie you baked and turn Christmas morning muffins into a delicious special holiday treat.

Mincemeat Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup jarred prepared mincemeat
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

• 1 TBSP. brown sugar
• 1 TBSP. flour
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 TBSP. butter

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients.  Mix together until topping is crumbly.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk to mix together well.  Add in nuts and mix lightly.  In another bowl, add egg, milk, melted butter and mincemeat.  Stir together, then pour this over the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined—do not over mix.

Spoon batter into well-greased muffin tin (should fill 12 muffin cups).  Sprinkle topping over all the muffins.  Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch.

A sweet potato casserole is often served at holiday gatherings.  This one has a twist, though, because it isn’t topped with conventional marshmallow.  It has a wonderful crunch because it is topped with pecans.  And, this Sweet Potato and Carrot Casserole recipe with its crisp topping can be made ahead and frozen.  On Christmas day all you have to do is pull if out of the freezer, heat it up and wait for the rave reviews of your family and friends.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Casserole

Ingredients:

• 5 large sweet potatoes
• 12 large carrots
• ¾ cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 TBSP. butter
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Topping:

• 1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 TBSP. chopped parsley

Cut and peel sweet potatoes and carrots into large chunks.  Place carrots and sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain.  Place the vegetables in a food processor and puree until smooth. (You may have to do this in batches.)

Add orange juice, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, garlic powder and salt to the puree mixture and blend together well.  Spoon puree into a greased 13”x 9” baking dish.  (At this point recipe can be frozen until ready to use.  Let thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then for 30 minutes before adding topping.)

For topping, combine bread crumbs, pecans, butter and parsley.  Sprinkle over potato puree mixture.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350° F. for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more until topping is golden.

Apple and almonds are a tasty conventional combination often enjoyed at traditional Christmas dinners.  This Apple and Almond Tart recipe makes a common-place apple pie extra special, sure to please all your guests at the end of your holiday meal.  This delicious dessert can be served hot or cold.

A word of advice:  do not be tempted to add sugar to the apples in this recipe (it will make them produce too much liquid).  All the sweetness in the tart comes from the pastry and the topping.

Apple and Almond Tart

Ingredients:

• 6 TBSP. butter
• 1 ½ cups white flour
• 1/3 cup ground almonds
• 3 TBSP. icing sugar, plus sifted icing sugar to decorate
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 TBSP. cold water
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Topping:

• 1 cup flour
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• 4 TBSP. butter, cubed
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup slivered almonds

Filling:

• 1 ½ lbs. apples
• ¼ cup raisins

To make the pastry, all the flour and butter into a food processor bowl and process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Stir in the ground almonds and 3 TBSP. icing sugar.  Whisk the egg yolk, almond extract and water together in a small bowl and then add them to the dry mixture.  Mix together to form a soft, pliable dough.  Knead the dough gently until smooth.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping:  Place the flour in a medium bowl and add the cinnamon.  Stir together well with a fork or whisk.  Add the cubed butter and blend in with a fork or pastry cutter.  Stir in the sugar and almonds.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll the pastry dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Gently line the pastry into a 9” springform pan, pressing neatly into the edges.  Make a lip around the top edge, but remove any excess.  Place the pastry in the pan in the fridge for another 15 minutes.

Preheat the over to 375° F.

Peel and core the apples, and slice the apples thinly. Remove the pastry shell from the fridge.  Arrange the apples neatly on the pastry shell overlapping the slices slightly.  (The tart may appear too full at this time, but after the apples cook the filling will drop slightly.)  Spoon the topping mixture all over the top of the apples, pressing down slightly.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top of the tart is golden brown and the apples are tender when tested.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

This great tasting vegetable dish adds some crunch to your holiday table.  This delicious Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower salad can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours. 

Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients:

• 5 cups broccoli flowerets (2 bunches)
• 4 cups sliced cauliflower flowerets (about 1 head)
• 3 spring onions, or one small red onion thinly sliced
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 TBSP. sugar
• 1 TBSP. white vinegar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Sprinkle of Paprika

Combine broccoli, cauliflower and onion in a large bowl.  Mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and combine well.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until well coated.  Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with a little paprika.

If you want a lighter main course, or if you have leftover turkey, this Turkey Rice Salad is a good choice.  If you want to use this as a main course, the turkey can be cooked a day ahead and the rest of the salad made and assembled on the day of the feast.  Using a breast of turkey (instead of roasting a whole turkey) can be an easier way to go, while still supplying that traditional bit of turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups brown rice
• 1 cup wild rice
• 2 crisp red apples, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cup seedless grapes, cut in half
• 3 TBSP. orange juice
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 12 oz. cooked white turkey meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Salt and pepper
• Red leaf lettuce

Combine the brown and wild rice and cook in a pot of boiling salted water for 25 minutes or until tender.  Drain the rice water out in a colander and rinse the rice under cold water.

Transfer the well-drained rice to a large bowl.  Add the apples, celery and grapes.  In a small bowl or a large measuring cup, mix the orange juice into the mayonnaise.  Spoon the mayonnaise mixture over the rice and fruit. Add the turkey.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well to coat the meat and fruit.

Arrange the rinsed red leaf lettuce leaves around the sides and bottom of a large serving dish or bowl.  Spoon the turkey salad into the centre.

Turkey seems to be part of every Christmas and Thanksgiving holiday meal. This recipe makes turkey the start of the meal—and the star. This is a hearty, tasty Italian take on turkey soup. The soup can be made ahead of time and frozen, but just be sure you don’t add the pasta until you reheat it. You can buy turkey drumsticks or turkey breast separately to add the meat to this dish, or you can use leftover turkey from the main meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 TBSP. garlic powder
• ¾ cup cooked ham
• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (including juice)
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 1/3 cup macaroni or other small pasts
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepot. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add ham, carrots, celery and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 more minutes. Add stock and tomatoes (plus juice). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Add the cabbage, turkey, and both beans. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 30 minutes more or until vegetables are almost tender. Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Spoon the hot soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan cheese.