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Wondering what to cook for Christmas dinner?

 

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat…  and up and down the land people are pondering the perennial question:  what to make for Christmas dinner?  It’s never easy cooking for family and friends, especially for a special occasion that only comes once a year and most of us have been stuck in a supermarket the day before Christmas panicking by the chiller cabinets with no inspiration as to what to make.  Never fear – help is at hand!  Here are some Christmassy ideas from my archives with something for everybody, from the old hand who is tired of making the same old Christmas meal year after year, to the nervous newbie attempting their first Christmas meal.  And there is everything you need for a celebration, from cocktails and canapé inspirations, right through to desserts. Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS CANAPéS & COCKTAILS

SquareChristmastinisquare

 

 

 

 

 

Christmastini cocktail with homemade cranberry clementine vodka

Rassecco (prosecco & raspberry vodka cocktail)

Sloe gin (homemade) and Sloe Lovin’ cocktails

Peppadew cheese puffs

Savoury palmiers

Cheese olives

Serrano ham, goat’s cheese & honey crostini 

TomatoBruschetta

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato, olive & basil bruschetti

 

CHRISTMAS STARTERS/APPETIZERS

 

Smoked salmon & packerel parcel © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Smoked mackerel & salmon paté parcels

Crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms © J Horak-Druiff 2006

 

 

 

 

 

Crab-stuffed portabello mushrooms

Smoked salmon avo stack © J Horak-Druiff 2012

Smoked salmon and avocado stacks

Chicken liver & Cognac paté © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken liver and Cognac paté

Roasted nectarines in Prosciutto © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

Roasted nectarines wrapped in Prosciutto

 

 

CHRISTMAS MAIN COURSES

 

Roast Christmas gammon © J Horak-Druiff 2010

 

 

 

 

 

Glazed roast gammon

GammonWithBrandyAndCoke

 

 

 

 

 

Brandy and Coke glazed gammon

Whole leg of lamb on the braai © J Horak-Druiff 2010

 

 

 

 

 

Whole leg of lamb on the braai (barbecue)

SousvideduckWithOrange

 

 

 

 

 

Sous vide duck breasts in a charred orange & Cointreau sauce

Roast duck with pancetta & potatoes © J Horak-Druiff 2008

 

 

 

 

 

Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes

Nigel Slater slow-roast lamb © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Nigel Slater’s slow-roast spicy lamb

Schweinsbraten © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Schweinsbraten(Austrian slow-cooked pork shoulder)

 

 

 

 

 

Pot-roast pheasant with apples & pancetta and a bread gravy

 Salmon en Croute © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

 

Salmon en croute

 

CHRISTMAS SIDE DISHES

French beans with almonds and garlic © J Horak-Druiff 2010

 

 

 

 

 

French beans with toasted almonds and garlic

Rotkohl 1 © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Braised red cabbage with apples

Sauteed Brussel sprouts © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Simple sautéed Brussels sprouts with garlic & shallots

Brussels sprouts with caramelised garlic lemon chilli © J Horak-Druiff 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Brussels sprouts with caramelised garlic, lamon & chilli

Brussels sprouts shredded with pancetta © J Horak-Druiff 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Shredded Brussels sprouts with pancetta & pine nuts

Sprout gratin title © J Horak-Druiff 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Easy cheesy Brussels sprout gratin

Butternut squash bake © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Creamy butternut squash bake

NdujaSprouts

 

 

 

Spicy Brussels sprouts with nduja and preserved lemon

 

 

CHRISTMAS DESSERTS

 

 

 

 

 

Cape brandy pudding

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas pudding semi freddo with brandy sauce & cinnamon streusel

RedWineRoastedPears

 

 

 

 

 

Spiced pears roasted in red wine (gluten-free)

CharredClementinePuddings

 

 

 

 

 

Individual charred clementine puddings

CranberryClementineUpsideDownCake

 

 

 

 

 

Clementine & cranberry upside down cake

Cranberry pear upside down cake © J Horak-Druiff © 2008

 

 

 

 

 

Cranberry pear upside down cake  

Raspberry white chocolate cheesecake © J Horak-Druiff 2007

 

 

 

 

 

White chocolate & raspberry cheesecake

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate orange trifle in a glass

 

 

 

 

 

Nigella’s spiced chocolate orange cake (gluten-free)

SpicedPersimmonCake

 

 

 

 

 

Gingerbread-spiced persimmon cake

ChestnutChocolateTorte

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate chestnut fondant (almost gluten-free)

Peppermint Crisp tart

 

 

 

 

South African Peppermint Crisp pudding

Chocolate blackberry almond torte © J Horak-Druiff 2008

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate, blackberry & almond torte (gluten-free)

 

 

 

 

 

Decadent flourless chocolate cake (gluten-free)

 

 

 

 

 

Cranberry ginger caramel self-saucing pudding

 

 

 

 

 

Individual chocolate fondant puddings

 

 

 

 

 

Marmalade bread & butter pudding

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The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

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