An awesome dinner on
Christmas eve can bring old friends together and add a twist to your Christmas
celebrations. Succumb to one of your favorite foods
giving your Christmas
some extra flair surrounding yourself with the right kind of people and
recipes. But if you want a perfect Christmas, having a
good collection of
recipes for Christmas dinner isn't enough. Christmas dinner takes a lot of
planning and organization, and when you don't have
years of experience under
your belt, sometimes it can be a little tough. There are a lot of ways to make
sure you have an awesome and relaxing
Christmas dinner. –
1. Brussels sprouts
gratin with bacon, cream and almonds
A great way to have
Brussels sprouts with a little more flair. This is a family favorite during the
holidays. You won't hear any protests at this
sprouts dish - almonds,
double cream, bacon and parmesan make for a luscious accompaniment for
traditional turkey.
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| Image: www.bbc.co.uk |
Ingredients
• 900g/2lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 20g/¾oz butter
• 4 tsp sunflower oil
• 150g/5oz bacon lardons (or rindless back bacon, cut into short fat strips)
• 20g/¾oz flaked almonds
• 400ml/14fl oz double cream
• 2½ tsp lemon juice
• 5½ tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation Method
1. Preheat the oven to
200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Place the sprouts into
a saucepan of simmering salted water and cook for 4-5 minutes, until almost,
but not quite, cooked. Drain thoroughly, allow to
cool slightly, then cut
in half.
3. Place the butter and
oil into a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and
almonds and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until lightly
browned.
4. Add the sprouts and
sauté for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add the cream and
bring the mixture to the boil. Boil for 2-4 minutes, until the cream has
reduced to a rich sauce. Season to taste with salt and
freshly ground black
pepper.
6. Remove from the heat,
add the lemon juice and spoon into an ovenproof gratin dish.
7. Mix the breadcrumbs
and parmesan cheese together in a bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the top of
the sprout mixture.
8. Place into the oven
and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and the cream visibly
boiling.
9. Remove from the oven
and serve in the gratin dish (when the dish has cooled slightly).
2. Christmas Pudding
Here is a perfect pudding recipe, an awesome idea for this Christmas eve.
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| Image: www.timeforalittlesomething.com |
Ingredients
• 125 g ready to eat prunes, chopped
• 225 g raisins
• 225 g currants
• 225 g sultanas
• 50 g mixed candied peel, (preferably in large pieces)
• 1 lemon, chopped rind and juice
• 50 g chopped almonds
• 1 cooking apple, approximately 125 g peeled, cored and grated
• 1 medium carrot, 75 g peeled and grated
• 225 g molasses sugar
• 225 g suet, (vegetable rather than beef)
• 125 g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 125 g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 150 ml strong ale
Method
1. Put all ingredients
except the eggs and the ale into a large bowl and mix together well.
2. Put the eggs and ale
together in a basin and whisk together to combine and stir into the mixture.
This is the time to stir and make your wishes.
Cover and leave to stand
over night in a cool place.
3. Butter the pudding
basin and put a small circle of greaseproof paper in the base. Pack the mixture
into the basin and smooth the top. Leave a 2.5 cm
head space.
4. Cover the top of the
pudding with a circle of non-stick paper. Take a large piece of doubled foil – approximately 6 inches all
round, larger than
the top of the pudding
basin. Make a pleat and cover the pudding basin, pressing down the outer edges.
Tie a piece of string around the top of the
bowl to secure the foil.
Take a piece of doubled foil, long enough to sit under and up the sides of the
bowl, with sufficient extra to use as a
lifting aid to remove the
pudding from the pan when cooked.
5. Put the basin in the
top of a steamer which is sitting on a pan of simmering water and steam for the
required time. Remember to top up with
boiling water every hour.
Do not allow to boil dry. Alternatively, put the basin on a trivet (or an
upturned saucer) in a large heavy-based saucepan.
Pour boiling water around
the edge until it comes 2/3 of the way up the side of the bowl. Cover with the
lid of the pan and simmer for the required time.
Remember to top up with
boiling water every hour. Do not allow the pan to boil dry.
6. Remove the basin and
allow to cool. Put on a new foil cover and secure around the top of the basin.
Store in a cool dark place until Christmas. It
will keep for up to 6
months.
7. Steam for 1 ½ - 2
hours before serving. Turn out on to a warm serving plate. Warm 2 table spoons
of rum in a small saucepan. Set alight and
carefully pour over the
pudding. Place a sprig of holly on the top and serve.
3. White Raspberry Truffle Cake Recipe
Chocolaty smooth delicious raspberry truffle cake simply melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
1 large container fresh raspberries or large package frozen
1 16 oz. container whipped topping
1 large bar white chocolate
a few raspberries for decoration
Method
1. Prepare cake according
to mix directions. Bake in a 9 x 13 pan. Cool thoroughly. Cut cake into 4 inch
squares. Shave chocolate bar with a
vegetable peeler.
2. In a truffle or deep
dish clear bowl, place a layer a cake to cover bottom. Sprinkle some of the
chocolate shavings on top. Add a layer of
raspberries. Top with a
thin layer of whipped topping. Repeat until all ingredients have been used,
ending with the whipped topping.
3. Decorate with a few
raspberries. Chill until ready to serve.
Christmas is the absolute
favorite time of the year for many. Are you one of the many who starts humming
Christmas songs as soon as Halloween is over?
The spirit of giving, the
lights, the magic and wonder, the prettily wrapped presents, and of course, the
food; everything makes the eve of Christmas an
endearing and exceptional
one. Christmas food is a real treat. We all have our own special recipes for
Christmas dinner that we only make that one time
of year. And the
anticipation makes them even better.
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